The Famine Road
From ZuluNotes - Free Leaving Cert Notes
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| English Poem | |
| |
| The Famine Road | |
|---|---|
| Subject | English |
| Section | Poetry |
| Paper | 2 |
| Poet | Eavan Boland |
| On syllabus | 2008, 2009 |
| Note | |
User Notes
Here we are presented with an image of a young woman unable to have children. She feels de-humanised and humiliated just like the victims of the famine. The woman's barren problems are dismissed in a cold, insensitive tone; "Take it well woman, grow your garden, keep house, goodbye"
Also tied in is the sense of British Imperialism and colonisation. The poem is seen from 2 places
1)A clinical, cold doctor
2) An inhumane brutal English officer
Notes by Nikkic
- Great poem- 2 stories- one poem- famine victims intersected with story of infertile woman- separated but interlinked by similarities e.g. coldness of voice of doctor similar to that of Jones attitude to famine victims.
- Poem 1- response of British to Irish people starving
- poem 2- women told she is barren 3 line stanza (italics)
