Anyone with gumption and a sharp mind will take the measure of two things: what's said and what's done.
Seamus HeaneyRead
The aim of poetry and the poet is finally to be of service, to ply the effort of the individual into the larger work of the community as a whole.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes that poetry serves a communal function, connecting individual creativity to the collective good.
Seamus Heaney expresses the belief that the ultimate purpose of poetry, and the role of the poet, is to contribute to society. The essence of poetry lies not just in personal expression but in the power to unify and uplift the collective experience of the community, transforming individual effort into a shared artistic endeavor that benefits all.
Themes
PoetryCommunityServiceArtIndividual
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared in a discussion about the role of art in society during a poetry reading event.
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The kinds of truth that art gives us many, many times are small truths. They don't have the resonance of an encyclical from the Pope stating an eternal truth, but they partake of the quality of eternity. There is a sort of timeless delight in them.
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If self is a location, so is love: Bearings taken, markings, cardinal points, Options, obstinacies, dug heels, and distance, Here and there and now and then, a stance.
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In my early teens, I acquired a kind of representative status: went on behalf of the family to wakes and funerals and so on. And I would be counted on as an adult contributor when it came to farm work - the hay in the summertime, for example.
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I think that water is immediately interesting. It's just, as an element, it is full of life. It is associated with origin; it is bright - it reflects you.
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