1
Hamnavoe

• George Mackay Brown

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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 poets
  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.

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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.

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• 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.

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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.

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Some Images of Hamnavoe
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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 islands 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 poets fathers life
  as he carries out his daily rounds as the
  islands 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
  Browns tribute to his father at the end.

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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.

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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.

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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.
• Its far more interesting than being given line
  after line of analysis to copy from the board.

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Consider the followingwhile studying your verse

• 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. Someones 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.

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Learning Groups
Teaching Groups
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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
• Hamnavoes morning broke

Technique Rhythm The three strong stresses on
Hamnavoes morning broke emphasises that the
community wakes together, ready to start the
working day.
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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.
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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.
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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
• Past the pipe-spitting pierhead strolled,
• 15 Holy with greed, chanting
• Their slow grave jargon.

The use of alliteration mimics the sound of the
retired fishermen spitting onto the pier as the
merchants pass, stressing their contempt for them.
Techniques Imagery (Juxtaposition) - is used to
contrast the islanders differing attitude to the
tinker and the merchants)
Additionally, the merchants are becoming wealthy
off of the toil of the islanders while not
sharing the islanders ideology of hard work.
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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
• At cuithe-hung doors a crofter lass
• Trudged through the lavish dung
• 20 In a dream of cornstalks and milk.

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.
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.
Techniques symbolism - This is a beautiful
image in which the young girls 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.
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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.

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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
• In blizzards of gulls. Gaelic fisher girls
• Flashed knife and dirge
• Over drifts of herring,

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.
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.
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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
• 30 From the tangled veins of the flood. Houses
  went blind
• Up one steep close, for a
• Grief by the shrouded nets.

Indeed the use of the word the word veins
highlights that for these young men fishing is in
their blood.
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.
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.
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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.

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Lines 37 - 40 - Tribute to Father

• He quenched his lantern, leaving the last
  door.
• Because of his gay poverty that kept
• My seapink innocence
• 40 From the worm and black wind

Techniques Oxymoron - The poet reflects on his
childhood, and reveals the extraordinary feat his
father achieved through his use of the oxymoron
gay poverty.
Despite all the difficulties he faced, his father
managed to give his son a happy and pure
childhood unsullied by the difficulties he
faced.
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Lines 41 - 45 - Tribute to Father

• And because, under equalitys sun
• All things wear now to a common soiling,
• In the fire of images
• Gladly I put my hand
• 45 To save that day for him.

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.
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.
Techniques Imagery/Word choice - The word
fire clearly indicates how clearly and brightly
the images of Hamnavoe still exist for the poet.
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.
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Lines 1-12 - Morning

• What do we learn about the poets father in this
  section?
• How does the poet help us to imagine what
  Hamnavoe is like first thing in the morning?
• How does he immediately make us aware of the
  past?
• What two ways of earning a living in the
  community are introduced in the first section?
• What is effective about the imagery used in the
  presentation of the herring boats?

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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?

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Lines 25-36 - Evening

• 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
• How are we made aware of time passing in this
  section?

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Lines 37-45 Tribute to Father

1. What more do we learn about the poets 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?

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Some Other Points to Consider

• Make a note of any themes which you think the
  poem deals with.
• 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.

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1. 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.

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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 Browns father
• A fisherman
• A crofter lass
• A merchant

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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.

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Mind Map Homework

• You should produce a mind-map for each section of
  the poem morning, afternoon, evening and Mackay
  Browns 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.

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Puffing red sails
Hamnavoes morning broke
Three strong stresses- all awake at once
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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
  mind-map which will contain your ideas about the
  assigned topic.

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• 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.

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Critical Essay

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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

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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 doesnt or in some ways he does and in
  other ways he doesnt. 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 story-telling
  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.

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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.

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Planning the Essay

• Before you start writing your essay, you should
  have a clear idea of how it is going to develop.
  If you dont plan it out first, youll 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 dont know what to
  say next
• X you state in your introduction that you are
  going to follow a certain line but, as you
  havent planned it out in advance, your
  discussion gradually moves further away from your
  original aim.

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Planning the Essay

• Planning need not take more than about five
  minutes.
• You dont 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 wont have to make so many
  when you write up the actual essay.

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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 dont 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.

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EXAMPLE (1)

• Here is a possible opening paragraph for an essay
  question based on Shakespeares 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 fathers death, particularly with his
  need to seek revenge on Claudius. The fact that
  Shakespeare uses frequent soliloquies to give us
  an insight into Hamlets thinking helps us to see
  things from Hamlets perspective and further
  increases our involvement with him.

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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).

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• 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.

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Introduction

• Title
• Author
• Genre
• Question
• Summary (1/2 sentences)
• Personal Response (1 sentence)

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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 poets fathers life.
  It follows his daily routine as the islands
  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 islands inhabitants and the work they do.

Question
Author
Genre
Title
Personal Response
Summary of your essay 1-2 sentences
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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.

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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.

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Paragraph 2
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
• When barbarous with gulls
• Hamnavoes morning broke
• 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
  Hamnavoes morning broke suggest to me that
  everyone in this community is wakening at once in
  order to begin their hard days work.

Coxtext
Analysis
PR
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Paragraph 3

• Mackay Brown continues to create a clear image of
  Hamnavoe for the reader by describing the
  islands wide range of inhabitants as the poem
  moves to the afternoon.
• Contrast/juxtaposition of old men on pier the
  merchants. Shows merchants arent welcome.
  Close-knit community only care for people who
  work hard for a living.

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• Crofter lass. Working hard on the land.
  Symbolises simple dreams of females on island
  being wife and mother.
• 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.

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Paragraph 4

• Mackay Brown moves on to describe the evening
  descending upon the island and maintains the
  image of a hard-working, tightly-knit community.
• Image of lots of gulls following boat shows
  fishermen have had good haul. Good for
  community. Loud, busy.

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• Fisher girls. Hard working. Used to the work.
  Everyone has their part to play in this
  community.
• Boys. Fishing is in their blood. Positive
  image. We get impression that they will grow up
  to be fishermen dont really have the choice in
  this community. Magical atmosphere.

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Paragraph 5

• 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.
• 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.

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• Community come together in shared grief to pray.
  Comfort in their religion.
• Community frowned upon relationships which took
  place outside of marriage. Judgemental?
• (perhaps use short, in-line quotation for this).
• Tribute to his father at end of poem reveals more
  about way of life on island poor yet proud.

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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.

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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.

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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
  Hamlets 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
  Ophelias lament, 0 what a noble mind is here
  oerthrown. 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 Shakespeares genius has indeed been to
  make us care.

68

Conclusion

• 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 islands
  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...

69
Critical Essay Questions

• Revision

70

• 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.

71

• 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 writers 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.

72

• At the beginning, Mackay Browns 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
• Hamnavoes 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

73

• 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 islands
  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.

74

• 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.

75

• 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.

76

• 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 girls 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.

77

• 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

78

• 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.

79

• 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.

80

• 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.

81

• Often a poem has as its stimulus an incident
  from the poets 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.

82

• 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.

83

• 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.

84

• 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.

85

• 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.

86

• 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.

87

• 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.

88

• Choose a poem which has something important to
  say to you. By closely referring to the poets
  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.

89

• 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.

90

• 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.

91

• 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.

92

• 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.

93

• 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.

94

• 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.

95

• 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.

96

• Some poets create a mood reflection, despair,
  joy, nostalgia in their poems. Choose such a
  poem and show how the mood is created.

97
Hamnavoe George Mackay Brown

• Common Errors in Critical Essays

98
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 ones 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.

99
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.

100
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 poets fathers life.
  It follows his daily routine as the islands
  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 islands inhabitants and the work they do.

101
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
• Hamnavoes 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
  Hamnavoes morning broke suggested to me that
  everyone on the island awakes at the same time in
  order to begin work together

102

• 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.

103
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
• Hamnavoes 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 Hamnavoes morning
  broke suggested to me that everyone on the
  island awakes at the same time in order to begin
  work together

104

• 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.

105
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.

106
How it Should Be

• At the end of the poem the poets 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.

107
And Finally

• Use apostrophes where necessary e.g. Hamnavoes.
• 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
  youre 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.

108
Important Quotations

109

• And threw dark nets on sudden silver harvests.

110

• When barbarous with gulls
• Hamnavoes morning broke

111

• Herring boats,
• Puffing red sails

112

• A stallion at the sweet fountain
• Dredged water, and touched
• Fire from steel-kissed cobbles.

113

• Gaelic fisher girls
• Flashed knife and dirge
• Over drifts of herring

114

• My father passed with his penny letters
• Through closes opening and shutting like
  legends

115

• leaned
• Down the gull-gaunt tide

116

• The boats drove furrows homeward, like ploughmen
• In blizzards of gulls.

117

• the tillers
• Of cold horizons

118

• A crofter lass
• Trudged through the lavish dung
• In a dream of cornstalks and milk.

119

• He quenched his lantern, leaving the last door.

120

• And because, under equalitys sun
• All things wear now to a common soiling

121

• 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.

122

• And boys with penny wands lured gleams
• From the tangled veins of the flood

123

• The kirk, in a gale of psalms, went heaving
  through
• A tumult of roofs, freighted for heaven.

124

• Hard on noon four bearded merchants
• Past the pipe-spitting pierhead strolled,
• Holy with greed, chanting
• Their slow grave jargon.

125

• Houses went blind
• Up one steep close, for a
• Grief by the shrouded nets.

126

• In the fire of images
• Gladly I put my hand
• To save that day for him.

127

• And lovers
• Unblessed by steeples, lay under
• The buttered bannock of the moon.

128

• A tinker keened like a tartan gull
• At cuithe-hung doors

129

• Because of his gay poverty that kept
• My seapink innocence
• From the worm and black wind