A New Historical Analysis of Punishment

ANewHistoricalAnalysisofPunishment

SeamusHeaney（1929-2013）isoneofthemostimportantIrishpoets，andalsooneofthebestliteraturecritics.AstheNobelcommitteedescribed，hecreated“worksoflyricalbeautyandethicaldepth，whichexalteverydaymiraclesandthelivingpast”.HewasborninavillagecalledMossbawnin1939，andhewastheeldestintheninechildren.HisparentswerebothpiousCatholicsandfarmers.Thefamilybackground，tosomeextent，shapedhisoutlookstowardsnature，traditionallifestyleandculture.SincehisinitialcollectedpoemsTheDeathofaNaturalistin1965，Heaneyhadcreatedthirteencollections，fourcollectedprosesandtwotranslations.
NewCriticism“combatedemptyformalismandbypullinghistoricalconsiderationstothecenterstageofliteraryanalysis”（Veesser，x）.NewHistoristshighlighttheun-continuityandraptureofhistory，andtrytorepresentthesocioculturalenvironmentofthetimeandgraspthemeaningofliterarytexts，andtheyemphasizetheinterrelatedrelationshipbetweentheauthor，thesubjectandthetime.TextualiyofHistoryproposesthathistoryisrecordedbytextandhistoryisnotequaltohistorians’documentarymaterialswhichsimplycollecthistoricevents.AsPoppersays，therewillbe“nohistoryofthepastasitactuallydidhappen；therecanonlybethehistoricalinterpretations”（Popper，259）.
InPunishment，thepoetdepictedafemalebodydiscoveredfrombog，andtoldthedetailsofherappearancethroughhisimaginationactually.Watchingthebody，thepoetimaginedwhattheyoungwomanwaslike，herdeedsbeforethesentence，andthetortureshesufferedfromthecrowd.“Icanfeelthetugofthehalteratthenapeofherneck，thewindonhernakedfront.”Thisisthebeginningofthepoet’sfeelingintothevictimwithimaginationbasedonthepictureofthebody.“hernoosearing/tostorethememoriesoflove.Littleadulteress，…”，thepoettracedherloveaffairwithayoungmanandcalledhera“poorscapegoat”.Readerscaneasilybeputintothecrowdwatchingthetribalpunishmentatthescene，andthushavesympathyonthepunishedgirl.Itiseasiertoremindthemofthenationalconflictandviolencewhichrendermanymoreciviliansvictims.
Thearchetypeofthepunishedgirlisafourteenyearsoldgirlwhowasdrownedinthebogandherhairwasalsoshaved，whichwasasymbolofadulteryintheironage.Basedonthiscase，HeaneycreatedthepunishedgirlaimingtoindicatetheviolenceoccurringinNorthernIrelandinmoderntime.Atthattime，theIrishgirlswhofellinlovewithBritishsoldiersorwereagainsttheIrishrepublicanarmyalwayssufferedfrompunishmentandwerehumiliated，justlikethepunishedgirlinthebogwhosefacewastar-black.Theblendingofthepasttenseandpresenttensealsoindicatesthatwhathappenedinthepastishappeningatpresent.“Mypoorscapegoat，Ialmostloveyoubutwouldhavecast，Iknowthestonesofsilence.”Fromthoselineson，thepoetbeginstorepent.Thinkingaboutthepast，thepoetcannotignorethepresentconditionofNorthernIreland.However，whatthepoetdoesisjustlikethecrowd，becausehehasnogoodwayorabilitytodealwithit.Thepoetissoguiltyforhisbehavior.“Iwhohavestooddumbwhenyourbetrayingsisters，cauledintar，weptbytherailings，whocouldconniveincivilizedcourage...”Theself-condemnationofthepoetindicatesthatheisopposedtothenationalistmilitaryactionofIrishrepublicanarmy.Meanwhile，thepoetalsolashesoutattheliterateswhojuststandasideandareindifferenttothecurrentsituation.Theydonottryactivelytofindarightandpeacefulwayfortheregenerationoftheirnation，whichresultsinsuchkindofpunishmenthappensagainandagain.Inthissense，thepunishedgirlinthebogbecomesthe“scapegoat”ofthem.“BytheHistoricityofTexts，Imeantosuggesttheculturalspecificity，ofallmodesofwritingonlythetextsthatcriticsstudybutalsothetextsinwhichwestudythem”（Montrose，20）.HistoricityofTextsproposesthatliteraryworksareinfluencedbyhistoricalandsocialcontextinwhichtheywereproducedwhiletextsareliteraryevents，constitutinganindispensablepartofhistoryandhavingeffectsonthedevelopmentofsocietyandhistory.Literarytextsnotonlyareshapedinthehistoricalandsocialcontextsbutalsohavethepowerofshapinghistoryandsociety.
Heaneywasconfrontedinthedifficulty“poeticallyaddresstheproblemsofacountrywhosepoliticalandculturalfissureshaveresultedinanapparentlyendlesscycleofdistrust，oppression，andviolence”（Molino，180）.Irelandwasalandsufferingfromwars，famineandpoverty.Asneighbors，theIslandofBritainandtheIslandofIrelandhavebeenintertwinedwitheachothersincethetwelfthcentury.Formorethantwohundredyears，“voicesofconquestandanti-conquest，colonizationanddecolonization，andunionismandnationalismhavepersistentlyhauntedtheland.”（Li，18）GrowingupintheNorthofIreland，comingfromaCatholicfamilyandlivinginthetroubles，Heaneyhasundoubtedlyacquiredamuchcomplexculturalidentity.LikeUlsterhisbirthplacewhich“belongsofficiallytotheUnitedKingdombutwhichhasalwayslookedtothesouthandtheRepublic”（Morrison，14），andwhichhasbeendividedintotwowiththeestablishmentoftheRepublicofIreland，mostofHeaney’slifehasbeendominatedbythissenseofdividedness.Henotesthepresenceofconflictinginfluencesororiginsas“thevoicesofmyeducationpullintwodirections，backthroughthepoliticalandculturaltraumasofIreland，andouttowardstheurgenciesandexperienceoftheworldbeyondit”（Heaney，35）.
Punishmentisabogpoem，andthebogsymbolizestheessenceofnationalspiritofIreland，forithasthespecialfunctionthatitcankeepthingsundecayedforalongtime.Inthissense，itmayconserveitsancienthistory.InPunishment，thedeadfemalebodyrepresentsIreland.Thefemaleisalwaysregardedastheoppressed，likethecolonizedIreland.TheIrishpeople，asthepunishedgirl，arethe“scapegoat”ofpoliticalviolence，andtheyarepunishedbyreligiousconflictsandviolence.“Icanfeelthetugofthehalteratthenapeofherneck，thewindonhernakedfront.”Thepoet，asamemberofthenation，canfeelthepainthepeoplesuffers.TheceremonialpunishmentoftheyounggirlcanalsoberegardedasthenationalrevengeagainstEnglishcolonizers.Thepoetimaginedhimselfasaby-standerbothsympathizingthegirlandfollowingthecrowd.Itexpressedthecontradictorystandpointofthepoet：heisinlinewiththeprotestagainstinvadersand“connivedtheexact，tribalandintimaterevenge”，yetheisagainsttheviolencethathappenedinthestruggleofnationalindependence.Heaneywantstofindapeacefulway，notaviolentway，andadvocatesthereconciliationbetweennations，andcontributestotheethnicfusion.Herecallsthepastandviewsthepresentwithhispoetrywhichalsobecometherecordsofhistory.Inhispoeticthought，hemakesabalancebetweendifferentcultureswithoutexcludingthoseforeigncultures，andthinkspositivelyofthehybridityofIrishculture.ⅣConclusion
InPunishment，Heaneyreflectssomecurrentfactsthroughtheancientcase.ThewaythecrowdpunishedthegirlwhocommittedadulteryislikethewaypeoplepunishtheIrishgirlswhofallinlovewithBritishsoldiers.ThepunishmentresultsfromtheconflictsbetweenIrelandandEngland，andthepeoplebecomethevictims.Inthispoem，Heaneyalsoattackedtheliterateswhodonothingforthepresentsituation.Violenceandconflictsoverwhelmtheland，andthehelplesspeoplebecomethescapegoatofpoliticalstruggle.Meanwhile，thispoemalsohasitshistoricity.Heaneyisinfluencedbythesituationhegrowsupandlivesin，andsodoeshispoetry.Heaneysupportsthereconciliationbetweennations.HecanfeelthepainIrishpeoplesuffer，andrecordeditinthepoem，sothepoemalsobecomesapartoftherecordsofhistoricalfacts.
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