Four Leaving Certificate English A1 Poetry Essays

ddyradd

As much as I was tempted to sell my Leaving Cert Notes, I believe these four poetry essays will be very helpful to students in 2011. The essays have all achieved 47/50 or over. The Yeats essay scored 50/50 (100%) on this years Leaving Cert where I achieved an A1 (96%). The four essays are not useful in terms of poets covered, in fact iI think only two are on the course for 2011. However, they are four essays which have been written with the aim of fully exploiting the marking scheme. I hope students find these useful and I shall post them again sometime in 2011 so that others can see too. The Boland and Yeats essays should be of particular interest but I think it would also be extremely useful for students to note the structure and language use in the other two essays as these are the two points which hinders most poetry students. Enjoy

A personal Response to the poetry of W.B Yeats

Of all the poets on my Leaving Cert course, WB Yeats is easily my favourite. Several aspects of his poetry appeal to me: the political / polemical dimension to his work, his use of nature as a theme and his reflection on old age, the body and the soul. Although I am at ease in engaging with Yeats themes it is also his unique craft that has an impact on me. Yeats is a poet who uses powerful metaphors and images that have a very memorable quality that in my view, makes Yeats the most quotable of poets. Finally, the one thing I love about Yeats’ poetry is its dynamic quality. Yeats sets up dynamic contrasts in every one of his poems which for me makes his poetry interesting and thought – provoking. I found these traits particularly evident in “Sailing to Byzantium”, “Easter 1916” , “September 1913”, “The Wild swans at Coole”, “Lake Isle Of Inisfree” and “The Stare’s Nest by my window”.

I have a great interest in Irish history and I must say that I really love how Yeats writes political and polemical poems set in early twentieth century Ireland. This, in my view can be best seen in “September 1913”, a highly structured apostrophe where Yeats launches a powerful polemic against the merchant classes. It is a bitter invective against the working classes. Yeats condemns those who “add the half pence to the pence” and “fumble in a greasy till”. Yeats writes of how the “marrow” has been figuratively “from the bone of the country”. However in my reading, the full thrust of Yeats polemic is felt in the third stanza where Yeats presents a catalogue of Ireland’s dead heroes. The names ring out with an almost mythical force: “ For this Edward Fitzgerald died, and Robert Emmet and Wolfe Tone”. This poem is in my view a memorable and thought provoking apostrophe which I feel is quite relevant in our age of rampant materialism. Yeats work is in my opinion also notable for its honesty and it seems to me that Yeats recants the derision with which he looked on the working classes in “Easter 1916”. Yeats was convinced he lived “where motley (was) worn”. Yeats recants his scornful opinion of Ireland’s nationalists as he declares “all changed, changed utterly, a terrible beauty is born”. Yeats feels that even John McBride who had done (him) most bitter wrong” should be “numbered in the song”. According to R.F Forester, Yeats “marks a new level of achievement in this poem”. In my opinion, these two poems present me with a fresh and Yeatsian concern in relation to the early twentieth century. This sets Yeats apart from any other poet on my course.

I am also attracted to Yeats’ treatment of nature. In “Lake Isle of Inisfree” Yeats shares his longing for the calmness and tranquillity of his boyhood haunt Inisfree. This ambition is vividly drawn in the opening line a firm declaration of intent “I will arise and go now and go to Inisfree”. Yeats seems here to want an idyllic existence. However, it is Yeats fabulous use of sound that really appeals to me in this poem. Yeats crafts the hypnotic sound of Inisfree’s shoreline “I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore”. This hypnotic feel is created by Yeats blending cacophonous alliterative and assonantal sounds. I just love how he relies heavily on the hexameter to give this line a stately and antiquated feel. Yeats appeals to all my senses in this poem. Whenever I read this poem I feel like I can hear the “cricket sing”, smell the “honey-bees” and see “the purple glow”. A similar reflection on nature can be found in “The Stare’s Nest by my window” where Yeats glances to the abundance in the natural word for a glimpse of continuity. The lack of unity in the world is vividly suggested in an almost Eliotian reliance on past participles: “The key is turned” “We are locked in”. What I like here is how Yeats appeals to the “honey bees” to “come and build in the empty house of the stare”. This trait in Yeats poetry really appeals to me. It reminds me that no matter what happens, I can always look to the natural world for a sense of continuity.

The other theme that really appeals to me in Yeats poetry is his reflection on the theme of old age, the body and the soul. This is one of the big themes in literature and I must admit that I love Yeats perspective on it. In “Sailing To Byzantium”, Yeats has a vision that “religion, aesthetic and practical life are one” (as he writes in “A vision”). According to Eavan Boland this poem represents “ an immortal fury against the tragedy of decay and the inevitability of death”. Yeats contrasts “The young / In one another’s arms” with “an aged man is but a paltry thing”. I appreciate how he calls on the soul to “sing, and louder sing”. Yeats, in my view, seems to me to be trying to overcome Cartesian Dualism, the idea that the soul which is “sick with desire” is “fastened to a dying animal”. Yeats is in fact a prisoner in his own body whish he feels has become fastened and wizened. I also love the immensely original and authentic “The Wild Swans at Coole”. In this poem Yeats reflects on the temporal and the atemporal world of the swans. It is a painful reminder that all “has changed” since he first felt “the bell beat of their wings”. The swans, for me represent an eternal, youthful vigour. References from Yeatsian cosmology and mysticism: “the water/ mirrors a still sky”,”autumn beauty” made me contemplate for a time the issue of transience. I would say that this theme alone makes Yeats’ poetry well worth the read.

Although I love Yeats themes it is also his craft that has a huge impact on me. I am of the view that Yeats poems are well worth the read if only for their rich metaphors and images. Two vivid images stood out for me in “Sailing to Byzantium”: “The young/In one another’s arms, have no enemy but time”. Also the scarecrow “a tattered coat upon a stick” is completely the opposite. Of course I believe Byzantium itself is a marvellous image that represents the aesthetic and contemplative domain of the soul. What a marvellous image Yeats uses in “September 1913” to convey his disgust with the mercenary individuals of a consumerous society “What need you being come to sense / But fumble in a greasy till”. The verb “fumble” here conjures up for me images of men, blinded by greed groping in the dark, men without vision.

There is also a memorable quality to Yeats’ work which I find fascinating. I find that many of his lines and phrases resonate in my head a long time after reading. This is more true of Yeats than any other poet I have ever read. This comes from the sheer economy of his language and the rhythm of his lines. In fact I find myself constantly reciting lines such as “The innocent and the beautiful/ Have no enemy but time” “Unwearied still, lover by lover/ They paddle in the cold companionable streams” “An aged man is but a paltry thing” “The falcon cannot hear the falconer”. In this context Yeats haunts my memory. This in my view lends Yeats poetry a unique quality which makes him the most quotable of poets.

Finally, it is the dynamism in Yeats’ poetry which really engages me. Yeats is always present in his poems and brings them to life with contrast. Yeats, in my experience, sets up dynamic contrasts and dichotomies in nearly every one of his poems. In “Sailing to Byzantium” Yeats contrasts youth and old age, the body and the soul, time and eternity. In “September 1913”, greed clashes with generousity, the past with the present and contempt with admiration. In the “Wild Swans at Coole”, youth old age are set apart, the temporal with the atemporal. These contrasts provide Yeats’ poetry with a unique dynamic quality which gives him a unique voice, a voice which makes me listen. In fact, it is this conflict between form: ( Appolonian – ordered) and content: (Dionysian – conflict) which critics like Denis Donohue maintain provides Yeats’ work with a poetic energy and power.

By way of conclusion, Yeats is my favourite poet. His ability to write political/ polemical poetry, use nature as a theme and his reflection on the soul, body and old age really appeal to me. Yeats is a poet who takes his own feelings and using the raw material of his own life creates powerful and memorable, dynamic poetry. Yeats’ themes and craft amalgamate to produce a beautiful and transcendent body of work. To sum up all that Yeats is really about I will leave you with one of my favourite Yeatsian affirmations: “Out of the quarrel with others we make rhetoric, out of the quarrel with ourselves we make poetry” (WB Yeats)

Personal response to the poetry of TS Elliot

Initially I detested Eliot’s poetry. His poetry then, for me represented a confusing and generally difficult body of work and I found it similarly difficult to form any kind of a muscular response to his work. However over the course of the last year I have grown to love his poetry and would see fit to number him amongst my favourite poets of all time. I find that the further I delve into Eliot’s work, the greater the reward. Elliot once said “genuine poetry can communicate long before it is understood” I find this particularly true of Eliot’s poetry. Eliot’s deeply pessimistic outlook fascinates me, his modern reflections confuse me and his undeniably innovative reflections on age old themes ( such as the birth of Christ or sexuality and courtship) arouse my interest. Also the manner in which Eliot presents these themes has an impact on me. In particular his precise character vignettes, dense allusions and conceits and the Eliotian musicality comprise, for me a beautiful and transcendent body of work, one which I will never forget.

The undeniable pessimism of “A Game of Chess” arouses my interest, and extract from “The Waste land”. “The Waste Land” created a fault on the literary landscape and in my view represents the moment where Eliot completely revalues poetic currency. James Joyce notes that “the waste land ended the idea that poetry was for ladies”. I also find interesting that the work is prefaced by the words of the Cumean Sybil “I want to die”. I find Eliot’s depiction of Philomel’s rape at the hands of her brother in law Tereus disturbing and pessimistic; “the change of Philomel, by the barbarous king/ so rudely forced, yet there the nightingale / filled all the desert with invioble voice / and still she cried and still the world persues”. These lines are deeply pessimistic and disturbing but in an Eliotian way beautiful. I also feel this pessimism can be seen in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. F.R. Leavies notes this poem as “a complete break with 19th century tradition”. The utterly pessimistic tone as Eliot charts a journey of self analysis and introspection is in my view deeply pessimistic. Here we are privy to the inner workings of the psyche of modern man. Eliots pessimistic interjections for me are too loud to be ignored; “with a bald spot in the middle of my hair/ they will say: how his hair is growing thin” “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons” “ I should have been a pair of ragged claws”. I must admit that I find this deeply pessimistic very interesting and thought provoking.

In my reading, the difficult aspect of Eliot’s poetry is down to its undeniably modern roots. I love how fresh and modern Eliot’s narrative is. In “A Game of Chess” Eliot presents me with two stories which in my view seem completely unrelated. However I find that they are actually both unorthodox descriptions of modern sexuality. The man’s thoughts in the first narrative, I feel have a kind of macabre reverie; “I think we are in rate alley/ where the dead men lost their bones”. In my view the central character is neurotic, unstable and frustrated. I think the story of Lil and Albert contains an equally disturbing observation on sexuality. Albert “has been in the army for four years” “and wants a good time” and if Lil doesn’t “give it him” the “others will”. The main thematic thrust here is undeniably modern. Similarly I was hopelessly perplexed at reading “Usk” for the first time. This 79 line poem is in my reading the most modern and most confusing of Eliot’s. Eliot urges us in a somewhat enigmatic manner “not to” “break the branch/ or hope to find / the white heart behind the well” and to “glance aside, do not spell / old enchantments, let them sleep”. I feel Eliot’s thematic intent is to guide on a journey of salvation. However, it is still undeniably difficult and modern as a poem.

I love Eliot’s fresh engagement with old themes. Eliot deals with all the big themes of poetry, but in a new innovative manner. I find his portrayal of Christ’s birth in “Journey of the Magi” fresh and innovative. In this poem, Eliot assumes the persona of a Magus and chronicles a litany of complaints: “And the night fires going out, the lack of shelter/ and the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly/ and the villages dirty and charging high prices”. This in my view is most fabulous of the conjunction. What I really engage with here is how Eliot takes an age old theme and stamps it with his original craft to produce a powerful and transcendent poem. The magus in the poem does not rejoice, he complains. As I read this poem I could not help but think “how Eliotian!!”. Eliot in my experience gives fresh input on old topics. In “A Game of Chess” I was deeply disturbed by the two women presented. Philomel and Lil represent in my eyes two aspects of modern sexuality; “the dry, baron form of sexuality inseparable from neurosis and self destruction, while Lil symbolises a rampant fecundity. I find these descriptions offer a fresh view on modern sexuality and courtship. I find emotive expressions like “so rudely forced” and epithets like “ashamed to look so antique” are very haunting and typical of Eliot’s style.

I also love Eliot’s unique craft. Eliot in my view is a poet who has the unique ability to create precise character vignettes. For instance, in “Aunt Helen”, Eliot’s unorthodox elegy, we learn “Miss Helen Slingsby was(his) madden aunt”. What I engage with here is how Eliot takes seemingly incongruous groupings of objects and uses them to paint a precise vignette of his aunt. Her dogs, parrot and “Dresden clock” which “continued ticking on the mantle piece” are described by Eliot. I originally thought these objects quite perfunctory but as a whole they create a lovely portrait of Eliot’s aunt. I get the impression that she is somewhat fashionable, fond of her pet’s, insistent on decorum and somewhat eccentric, it is this trait in Eliot’s poetry that makes it well worth the read.

The Eliotian musicality fascinates me. I feel it lends his poetry a present and powerful voice, one which makes me listen. For example, in “Preludes”, Eliot’s fragmented narrative extends to the structure of the poem’s rhythm and metre. I love how Eliot begins in iambic tetrameter and completely abandones it only to subsequently re-employ it to imbue some of his lines with added gravity:

“With the smell of steaks in passageways
Six O’Clock
And now a gusty shower wraps
The grimy scraps”

I find this rhythm and musicality energetic and fascinating and although it may sound crazy, I feel it lends Eliot’s poetry a rhythmical energy.

In a similar fashion, Eliot’s dense allusions and conceits make him the most quotable of poets. I just love the conceits in “The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock”: “like a patient etherised upon the kitchen table”, “The yellow fog that rubs its back on the window pane/ The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window pane”. I find these lines wonderfully evocative. They represent, for me, far fetched images. However, they are also amazingly accurate. Also, Eliot’s use of allusion in the same poem earns my enjoyment: “I am not Prince Hamlet”, “I am Lazarus”, “my head (…) brought in upon a platter”. Finally another memorable image that haunts my memory is “pinned and wriggling against the wall”. I think this image is so interesting that I often catch myself reciting it back to myself and that is, for me, the beauty of Eliot.

In conclusion the poetry of T.S Eliot for me is fascinating for a plethora of reasons. Eliot’s fresh and modern take on old issues, such as sexuality and courtship, his ability to craft precise character vignettes and his energetic musicality comprise a poetry for me which is completely unforgettable. As I mentioned earlier, I found Eliot’s poetry immensely difficult at the outset of my studies but have grown to number him in my favourite poets of all time. The traits above, amalgamated with Eliot’s imagery, allusion and conceits and of course his pessimistic tone create what in my view can only be described as a beautiful and transcendent body of work, one which I will never forget.
I think that Eliot’s poetry is best described in the words of Conrad Aiken who notes his work as “a chance correlation or conglomerate of mutually dicolourative fragments, a brilliant kaleidoscopic confusion, culminating in brilliance”

Personal response to the poetry of Michael Longley


Of all the poets on my Leaving Certificate course, Michael Longley is easily one of my favourites. There are many reasons for my positive response to his poetry. Firstly, I am touched by Longley's treatment of the father-son relationship and I must say that I really admire his open and subtle treatment of relationships in general. Also, I can relate to Longley's treatment of violence as something that can infiltrate the quotidian. Although I can engage with Longley's themes it is also his unique craft that I find thoroughly enjoyable. Longley's technical mastery, coupled with a unique narrative dimension, in my view, make Longley's poems well worth the read. Finally, I love Longley's ability and talent in creating precise character vignettes. I found these traits particularly evident in “Self-Heal”, “Wounds”, “Wreaths”, “Ceasefire”, “Laertes”, “An Amish Rug” and “Last requests”.


I must say that I am profoundly touched by Longley's depiction and treatment of the father-son relationship and find much there that I can understand and identify with. I find it so easy to relate to this theme because of Longly's honesty in dealing with this very sensitive issue. In the elegiac “Last Requests”, Longley reflects on a world of experience that they do not share. In the first stanza, I notice how Longley describes an image from his fathers head where he was left “buried alive” when his “batman left [him] for dead and stole [his] pocket watch” however his habit of smoking encourages him ironically to take a “long remembered drag”. However, the best part of this poem, in my opinion, is the second stanza. Longley honestly feels his gifts of “peppermints and grapes only” were inappropriate to his fathers actual request. I find it poignant how Longley reflects: “I thought you blew a kiss before you died but/ the bony fingers that waved to and fro/ were asking for a Woodbine” “The last request of many soldiers in your company”. As I read this I recognise the Woodbine as a symbol of a world of experience that Longley and his father do not share. It is a symbol of the life that the father had that didn't include his son. I also enjoy how Longley deals with the relationship in “Laertes”. I found the end of this poem the most moving. Memories are recalled from a shared history, a connection is established that the father thought had been lost “a childhood spent traipsing after his father/and asking for everything he saw”. The effect of transience is then vividly felt in a moment which is in my view, the most profound in Longley's poetry “And cradled like driftwood the bones of his dwindling father”.


Although much of Longley's work focuses on the father-son relationship (5 out of 10 on my course), I also like how Longley portrays relationships in general, and how he has a broader focus in other poems that deal with relationships. I find this true in “An Amish Rug”. In this poem, Longley charts the elemental love between himself and his wife. I actually found this quite similar to Eavan Boland's poem “Love”. I am particularly impressed by how Longley links the rug to the land “Its threads the colour of cantaloupe and cherry” “Securing hay bales, corn cobs, tobacco leaves”. Longley reflects, with reverence and supplication, the Amish connection with land and nature. I just love how in the final stanza of the poem the rug transcends its own reality to become a kind of talisman that can conjure up a special world for the loving couple, “flowerbed for sleep or love”. I also find Longley's portrayal of the student-teacher relationship in “Self-Heal” very thought provoking. Here Longley discusses how misguided altruism and misplaced idealism spills over into violence. The tone is confessional “I wanted to teach him the names of flowers”. The child lacks a sense of decorum and unsophisticatedly makes a pass: “He slipped his hands between my thighs”. The result is that he was “flogged with a blackthorn” “for one whole week”. This poem is very interesting in my view because of the relationship at the centre of the poem. I can't think of any other poem that discusses such a fragile and sensitive relationship.

I can relate to Longley's treatment of violence, not only as something obscene and destructive, but also as something that adumbrates everyday life. For instance, I find “Wreaths” a genuinely shocking poem. I think this feeling is augmented by Longley's non-partisan, objective and honest colloquial expression: “He was preparing an Ulster fry for breakfast/ when someone walked into the kitchen and shot him” “ a bullet entered his mouth and pierced his skull”. This harsh and acute description, in my view is harmonic. In the same poem, I find it interesting how Longley reflects on the incongruous nature of this violence “bullet in the cutlery drawer”. Also I find quite enigmatic and disturbing Longley's line “Christ's teeth ascended to heaven”. The imagery here becomes cryptic and complex. I find it undeniably horrifying how Longley presents the deaths of “The Civil Servant” “The Greengrocer” and “the Linen workers” as tableaux. Also in “Wounds” Longley shares two images from “[his] fathers head” “kept, like secrets, until now”. One is the Battle of The Somme. What I find deeply disturbing here is how Longley presents the images of violence. The London Scottish padre “resettled kilts” with a swagger . In “Self-Heal”, we learn how the boy was “flogged with a blackthorn” and in “Laertes” we learn of Achilles was a “killer”. What I must note is that the theme of violence is always present in Longley's poetry. I find most of his poems striking and horrifying for this reason. I think that the unsentimental, objective view Longley takes gives his poetry this shocking quality.



Although Longley's themes are of a huge interest to me, I must admit that I truly admire his technical mastery. I love how he creates flowing, beautifully crafted, beautifully shaped poems. Longley's lines are perfect at capturing the subject matter. In “Self-Heal” Longley uses blank verse to capture the cadences of everyday speech. Longley once said “I dislike that pejorative phrase “well-made poem”. If its not well made, then it isn't a poem. You may as well talk about a well-made flower or snowflake. Symmetry is a part of biological life”. I find this particularly true of “Self-Heal” in lines such as “Because of his babyish ways, I suppose,/ Or the lack of a bed: hadn't his faher/Gambled away all but rushy pasture?”. This in my view, gives the poem an anecdotal heal. Similarly, I find that “Laertes” is a very well crafted poem. The opening lines of the poem are meticulously punctuated, “alone on the tidy terrace” “disreputable in his gardening duds” “patched and grubby” as Longley describes a small life touched by pathos. Then Longley reverts to run-on lines and a syntactical structure to suggest a build up of emotion, complimented by the conjunction and : “To kiss him and hug him and blurt out the whole story”. Then at the end Longley reverts to the syntactical structure midway between the two. What I really enjoy about these poems is the way in which Longley displays his technical mastery in terms of structure. I believe Longley makes “well-made” poems which I believe imbues some of his arguments with added gravity.



Longley, in my reading, has an incredible talent for the dramatic lyric. His poems contain the suspense and tension of the best narrative. I find this lends his poetry a very enjoyable aspect indeed. I think this is evident in “Ceasefire” in particularly in the marvellously dramatic scene where Priam comes to plea for the body of his son: “Pushed the old king/Gently away, but Priam curled up at his feet and/Wept with him until their sadness filled the building”. I can really engage with this scene. Longley tells of the respect that Achilles has for Priam. It is a wonderfully emotive tale and one which I feel is thoroughly enjoyable. I feel that it is the dramatic quality to the images in this poem which make it so brilliant. “Taking Hector's corpse into his own hands Achilles/Made sure it was washed and, for the old king's sake/Laid out in uniform”. I find the dramatic image/simile “wrapped like a present home to Troy at daybreak” an incurious conceit. However, the brilliance of this poem in my view lies in its dramatic quality, its narrative dimension.


Finally, it is the precise nature of Longley's character vignettes which really makes him one of my favourite poets. I find Longley has a keen eye for detail when describing people. For example, in “Self-Heal” Longley describes the boy in vivid detail “His skull seemed to be hammered like a wedge/Which gave him an almost scholarly air”. I find the verb hammered here is quite muscular and emotive and is a verb that we would not normally associate with character descriptions. Also, in Laertes, he is described as “patched and grubby” “disreputable in his gardening dads”. In “Ceasefire” we are revealed to a description of “Achilles built like a god Priam good looking still”. Throughout Longley's poetry, he creates precise portraits of people. I find this lends his poetry a detailed analytical dimension. No other poet on my course can do this as well as Longley.


In conclusion, I am touched by Longley's treatment of the father-son relationship. I admire also his subtle and open treatement of relationships in general. I can relate to his treatement of violence. These themes comprise of trancendient body of work I will never forget. I will also never forget Longley's technical mastery, his talent for the dramatic lynic and his ability to create precise charater vignettes that in the words of Thomas Brady have “the clarity of photographs almost”. However, if I was to pick one line to describe Longley's poetry, or even highlight its effect on me it would be that quote of Samuel Johnson's; “Poetry is the art of writing pleasure with truth”.

Personal Response to the poetry of Eavan Boland

Eavan Boland is my favourite modern poet. There are many reasons for my positive response to her poems. What I love about Boland’s work is how revolutionary it is. Jody Allen Randolph, the American critic, once said that Boland “single-handedly challenged what was a heavily male-dominated profession”. What really appeals to me about Boland’s work is how she offers me fresh insight on old topics. In particular I like her reflections on love and relationships, the polemical/political dimension to her work and also the unique voice she has in Irish poetry: lending fresh input on old Irish topics, such as the Famine. Although I thoroughly enjoy Boland’s diverse range of themes, it is also the way in which she presents these themes to the reader which appeals to me. I find her poetry has an evocative, warm and lyrical quality with an impressing economy of language. I love how she uses banalities as symbols for emotions and ideas that otherwise would be completely ineffable. I also find her poetry contains suspense and tension of the best narrative.

Boland’s reflection on relationships is one of my favourite aspects of her poetry. In the poem “Love”, Boland chronicles the deep elemental love between her and her husband, Kevin. This poem is incredibly personal: “I am your wife” “I see you as a hero in a text” “We love each other”. This poem really has an impact on me. When I read it, I really couldn’t get over its power. Boland really emphasises the deep, elemental and transcendent love between them: “It offered us ascension”. I find these lines incredibly powerful. In “Object Lessons” Boland says “when you write about love, you begin by writing about people and end up writing about time”. The poems beauty in my view is augmented by how Boland blends tenses in this poem. She uses the present “Dark falls”, the past: “love had”, past participles which can act also as adjectives “touched” and the future “Will we ever love so intensely again”. I believe this aspect of Boland’s “Love” creates a beautiful and transcendent poem which is, in my view among Boland’s best. Also in “The Pomegranete”, Boland shares another deeply personal relationship, the story of “a daughter”. However, what I really love in this poem is how Boland takes a personal relationship and lends it universal relevance by employing icons of youth culture “her can of coke”, “teen magazines”.

W.H. Auden once praised Adrienne Rich for poems that “speak quietly but do not mumble”. However, in my view, this quote would be truer of Boland’s work. I just love how Boland writes poetry with a political flavour. I think “The War Horse” is a prime example of this trait. In this dual-narrative, Boland charts the journey of a horse which escaped “from the tinker camp on the Enniskerry Road” However, I am led to believe the underlying current in this poem is a reflection on the apathy and almost disinterest of people in the Republic to the “Troubles” in the North. “Neighbourhoods use the subterfuge of curtains”, “only a leaf of our laurel hedge is torn”. This is one of the key aspects of Boland’s poetry for me. Boland writes poems that speak, speak without shouting.

Boland’s voice really makes me listen. The message in “The Famine Road” really interests and horrifies me. Although there has been a myriad of poems and a wealth of literature produced on this topic, Boland gives a different view on this issue. Boland takes two situations in this poem and junxtaposes them marvellously. One deals with the flippant attitude of the English oppressors: “These Irish/ Give them no coins at all”, “could they not blood their knuckles on rock, suck April hailstones for water and for food?”. I find this poem shocking. It is also a unique perspective on the Irish situation. Another detail here which haunts my memory is “I saw bones out of my carriage window”. However, the most shocking image in the poem occurs when Boland writes “Each eyed, as if at a corner butcher, the other’s buttock”. This, in my view, amounts almost to a Swiftian allusion and really highlights the horror of this incredibly clever poem. If I was to make one cricism of this poem it would be that the shift in tone which is symbolized by italicised stanzas is perhaps too forced, too obvious. However, this didn’t detract from or diminish in any way my enjoyment of the poem.

Although I can engage easily with Boland’s themes, it is also her unique craft that has am impact on me. One of the reasons Boland’s poems appeal to me is their warm, lyrical and evocative quality. This, I feel is best illustrated in Boland’s fantastic lyric, “This Moment” which is in fact my favourite Boland poem of all time. I just love how evocative the opening is: “A Neighbourhood. /At Dusk. ”. My favourite image would have to be the warm image of domestic life that Boland presents: “One tree is black / One window is as yellow as butter”. There is in my opinion a wonderful, lyrical quality to this image which renders it one of the most quotable of Boland’s poetry. “Love” appeals to me on a similar level. The opening lines are for me, astonishing for the sheer economy of language “Dark falls on this mid western town, Dusk has hidden the bridge”. These lines have the effect of brining me into the word of the poem, into Boland’s world. This is why Eavan Boland is my favourite modern poet,

I also feel that there is a universal appeal to Boland’s work because of her use of banalities to lend a distinct relevance to her own personal concerns and experiences. Boland makes excellent use of symbol in “The Black Lace Fan My Mother Gave Me”. Boland views the fan as a manifestation of the love between her parents: “It was stifling”. Boland once noted in “Object Lessons” that “Ordinary Objects seemed to remind (Boland) that although the body may share this world, it does not own it”. The description of the fan is wonderful “These are wild roses, appliquéd on silk by hand /darkly picked, stiched boldy, quickly”. The detail here is unbelievable. This is why Boland’s poetry is special to me: her ability to describe objects and to invest them with universal relevance and significance.

Finally I love Boland’s poetry for its suspense and tension. It has a unique narrative quality which renders it unforgettable in my view. The ending of “The Pommegranete” is brilliant for these reasons. “And to her lips/ I will say nothing” This caesura is absolutely wonderful for its tension and suspense. In fact, in this context I believe this particular poem to be the best narrative poem on my course. “The only story I have ever loved / is the story of a daughter lost in hell”, “I can enter it anywhere” ”If I defer the grief, I will diminish the gift”. Boland here comments on her role as a mother and I believe it is the honesty at the core of the poem that speaks to me. It is wonderful for its suspense and tension and really in my view is an epithet for the beauty of Boland.

In conclusion, Eavan Boland’s poetry appeals to me for a plethora of different reasons: It’s reflections on relationships and love, its fresh voice and its polemical/ political dimension appeal to me. Boland presents wonderfully evocative poems which really speak to me. I feel there is an economy ion her language. I really enjoy how Boland invests small objects with significance and finally, most of all, I love how Boland writes poems which contain the suspense and tension of the best narrative. I find her narrative enthralling. If I was to sum up what Boland’s poetry means to me, I would make use of that quote of Keats’ “Poetry should be great and unobtrusive, a thing which enters into one’s soul, and does not startle or amaze itself with itself, but with it’s subject”.

soup1

im rather surprised these achieved the results you claim. Your syntax seems so laboured i achieved 49/50 in my Yeats answer this year with an overall result of 96% but my answers were certainly more substantial than this, both in size and detail. However, maybe the examiner took a liking to your style
Either way, i would be worried about students using these answers as a template to achieve and A1

clived2

I is glad not be correcting dose leaving cert essays, I is getting a headache, I didnt feel yous was genuine. I feels you make up contrived reasons and I thinks the whole piece was a big lie, I has got to go now, I got things to do and I got alot on my mind, I am sorry for my opinion but I got to say it.




Was that painfull to read? I am sorry
No but seriously, well done for helping out other students

spurious

does not startle or amaze itself with itself, but with it’s subject

I doubt Keats wrote that.

ddyradd

Hi, I respect your opinion but would fail to see how a person could produce a more substantial answer in terms of volume. The answer that I supplied to the question on W.B Yeats poses six points (paragraphs) referencing to at least two poems. The points when combined with an opening and concluding reference to the question each constitute a page. These essays span roughly six pages in average handwriting. I would feel this is enough given a 50minute time limit.

I agree with your point on the syntax, however the answer was designed to present a resopnse in a style which best exploits the marking scheme. I would also propose the point that it is not always the best written essays that will actually achieve A1s. I am fairly confident these essays will, as, they have doen on three mock papers and the actual Leaving Cert itself.

Finally, thanks for sharing your opinions, I'm just trying to be helpful to people in difficulty !

**Timbuk2**

Jaysus lads, he was only trying to help! There'll always be one essay that's better than another, etc. - just use these as a guide.

When I was studying for poetry essays, I used to get sample ones off the internet (e.g. e-xamit) and read through it, highlighting any lines I thought I could use. I remember reading a good one about Rich where she was summoned to a life of domesticity where her needs were subservient to others - just nice lines with a nice use of the English language to throw in somewhere in your answer.

Thanks for posting OP - I'm sure people will find them useful!

soccymonster

I have a WB. Yeats essay for this week actually.
Thaaank you.
I was finding it difficult to find a way to start it off (seeing as I always find the beginning the toughest to get into) but this helps alot!

soup1

ddyradd wrote: »

Hi, I respect your opinion but would fail to see how a person could produce a more substantial answer in terms of volume. The answer that I supplied to the question on W.B Yeats poses six points (paragraphs) referencing to at least two poems. The points when combined with an opening and concluding reference to the question each constitute a page. These essays span roughly six pages in average handwriting. I would feel this is enough given a 50minute time limit.

I agree with your point on the syntax, however the answer was designed to present a resopnse in a style which best exploits the marking scheme. I would also propose the point that it is not always the best written essays that will actually achieve A1s. I am fairly confident these essays will, as, they have doen on three mock papers and the actual Leaving Cert itself.

Finally, thanks for sharing your opinions, I'm just trying to be helpful to people in difficulty !

Im sorry if i offended you but im only going by what i was thought in the institute - it certainly worked wonders for me anyway.

foxinsox

soup1 wrote: »

Im sorry if i offended you but im only going by what i was thought in the institute - it certainly worked wonders for me anyway.

When I was in the Institute xillions of years ago back in 1985...
we used to spell it taught! Maybe it's changed in these modern times of new fangled machines!

Yes. I'm ancient

Fair play to the OP, any readers are lucky to have the chance to see all this stuff and when studying for exams, most people need as much help as they can get...

The internet didn't exist in 1985 when I did my Leaving Certificate...

So major thanks go to the OP for putting up the essays..

randylonghorn

Someone who has already completed their LC has gone to the bother of posting something with the intention of being helpful.

Surely it would be more appropriate to discuss and to courteously point out where there might be room for improvement, rather than being negative?

Also, bear in mind that typos can creep in when typing something up for the 'net which may not have been in the original text. Indeed, I saw one of the teachers who use this forum going "Doh! >.<" last night when it happened to her when she was explaining a maths solution to someone.

Chuchoter

@OP, these are really nice for 5th years like myself getting used to answering questions the way the LC wants it, as its different to the JC

Its just given me the idea, wouldn't it be great to have a thread for each subject where you posted scans or photos of your best essays and notes? Because I have some lovely biology brainstorms and french vocabulary lists that might be really useful to someone.

randylonghorn

crayolastereo wrote: »

Its just given me the idea, wouldn't it be great to have a thread for each subject where you posted scans or photos of your best essays and notes? Because I have some lovely biology brainstorms and french vocabulary lists that might be really useful to someone.

I think notes / brainstorms / vocab lists etc. are all really good ideas, indeed, it happens to an extent already (there's a thread for Irish vocab and phrases around somewhere, for example).

*Personally* I'm not so much in favour of posting full essays; apart from the danger of people picking holes in an unnecessarily negative way, there is also the danger of some people being lazy and just taking them and regurgitating them for their own use.

implausible

OP, it's really good of you to post your essays like this and students should find them really helpful.

I just feel I have to add a word of warning - the most common reason for good students losing marks in the poetry section is not answering the question asked. Many students reproduce the essay they learned off and make little or no reference to the title. So read lots of essays, prepare a decent one on each poet, practise writing them, but make sure that on the day you are able to adapt your essay to the question asked.

James2693

Cheers OP

partyatmygaff

Thanks a million, shows what a farcé the exam is when all four of the poets happen to be your favourite poets

lctake2

good of you to post them, i have all mine from last year but couldn't handle the thought of some lazy sod just stealing the whole thing! most people won't but there's always one . .

ddyradd

Hi , Some more essays. Not my essays but just a different approach. These all achieved over 45 by a friend in the Institute.
These are just some resources for students. Quite frankly I really don't care if people want to criticise the essays go straight ahead. These are successful essays from A1 students. I just wish someone had done this for me last year when I was hopelessley lost in poetry !



Patrick Kavanagh

Imagine you were asked to select one or more of Patrick Kavanagh’s poems form your course for inclusion in a short anthology entitles, ‘The essential Kavanagh’. (2004)

‘And the newness that was in every stale thing

When we looked at it as children; the spirit-shocking

Wonder in a black slanting Ulster Hill.’

Patrick Kavanagh’s poetry is fascinating, universal and enthralling. I think the imagery is powerful and cinematic also. In my opinion there are four poems written by Kavangh which would be essential in a short anthology of his work. They are ‘Inishkeen Road: July Evening’, ‘On Raglan Road’, ‘Advent’ and ‘The Hospital’. These poems show Kavanagh’s development throughout his life and his amazing power of manipulation over the English language. In these four poems Kavanagh deals with themes such as isolation, artistic frustration, anger, vulnerability, transformation, spirituality, love, disappointment and rebirth, Kavanagh also demonstrates a great understanding of words and imagery in these poems which are vivid and memorable.

Patrick Kavangh’s earlier works such as ‘Inishkeen Road: July Evening’, demonstrate the poet’s sense of isolation and frustration. ‘Inishkeen Road’ is a particularly good example of this as it is about the difficult existence of the poet and his desire to attend the country dance in ‘Billy Brennan’s barn’. I could understand the poet’s feelings here because as a teenager in Ireland today the main goal is to ‘fit in’ with ones peers. ‘I have what every poet hates in spite of solemn talk of contemplation’, I really admire the poet’s honesty here as he expresses his sense of isolation and the feeling that he is different from all the others in Co. Monaghan. The sibilance in the line ‘a footfall tapping secrecies of stone’ is wonderfully evocative. I could empathise with Kavanagh here. He felt that he was missing the key to unlocking the meaning of ‘the wink-and-elbow language of delight’ and the ‘half-talk code of mysteries’. This is a universal theme as it is something that all young people fear.

Kavangh employs a wonderful and effective allusion in the third line of the second stanza, ‘Oh, Alexander Selkirk knew the plight of being king and government and nation’. This is a fantastic image of a man stranded on an island completely alone and demonstrates beautifully how the poet felt at home in Monaghan. I find it truly amazing that Kavangh could create such evocative imagery of dreadful isolation at such an early stage of his career. It is also very moving that he expresses the fact that his exclusion was not voluntary but that he felt compelled to stay away. He had to stay in his ‘mile of kingdom’ where he was ‘king of banks and stones and every blooming thing’. These final lines of the poem are crushingly, uncomfortable honest and convey his deep sense of frustration and isolation. ‘Inishkeen Road’ is a poem which is poignantly moving and an anthology of Kavanagh’s works would suffer without it. Taken from a purely aesthetic point of view, this poem is fantastic. From the perspective of the universal experience of suffering and loneliness it is astonishing. I’m not the world’s greatest fan of poetry but reading this poem was like listening to a friend in distress.

I was interest in the poet’s ability to discuss difficult personal issues such as heartbreak with such candour in ‘On Raglan Road’. This ballad tells the story of a failed love affair. The tone is one of loss and disappointment. This poem is a great example of pathetic fallacy. The poem is set ‘On Raglan Road on an Autumn day’ which suggests the love is transitory and will not last. The poet’s use of language here is remarkable, especially the use of symbolism to describe the woman he has fallen for, ‘her dark hair would weave a snare that I might one day rue’. Kavanagh uses her hair as a symbol for a ‘snare’ which is a trap used to catch animals. He sensed danger but ignored it, ‘I saw the danger, yet I walked along the enchanted way’. Love, a universal theme, is a wonderful emotion, and the poet captures the magic of love in the description of it as ‘the enchanted way’. However, Kavanagh’s poem moves to the season of winter in the second stanza and pathetic fallacy is apparent again.

‘On Grafton Street in November we tipped lightly along the ledge of a deep ravine where can be seen the worth of passion’s pledge’. These lines are wonderfully symbolic of the balancing act that is love. The promises of love are worthless, and this is bitterly noted in the powerfully alliterative reference to the ‘worth of passion’s pledge’. These lines are engaging and stimulation. I recognise the frustration and disappointment that lie at the heart of a failing relationship. This is a universal theme which makes Kavanagh’s work accessible and thought provoking. However, it is the final stanza that shows Kavanagh’s raw pain and bitterness towards the woman. This final stanza is reflective and plaintive, ‘On a quiet street where old ghosts meet’. The relationship is over and he has been left scared by it. ‘Away from me so hurriedly my reason must allow’ is a brilliantly vivid image of the humiliation that Kavanagh felt. Indeed along side the beauty of the other stanzas there is an ugly bitterness shown in this last stanza when he describes her as ‘a creature made of clay’. This metaphor suggests that she is petty and is unable of deep feeling. The intensity of the feeling expressed in these lines is remarkable.

‘On Raglan Road’ along with ‘Inishkeen Road’ expresses Kavanagh’s unhappiness as a youth. These poems are simple yet powerful and incredibly honest. However, Kavanagh’s poetry evolved from dark and bitter to light and joyous after he survived lung cancer. He has a spiritual awakening which is reflected in is later poetry in which he begins to appreciate the habitual and banal things of life.

‘The Hospital’ is a simple yet direct poem in which Kavanagh imbues the poem with a giddy joy and sense of anticipation. He celebrates the ordinary, banal and mundane things. ‘A year ago I fell in love with the functional ward of a chest hospital’. This is a superb example of juxtaposition; one would never consider putting ‘love’ and a ‘functional ward’ in the same line. Yet Kavanagh really does love the sight of this ordinary ward because there was a chance he would never have seen it. ‘An art lover’s woe’ is reference to his old life when he wanted to be an intellectual and question everything, but he realises that this made him unhappy. He has become an idealist again, ‘nothing whatever is debarred’. He shows his appreciation for the banal with the use of hyperbole in the last line of the first stanza, ‘the inexhaustible adventure of a gravelled yard’. Kavanagh has deliberately chosen objects that are unpoetic and not aesthetically pleasing so that he can state his new outlook which allows him to find wonder and beauty anywhere. He celebrates the common and ordinary.

The sestet opens with a declaration of the poet’s belief in the power of love. ‘This is what love does to things.’ No matter how seemingly trivial a moment is, he will cherish and appreciate it. The poem is like a series of extremely powerful photographs. Each mundane object is described with such passion that it truly uplifted me when I read it. This poem, I am unashamed to say, genuinely gave me a new perspective, and made me, albeit momentarily, view the world in a different way.

Yet no anthology of Kavanagh’s poems would be complete without the intensely spiritual poem ‘Advent’. In this poem Kavanagh renounces the intellectual world and embraces the ordinary, where, he believes true wonder can be found.

‘And the newness that was in every stale thing

when we looked at is as children; the spirit shocking

wonder of a black slanting Ulster hill

Or the prophetic astonishment in the tedious talking

Of an old fool’

The poet expresses his desire to return to the blissful innocence of childhood. The life of adults is difficult and over complicated where nobody notices the beauty that is found in the every day. I have to say that I agree with the poet here. Kavanagh’s marvellous use of language evokes the startling beauty of the world as viewed by a child.

In the first stanza the poet’s desire to cleanse his soul through penance is expressed and the first seven lines of the poem take the form of an announcement. The poet states his intention to pursue this discipline of self-denial associated with Advent. Intellectual and sensual pursuits are rejected. Kavanagh uses the image of fasting to express his belief that self denial will lead to spiritual enlightenment, ‘we have tested and tasted too much, Lover’. I was able to relate to the poet here as I am a Christian who would abstain from certain luxuries during the period of Lent and stick to things such as ‘dry black bread and sugarless tea’. Kavanagh does these things to ‘charm back the luxury of a child’s soul’ and to capture the moments which are full of ‘spirit chocking wonder’. If there is a more powerful, brilliant, inexplicably beautiful line in poetry, I have yet to encounter it,

Kavanagh’s poetry is interesting primarily because it deals with fundamental human themes, which makes it as fresh and as compelling now as then the poet first scratched out his thoughts so many years ago. I, as a teenager from the twenty-first century, did not expect to enjoy or relate to poems composed by a man from such a different time and place. These four poems, ‘Inishkeen Road: July Evening’, ‘On Raglan Road’, ‘The Hospital’ and ‘Advent’, would be vital in an anthology entitled ‘The Essential Kavangh’.

Adrienne Rich

‘In her poetry Rich deals with complex and difficult themes in a striking and unusual way.’ (2008)

‘Sometimes I feel an underground river

Forcing its way between deformed cliffs

Moving itself like a locus of the sun

Into this condemned scenery’

-Trying to Talk With a Man

I found Adrienne Rich’s poetry intriguing and at times difficult to read. In many of her poems such as ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ and ‘From a Survivor’, Rich deals with difficult and complex themes that are both personal and political. Her ability to capture these themes in a series of cinematic, striking and memorable images is admirable. I found her work engaging and I truly enjoyed the work of this feminist writer.

‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ was one of Rich’s early poems and was written in 1951, when the poet was only twenty two. It is quite a simple poem, but on the other hand the simplicity is deceptive. On reading the first stanza the poem appears to be solely observational, ‘Aunt Jennifer’s tigers prance across a screen’. It describes the character sitting at home doing needle work. Simple. Or is it?

As one continues to read the poem certain lines leap out from the page like the tigers. ‘The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band’ is a powerful and unusual image. A wedding ring is normally shown in a positive light but Rich chose the adjective ‘massive’ which I believe to be in a negative context. This ring symbolises oppression. Also we are told that ‘her terrified hands’ will continue to be ‘ringed with ordeals she was mastered by’. This has a very strong connection to slavery and control.

It becomes apparent that this poem is not as simple as one may think. It in fact deals with a very serious and uneasy theme of the oppression of women by a patriarchal society. The poem is flooded with powerful images and metaphors. Aunt Jennifer herself is symbolic of oppression; the ring represents marriage and is depicted in an extremely negative light. The tigers themselves are metaphors for the potential beauty and intelligence that lies within Aunt Jennifer. The image of her fingers ‘fluttering through her wool’ suggests dexterity, skill and talent. Yet she finds ‘the ivory needle hard to pull’ which shows how restricted and fragile marriage has made her.

The roots of the radical feminist ideology that Rich adopted in the late sixties are clearly evident in this poem. She tackles this controversial topic brilliantly with her use of mature language and striking imagery. The sense of indignity felt at the perceived oppression of women is palpable. This, I am unashamed to say, is one of the most powerful poems I have ever read.

‘Power’ is another brilliantly feminist poem by Rich. She was inspired by Marie Curie and uses the scientist’s fame to symbolise the power of females. The poem parallels the Radical Feminist Movement that emerged in 1968 and again Rich is tackling a very serious and complex issue.

‘Living in the earth deposits of our history

Today a backhoe divulged out of a crumbling flank of earth

One bottle amber perfect a hundred year old

Cure for fever or melancholy tonic

For living on this earth in winters of this climate’

The first stanza depicts and archaeological excavation. The artefacts already exist but have been covered up over time and must be carefully excavated. This is symbolic of the struggle for equality. It will be slow, painful and difficult. However it will be worth the pain as this precious thing is a cure for society and its illness.

In the second stanza Rich introduces Marie Curie, ‘Today I was reading about Marie Curie.’ She represents greatness and strength. Yet this powerfully striking image of the scientist is followed by a difficult image of her suffering:

‘the source of the cataracts on her eyes

The cracked and suppurating skin of her finger-ends

Till she could no longer hold a test tube or pencil’

This is unbelievably visceral language and imagery. I feel it shows that Marie Curie proved women were (are) equal to men but to do so she suffered greatly. It also represents the price paid for women’s rights.

The language and style of this poem is both strikingly powerful and memorable. The idea of power and the roots of feminine empowerment are clearly fascinating to the poet. The last stanza of this thoughtful and complex poem suggests that the poet believes that Curie never really understood the paradox f her position. ‘She died a famous woman denying her wounds denying her wounds came from the same source of her power.’ The suggestion that the poet makes is that joy and success cannot tasted if not accomplished by pain and suffering. This is an ancient observation, and indicates how Rich’s poetry has a universal appeal outside of a specifically political or personal context which is unusual.

‘Trying to Talk With a Man’ is an extremely personal and confessional poem. This poem unlike ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ appears complex but after careful study you see the underlying simplicity. Rich deals with the difficulties and complexities of relationships which is a universal theme.

‘Out in this desert we are testing bombs’, the opening line is dramatic and direct. It represents the dangers inherent in facing into and dealing with the problems in the relationship.

‘Sometimes I feel an underground river

Forcing its way between deformed cliffs

An acute angle of understanding

Moving itself like a locus of the sun

Into this condemned scenery’

These lines of the second stanza are complex. The underground river could be symbolic of hope or it could be a representation of the divide between the couple. The river could be seen as a symbol of the fundamental underlying weakness in the relationship.

The distance between them grows in the third stanza as the poet talks of ‘trying to put a face’ on the relationship. It must have been difficult for Rich to admit the harsh truth that is confronted – ‘everything we were saying until now was an effort to blot it out’. The ‘it’ is the truth. The truth being that they are not meant to be together. I believe that the reason the poem feels as though it has a detached tone is because of the intense emotion of the subject matter.

In conclusion, I find Rich’s poetry to be complex, challenging, unusual but also intensely passionate and engaging. She deals with personal and political issues, and I’ve learned so much from reading her poems. I gained an insight into feminist ideology and have seen that emotional problems and person crisis can be dealt with maturity. Most of all I have learned that Rich’s poetry is remarkable

Eavan Boland 2
Write a personal response to the poetry of Eavan Boland. (2005)

‘And we discovered there

Love had the feather and muscle of wings

And had come to live with us,

A brother of fire and air’

Boland’s poetry is unique. It gives a voice to the experiences of modern women and the settings are familiar to the reader – the world of suburbia and of family. Eavan Boland also addresses Universal Themes, such as love, parenthood, violence and the beauty of the natural world, all of which make her work accessible. However, Boland’s work is also compellingly, fundamentally honest as she does not shirk away from difficult themes and issues in her own life. The most appealing aspect of Boland’s poetry is her tendency to draw parallels between the world of ancient Greek mythology, and the everyday experiences of the modern world. In this way she imbues her experiences with a special singular quality. By doing this Boland highlights one of the paradoxes of our existence. ‘All human experience is unique and universal’. While her work can be complicated by metaphor and symbolism, Boland’s language is generally conversational and enjoyable particularly in ‘Love’, ‘The Pomegranate’, and ‘This moment’.

‘Love’ is a deeply reflective poem and is by far the most fascinating Boland poem on the course. This poem deals with the complex, organic and changing nature of the relationship between husband and wife over a number of years. The poem opens with Boland describing herself in a ‘Mid-western town where we once lived and myths collided’. There, many years ago, the poet and her husband ‘had two infant children one of whom was touched by death in this town and spared’. This horrific experience of a child suffering with illness is recalled in an almost wistful tone. The terror of the experience strengthened the love bond between the poet and her husband and allowed them to endure their beloved child’s turmoil.

Boland employs a wonderful and visceral metaphor in the second stanza to capture the sheer power of their love when she recalls how ‘Love had the feather and muscle of wings and had come to live with us.’ In the previous stanza Boland refers to the ‘water the hero crossed on his way to hell’. Here Boland draws a parallel between her experiences and those of Aeneas. This allusion is continued in the second stanza but the tone changes when Boland recounts how Aeneas descended into Hades.

‘When the hero

Was hailed by his comrades in hell

Their mouths opened and their voices failed and

There is no knowing what they would have asked

About a life they had shared and lost.’

Aeneas shared adventure, survival and fear with these men. Now he cannot even communicate with them. Although they have shared past glories, they are now unable to communicate. It is that crucial fact that explains Boland’s selection of this myth to draw parallels with her own life. Boland and her husband were bound inextricably by love during their child’s illness. Boland still loves her husband, but in a different way. I believe that Boland is addressing the fundamental truth that love is organic, ever changing, ever evolving.

There are significant changes in the final stanza. The tone changes, the tense changes and the personal pronoun changes.

‘I am your wife.

It was years ago.

Our child is healed. We love each other still.

Across our day-to-day and ordinary distances

We speak plainly. We hear each other clearly.’

There is almost a lack of passion in these lines. Almost a tone of acceptance. The passion and intensity is absent: ‘Will we ever live so intensely again?’ The end of the poem is ambiguous and once again refers to the myth. ‘But the words are shadows and you cannot hear me, you walk away and I cannot follow.’ I found these words stimulating, engaging and thought provoking. Does this mean Boland wants to leave her husband? I personally don’t think so. I believe that Boland still loves her husband but recognises that love changes over time. It grows and matures into a different creature.

‘Love’ is the most interesting Boland poem but ‘This Moment’ is certainly the most beautiful. It is a brief poem in which Boland explores the beauty of the natural world, love and motherhood. This poem showcases Boland’s mastery of language as it is dramatically atmospheric and evocative.

The setting is familiar and accessible: ‘A neighbourhood. At dusk.’ The short lines create a sense of drama and anticipation which is highlighted by the following lines.

‘Things are getting ready

To happen

Out of sight.’

Boland emphasises the fact that wonderful, dangerous, inspirational, even legendary events happen everywhere, everyday, all around us. Our lives are special, are extraordinary, and we must take time to appreciate that fact. The unrivalled beauty of the world is captured when Boland employs one of the most effective and evocative similes I have ever encountered to capture the twilight of suburbia ‘One window is yellow as butter’. Yet it is the cinematic and uplifting image of lines 11-13 are what make this poem memorable:

‘A woman leans down to catch a child

Who runs into her arms

This moment.’

The simplicity, the economy of language, captures the essential simple power of love and highlights the fact that there is magic, wonder and myth all around us. Perhaps the last lines of the poem are a message to us, the reader? Perhaps it is easy to overcomplicate life and miss out on the beauty, wonder and love present everywhere.

‘Stars rise.

Moths flutter.

Apples sweeten in the dark.’

The power of a mother’s love is evident in ‘This Moment’ but it is this theme that lie at the heart of the fantastic poem ‘The Pomegranate’. Again this poem draws parallels between the poet’s life and the grandiose world of mythology. The title refers to the Greek myth of Ceres and Persephone, a tale of maternal love. The poet says that this is ‘The only legend I have ever loved’. She sees it as a story that is emblematic of the female experience and comments that ‘The best thing about the legend is that I can enter it anywhere and have’. This refers to Boland’s experiences as both a daughter and a mother.
The beautifully evocative and atmospheric lines thirteen to eighteen of the first stanza show Boland as a mother:

‘I walked out in a summer twilight

Searching for my daughter at bed-time.

When she came running I was ready

To make any bargain to keep her.’

The scene is familiar, the emotion automatic and intense. The mother loves her child. This is a universal truth and also is unique to the poet’s own experience.

As in ‘Love’. The poem makes a shift in tense in the middle section. Now the poet’s daughter is a teenager and the relationship has become more fractious. This is an experience that I can easily relate to as a teenager, and this poem made me understand my parents’ anxieties about me more readily. ‘My child asleep beside her teen magazines, her can of coke, her plate of uncut fruit’, Boland watches her daughter and realises that change in inevitable and she must let her daughter grow. She must overcome her maternal instincts and allow her daughter to experience all aspects of life, the good and the bad.

‘But what else

Can a mother give her daughter but such

Beautiful rifts in time?

If I defer the grief I will diminish the gift.’

These lines are thoughtful, philosophical, instantly accessible and extraordinary. I felt they had something to say to me about my life and experiences. The poet understands that her daughter will grow and transform from Persephone to Ceres. She will become a mother too, and then she will understand why Boland had such a difficult time when she wrote ‘I will say nothing’.

Eavan Boland’s poetry is appealing. Her work is interesting, intelligent and beautifully constructed. She is by far my favourite poet on the syllabus and I appreciate her poetry both for the interesting themes and her technical skill and mastery over language. I thoroughly enjoyed reading her poetry.







Just some resources for students. Quite frankly I really don't care if people want to criticise the essays go straight ahead. These are successful essays from A1 students. I just wish someone had done this for me last year when I was hopelessley lost in poetry !

Iceboy

Legend :cool:

MissBrightside

This is hilarious. Could tell immediately that these were from or connected to the institute. I had some of their notes last year and basically quoted some of it word for word in the exam...not that I'd recommend that! Fair play for posting. I'm sure some people will find these very useful.

ddyradd

MissBrightside wrote: »

This is hilarious. Could tell immediately that these were from or connected to the institute. I had some of their notes last year and basically quoted some of it word for word in the exam...not that I'd recommend that! Fair play for posting. I'm sure some people will find these very useful.

Hi ! yeah the first set of four are all my own original work . The second set of 3 are by a person in the tute . i didnt go there !

MissBrightside

Those were the three I was referring to. Kavanagh essay in particularly familiar. I didn't go there either - just borrowed some of the notes!

nipps

sound man!!! hav boland due next week!!! these will be really helpful, cheers op!!:)

akingston

Hey thanks a million for posting these, they're a life saver, is there any chance you could post an Emily Dickinson personal response aswell?

ddyradd

Hi, me again (ddyradd) . I've just completed a poetry guide for Leaving Cert students I think people will find helpful. I'm looking for 5 or 6 students to read it and give me feedback . If you could PM me your e-mail address ill email you a copy and let me know your type of school and rough geographical location (ie Dublin grind schoool Cork normal school etc etc.) I just want to get an idea of whether students find it helpful or not. Thanks. Ill just take the first five or six names and then ill post here saying when Ive goetten them

ride-the-spiral

deemark wrote: »

OP, it's really good of you to post your essays like this and students should find them really helpful.

I just feel I have to add a word of warning - the most common reason for good students losing marks in the poetry section is not answering the question asked. Many students reproduce the essay they learned off and make little or no reference to the title. So read lots of essays, prepare a decent one on each poet, practise writing them, but make sure that on the day you are able to adapt your essay to the question asked.

The questions have also become increasingly specific over the last three years or so, it's much harder to conform your learnt off essay to the question being asked.

Chris Martin

Fair play,
Really like...
Not many peopl would, after their own Leaving Cert is over and done with, go through the effort of helping those taking it this year.
I'd say massive thanks is necessary and although I'm only covering one of the four poets mentioned above, I will use the structure of your other answers to help me with my own.
By no means will I copy it word for word (as I struggle to learn off and that would include copious amounts of effort and time) but will take a few points from the Yeats one and mould my style of writing around it.
Again many thanks, wish there was more people like yourself around :cool:

deemark

deemark wrote: »

OP, it's really good of you to post your essays like this and students should find them really helpful.

I just feel I have to add a word of warning - the most common reason for good students losing marks in the poetry section is not answering the question asked. Many students reproduce the essay they learned off and make little or no reference to the title. So read lots of essays, prepare a decent one on each poet, practise writing them, but make sure that on the day you are able to adapt your essay to the question asked.

God be with the days we learned how to actually write an essay, not learn them off

seriouslysweet

Is there anywhere I could post essays I have in Irish? My cousin got pretty much full marks and is prepared to let them to others. I'm all for helping those who encourage me and have no problem sharing them, nor does she. Irish is kind of our thing and I'll probably need help at some stage with regards to motivation.

ddyradd

Chris Martin wrote: »

Fair play,
Really like...
Not many peopl would, after their own Leaving Cert is over and done with, go through the effort of helping those taking it this year.
I'd say massive thanks is necessary and although I'm only covering one of the four poets mentioned above, I will use the structure of your other answers to help me with my own.
By no means will I copy it word for word (as I struggle to learn off and that would include copious amounts of effort and time) but will take a few points from the Yeats one and mould my style of writing around it.
Again many thanks, wish there was more people like yourself around :cool:

no problem. if youre not planning to cover the poets here, the guide i hae completed aims at general essay writing strategy - how to go from reading a poem to writing about it in the Leaving Cert. I give grinds to LC students and this guide is essential reading for them. It has very useful tips and the feedback I have gotten back so far has been very positive. If you want to PM me your email address ill send you a copy i think youll find it useful

Grindylow

Thanks OP, I only just saw these now, they're really helpful.

ApeLove

Found these really helpful, thanks so much to those who posted them...I find it really hard to write about Boland, her poetry doesn't really appeal to me, but these essays gave me some great points to work off of!