Digging to Success: Seamus Heaney's "Digging".

     In Seamus Heaney's "Digging," the author takes note of the incredible labor he sees his father perform and relates it back to his grandfather's work as a farmer as well. This poem communicates that the author is not planning on following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, and has another way to succeed. He compares his pen to their spades: "But I've no spade to follow men like them. Between my finger and my thumb the squat pen rests. I'll dig with it." Both the spades and the pen symbolize these men's tools for success- one is success through farming and physical labor, and the other is success through writing. 

    This poem also points out the continuous labor and hardwork that is needed to succeed. Heaney repeats the word "Digging" throughout his stanzas, reminding us that his father and grandfather were repetitively digging in order to gain their success and make a living. He says, "My grandfather cut more turf in a day than any other man on Toner's bog." By telling us about his grandfather's productiveness, we can tell that his continuous efforts and digging lead him to be one of the most successful employees at Toner's bog.