Limbo
The poem deals with the religious and sexual suppression caused by a rather dogmatic Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is intolerant towards abortion. Its belief in the value of female virginity before marriage has resulted in girls killing their new born infants. The greater part
The dead infant is called a 'minnow' a A small one thrown away. How can Christ himself not reach this place? If it's neither good nor wrong, is it a actual place? 'Limbo' recalls a specific incident in Ballyshannon where a dead infant is hauled in by fishermen. 'As she stood in the shallows/Ducking him tenderly'. The child should have been baptised into eternal life, but he is brought under water, and awaits a fate in Limbo. The religious symbol of Christianity is the fish. Seamus Heaney says 'Even Christ's palm, unhealed/Smart and cannot fish here' . Killing new born infants is in conflict with the Christian belief, because love and forgiveness are of the utmost importance here. Once more, one can question why women are of secondary importance. The words 'dead as gravel', cold glitter of souls', 'frozen knobs of her wrists' indicate the mother's psychological state. of these girls are said to be unmarried at the time. The poem presents an insights into the circumstances leading to the tragic loss of a child. The mother is driven to infanticide by the fear of exclusion in her society as she has sinned against the laws of the Church. She will remember this moment forever, and is very cautious at the time. The poem displays not a cold-hearted act, because the mother now must live on with the murder of her child haunting her.
Common topics in this essay:
Catholic Church,
Ballyshannon Netted,
Limbo Christ,
Seamus Heaney,
seamus heaney,
catholic church,
,
killing born infants,
born infants,
killing born,
tragic loss,
dead infant,
cold glitter,
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Acceptance Essays
