A Constable Calls

Seamus Heaney

 In A Constable Calls, Heaney conveys the sense of implicit threat felt by the young boy in the official visit of the constable. The poem conveys the fear engendered in a Catholic child from a law-abiding family by the mere presence of the policeman. Member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (Pro loyalist/ mainly protestant/ pre-PSNI)

 Through clever wordplay, the elements of the bicycle are associated with the power of the police to arrest and use force. The harsh ck sounds in the first two stanzas contribute to the cold, impersonal nature of the descriptions.

 The description of the constable, as seen through the eyes of the boy, is made by reference to his uniform and his equipment, so that the man, like his bicycle, seems composed of separate pieces, which renders him inhuman.

 The poem dramatizes the intrusion of public authority, embodied in the threatening male figure of the policeman. His mere presence is enough to cause doubt and guilt in the young Heaney.

Themes
The theme of this poem is distrust and fear: Arithmetic and fear. The poet portrays distrust between a Protestant policeman and a Catholic farmer: Any other root crops? Mangolds? Marrowstems? Anything like that? No.

 In this poem, Seamus Heaney portrays the costume and props of a policeman in clear visual detail: I sat staring at the polished holster With its buttoned flap, the braid cord Looped into the revolver butt.

 The poet shows us the way violent conflict begins: the bicycle ticked, ticked, ticked.

 The poet shows how powerless people fear authority: the boot of the law. The poet portrays the overactive imagination of a child: Imagining the black hole in the barracks.

Tones
The tone at the start is neutral and factual: His bicycle stood at the window-sill. Sometimes the tone is distasteful and sickened: Its fat black handle grips.

 Sometimes the tone is frightened: Arithmetic and fear. I sat staring at the polished holster.

Imagery
The images are factual and imaginative. The central image is the policeman and his props. The props often reveal what a person is like. Props in this poem include a bicycle, uniform, a book, a baton and a gun. Heaney describes these props in such a way that we dislike the policeman.