Responses to literary texts are not just intellectual; they are also aesthetic and affective (based on Heaney's poetry)

Poetry is often considered a form of art; while poems appeal to the intellect by presenting various values, attitudes and ideas, they simultaneously convey aesthetic beauty and reflect the emotive power of language. A poem’s aesthetic and affective features are vital to the communication of its intellectual messages, and all three play a role in shaping the reader’s response. Two particular examples of this are the poems ‘Personal Helicon’ (from Death of a Naturalist, 1966) and ‘Punishment’ (from North, 1975) by modern Irish poet Seamus Heaney. ‘Personal Helicon’ is a poem narrating the experiences of a carefree child exploring wells and the natural landscape, an activity which functions as a source of inspiration for the persona. This poem depicts the loss of freedom that accompanies one’s transition into adulthood; unable to continue the curious pursuit of his past, the persona channels his creativity into poetry, looking towards it as a means of self-exploration. Punishment’ describes the body of a two thousand year old girl discovered preserved in the peat bog, and explores notions of patriarchy, justice, cultural conflict and the role of the bystander. The poems’ aesthetic features, including figurative language devices, visual appearance and structure, as well as the emotional response evoked in the reader through the sound and connotations of its words, enhance the reader’s understanding of their intellectual messages. ‘Personal Helicon’ uses various aesthetic and affective features to convey a sense of the liberty of childhood. One such example lies in the persona’s unusual pastimes and unconventional definition of beauty as a child, demonstrating that his behavior and thoughts were not deterred by the conventions of society. Heaney’s poetry often conveys an appreciation for the earth and natural landscape; this poem uses rural, agrarian imagery to encourage readers to see beauty in unconventional places. The persona writes that he “loved…the