... him it was a daunting experience. The poet chose the title for the poem, as it reflects his circumstances at the time of his brother's death. The poem's title is an allegory as the poem has two levels of meaning, which is not fully delivered until the last, one lined, stanza. The poet Seamus Heaney was away at school when he received the terrible news. He was taken from school in the middle of the term, not for a holiday as the title suggests, but to be with his family and attend his brother's funeral. The title also expresses how unemotional he felt at the time; describing a break from school, he was in shock and could not accept his brother's death. The poem also shocks the reader, as the initial interpretation of the title does not reflect what the poem is actually about, which is not fully delivered until ...

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