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Belfast ConfettiBelfast ConfettiLearning ObjectiveTo learn how to identify key features of a poem and
use these to inform interpretations.
AO1 (select and evaluate textual detail to illustrate and support interpretations)AO2 (explain how language, structure and form contribute to writers’ presentation of ideas and themes)
Bitesize Resourceshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/english_literature/poetryconflict/
Belfast Confetti by Ciaran Carson
Where is this?
When do you see this?
KeywordEuphemism: A mild / inoffensive word/phrase which replaces a more unpleasant or harsh one.
Belfast ConfettiThe capital city of
Northern Ireland where most of the ‘troubles’
took place
Ironic use of the term ‘confetti’ that is associated with celebration, subverted to describe the debris from the bomb
Euphemism for miscellaneous
objects that were thrown during
street riots (nuts, bolts, nails etc)
Ironic that ‘confetti’ usually symbolises a union
of two people in love. Here small pieces of metal
symbolise ‘discord’ and a fracturing of society.
Listen• http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/english_literature/poetryconflict/belfastconfettiact.shtml
The PoetPoet Ciaran Carson was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1948. He suggests two influences on his poetry: his bilingual upbringing, and an unusual alertness to language. He shows language being used to enforce, to spy, and - broken into its almost meaningless constituent parts - to commit physical violence, when the bomb in 'Belfast Confetti' is loaded with not only ironmongery but "a fount of broken type."
Violence, or its effects, often makes an appearance in Carson's poetry, whether this is found in historical warfare or the more recent conflicts of Northern Ireland. Indeed, Carson's use of the street names of Belfast that allude to these battles - "Balaclava, Raglan, Inkerman, Odessa Street" - underlines the violence of the Troubles.
'The Troubles'Carson was a young man in Belfast when the Troubles began in 1969. ‘The Troubles’ refers to almost 30 years of violence between the Nationalists (mainly Roman Catholic) who wanted independence from the UK and the unionists (mainly Protestants) who believed in strengthening the political ties between Northern Ireland and Britain. Armed paramilitarygroups, including the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA),made Belfast a terrifying place to live between 1969 and 1997and much of the violence took place around the ProtestantShankill Road and Catholic Falls Road areas. The Britishgovernment claimed that its forces were in Northern Ireland to keep law and order, but Irish republicans objected strongly to the presence of the British soldiers.
Investigate and AnnotateIdentify the poet’s use of the features below and
consider the intended/potential effect on the reader:
1.Punctuation2.Structure3.Form4.Techniques5.Meaning6.What is the poem’s form, structure and meaning?
MeaningThe poem is written in the first person, giving a dramatic
description of what it felt like to be caught up in the violent
riots in Belfast in the 1970s. In the aftermath of an IRA
bomb, there is chaos and the ‘riot squad’ moves in. In his
confusion and terror the poet cannot find his way through the
maze of Belfast streets that he usually knows so well. He’s
stopped and interrogated by British soldiers, but is unable to
communicate with them to answer their questions. Nothing
makes sense to him anymore.
Use of lists conveys a sense of panic
Suddenly as the riot squad moved in it was raining exclamationmarks,
Nuts, bolts, nails, car-keys. A fount of broken type. Andthe explosion
Itself - an asterisk on the map. This hyphenated line, a burst
This links to ‘next to of course’ as both poems show unusual variation of form, language and use of punctuation.
Thrown into the middle of the action, reflecting the persona’s experience.
Punctuation
metaphors to
visualise the
sense of alarm
to the reader
The whole poem is an extended metaphor for the way that violent conflict destroys language.
Continual references to punctuation.
Trying to escape but cannot. Suggests confusion, shock and disbelief.
of rapid fire …I was trying to complete a sentence in my head, but it kept
stuttering,All the alleyways and side streets blocked with stops and
colons.
Fast paced/’urgent’ language contrasts with the careful
use of language in ‘The Right Word’.
Reflect
s
the soun
d
of gun f
ire
and also
the
speaker'
s
fear.
I know this labyrinth so well - Balaklava, Raglan, Inkerman,Odessa Street -
Why can’t I escape?Every move is punctuated. Crimea Street.Dead end again.
Knows thearea but stilltrapped, again suggesting shock and confusion
Implies
violence
andhesi
tation
This links with ‘’next to of course’ as they both emphasise the pointlessness of conflict/war through creativity of punctuation and syntax.
Belfast street names
Ambiguity
Unanswered questions
show the confusion
of
the persona –
unable
to answer even
the
simplest of questio
ns
Punctuation metaphor emphasises the feeling of fear and confusion
A Saracen, Kremlin-2 mesh. Makrolon face-shields. Walkie-talkies. What is
My name? Where am I coming from? Where am I going?A fusillade of question-marks.
This links to ‘The Right Word’ as both show doubt, use of language and the poet's struggle to describe conflict. Both poets show concern with what role a poet can actually play in times where violence, not dialogue, is seen as a solution. The words that are their tools seem to fail them.
Posing of questions suggests a lack of
resolution or conclusion to the conflict
Key FeaturesStructure 2 stanzas- Stanza 1 = past tense; describes the violence and effects of
being caught in the conflict.- Stanza 2 = present tense; brings the narrator back to what
is happening and what he is experiencing.
Form First Person Narrative and free verse poem
Language Techniques enjambement, metaphor, extended metaphor, lists
Questions1. Explain the effect of irregular line lengths and incomplete
sentences?
2. Explain why you think the language changes from past to present between the 1st and 2nd stanza. Why has the poet done this?
3. What does the speaker suggest about himself in the poem?
Further Questions1. Ciaran Carson states the importance of poetry telling a
story. What is the story that he tells in this poem?2. What do you understand by the title of the poem? Is the
title ironic?3. Consider the list of street names. Can you see any
significance to their names?4. Consider the length of the lines of the poem and how they
change. Why do you think Ciaran Carson writes in this style?5. What different emotions come across in the poem?6. How does Carson build up a sense of panic and claustrophobia?7. How is the craft of creating a poem mirrored in the events
of the story of the poem?8. Why does the poem finish with three questions?