According to Gustave Flaubert, "poetry is a thing as precise as geometry", and so the meticulous use of morbid motifs, vivid images and phonetic diction can unravel a darker, more complex interpretation in a seemingly innocent poem about childhood memories reminiscences. Seamus Heaney's "Blackberry-Picking" uses such elements to reveal a hidden meaning that, without deeper analysis, would have gone unnoticed. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original Essay “Blackberry-Picking” is a poetic piece that tells the story of picking blackberries in the summer when I was a child . The author uses detailed descriptive language to tell the anecdote, comparing juicy blackberries to "thickened wine" and cleverly inserting visual adjectives like "peppery" to describe the appearance of their hands after the ordeal. These comparisons show how much the experience of picking blackberries affected the speaker because his memory of the event is so strong. Clearly, these events had a lasting impact on the speaker. Additionally, the stories are meant to be read aloud, and this poem's abundance of alliteration and sound devices begs to be spoken. “Rain and run,” “hike and gather,” and “big burnt blobs” are just a few of the many sound devices the author uses to generate interest in his anecdote. These devices serve to once again show the extent of the impact the event had on the speaker. The blackberry picking was not a simple childhood event, but one that remained close to the speaker's memory and heart years after it took place. Some may say that Heaney is simply depicting a childhood memory or even alluding to the ever-present cycle of life, but other clues in the poem support that it has an entirely different meaning. Heaney uses excessive metaphors in the play, many of which embody a common motif. The poem makes several references to blood and gore, comparing blackberries to "summer blood", "purple clots", and even "a plate of eyes". At first these allusions are subtle, but the poem takes on an increasingly morbid tone as it progresses. These references signify the theme that life is filled with pain. At the end of the poem, the author admits that the “pretty cans of rot” did not keep and that he “felt like crying”. Spoiled blackberries are no reason to cry, and this unwarranted response suggests that blackberries symbolize a painful memory. The unresolved problem is referred to in code as blackberries, because it evokes so much discomfort that the speaker can only tell the story by approaching it as a less emotional entity like blackberries. The fact that the speaker is unable to speak clearly about the true meaning of the poem further reinforces the underlying message that life produces painful experiences. In addition to the profusion of bloody references, the poem contains themes of greed, lust and power. At the end of the poem, he even admits that he stored the blackberries every year even though he knew they wouldn't all last. The speaker's indulgent tradition of blackberry picking, which took place every summer when he was a child, morphed into characteristics of a lust for power and a reckless lack of self-control as an adult. His greed has led him to make decisions that result in his own suffering, which is why he constantly references blood, a symbol of pain. He regrets having picked the blackberries when he notes that "it was not.