blackberries

In the poem “Blackberry-Picking” by Seamus Heaney, the author uses powerful metaphors, strong diction, descriptive imagery, and an organized form to compare picking blackberries to holding on to your childhood.
Metaphors are the strongest tool the author uses to convey his deeper understanding of the experience of picking blackberries. The blackberries in themselves are a metaphor for childhood. The ripened berries suggest a new life, a child. The author speaks of flesh and blood to call to mind the child’s mortality. Hoarding the berries mirrors trying to h...