Curated set · answers marked
Question: In Seamus Heaney's poem "Digging," what activity is the speaker watching his father do at the beginning of the poem?
APlanting seeds in the garden
BDigging with a spade in the garden
CCutting turf (peat) from a bog
DPloughing a field with a horse Correct Answer: B) Digging with a spade in the garden
Rationale
The poem starts with the speaker gazing out of his window, watching his father digging in the garden below. This scene of his father's skilled, rhythmic digging with a spade sets up the central metaphor of the poem — the speaker's determination to "dig" with his pen, just like his father and grandfather did with their spades.
In Seamus Heaney's poem "Digging," the speaker observes his father from a window and thinks about his family's tradition of hard work. What tool does the speaker ultimately choose to use, just like his father and grandfather used a spade?
AA shovel
BA pen✓
CA plough
DA paintbrush At the end of the poem, the speaker states, "Between my finger and my thumb / The squat pen rests. / I'll dig with it," expressing his intent to honor his ancestors' craft through writing instead of farming.