How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #4
I wanted to grow up and plough, (17)
Again, the boy wants to follow in his father's footsteps. For him, unlike some children, he doesn't want to break away from his father's path, but become more involved with it.
Quote #5
[…] But today
It is my father who keeps stumbling
Behind me, and will not go away. (23-25)
Heaney repeats the word "stumbling," but this time applies it to his dad. This is just how family works. At some point, we grow up and don't need the care and attention of our parents as much as we did as children. But our parents, because they're getting old, now need our care and attention. It's the circle of life, Shmoopers (The Lion King was really chock-full of life lessons, wasn't it?).