"Act of Union":

In 1801, the Act of Union brought the island of Ireland under direct British control by creating the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland under the name "United Kingdom". Few in Ireland were pleased with this turn of events; in fact, the growing displeasure of the Roman Catholic majority fomented and intensified over the next century-and-a-half to a fever pitch. Eventually, part of the island received its independence, but the Catholic minority in the portion still under British control grew even more fervent- having their free catholic brethren living just to the south made living under the yoke of Protestant British rule even more oppressive. The resulting conflicts which arose in Northern Ireland greatly influenced the youth and works of Irish poet Seamus Heaney. Many of Heaney’s works deal with the political/religious struggles of his Ireland, quite poignantly and cleverly. One such poem is entitled "Act of Union". The obvious reference to the 1801 legislative measure makes it clear to the informed that there will be a political theme to this poem; however, the double meaning of this title in reference to the sexual act signals a poem which emphasizes that Heaney is a master word craftsman, rather than just a political commentator. In advertising, as in political thought, it is sometimes the packaging, and not the content, which makes all the difference. In "Act of Union", Heaney uses metaphors of sexual arousal, rape, and the resulting "demon seed" birth to symbolize the historical "relations" between Ireland and Great Britain.

"Act of Union" is written in sonnet form, with two stanzas of 14 lines each. In the first stanza, the "arousal" of Britain is portrayed by the personification of both Britain and Ireland. "Your back is a firm line of Eastern coast" (line 5) refers clearly to Ireland, as the eastern coast of Ireland "has her back" to the rest of Great Britain. This "firm line" of the back and "gradual hills" (line 7) bestow upon Ireland a female persona. "I am the tall kingdom over your shoulder" (line 9) lets us know that the "I" is Great Britain, over the "shoulder" of Ireland, as a quick glance at a map makes clear to us. Words like "tall" and "kingdom" have very masculine connotations and thus personify Great Britain as the "male" of the two island nations. This is later confirmed for us, when the speaker announces that he is "imperially male" (lines 15-16). In the first line, " a first movement, a pulse" gives us a picture of the very first stages of arousal. In line 2, the rain of the bogland "gathers head", which paints for us a picture of gathering steam, of pent up energy and longings. "A gash breaking open the ferny bed" (line 4) has implications of a release of this tension, this pent-up energy or lust, with the word "bed" itself piquing this mental image of sexual desire and the beginning to act on it. In the 17^th and 18^th century, the lands of Ulster (known mainly today as Northern Ireland) became very attractive to Protestants throughout Great Britain. Many of the predominant catholic families had been driven south through religious and political struggles with Great Britain, so the area was ripe for resettlement by the British and various denominations of Protestants. In addition, the revocation of the Edict of Nantes made it very difficult for the Huguenots to find a safe home on the main island of Britain, but Ulster served nicely. Gradually many Protestants moved into the area, and the numbers grew and grew , like the "head" which continues gather. Finally, the British "lust" grew too strong, with all of the Protestant British in Ulster, and the "bog-burst" (line 3) took place.

Here is where the imagery of rape and/or sexual aggressiveness comes into play. The beast (Great Britain) has now been fully aroused, and he acts on this arousal. The "tall kingdom…that you would neither cajole nor ignore" (lines 9-10) paints a picture of a threatening male that feminine Ireland should rightly be wary of. "A gash breaking open the ferny bed" (line 4) again brings to mind sexual contact by use of the word "bed", but "breaking open" has very violent connotations, compared to the quiet, peaceful picture that "ferny bed" paints. "And I am still imperially male, leaving you with the pain" (lines 15-16) implies a painful, unhappy union between the two. Such strong imagery brings to mind only negative thoughts of this union, much like an act of sexual violence. "Battering ram" and "boom burst from within" (line 18) further reinforce the idea of pain, violence, and forcible union that Heaney uses throughout the poem to convey the unwillingness of Lady Ireland to give in to the "imperially male" Britain. "Now my legacy culminates inexorably" (lines 13-14) caps off the sexual metaphor, bringing to mind a violent "climax" of sorts, and it is clear that no good will come to the recipient of this demon seed. Heaney has painted a portrait of the aggressive Britain taking advantage of an innocent Ireland in an Act of Union that satisfies the British but leaves the Irish painfully unfulfilled and abused.

The "demon seed" of this violent union soon begins to grow inside of its mother. "His heart beneath your heart is a wardrum, mustering force" (lines 21-22) tell us of this second heart inside its mother. Comparing this heartbeat to a wardrum gives us the impression that this beat is steady and not likely to be "miscarried". Instead, the idea of a wardrum indicates to the reader that this heartbeat will only get stronger and louder until the violence is at hand. "Parasitical…and ignorant little fists" (line 22-23) show us an undeveloped rage that is just longing to burst forth. That these fists are "cocked at me across the water" (lines 24-25) clearly shows that this violent offspring, the result of the violent union, is concerned only with wreaking violence back upon the British aggressors. Violence begets violence, essentially; you reap what you sow. The act "sprouted an obstinate fifth column" (line 19) avers that the British aggression itself created the opposition to British rule. The "fists" facing Great Britain would not be there were it not for the Act of Union. It is not likely that these fists will go away, either. Lines 25-28 discuss the after-effects of the birth of this aggression. "No treaty I foresee will salve completely" makes it clear that the harm has already been done. "Tracked and stretchmarked body" calls further on the imagery of the mother in pain, the mother whose body has been permanently altered as a result of this birth. Like a mother, she (Ireland) has lost the beauty and perfection of her "virginal" state, and now shows the wear and tear of a body that has suffered through this struggle that has forced her to mature against her will. There can be no return to that preternatural state now. The final line makes it clear that the pain is still very real and very much a part of her life at the present time- the "big pain" leaves her "raw, like opened ground, again" declares that the pain is continuous and constant. By using this imagery, Heaney is saying that no matter what the British do now to try and settle the political and religious issues, permanent harm has already been done, and things can not go back completely to the way they were. Britain has done permanent damage to Ireland and no amount of redress ("salve", line 26) can put things back to normal.

If "sex sells", then Seamus Heaney’s "Act of Union" certainly does a good job of selling the reader on Ireland’s political struggles. Heaney exploits the double meaning of "Act of Union" to compare Great Britain’s relations with Ireland to that of a violent sexual union. In the arousal phase, Britain sets her eyes on the Emerald Isle in the hopes of adding her to the list of British "conquests". Next comes the sexual act, with unwilling Ireland "taken" by the imperious and aggressive Britain. Finally, the "demon seed" created by this union lashes back virulently at Great Britain, with permanent harm being done to Ireland in the process. Clearly, the solution to the problems between the Irish and British is an elusive one, if it can be found at all. Heaney paints an emotional picture that enables the reader to gain a more personal perspective on the cold reality of the situation.