Friel Exam Question

Re-read Act 1 from page 38 (Father Jack enters.) to page 41 (Jack goes out to the garden. Kate gets her cardigan.) Explore the presentation of Jack's experience with African culture in this extract and elsewhere in the play.

Father Jack before going to Africa was a devout Catholic, like the majority of people in Ireland at the time. His job as a missionary, was to go and convert people to Catholicism, however Jack came back from Africa as a devout and associates himself with the paganism ways that they have, using the personal pronouns of "our" and "we". 

Within the extra we have our first insight to Jack's life in Africa, first being introduced to how he enters the room  the description of "(as if he were intent on some engagement elsewhere)". Friel would've included this intended subconscious action of Jack, to set the scene of his fragmented memory, but his mind set being so fixated of Africa that even back in Ireland, mentally he is in Africa. Jack first shocks Kate and the other sisters with the mentioning of "ancestral spirits" quite an abstract myth in society, but to Jack to mention it would suggest his belief in such things. One significant thing Jack mentions in his first description is "you have dancing" which to the girls we know is their secret desire, their use to escape from their suppressed lives in Ireland and the home they live (trapped) in. Jack's mentioning of dancing, I believe is significant because it evokes the thought and correlation of dance and paganism beliefs within the girls. So to be pagan or some ways apart (The lughnasa festival) is to have the freedom of dance. 

    The festival of Lughnasa is the closest form of a Paganism ritual to the girls, the description rose gives of the "ritual" of the sacrifice of the cow, is very similar to Jack's description of a typical night or celebration. "We kill a rooster or a young goat... It's very exciting" such care free actions expressed through Jack as he finds it "exciting" and we later learn the reason so they can "offer sacrifice to Obi, our great Goddess of the earth." This description of their actions, show the abstract beliefs the Pagan religion has, and the influence for such extreme measures to connect to a God which contrast completely with the simple 'mass' held within the Catholic religion. This also represents how little of any Catholic beliefs Jack doesn't even have left.

     Within the play we see some forms of hostility emerging between Kate and Jack through their differences in beliefs in religion. Kate representing the strong, devout Catholic and Jack representing the free spirited Pagan : this reflects on the conflicts of Catholicism and Paganism in Ireland since the 5th century when British missionaries came over to convert the original pagans to Catholicism, since then it has been the main religion in Ireland but the original pagan beliefs, rituals and festivals still remain among the minorities. When the conversation of Michael pops up, in Jacks terminology Michael is a "love child", on learning this, Jack questions "have you any other love children?". To find have Kate snap back "She certainly has not". As the different religions, to Kate and Catholics a "love child" is against the norms and written rules, as it means it's a baby out of wedlock, but to Jack and the others in Africa, it is the norm as apparently "in Ryanga women are eager to have love children" with the belief of the more you have the more "fortunate your household is thought to be". This example clearly states the conflict created because of religious views, of which Friel is showing the ignorance of people not tolerating others views. 

Within the extract, Jack describes how his commissioner refers to him as the "Irish outcast"  and always try to get him away so he isn't "going native", here Jack is believing he is apart of them, when to everyone his he is just the outcast.  The irony displayed in Jack's character is huge, Jack's job to be a missionary to change peoples religions, however he went to Africa intending to change theirs when it turned out he did go native, his religion and views were changed. When we are first introduced to Jack in the beginning of Act 1, after his introduction to the play we they are then shown insights to the outside world. Obviously Jack's character is one that was able to escape to the outside world, but he brings it back with him and this influence sets the sisters minds to their own knowledge or links to the outside world. The girls thoughts are taken to "Bernie Odonnel" her new husband from "Stockholm", "Curley Mcdaid", significantly Maggie's nostalgic reflection of her memory of dancing. Which all together, shows how Jack's presence back home has brought the outside world, and an aura of paganism- which reflects on freedom and escapism, so it encourages the sisters to think of the outside world, of people with lives they could themselves have. 

 As we know pre-dating the 5th century Irish Paganism was the main religion in the country, and even today when Catholicism is, minorities still practice the pagan ways. Jack said later on in the play, that "Mother and myself, every Lughnasa would go to the annual ritual", which shows previous on in his life he has a part in paganism, enough to be suppressed by the heavy Catholicism beliefs in his job as a priest, but enough to be brought back to the surface of his mind and believe in the Pagan ways, through his time in Africa. Which could show as a person, how weak Jack is, not to carry on being devout to his religion but to be easily turned to another one. So could the change in Jack's beliefs be the reason why he was sent home as well as his impending death?

Jack's time in Africa describes of everything against Catholic views/beliefs: rituals, sacrifices, love children, Obi Goddess of the Earth, ancestrial spirits, all of which Jack strongly believes in and even home until he dies believes in. We know this because in Michael's speech towards the end, as "he never said Mass again". 

How to Larkin and Abse present History in

Compare the ways in which Larkin and Abse write about history

History is all about time and change, the good, the bad; both poets explore events, that changed the world forever. In Larkin's MCMXIV we see how the first world war affected the home front, as well as the world as "such innocence" is forever gone. Also in Abse, A letter at Ogmore, shows the extreme events of the 20th century take a personal effect on him, but questions is it the end of it all "has a past always a future?". Thus, both poets are neither critical nor supportive of what happened, yet remembering. which is initially a definition of history.
MCMXIV reflects upon a time where war was perceived as an adventure, men "grinning" as they are about to embark upon their new adventure as if it was a day of "bank holiday lark". Larkin writing the poem years after the war, shows the dramatic irony/ironic sense to the men's excitement for war, by the knowledge of knowing what they are going to endure. Death, which juxtaposes the initial excitement. Larkin also notices the change that war brings, and how it was so subtle that it occurred "without a word", somewhat like the war did upon the people. Larkin personifies the country side as not caring about the war, at the time aristocracy ruled the land, with it's "servants" and ""limousines" contrasted to a different world that hadn't been affected by war. Larkin here is showing how at the beginning of the 20th century, the division of the social class system not yet affected by the revolutionary change of war. In the final stanza, Larkin juxtaposes the stanza in a split of the men before the war and the men after. The history of the two, where the split is a metaphor for the change that revolutionised a whole generation. How the "innocence" was never seen before, which is a reflection onto the completely new warfare used, shocking the majority of people due to the death rate. However, the last line "never such innocence again" reinforces the idea of a world that was easily lived for those in the aristocracy, the simple working lives, would no longer be known as the change showed a new independent life for all.
Adrundel Tomb is also a reflection of the passing of time, and the change that it brings. The centre piece of the poem is the tomb stone of the an old pre 17th century earl and his wife, this tomb reflect on their money, enabling them to set in stone, their history, their name and their love.The passing of time is visibly described through the "blurred" faces, which here shows that the things in history that aren't important "blur" away, which contrasts to MCMXIV as the first world war is forever remembered. Larkin shows mild cynicism in saying "they would not think to lie so long".. suggesting that the couple wouldn't have expected their legacy to last a hundred years, let alone five hundred. Larkin's tone changes midway, similarly in MCMXIV when looking at the significance of the gesture in the statues (observing the loss of innocence). Holding hands has been the spotlight of attraction on the tomb, for this detail has survived the erosion of time, which shows the strength in their undying love, alternatively in MCMXIV the love of the country (patriotism) kept people strong throughout the war. In Larkin's last line of the poem, "what will survive is love" is sometimes a sentimental misreading, but to anyone interpretation it can mean anything. In MCMXIV even though the innocence was gone, the love carried on, through the a bad course of time.
Abse too relfects on history, he however, unlike Larkin, shows a more nostalgic reflection on the 20th centry in A Letter From Ogmore. The poem is about his farewell to the 100 years, and being born in the 20's he has first hand experience of growing up in a quick revolutionised, modern world. Looking upon the good and the bad, the repetition of "good bye 20th century" suggesting that all that has occurred is now history. Abse starts off by looking at two significant events of the 20th century, "Hiroshima" and "Auschwitz", both of which occurred in world war two, but war here acting as a catalyst of awareness to make sure the holocaust doesn't ever happen again, but it's also the catalyst of modern weaponry, every country today now in possession of a nuclear weapon. Abse goes on to referring to the "genealogy of ghosts" how time passes, the amount of death within the century is kept alive through memory, in which links to his personification of Eros (the desire to live) supporting the idea of the dead alive in memory.  Abse questions whether or not "has the past always a future" simply stating will such events ever occur again? or with one of the main significances of history being the aspect that we learn from our mistakes and ensure they never repeat. On a personal note, the haunting remark of  "will there always be a Jack boot on the stair?" reference to the Nazi's war crimes of the answer to the Jewish question, which this boot for Abse is always a personal reminder of what the people of his religion, family member potentially went through and will always subconsciously go through. Within the final paragraph, a summery of the century, it's commercialisation and with the metaphor or the sea at Ogmore, represents humanity - with tide in, humanity covered up is "beautiful" "various" and "old", but with tide out, it is "Vexed",  "external" and "Murderous". In which this ties in with MCMXIV as reinforces Larkin's idea of "Never such innocence again".
Abse's Cousin Sidney highlights the effects of war on a personal level. It's a poem about his cousin, Sidney, who with his "size 12 shoes" and achievement of being "tallest boy in his class" is able to lie about his age and sign up to war (1940 so beginning of world war 2". Sidney's rebellious, carefree nature is shown in stanza 1 where he "break his garden swing, jumping on it", could also show his uncontrollable excitement for war in general. Lieing about his age, here too shows the initial excitement for war, the adventure he will partake in. Similarly, in MCMXIV where the first stanza shows the eager men heading for war.. The dramatic irony in both authors, as they both know the horrors of war, and even Abse at the time might not, but writing the poem would do. Sidney is referred to as a "silly ass" by his family as the know he has made the wrong decision, this shows that through time, the opinions of going to war have changed, less encouraged. We find out that he is killed in the battle of Dunkirk, and the emotional effects it has on Sidney's family, "raw in onion air" which is a metaphor used to show the constant uncontrollable crying. Abse here is showing how war singularly affected everyone, how it is a unforgettable moment- supporting his "genealogy of ghosts" in A Letter from Ogmore, how the dead live on in memories throughout history.
Both poets have shown how history changes through time, significant events change the way histories course is heading, and it enables us to learn from mistakes and come out strong so they don't happen again. Adrunel Tomb illuminates MCMXIV the passing of time, with the significance of a single event, on time, however strong it is stay for as  long as it will. And Abse's Cousin Sydney shows how war singles out men to fight, their enthusiasm hasn't changed from MCMXIV to Cousin Sydney, but also how in the long run, the horrible events live on and "never" forgotten.

MCMXIV

This poem is focused on the change that the first world war brings in society, economically, politically.  The first stanza shows the sheer excitement of those men who are willing to go to to war "grinning" you can imagine with such excitement to do so. Larkin describes them waiting to go to war, as if they are to go wait to play a sport in "the oval" (cricket), suggesting that at the start war was merely a game. The attitudes of the men, are suggested to be like those on "an August bank holiday lark", showing how the men had a lack of seriousness to what they were about to embark upon. The form of dramatic irony within the reader, as we all know the terrors to which the men were about to go and face.

The second stanza the times of 1914, where "farthings and sovereigns" were still in use, along with the "shut shops" with the old "bleached established names on the sun-blinds" which show how the war have closed businesses and took effect on the average persons every day life. There were no children clothing at the time, so they wore adults clothing in smaller sizes but were the "dark-clothed", the darkness could suggest how no life or light will return until those on the front do and the  war is over.
How the children called "after Kings and Queens", in which at this time Britain was still and empire, where George's, Edward's roamed the land.
The t"tin advertisements" are a form of hope, a form of life for the soldiers on the front, a source of energy ad food, in which the "pubs wide open all day" bringing a sense of community to all people at home, where they can gather and share hope together.
The third stanza shows how Larkin has personified the countryside for not caring about war. The dust lingering within this stanza, is the dust of the lives before the war, the houses to which the lords and ladies lived in, with luncheons and dinner parties,, where there was a stark contrast between the upper class ad the urban working, but war finds a way to bring it all together. However, in this stanza the contrast yet still remains, "the differently dressed servants" who still work in the manor houses. In a way could show how the war has yet to reach the country side. Personally, I thought the reference to the "shadowing Domesday lines" was a reference to the front lines of the war, that the war had been brought home and this manor house with servants, where the house had been turned into  a convalescence home for the soldiers.
The final stanza emphasizes the innocence/ignorance to the upcoming war. With the repetition of the word "never" to suggest how the soldiers, the people at home have not yet witnessed such modern advanced warfare. "As changed itself to past without a word" shows how the change in the world occurred without even a mention to such, it merely happen on its own account. The juxtaposition of "the men" who leave their "gardens tidy" and their marriages "lasting a little while longer", showing how war prolongs the good at home, the problems that may have been faced before war, are now swept under  the carpet as faith and hope keep everyone strong.
The final line of the poem, "never such innocence again", suggests the generalization upon the whole nation, the generation of the time. The advancements that this new warfare brought, showed the men on the front the disastrous events, e.g The Battle of the Somme July 1916, saw nearly 60,000 British men wounded and dead, the people on the home front the families having to read such horrors that occurred in this war, tore away any protection of innocence the Victorian/Edwardian eara's had set in place, society had it's turning point to the modern everyday life that we now live in. 

Talking in bed

Love is an important factor in physical and emotional relationships- the good things that love brings along with bitter ones and disappointment. The sense of broken communication and isolation is well displayed through the structure and form of the poem. Rhyming ABA CAC DCD, and a final tercet rhyming EEE, what portray the absence of continuity and the broken-up nature of the couple's discourse.
As Larkin suggests, “It becomes more difficult to find / Words once true and kind”, it could be difficult for these two people to express verbally how they feel or it could be also possible that they spoke about the relationship, which has hurt them emotionally and they created the isolation, although words kind and true both relate with human language in positive manner. The double negative not + un “Or not untrue and not unkind”  leaves the reader ambiguous feeling of unfulfilled desire. Very similar situation is “At this unique distance from isolation”, suggesting that someone can be distanced from isolation and ironically very close at the same time.

Larkin’s poem “Talking in bed” enables us to relate to possible common experiences in our own lives and provoke us to think about both – the gap between expectations and reality – and irony of love in modern world. However, an irony, one of the dominant features in this poem, gives us the opportunity to create our own perception of love. I think Larkin believed that love is a positive thing, but we all know that reality makes nothing simple and often confront us with painful disappointment.

Dancing at Lughnasa

Irish Catholicism, its rituals and rules and its resonances within the family and as well as the clashes it produces.  
Notes collected
The play is set in a small rural community in the north of Ireland in the early 20h century. The power of the Catholic religion is evident in this small community. There are also certain pagan practices mentioned such as the Festival of Lughnasa where a young boy was burned in a type of ritual. 
Just as the radio is a partly foreign and potentially corrupting influence in the Mundy cottage, so the homecoming of Father 
Jack brings with it alien and challenging ideas and behaviour. Jack, for years a source of great pride as Ballybeg’s ‘own leper priest’, has transgressed his role in Ryanga and ‘gone native’. He has come to accept and even embrace the traditional rituals and way of life which seem to work well for the Ryangan villagers. And within this acceptance is an implicit critique of the Catholic missionary model, an understanding that it would fail to meet the spiritual and emotional needs of the community of lepers. Elsewhere too Friel is interested in the failure of institutional Christianity to be a force for good in the lives of its followers. In Dancing at Lughnasa, Kate comes to reconcile her strict Catholic beliefs with her brother’s behaviour by classifying it as ‘his own distinctive search’. The rest of the community, however, is less forgiving. The local priest, who is also Kate’s employer, sacks her from her job as schoolteacher, ostensibly because of falling class sizes, but in reality as a punishment for Jack’s renegade behaviour. In doing so he plunges the entire Mundy household into deepening poverty.Father Jack’s Ugandan experiences are not the only source of paganism in the play. At Lughnasa time, the back hill locals of Ballybeg practice a ceremony involving dancing, fire, and animal sacrifice, just like Jack’s African rituals. Maire MacNeill’s book The Festival of Lughnasa explores Celtic and pre-Christian harvest rituals and how they continued in 

Ireland into modern times (see page 13 of this pack). While there is no evidence of goat sacrifice in the 20th century – as 

Rose dramatically describes – the practice of large groups gathered to sing and dance on hilltops is well documented. 

Yet in the 1920s and 30s – the early years of the new Irish Free State – even such seemingly innocent and traditionally 

Celtic activities came to be frowned upon by an increasingly conservative church and state, and would not long survive into 

the century. 

Christianity is strongly present in these stories, but sometimes sits alongside or is seen in conflict with traditional Celtic or 

pagan ways. The archive records the final decades of the old way of life in rural Ireland, before technology and industrialisation would 

change things forever.

Red Balloon

The red balloon throughout the poem is a symbol of religion, the non Jews of this poem believe it to be "stained with our dear Lord's blood", but I think that the balloon stands as a symbol for the blood lost in the Jewish race, and the strength it endured as "it would not burst" suggesting it is somewhat unstoppable.
As the persona has this balloon enter his life as it "oddly" landed where he stood, he passed onto it life, but "breathing on it " and "polished" it, thus giving a red that "shone like living blood". This foreshadowing the interpretation of the symbol of the "Lord's blood", but it could also be the persona's blood, as if he brought it to life, it could have his life captured within it.
It attracted attention, the persona's emotions mixed towards the balloon, but with maturity "it ceased to be a toy" thus showing that its not something he can play with, it's something he must treasure and look after. The persona later on starts to refers it as a "precious" where it is now something of great value to him, where it's so important that the persona "to no one dare show it" but in contrast will boast about it.
The ignorance and mockery shown within the conversation between the persona and the 'best friend', degrade the balloon to label of "Jew" with the persona defending the relevance to that. The final stanza shows the attempts to destroy the balloon, "their dirty knives" "lunged" "clawed" at the balloon, but it wouldn't burst. You could relate this to some previous events that have happened in the Jewish history, for example, the holocaust, the Jewish race were discrimated, persecuted against by an entire country, they were killed, tortured in the attempt to wipe the race out, but the outcome of it all? It didn't happen, where the strength of them carried on to live after all they had been through, their "living blood" kept pumping through their race.

Wild Oats

This poem is based upon the only woman Larkin came close to marriage with: his first girlfriend Ruth Bowman. She had a friend called Jane, who is the model for the “bosomy English rose”, while sixteen-year-old Ruth was “her friend in specs I could talk to”.The title ‘Wild Oats’ comes from a common euphemism for sex: an encouragement for boys to go out and ‘saw some wild oats’ – sleep with lots of women before getting serious. During the 1950s, there was still a real dichotomy between males and females: men were encouraged to ‘get out there’, while women were advised to remain chaste.Considering ‘A Study of Reading Habits’ and Larkin, though, this seems a somewhat ironic title: no matter the adolescent fantasies of the persona in ‘A Study’, Larkin doesn’t seem the type to have cast many. Immediately in this poem, the persona is intimidated by the “rose” and “it was the friend I took out”. In the second stanza, he believes he “met beautiful twice” and he is convinced that both times “she was trying” “not to laugh”. It shows again the low self-confidence, unlike the “wild oats”.

The relationship went on for “seven years” and even as far as engagement, “Gave a ten-guinea ring,” but in the end it didn’t last. The persona’s colloquial attitude to the giving is rather dismissive anyway, and the whole poem is tongue-in-cheek. In real life, Larkin was quite cruel to Ruth, and the conclusion is probably what she said of Larkin, “That I was too selfish, withdrawn, / And easily bored to love.” Again, the persona is dismissive and tongue-in-cheek in response to this: “Well, useful to get that learned.”

Though this is a reflection on the past of “about twenty years ago”, the persona still has “two snaps / Of bosomy rose with fur gloves on”. The persona comes to the trivial conclusion, in that he is still single, that they are “unlucky charms”. Yet, as with many of Larkin’s poems, the last word discredits this light-hearted conclusion: “perhaps.” Perhaps those “snaps” are “unlucky charms”, but perhaps there is a much darker, more serious reason for the ‘Mr Bleaney’-like existence.