¶ … Digging" by Seamus Heaney and "Father and Son" by Stanley Kunitz Comparative analysis of the poems "Digging" by Seamus Heaney and "Father and Son" by Stanley Kunitz showed that though both poems had used similar themes in discussing the father and son relationships of the two authors with their respective fathers, the utilization of poetic elements such as tone and diction, symbolism, and denotation and connotation greatly differed.

In discussing the use of connotation and denotation in both poems, there are marked differences between the two authors' interpretation of their experiences with their respective fathers. Denotation used in "Digging" showed that the poem was about the author's reminiscing of his relationship with his father, as well as his grandfather. Similarly, Kunitz in "Father and Son" demonstrated a similar objective. Manifested in both poems were narratives that reflects the kind of relationship they had with their fathers. For Heaney, his relationship with his father was associated with hard work and labor, while for Kunitz, his father was well-remembered through the memory of their home, whom the family have abandoned since his (his father's) death.

However, the connotative meaning of both poems, particularly the centrality of the father and son relationship in the poem, created a whole new dimension for their interpretation. More than reminiscing and reflecting on their relationships with their respective fathers, both poets tried to create an analogy between their fathers and the legacy they have left behind, the history that both authors are now cherishing. In this context, father-and-son-relationships can be likened to the perpetuation of the poets' personal histories. Take as an example Heaney's "Digging," which showed how the poet successfully puts into the historical...

As he reminisced about his father and grandfather's life, we the readers are reminded of the history of labor and hard work that people from the country's early history had to go through to prepare for a more socially prosperous human society. Heaney is a perfect example of history's product: generations of hard workers from his blood line had worked hard for the freedom and education that the poet now enjoys.
Kunitz expresses a similar thought, although his focused more on the economic prosperity that they have experienced through the hard work and labor of his father. In "Father and Son," readers witnessed the typical relationship between father and son, wherein as the son grows older, he became detached and less familiar with his own father. In similar manner, younger generations of human societies have also forgotten their 'fathers,' people who worked hard for the creation and development of a progressive society for their children.

Thus, from the denotative and connotative meanings of the poems, it becomes apparent that the main theme of the story is the projection of father-son relationships as symbols conveying the appreciation of history and the legacy of our forefathers, who were responsible for the freedom and comfortable life we are now living.

Apart from the use of father-son relationships as the symbol for an individual's personal history, there are other symbols used in both poems, which further developed the theme of the importance of history in discovering one's self. The act of digging in Heaney's poem depicts more than the conduct of the act itself: digging was also illustrated as a representation of society as a "work in progress," a seed that must be cultivated with care in order for it to become a healthy fruit or crop.…