Seamus Heaney's Death of a Naturalist contains references to the Great Famine in Ireland and the suffering of the Irish people during this period. In addition, he speaks about several personal losses and traumas that he endured in his life, some of which may be triggering for some students. More broadly, these lessons and activities provide many different approaches to the text; select those that best suit the strengths and interests of your own class. The thought questions in this lesson plan provide material and ideas that students can use to write short original essays and to develop their powers of analysis.
The questions provided for the final paper are most suitable for student...