Write three to four sentences in which you compare and contrast Seamus Heaney’s poem "Digging" and the haiku by Bashō.
Both poems connect writing with close attention to nature and ordinary physical life. Bashō uses a brief image of winter chrysanthemums and radishes to show how a changing season provides a simple subject for poetry. Heaney, in contrast, uses an extended memory of his father and grandfather digging to compare their labor with his own work as a poet, treating the pen as his spade. Thus, Bashō’s haiku is extremely concise and reflective, while Heaney’s poem is longer, personal, and focused on family heritage.
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