‘Hamnavoe’
George Mackay
Brown
The Big Picture
• We are going to study a poem by George Mackay
Brown called ‘Hamnavoe’, written in 1947.
• The poem was written as a tribute to the poet’s
father who was a postman on the island of Hamnavoe.
• It follows a typical day on the island, where life is
difficult for the hardworking inhabitants.
• The poem ends with Mackay Brown telling us how
much he admired his father.
Author
• George Mackay Brown, the poet, novelist and
dramatist, spent his life living in and documenting the
Orkney Isles, situated off the north coast of
Scotland.
• He was born in Stromness on the Orkney mainland in
1921.
• He began writing poetry around 1940 and he later
applied to Edinburgh University where he studied
English Literature.
• After these years, Mackay Brown rarely left Orkney.
• In his writing he explored
the experience of life on the
Orkney isles, and his work is
a rich and unique celebration
of the history and traditions
which make up Orkney's
distinct cultural identity.
• Many of Mackay Brown's
works are concerned with
protecting Orkney's cultural
heritage from the relentless
march of progress.
• Mackay Brown's literary
reputation grew steadily. He
received an OBE in 1974 and
was made a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Literature
in 1977, in addition to gaining
several honorary degrees.
His final novel, Beside the
Ocean of Time (1994) was
shortlisted for the Booker
Prize and judged Scottish
Book of the Year by the
Saltire Society.
• Mackay Brown died in his
home town of Stromness on
13th April 1996.
Setting
• Hamnavoe is the Viking name for Stromness, one of the largest
settlements in the Orkney islands, where Mackay Brown spent
most of his life.
• The location is remote and, although beautiful and picturesque,
can suffer harsh weather conditions.
• Hamnavoe Webcam
Orkney Islands
You are here
• The following slides contain some images of Hamnavoe.
Some Images of Hamnavoe
Context of the Poem
• ‘Hamnavoe’ by George Mackay Brown is a poem rooted firmly
within the community of a small island in Orkney an island
off the north coast of Scotland.
• Throughout the poem the poet explores and gives a powerful
impression of the island’s inhabitants and the work they do.
Hamnavoe is a very hardworking, religious community and
their way of life is memorable because it is so different
from the mainland.
• The poem is a tribute to the poet’s father’s life as he
carries out his daily rounds as the island’s postman. The
poem explores the views of the town and the people in it
from his perspective as they carry out their daily activities.
• The poem can be divided into four sections of the poem morning, afternoon, evening and Mackay Brown’s tribute to
his father at the end.
Context of the Poem
• Brown shows an admiration for the honest hard work of the
community to which he belongs.
• He also emphasises the importance of the link between the
island community and nature. (Esp. link between the land and
sea)
• However, he does also explore the negative aspects of the
island, mainly the danger associated with hard working life
(sea) on the island and the insular views help by many of the
inhabitants.
• Brown ends the poem in a sincere and moving tribute to the
man (his father) who worked hard to provide him with food
and shelter, whilst allowing him to grow up in a carefree and
secure environment.
Jigsaw Task
• Each group will be given one verse of the poem to study.
• You should write notes on your copy of the poem (this is
called ‘annotating a poem’).
• You should expand these notes by adding more detail in
your note book/jotter.
• You will then teach others in the class about your verse.
Why study the poem this way?
• You have to think for yourself and form your own ideas.
• Writing about your personal response to a text is an important part of a
critical essay.
• You all have to be actively involved. If you do nothing, it will impact on
others.
• It’s far more interesting than being given line after line of analysis to
copy from the board.
Consider the following
while studying your verse:
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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•
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What ideas and themes are you aware of?
Are there any interesting words or images in the verse?
Any other poetic techniques?
Esp.
Personification
Symbolism
Pun
Sibilance (rep of ‘s’ sound)
Alliteration
Onomatopoeia
Oxymoron (two words brought together with opp meaning)
Juxtaposition (usually bringing two contrasting ideas close together)
Syecdoche (A figure of speech in which part is used to refer to the whole eg. Someone’s car becomes their ‘wheels’)
Zeugma (when a verb or an adjective is applied to two nouns when it is only really applicable to one- eg ‘In flashed knife
and dirge’ knife – literal – catches light, dirge – metaphorical – flash of sound/singing
•
You will then be split into different groups and you will have to teach the rest of your group about the verse you have
studied.
Learning Groups
Teaching Groups
Lines 1-4 - Morning
It is significant that it is the sea that wakes the inhabitants of Hamnavoe.
They all respond to its call, stressing its importance to the community.
•
My father passed with his penny letters
•
Through closes opening and shutting like legends
•
When barbarous with gulls
•
Hamnavoe’s morning broke
Technique – Rhythm
The three strong
stresses on
“Hamnavoe’s morning
broke” emphasises
that the community
wakes together,
ready to start the
working day.
Lines 5-8 - Morning
Techniques – Personification, Colour symbolism - The personification of the
boats presents a positive and jaunty image, one in which the boats are a
living part of this community. However, the colour “red” hints at the darker
side to this often hard and dangerous work.
•
•
5 On the salt and tar steps. Herring boats,
Puffing red sails, the tillers
•
Of cold horizons, leaned
•
Down the gull-gaunt tide
Techniques – Pun, Imagery
- The pun on “tillers”
emphasises that the people
of Hamnavoe rely on
nature, the land and the
sea, to survive. The “cold
horizons” stress that the
life the islanders are born
into, whilst rich in
tradition and a sense of
community, is one of
hardship and toil, with
very limited choices.
Lines 9-12 - Morning
Techniques – Sibilance, Colour symbolism -The use of sibilance creates a
strong, smooth rhythm reflecting the great deftness and skill of the
fisherman.
•
•
And threw dark nets on sudden silver harvests.
10 A stallion at the sweet fountain
•
Dredged water, and touched
•
Fire from steel-kissed cobbles.
Whilst the colour
silver, whilst
vividly describing
the appearance if
the fish, also
stresses to the
reader the
importance of
this catch to the
wealth of the
islanders.
Lines 13-16 - Afternoon
Techniques – Synecdoche, Alliteration, Word choice - The merchants are
clearly not welcomed by the islanders. The use of synecdoche, stresses
that it is not just the old men, but the whole of the island who disapprove
of these men who have time to be “strolling” (word choice) at noon while
the rest of the islanders are hard at work.
•
Hard on noon four bearded merchants
The use of alliteration mimics the sound of the retired fishermen spitting
onto the pier as the merchants pass, stressing their contempt for them.
•
Past the pipe-spitting pierhead strolled,
Techniques – Imagery (Juxtaposition) - is used to contrast the islanders’
differing attitude to the tinker and the merchants)
•
15
Holy with greed, chanting
Additionally, the merchants are becoming wealthy off of the toil of
the islanders while not sharing the islanders’ ideology of hard work.
•
Their slow grave jargon.
Lines 17 - 20 - Afternoon
Techniques – Imagery - However, not all “outsiders” are automatically mistrusted and
disliked by the islanders. By describing the tinker with imagery of the sea Mackay
Brown suggests that he belongs on the island. Additionally, the word “tartan” suggests
that he has fitted into this uniquely Scottish community. He shares the islanders’ work
ethic as he “keened” working hard and moving purposefully.
•
A tinker keened like a tartan gull
Techniques – Onomatopoeia/word choice/Oxymoron - It is not only the men who work
hard on the island, as the description of the “crofter lass” demonstrates. The use of
the onomatopoeic word “trudged” stresses that her work is hard and tiring.
•
At cuithe-hung doors; a crofter lass
The oxymoron “lavish dung” suggests that her life is one very much tied to the earth as
she views the traditionally unpleasant idea of “dung” in a positive light as, in its “lavish”
quantities” allowing her crops to grow well; poss allowing her to purchase “lavish” goods.
•
Trudged through the lavish dung
Techniques – symbolism - This is a beautiful image in which the young girl’s dreams of
femininity and motherhood are revealed. However, again it reminds the reader of the
limited horizons of the islanders and the narrowness of their aspirations.
•
20
In a dream of cornstalks and milk.
Lines 21-24 - Afternoon
•
In “The Arctic Whaler” three blue elbows fell,
•
Regular as waves, from beards spumy with porter,
•
Till the amber day ebbed out
•
To its black dregs.
Lines 25 - 28 - Evening
Techniques – Imagery - Again the clear link is made between the islanders’
reliance on the land and sea through the use of the word “furrows”.
•
25 The boats drove furrows homeward, like ploughmen
The “blizzard” of gulls give this homecoming a celebratory atmosphere and, indeed, their
presence in such numbers suggests a successful haul for the fishermen; and therefore
for community as whole.
•
In blizzards of gulls. Gaelic fisher girls
•
Flashed knife and dirge
•
Over drifts of herring,
Techniques – zeugma The fact that everyone
has an important role to
play in the hard work of
the island is stressed.
The use of zeugma
highlights the skill and
speed of the fisher girls
as they speedily gut the
fish whilst singing at
their work.
Lines 29 - 32 - Evening
Techniques – Imagery/Atmosphere - An almost mystical atmosphere is created as
eth poet describes the young boys of the island fishing with their “wands”, it is clear
that this is a peaceful and enjoyable time of day for them and they are naturally
skilled at this craft; catching the fish as if by magic.
•
And boys with penny wands lured gleams
Indeed the use of the word the word “veins” highlights that for
these young men fishing is in their blood.
•
30 From the tangled veins of the flood. Houses went blind
Techniques – Transferred epithet - The atmosphere of the poem changes to one of a
shared, quiet grief. The blinds are literally closed in the houses as a mark of respect
for the dead; however the use of transferred epithet reveals to us that the people
within the houses are blinded by their tears.
•
Up one steep close, for a
Through his use of the word “shrouded” to describe the fishing nets, Mackay Brown links
them to the death in the close: revealing to us that he was killed at sea.
•
Grief by the shrouded nets.
Lines 33 - 36 - Evening
•
The kirk, in a gale of psalms, went heaving through
•
A tumult of roofs, freighted for heaven. And lovers
•
•
35
Unblessed by steeples, lay under
The buttered bannock of the moon.
Lines 37 - 40 - Tribute to Father
•
He quenched his lantern, leaving the last door.
Techniques – Oxymoron - The poet reflects on his childhood, and reveals the
extraordinary feat his father achieved through his use of the oxymoron “gay
poverty”.
•
Because of his gay poverty that kept
•
My seapink innocence
Despite all the difficulties he faced, his father managed to give his son a
happy and pure childhood; unsullied by the difficulties he faced.
•
40
From the worm and black wind;
Lines 41 - 45 - Tribute to Father
•
And because, under equality’s sun
Techniques – imagery - The universal theme of the poem is revealed as the
poet muses on the fate of communities like Hamnavoe and indeed all small
communities across the country.
•
All things wear now to a common soiling,
The march of progress has brought about homogenisation, and these once
unique and vibrant communities are at risk of losing what made them special
and united.
•
In the fire of images
Techniques – Imagery/Word choice - The word “fire” clearly indicates how
clearly and brightly the images of Hamnavoe still exist for the poet.
•
Gladly I put my hand
However, it also indicates that this is a painful reflection for him, perhaps
because the places and people which were so important to both him and his
father have been lost in the march of progress.
•
45
To save that day for him.
Lines 1-12 Morning
1. What do we learn about the poet’s father in this
section?
2. How does the poet help us to imagine what Hamnavoe
is like first thing in the morning?
3. How does he immediately make us aware of the past?
4. What two ways of earning a living in the community
are introduced in the first section?
5. What is effective about the imagery used in the
presentation of the herring boats?
Lines 13-24 Afternoon
1. What does the image of the merchants and the old
men add to the poem?
2. What is effective about the presentation of the
tinker and the crofter lass?
3. Why does Mackay Brown include the image of the old
fishermen in the pub?
4. What is the effect of the juxtaposition of these
images?
5. How are we made aware of time passing in this
section?
Lines 25-36 Evening
1. What atmosphere does the poet create in the images
of:
(i) the returning fishing boats; the fisher girls; the
boys fishing
(ii) the grief in the close; the singing in the Kirk; the
lovers
2. How are we made aware of time passing in this
section?
Lines 37-45 –
Tribute to Father
1. What more do we learn about the poet’s father in
this section?
2. For what things is the poet grateful to his father?
3. How effective is the metaphor “the fire of images”
in this poem?
4. What feeling, as well as gratitude, do you detect in
this last section?
Some Other Points to Consider
1. Make a note of any themes which you think the poem
deals with.
2. Has this poem revealed to you anything new, made
you think about an area of life you had not
considered before, confirmed or changed your mind
about any aspect of life? It may be useful for you to
compare your experience of life in Glasgow with the
life experienced by the inhabitants of Hamnavoe.
3. Think about the way the poet uses sound effects and
contrast to create atmosphere/mood in his
descriptions of the place and people and the way
they interconnect.
Hot Seat
• In order to help us think
about what life was really
like on the island, we are
going to interview some of
the people mentioned in the
poem (i.e. some of you will
pretend to be a particular
islander!)
• Each group should choose a
member to become one of
the following:
 Mackay Brown’s father
 A fisherman
 A crofter lass
 A merchant
The Audience
• Your job is to prepare
your group member for
the sort of questions
which they may face
about life in Hamnavoe.
• You will then have the
opportunity to ask
questions of each panel
member. Spend a few
minutes thinking of
possible questions to
ask.
Mind Map Homework
• You should produce a mind-map for each section of
the poem – morning, afternoon, evening and Mackay
Brown’s tribute to his father.
• The mind-map should contain a mixture of the
techniques used by Mackay Brown and your personal
response to these.
• This will enable you to see at-a-glance the main points
of each stanza.
• The next slide shows a sample starter of a mind map.
Hard work
“Puffing
red sails”
“Hamnavoe’s
morning broke”
Community
Morning
The Negative
Side of Life
on the Island
Link with
nature
Three strong
stresses- all
awake at once
Group Work - Carousel
• In your groups you are now going to be given an
aspect of the poem to focus on in more detail.




Nature
Community
Hard work
The negative side of the island
• You should spend around 10 minutes on a group mindmap which will contain your ideas about the assigned
topic.
• You will now spend 5 minutes at each of the other 3
groups, reading what that group has written about
their topic and adding any important ideas which you
think they have missed.
• By the end of this exercise, you should have a more
detailed view of each of the 4 categories.
Critical Essay
Reading the question
• The most important piece of advice that anyone can give you
about writing a critical essay is simply to answer the
question. Even if your essay is the right length, displays
knowledge of the text and is written in perfect English
style, it will not be acceptable if it does not focus what the
question is asking you to do.
• Few people would immediately start writing their answer
without reading the question — but many just read it quickly
and then go ahead to write something they have prepared
beforehand.
• The starting point of your critical essay should not be
the text you have studied, but the question you are
answering. You should learn to recognise the significance of
certain phrases which often appear in essay questions.
• Here are some of them:
Reading the question
• “by close reference to the text. .”
• This obviously means that you are expected to include detailed examples
of points you make, referring to specific events in the story. Often
close reference to the text will take the form of quotations.
• “to what extent. .”
• — as in, for example, “to what extent does the character learn
important truths about himself / herself in the course of the play?”
This allows you to discuss both the extent to which he / she does learn
these truths, and the extent to which he / she does not. It leaves it up
to you to decide whether you want to argue “yes, he does”, “no, he
doesn’t” or “in some ways he does and in other ways he doesn’t”. This
last approach is likely to be the best as most good literature is fairly
complex and a one- sided response will probably be too simplistic.
• “discuss the various techniques by which the writer presents.. .“
• The use of the word techniques indicates that you are expected not
just to consider the content of the book, play or poem, but the storytelling methods used by the writer, the use of description, figures of
speech, and so on. One of the most common faults in answers to this
kind of question is for students to say too much about the story itself
and not enough about the techniques used.
Planning the Essay
• Once you have clarified in your mind what
the question is asking you to do, you should
make some preliminary notes before you
start writing.
• It is tempting not to bother doing this,
particularly when working to a time limit in a
class assessment or in the exam.
• But a few minutes planning your essay will
save you wasting time later on.
Planning the Essay
• Before you start writing your essay, you should have
a clear idea of how it is going to develop. If you
don’t plan it out first, you’ll probably run into one of
the following difficulties:
• X you remember a point later on that you wish you
had raised earlier;
• X you mention all the things that first come to mind
and then realise that you don’t know what to say
next;
• X you state in your introduction that you are going to
follow a certain line but, as you haven’t planned it out
in advance, your discussion gradually moves further
away from your original aim.
Planning the Essay
• Planning need not take more than about five minutes.
• You don’t have to write anything out in detail; the
briefest of headings will do.
• Your final draft, or course, should be neatly
presented and laid out.
• Your planning notes, however, are only for your eyes
and might well be rather messy, with bits scored out
and arrows used to change the order of the points.
• In fact, your planning notes should look like this: if
you make all your changes at the planning stage, you
won’t have to make so many when you write up the
actual essay.
Beginning the Essay
• Now that you have a clear outline of the essay
in mind, you are ready to begin writing the
introductory paragraph.
• You should focus on the question right from
the very first sentence: don’t take a
roundabout approach such as giving a short
account of the story.
• You should summarise the line of argument
that you intend to follow in the essay.
EXAMPLE (1):
• Here is a possible opening paragraph for an essay
question based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The question
reads as follows:
• “The abiding genius of Shakespeare is that he gives us
characters about whom we care.”
• By referring in detail to the actions and language of one
character in a play by Shakespeare, explain to what
extent you agree with the above comment.
• ‘A character in a Shakespearean play about whom we
care is Hamlet. We sympathise with him because of the
difficult situation he finds himself in after his father’s
death, particularly with his need to seek revenge on
Claudius. The fact that Shakespeare uses frequent
soliloquies to give us an insight into Hamlet’s thinking
helps us to see things from Hamlet’s perspective and
further increases our involvement with him.’
Notice that
• the opening paragraph should be short and
general in its approach; it is too early in the
essay to get into detailed discussion of
individual points. The introduction should, in
effect, be a summary of the whole essay.
• the question referred to the “actions and
language” of the character. This means that
both the content of the play and the style of
writing should be considered. The introductory
paragraph touches on both these aspects: the
difficult situation Hamlet finds himself in
(“actions”) and the use of soliloquies
(“language”).
• We will now look at a sample plan for the
following Critical Essay question:
• Many memorable poems leave the reader with
a powerful impression of a person, a place or
an era.
• Using a poem which left you with such an
impression, explain what techniques are used
by the poet to convey this impression.
• Title
• Author
• Genre
• Question
• Summary (1/2 sentences)
• Personal Response (1 sentence)
How it Should Be
• This is how the introduction should have been written:
Genre
Title
Author
Question
• The poem ‘Hamnavoe’ by George Mackay Brown leaves
the reader with a strong impression of Hamnavoe, an
island off the north coast of Scotland.. The poem is a
tribute to the poet’s father’s life. It follows his daily
routine as the island’s postman through which Brown
gives vivid picture of village life. Hamnavoe is a very
hardworking, religious community and their way of life
is memorable because it is so different from the
mainland. This I found particularly interesting
because it left me with a powerful impression of the
island’s inhabitants and the work they do.
Summary of your essay 1-2 sentences
Personal Response
Developing the Essay
• Planning the essay in a way which makes its relevance to the
question clear is the most important thing in writing a critical essay.
• Imagine the examiner was looking at two separate candidates’
efforts.
• Writer A had planned his essay in a relevant way but had not
included a great amount of detail from the text itself.
• Writer B knew her text really well and poured out a great deal of
detailed knowledge.
• However, her essay never really got down to answering the
question.
• Neither of these answers would be ideal, of course, but writer A is
likely to score a rather better mark than writer B. The candidate who
manages both aspects — relevance to the question plus detailed
knowledge of the text — will score much more highly.
Backing up your points with
evidence
• The basic principle that you should follow in each paragraph of your
essay is simply: back up what you say with evidence from the text.
Evidence from the text will usually take one of two forms:
• a reference to a scene, event or conversation which you summarise
in your own words (paraphrase)
• a direct use of actual words from the text (quotation)
• A convenient format here is:
• generalisation — evidence — comment.
• In other words, state the point you wish to make, back it up with a
paraphrase or quotation, and then comment on what exactly this
evidence reveals about your point. What you must avoid doing at
this stage of essay writing is simply retelling the story of what
happens. Select only the parts of the text which are directly relevant
to the topic of the essay.
Topic Sentence
• Mackay Brown leaves the reader with a powerful
impression of morning in Hamnavoe. Early in the
poem, Mackay Brown makes it clear to us that as soon
as day breaks the inhabitants of Hamnavoe are awake
and ready to begin working. He tells us:
Analysis
PR
“When barbarous with gulls
Hamnavoe’s morning broke”
Coxtext
The mention of “gulls” makes clear the link between
man and nature because, as soon as the gulls are
awake, the islanders are too. Similarly, the three
strong stresses on “Hamnavoe’s morning broke”
suggest to me that everyone in this community is
wakening at once in order to begin their hard day’s
work.
•
Mackay Brown continues to create a clear image
of Hamnavoe for the reader by describing the
island’s wide range of inhabitants as the poem
moves to the afternoon.
1.
Contrast/juxtaposition of old men on pier & the
merchants. Shows merchants aren’t welcome.
Close-knit community; only care for people who work
hard for a living.
2.
Crofter lass. Working hard on the land. Symbolises
simple dreams of females on island – being wife and
mother.
3.
Retired fishermen in pub. Creates idea that these
men have worked hard in this community all their
lives and now deserve the time to relax.
•
Mackay Brown moves on to describe the evening
descending upon the island and maintains the
image of a hard-working, tightly-knit community.
1.
Image of lots of gulls following boat; shows
fishermen have had good haul. Good for community.
Loud, busy.
2.
Fisher girls. Hard working. Used to the work.
Everyone has their part to play in this community.
3.
Boys. Fishing is ‘in their blood’. Positive image. We
get impression that they will grow up to be
fishermen – don’t really have the choice in this
community. Magical atmosphere.
•
After these positive images, Mackay Brown
conveys another side to the island, one where
grief is part of the islanders’ existence and
where islanders can be judgemental of others.
1.
Shared grief. Blinds pulled down as a mark of
respect. Quiet atmosphere. Sea provides means of
survival for island but can also take life away.
2.
Community come together in shared grief to pray.
Comfort in their religion.
3.
Community frowned upon relationships which took
place outside of marriage. Judgemental?
(perhaps use short, in-line quotation for this).
4.
Tribute to his father at end of poem reveals more
about way of life on island – poor yet proud.
Ending the Essay
• Sometimes an essay loses marks because it seems to end
abruptly or have no proper conclusion.
• The word “conclusion” means two things:
• • an ending;
• • a judgment, following logically from an argument.
• The last paragraph of your essay should combine both senses
of the word. It should:
• A) recap briefly on the main points;
• B) refer to the words of the question;
• C) sum up clearly and logically, drawing together all the threads
of the argument giving a personal response.
Ending the Essay
• Try to avoid mere repetition of what you have
already said; there should be a clear sense of
progression and development towards your
conclusion.
• This can be achieved by adding one last,
pertinent point, or by ranking your arguments in
order of importance.
• Always make sure you have provided a
genuine and relevant answer to the question.
EXAMPLE:
• Here is a possible concluding paragraph for the essay on the
question of Hamlet being a character we care about:
• It is therefore because we sympathise with Hamlet’s
predicament that we “care” about him throughout the play. We
feel sorry for him because of the loss of his father, because he
feels betrayed by his mother and because he finds himself
having to take on the corruption within the Danish court almost
single-handedly. He accepts dutifully, but unwillingly, the role of
avenger, leading inevitably to his death. Our feelings for Hamlet
are made stronger because we are given so many insights into
his inner agony through his frequent soliloquies. We share in
Ophelia’s lament, “0 what a noble mind is here o’erthrown”.
Perhaps most of all we are moved by this sense of waste,
expressed also in Fortinbras’ tribute to the dead prince, whom,
he felt, would have proved “most royal” had destiny not
prevented him from ever becoming king. As the play ends on
this note of regret, it is clear that Shakespeare’s genius has
indeed been “to make us care”.
• By the end of the poem, I feel that Mackay Brown
has created a very powerful impression of
Hamnavoe. I enjoyed the way in which he used a
day in the life of his father – the island’s postman
– to reveal the different aspects of the island.
The overall impression I gained is that Hamnavoe
is a busy place where everyone plays their part in
cultivating the land for survival...
Critical Essay Questions
Revision
Choose a poem which is obviously rooted
in a particular community or way of life.
By close reference to the text, show
how the poet explores some aspect(s)
for the reader.
‘Hamnavoe’ by George Mackay Brown is a
poem rooted firmly within the community of
a small island in Orkney. Through close
reference to the text, I have discovered
how the poet explores some of the aspects
of their way of life. The poem is about the
writer’s father carrying out his daily rounds
as the postman and the views of the town
and the people in it from his perspective as
they carry out their daily activities.
At the beginning, Mackay Brown’s father is quietly delivering the first
letters of the morning while everyone is still asleep. However, this
does not remain so:
“When barbarous with gulls
Hamnavoe’s morning broke”
The even stresses of the second line indicate that the whole town is
waking up at the same time. The gulls reinforce this imagery as it
shows them beginning to awake, along with the rest of the inhabitants
of the island. The gulls waking the island also stresses the strength of
the bond between the islanders and the sea. Despite the people just
being wakened, they immediately get to work:
“…Herring boats,
Puffing red sails, the tillers
Of cold horizons.”
Already the boats are heading out to sea. The pun on “tillers” is used
here as it is both part of a boat and a machine for cultivating land.
This illustrates how the majority of the islanders work at sea as
fishermen or on the land as farmers. “Cold horizons” is used to
describe the bleak future of the people as they have little alternative
but to become fishermen or farmers as well as the poverty that most
of the people face. This idea is reinforced in the next line with the
alliteration in “gull gaunt tide” of a ‘g’ sound as it leads us to believe
that there is a sparseness about the island. However the importance of
fishing in this community is stressed when the writer says:
“And threw dark nets on sudden silver harvests”
“Silver harvests” shows how the fish are
associated with money in the community
because of its connotations of something
precious. This indicates that a large portion
of the island’s money comes from fishing. The
“dark nets” represent the death they bring to
the fish. In my opinion this is used to make
us think of how there are often shortages of
fish in the North Sea which reinforces the
idea of poverty.
Mackay Brown moves on to a description of
afternoon on the island. This time of day brings
unwanted guests:
“Hard on noon four bearded merchants
Past the pipe-spitting pierhead strolled”
The fact that the writer says “hard on noon” suggests
a certain strictness from the islanders about the
merchants indicating that they are not well-liked.
The synecdoche of the “pipe-spitting” men reinforces
this idea by drawing our attention to the fact that
they spit at the merchants as they go past. The use
of “strolled” acts as a contrast between the people on
the island and the merchants as the merchants seem
to walk at a leisurely pace whereas the islanders
always move with a purpose and never waste time.
This highlights how the merchants stick out in
Hamnavoe.
This point is reinforced when Mackay Brown
describes them as “Holy with greed”, a metaphor
showing that they work religiously at making money
and are always seeking more profit whereas the
islanders are very religious and believe that greed is a
sin. This may be one of the reasons why the islanders
do not like them. Despite the islanders showing clear
distaste towards the merchants, they do not treat all
‘outsiders’ like this:
“A tinker keened like a tartan gull
At cuithe-hung doors”
The tinker is juxtaposed with the merchants in the
previous stanza to show that the islanders feel
differently about him. “Keened” is used to show how
he is looking for odd-jobs he can do to help the
villagers in exchange for food or money.
This is perhaps why he is well-liked: he is working for survival
just as the islanders are. “Tartan gull” is used to illustrate how
he is free to go where he wants. Mackay Brown goes on to write
about:
“a crofter lass
Trudged through the lavish dung
In a dream of cornstalks and milk”
The girl is obviously very tired to be doing what she is doing
because Mackay Brown uses “trudged”. The use of the oxymoron
“lavish dung” is used to highlight that although dung is fairly
unpleasant, it is vital to the villagers’ way of life as they need it
to grow crops to sell. The lavishness of the dung is therefore
describing how the dung is needed to make money which can be
used to buy “lavish” items. The girl’s dream of “cornstalks and
milk” is a symbol for new life and femininity, showing that her
biggest dream in life is to become a housewife. This can be used
to show how the islanders have very simple lives and dreams and
that children are brought up to do what their parents did,
reinforcing the idea that this is a very traditional community.
Mackay Brown then moves on to show us what
early evening is like in the community. As the day
draws to an end, the fishermen begin to return home:
“The boats drove furrows homeward, like ploughmen
In blizzards of gulls”
This extract reinforces the idea of a connection
between the sea and land by using the simile that
compares the boats to ploughmen. The metaphor
“blizzard of gulls” describes the image of the seagulls
swarming towards the fish on the boats. This is used
to symbolise the quantity of fish caught, showing the
importance yet again of the fishing industry in
Hamnavoe. The stanza continues to explain what
happens to the fish:
“Gaelic fisher girls
Flashed knife and dirge
Over drifts of herring”
The use of zeugma in the phrase “flashed knife and dirge” is
used to show that the girls are so used to gutting the fish that
they can sing while they do it, again illustrating the sense of
tradition within the community. The women have probably been
cleaning fish since they were children. The use of the word
“dirge” reminds us of the sombre undertone within the poem
that life is hard in Hamnavoe. This is continued in the next
stanzas with the theme of death:
“Houses went blind
Up one steep close for a
Grief by the shrouded nets.”
The pun on “blind” is used, describing both the blinds of the
houses and the people within the houses being ‘blind with grief’.
It shows that the islanders like to grieve in privacy. The second
pun on “shrouded nets” is used to describe how the sea can bring
death and misery along with money.
Towards the end of the poem Mackay Brown
proclaims his admiration for one particular islander:
his father. This can be applied to all of the islanders:
“Because of his gay poverty that kept
My seapink innocence
From the worm and black wind”
What is said about his father can be applied to the
whole island. The oxymoron “gay poverty” shows that,
despite being poor, the people make the most of their
lives. The following two lines use metaphors to show
how his father was very protective and always made
sure that he was never hungry or ill. This tells us
that family is very important to the islanders.
I enjoyed ‘Hamnavoe’ by George Mackay
Brown and thought that the techniques he
used brought the people in the poem to life,
showing a culture that has almost completely
disappeared.
Often a poem has as its stimulus an
incident from the poet’s everyday
experience. Show how the poet uses
his/her own experience and by skilful
use of poetic techniques makes it
important to a wider readership.
Poems often have their origin in a
chance observation, a small incident, a
glimpse, a snatch of conversation.
Consider such a poem which starts from
a particular experience and, by close
reference to the text, show how the
poet moves towards a general, or
universal statement.
Consider the impact of the last few
lines of a poem you have studied.
Referring closely to the language of
the whole poem, examine how well
these lines act as a conclusion to the
whole poem.
Choose a poem which in your opinion
comes to a pleasing conclusion.
Describe how the poet achieves this
effect and how it contributed to your
appreciation of the poem as a whole.
Choose a poem in which the poet
explores the significance of the
passage of time. Explain why the
passage of time is significant in this
poem and discuss the means by which
the poet explores its significance.
Choose a poem which you think could
be describes as a “quiet” or
“reflective” poem. Show how the poet
has achieved this effect and discuss
to what extent you find it a suitable
way of dealing with the subject matter
in the poem.
Explain what you believe to be the
essential “message” contained in any
poem you know well. Show how the
skill of the poet, in constructing the
poem and in choosing words and
language features, has given power to
the message and contributed to your
enjoyment of the poem.
Choose a poem which has something
important to say to you. By closely
referring to the poet’s language,
briefly explain why you consider the
subject matter to be important, and go
on to analyse how the language conveys
the importance of the subject.
Choose a poem which tells a story and
show how the poet uses the particular
techniques/devices of the narrative
form to convey his/her ideas and
beliefs.
Choose a poem in which a poet conveys
his/her views on some aspect of human
life. Discuss the techniques/devices
he/she has used to convey his/her
ideas to you and the extent to which
you consider these ideas to be
reasonable.
Choose a poet who explores the
relationship between human beings and
nature.
Referring to one or more than one of
his/her poems, show how the poet
makes comments about the
relationship which you think are
significant.
Choose a poem which explores one of
the following: love, beauty, dignity,
endurance, imagination, religious
belief.
Show how the poet explores the topic
and discuss to what extent he/she was
successful in deepening your
understanding of it.
Choose a poet whose poems are
obviously rooted in personal
experience but which seem to you to
have a wider significance.
Referring to one or to two of his/her
poems, show how the poet convinces
you of the personal element and also
makes you aware of a wider
significance.
Choose a poem which deals with a
distinct aspect of life in either the
country or the town/city.
Discuss how effectively the poet
conveys to you the distinct qualities of
the life.
Choose a poem which deals with one of
the following: a meeting, a departure, a
journey, a quarrel. By referring
closely to the text, discuss to what
extent the poet successfully captures
the experience for you.
Some poets create a mood – reflection,
despair, joy, nostalgia – in their poems.
Choose such a poem and show how the
mood is created.
‘Hamnavoe’ – George
Mackay Brown
Common Errors in Critical
Essays
The Big Picture
• This part of the unit will look at some of the
errors made by members of this class when
writing Critical Essays on ‘Hamnavoe’.
• No one’s name has been included on any of the
essays so you cannot be identified!
• We will look at how these errors – and
therefore your Critical Essays in general - can
be improved.
Introduction with Errors
• The following introduction contains a number of
errors:
• The poem ‘Hamnavoe’ by George Mackay Brown leaves
the reader with an impression of the island,
Hamnavoe. The poem is a tribute to the poets
fathers life, it follows his daily routine as the islands
postman. Hamnavoe is a very hardworking, religious
place and their way of life is memorable because it is
so different to mainland, this I found particuarlly
interesting and left me with a powerful impression.
How it Should Be
• This is how the introduction should have been written:
• The poem ‘Hamnavoe’ by George Mackay Brown leaves
the reader with a strong impression of Hamnavoe, an
island off the north coast of Scotland.. The poem is a
tribute to the poet’s father’s life. It follows his daily
routine as the island’s postman. Hamnavoe is a very
hardworking, religious community and their way of life
is memorable because it is so different from the
mainland. This I found particularly interesting
because it left me with a powerful impression of the
island’s inhabitants and the work they do.
Paragraph One with Errors
• Mackay Brown left me with a powerful impression
from the start of the poem the poet makes it clear
that as soon as the people of Hamnavoe awake they
are ready to start work:
“when barbarous with gulls
Hamnavoe’s morning broke”
• When Mackay Brown mentions the word “gulls” it is
obvious that he is trying to show us the link between
nature and the people on the island. As the “gulls”
awake the people awake. Also “Hamnavoe’s morning
broke” suggested to me that everyone on the island
awakes at the same time in order to begin work
together:
“Herring boats,
puffing red sails, the tillers”
The poet uses the personification “puffing” to show
that the fishermen are out of breath from all the
work they have done.
How it Should Be
• Mackay Brown left me with a powerful impression of
the community from the start of the poem. He makes
it clear that as soon as the people of Hamnavoe awake
they are ready to start work:
“when barbarous with gulls
Hamnavoe’s morning broke”
When Mackay Brown mentions the word “gulls” it is
obvious that he is trying to show us the link between
nature and the people on the island. As the “gulls”
awake the people awake. Also the three strong
stresses on “Hamnavoe’s morning broke” suggested to
me that everyone on the island awakes at the same
time in order to begin work together:
• Mackay Brown goes on to describe the boats getting
ready to go out to sea:
“Herring boats,
puffing red sails, the tillers”
The poet uses the personification “puffing” to show
that the fishermen are out of breath from all the
work they have done.
Ending of Poem with Errors
• At the end of the poem the poets tribute to his
father reveals more about the community. The island
is known to work hard for a living but they are still
poor:
“Because of his gay poverty that kept
My seapink innocence”
The islanders are poor meaning they are not
materialistic but they are happy as well as proud of
their way of life.
How it Should Be
• At the end of the poem the poet’s tribute to his
father reveals more about the community. The
islanders are known to work hard for a living but they
are still poor:
“Because of his gay poverty that kept
My seapink innocence”
The oxymoron “gay poverty” illustrates how, despite
being poor, the islanders attempted to remain happy
and make the most of their situation.
And Finally…
• Use apostrophes where necessary e.g. Hamnavoe’s.
• Include plenty of personal response e.g. I think, I
feel, This makes me reflect on…
• If a technique has been used in the quotation you’re
analysing, you must fully explain the effect of the
technique.
• Keep expression formal at all times.
• Shorter quotations of a few words or so in length
should be included as in-line quotations.
Important Quotations
“And threw dark nets on sudden silver
harvests.”
“When barbarous with gulls
Hamnavoe’s morning broke”
“Herring boats,
Puffing red sails”
“A stallion at the sweet fountain
Dredged water, and touched
Fire from steel-kissed cobbles.”
“Gaelic fisher girls
Flashed knife and dirge
Over drifts of herring”
“My father passed with his penny letters
Through closes opening and shutting like
legends”
“leaned
Down the gull-gaunt tide”
“The boats drove furrows homeward, like
ploughmen
In blizzards of gulls.”
“the tillers
Of cold horizons”
“A crofter lass
Trudged through the lavish dung
In a dream of cornstalks and milk.”
“He quenched his lantern, leaving the last
door.”
“And because, under equality’s sun
All things wear now to a common soiling”
“In ‘The Arctic Whaler’ three blue elbows
fell,
Regular as waves, from beards spumy
with porter,
Till the amber day ebbed out
To its black dregs.”
“And boys with penny wands lured gleams
From the tangled veins of the flood”
“The kirk, in a gale of psalms, went
heaving through
A tumult of roofs, freighted for heaven.”
“Hard on noon four bearded merchants
Past the pipe-spitting pierhead strolled,
Holy with greed, chanting
Their slow grave jargon.”
“Houses went blind
Up one steep close, for a
Grief by the shrouded nets.”
“In the fire of images
Gladly I put my hand
To save that day for him.”
“And lovers
Unblessed by steeples, lay under
The buttered bannock of the moon.”
“A tinker keened like a tartan gull
At cuithe-hung doors”
“Because of his gay poverty that kept
My seapink innocence
From the worm and black wind”