Guiding Questions to Consider

• How does Heaney's imagery of the bog and the preserved body blur the lines between past and present?
• What does the speaker's wish to "make a pilgrimage" to the Tollund Man reveal about his emotional and political perspective?
• How does the change in tone across the poem's three sections mirror the speaker's changing relationship to violence, grief, and complicity?
• In what ways does Heaney present violence as both ritualistic and political, and what is the impact of merging these two ideas?

Requirements

• Develop a clear, arguable thesis that goes beyond mere summary.
• Support your argument with close textual evidence (specific words, phrases, and images from the poem).
• Engage with at least two of the three literary devices listed above (imagery, tone, structure).
• Take into account the historical and political context of the poem as part of your analysis.

Guidance for Students

• Introduce the poem's main idea: the Tollund Man as a symbol that connects ancient ritual sacrifice with contemporary political violence.
• Develop at least three body paragraphs, each focused on a specific literary device (e.g., the striking imagery of the preserved body, the elegiac and reverent tone, the poem's three-part structure).
• Consider how Heaney’s use of the first person ("I could risk blasphemy") involves the speaker — and by extension the poet — in the act of witnessing.
• Conclude by reflecting on what the poem implies about the role of art in the context of historical and ongoing violence.

Suggested Thesis Frame

> Through [literary device], [literary device], and [literary device], Heaney argues that [claim about violence, memory, and/or poetry's role].