The Early Purges by Seamus Heaney.

The Early Purges

I was six when I first saw kittens drown.

Dan Taggart pitched them, 'the scraggy wee shits',

Into a bucket; a frail metal sound,

Soft paws scraping like mad. But their tiny din

Was soon soused. They were slung on the snout

Of the pump and the water pumped in.

'Sure, isn't it better for them now?' Dan said.

Like wet gloves they bobbed and shone till he sluiced

Them out on the dunghill, glossy and dead.

Suddenly frightened, for days I sadly hung

Round the yard, watching the three sogged remains

Turn mealy and crisp as old summer dung

Until I forgot them. But the fear came back

When Dan trapped big rats, snared rabbits, shot crows

Or, with a sickening tug, pulled old hens' necks.

Still, living displaces false sentiments

And now, when shrill pups are prodded to drown

I just shrug, 'Bloody pups'. It makes sense:

'Prevention of cruelty' talk cuts ice in town

Where they consider death unnatural

But on well-run farms pests have to be kept down.

              

I chose this poem because the descriptive language makes it very visual and the reader feels part of the experience. Heaney uses his own experience to deal with the universal issue of death and animal cruelty. 

              

The title of this poem was clear and struck me. Purge is a very strong word and carries many negative associations. It was clear from the beginning the dark mood of the poem. Seamus describes in great detail the experience “soft paws scraping like mad” "like wet gloves they bobbed". He appears to have hardened to the death of the animal and now "I just shrug bloody pups". He then says tongue in cheek "it makes sense". I don’t think Heaney believes that. The last line is very important. I think this was a good way to end the poem as it allows the reader to think how we really control the animal population and are there better ways.

I like this poem because it develops your capacity for empathy and allows to think about how we deal with the animal population. The descriptive language helps the reader to feel part of the experience.