Belfast confetti is a slang name for the contents of a homemade nail bomb, an ironic name for a vicious thing. It helps, but is not entirely necessary, to know that belfast confetti was metal detritus from the shipyards. Belfast confetti by ciaran carson abebooks passion for books. Belfast confetti gcse english language and english.
The hyphenated line represents the bullets being fired. Revision notes for belfast confetti by ciaran carson for ccea gcse students. Ciaran carson was born in belfast into an irishspeaking family. Suddenly as the riot squad moved in it was raining exclamation marks, nuts, bolts, nails, car keys. Tain 2007 he notes the old irish sagas compulsive placenaming. Belfast confetti a poem by ciaran carson suddenly as the riot squad moved in, it was raining exclamation marks. Analysis of belfast confetti by ciaran carson youtube. The highpressure contents of this book are compressed into an enigmatic and exhilarating pattern of reflections and events. This is effective because exclamation marks suggest surprise or fear.
Born and brought up in belfast, northern ireland, he writes both poetry and prose, which is often heavily influenced by his irish roots. He held the position of traditional arts officer of the arts council of northern ireland from 1975 to 1998 and was appointed director of the seamus heaney centre for poetry at. With ciaran carson reading in boston and athens, ga this week, we thought it might be fun to share one of our carson favorites, belfast confetti. It gives an indepth analysis of the poem as well as the basic context, themes and language and structure. Analysis of the poem belfast confetti essay example for. Belfast confetti was written by the irish poet ciaran carson and published in the collection the irish for no in 1987. But to the many people in northern ireland living in fear of the catholic and protestant. He was bestowed with the alice hunt bartlett award for the irish for no 1987, and has also won the irish times irish literature prize for poetry for belfast confetti. Belfast confetti by ciaran carson annotated analysis.
Explore the poem belfast confetti by ciaran carson in this lesson pack suitable for ks4 edexcel conflict poetry analysis. Ciaran carsond latest book, belfast confetti, is one of the most exciting and innovative collections of northern irish poetry. Belfast confetti depicts the aftermath of a bomb during the troubles that people in belfast experienced. In the poem, an unnamed speaker appears to be caught up in a bomb blast and tries to escape. Carson grew up in the troubled city of belfast, ireland, and the city plays an. A native disoriented by home is a theme that echoes throughout the book and is represented by. In contrast, belfast confetti is a poem of nonsequiturs and incomplete sentences. The poem belfast confetti depicts the aftermath of a bomb during the troubles that people in belfast experienced. He is a strong presence in his sons literary output. Belfast confetti read by ciaran carson aqa conflict. Belfast confetti belfast confetti ccea gcse english. In the poem, an unnamed speaker appears to be caught up in a.
The title belfast confetti is a title that has a dual meaning. Belfast confetti ciaran carson ciaran carson was born in belfast, the capital city of northern ireland, in 1948. Simple every day objects which normalizes the conflict and makes it sound petty and trivial, its not the normal connotation of fighting and war on a national scale. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Belfast confetti by ciaran carson poem summary gcse. I forget the precise details, but at a time of strife between the flemish citystates, suspects were asked to pronounce the name of the river scheldt. Ciaran carson was a poet born to an irishspeaking family in northern ireland.
Ciaran carsons belfast confetti describes the menacing confusion when the riot squad try to disperse a demonstration but the scene suddenly becomes dangerously violent. Confetti is used consistently throughout the entire book, as in queens gambit, to represent brutality. This gcse resource is great for both revision and teaching purposes. Ciaran carson drew belfast better than anyone i ever read. He has also written five books of prose, and contributed six poems to the new yorker. Suddenly as the riot squad moved in, it was raining exclamation marks, nuts, bolts, nails, car keys. The charge of the light brigade is a very organised poem with a good deal of repetition that leaves the reader with a clear idea of what the writer wants us to feel about the six hundred. Belfast confetti, ciaran carson s third book of poetry, weaves together in a carefully sequenced volume prose pieces, long poems, lyrics, and haiku. Belfast is often described as a divided city with a history of violence. As the objects fall its like the confetti of the war as indicated in the title. After graduating from queens university belfast in 1971, carson worked for the arts council of northern ireland as a specialist in traditional music and culture. A revision video analysing belfast confetti by ciaran carson using flirts for the aqa gcse literature exam.
Ciaran gerard carson 9 october 1948 6 october 2019 was a northern ireland born poet and novelist. Ciaran carson belfast confetti summary and analysis. Belfast confetti analysis by ciaran carson ba english notes. His subjects include the permeable boundaries of belfast neighborhoods, of memory, of public and private fear, and, indeed, of the forms of language and art. Ordinary confetti is a shower of paper or flower petals, sometimes in romantic shapes, traditionally thrown over a bride and groom for good. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the. Northern ireland was an area that is historically steeping in conflict because of the and the clashes between the protestant unionists and the catholic nationalists. The verb suddenly signals that the poem depicts a frantic and changing situation, and by the first lines caesura, the reader knows that this involves some kind of civil unrest, since a riot squad is involved. Gcse poetry belfast confetti annotations by ellen booth. Aqa english literature gcse poetry anthology contemporary conflict poetry posted on november 24, 2011 by emma lee ive finally finished my second e book which you can get on kindle you can buy it to read on your pc, so you dont need a kindle to read it or any kind of ereader. The following entry presents an overview of carsons works through 2003. Analysis of belfast confetti the most striking element of belfast confetti is the way carson uses the idea of punctuation within this scene of violence and confusion.
He picked up english words playing out on the streets with friends. Following on from our text version and summary of the poem, here is our expert analysis. Review to come after class discussions, at the minute were sitting on 2 stars but could be. Belfast confetti suddenly as the riot squad moved in, it was raining exclamation marks, nuts, bolts, nails, carkeys. He is an accomplished musician as well as a poet and novelist. Class differences and how they dont matter whether people have the right to judge others by their classes how people from lower classes are looked down.
For example, after an explosion, it begins raining exclamation marks. Belfast confetti and yellow palm belfast confetti and yellow palm are both major set around the imagery language used, and the effects of the devastation happening to the communities. The poem describes the violent conflict between protesters and security forces in northern ireland. Literary and historical context of belfast confetti. I was trying to complete a sentence in my head, but it kept stuttering all. He spent his early years in the lower falls road where he attended slate street school and. Belfast confetti poem summary and analysis litcharts. Here is an analysis and summary of ciaran carsons poem belfast confetti, looking at the historical context, poetic form and structure.
Belfast confetti, ciaran carsons third book of poetry, weaves together in a carefully sequenced volume prose pieces, long poems, lyrics, and haiku. Although there is a poem called punctuation, in belfast confetti, it is the larger metaphor, the idea of a bomb explosion as confetti that carries over into the volume as a whole. Context belfast confetti ccea gcse english literature. Gail mcconnell publishes poetry and literary criticism and is senior. He graduated from queens university, belfast, and worked for the arts council of northern ireland until 1998. This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title belfast confetti. Belfast confetti a poem by ciaran carson the road to. Complete analysis of belfast confetti by ciaran carson.
Summary the most striking element of belfast confetti is the way carson uses the idea of punctuation within this scene of violence and confusion. Belfast confetti analysis a poem by ciaran carson part ii. Belfast confetti, ciaran carsons third book of poetry, weaves tog. Belfast confetti in america, gerry adams was hailed as the sane face of nationalisman irish nelson mandela. Belfast confetti opens in media res in the midst of the action. Belfast confetti suddenly as the riot squad moved in it was raining exclamation marks, nuts, bolts, nails, carkeys. Suddenly as the riot squad moved in, it was raining exclamation marks, nuts, bolts, nails, carkeys. On one hand the homemade bombs that the ira used are referred to as belfast confetti due to the nuts and bolts they put in for shrapnel. Belfast confetti by carson, ciaran and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. In this article, we are going to analyzing the poem belfast confetti by ciaran carson. Belfast confetti by ciaran carson poem analysis, gcse. Jacks analysis of belfast confetti the nautical 11. His father, william, was a postman and his mother, mary, worked in the linen mills.