The poem ‘Belfast Confetti,’ one of the best-known poems of Ciaran Carson, pulls the reader into the aftermath of Belfast’s sectarian riot. He has used punctuation to symbolize missiles that Protestants used during this riot, which was against the Catholic crowd in Belfast.
What is the structure of the poem Belfast Confetti?
Instead of neat, compact stanzas , the lines are long and the stanzas stretched. On closer inspection, you can see there are two stanzas. The first stanza has five lines, the second has four. However, each line spills over so there are additional lines of one, two or three words.
What is the main message in Belfast Confetti?
The poem describes the confusion, shock, and horror immediately following the explosion of a bomb in the city of Belfast. (“Belfast confetti” was slang for homemade bombs.) Through the speaker’s experience, the poem illustrates the devastating and dehumanizing effect that violent conflict has on people and places.
What is the significance of the street names in Belfast Confetti?
The streets are named after generals, battles and places from the Crimean War – a conflict between Britain and Russia in Victorian times. He therefore likens the riot to a battle in a bigger war.
How is the title of Belfast Confetti ironic?
Belfast confetti refers to the wage metal fragments from Belfast’s shipyards, already in sever decline by 1990. The ironic use of ‘confetti’ could suggest the uncomfortable marriage of the Protestant and Catholic residents. The phrase refers to the bomb’s shrapnel which Carson pictures as punctuation.
Where does the term Belfast Confetti come from?
The poem won the Irish Times Irish Literature Prize for Poetry. The name of the poem derives from the nickname for the large shipbuilding rivets and other scrap metal that were used as missiles by Protestant shipyard workers during anti-Catholic riots in Belfast.
What technique is raining exclamation marks?
The most striking element of ‘Belfast Confetti’ is the way Carson uses the idea of punctuation within this scene of violence and confusion. For example, after an explosion, it begins ‘raining exclamation marks’. This is effective because exclamation marks suggest surprise or fear.
What does the metaphor Scattery as petals mean?
By comparing her to something that natural, we get the impression she might be wild and untamed. Scattery as petals This tells us that Sally is delicate. She is unpredictable and a bit chaotic. She is hard to control.
What is the tone of Belfast Confetti?
The tone of the poem is indicative of someone who is bewildered. Notice the very short sentences for effect, and the multitude of question marks “fusillade” in this case showing someone not being sure of what to do or where to go. This reveals the shock and panic of a person trying to find a way out.
What poem can you compare Belfast Confetti to?
If you were to compare Belfast Confetti with The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost for example, you could use some of the following points: Both poems reflect the poets’ background and are anchored in place.
Why was Belfast made in black and white?
We try to minimize the set dressing, and really have you focus in on the performances and the actors. Of all the things that black and white does, it amplifies the emotion that’s there and it seems to be a more lucid, more direct way of feeling what the actors are feeling. It’s less descriptive than color.
What is Enjambment poem?
Enjambment, from the French meaning “a striding over,” is a poetic term for the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next. An enjambed line typically lacks punctuation at its line break, so the reader is carried smoothly and swiftly—without interruption—to the next line of the poem.
Why is the seahorse the symbol of Belfast?
“In myth and legend the seahorse stands for protection, recovery and health – traits which are welcome in our city as much as any other.” Belfast’s coat of arms, dating back to 1890 with its depiction of two seahorses, a ship and a ship’s bell reflects the city’s strong relationship with its harbour.
What was Belfast originally called?
Béal Feirsde
Name. The name Belfast derives from the Irish Béal Feirsde, later spelt Béal Feirste (Irish pronunciation: [bʲeːlˠ ˈfʲɛɾˠ(ə)ʃtʲə]) The word béal means “mouth” or “river-mouth” while feirsde/feirste is the genitive singular of fearsaid and refers to a sandbar or tidal ford across a river’s mouth.
Why is the Shankill Road famous?
The fish shop bombing, known as The Shankill Road Bombing, occurred in 1993 and is one of the most well-known single incidents of the Troubles. The Provisional IRA attempted to assassinate the UDA leadership, who were due to meet above Frizzell’s fish shop.
Was Belfast about the IRA?
The Belfast Brigade of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was formed in March 1921 during the Irish War of Independence, when the IRA was re-organised by its leadership in Dublin into Divisions and Joe McKelvey was appointed commander of the Third Northern Division, responsible for Belfast and the surrounding area.
What do the school the gazing grain and the setting sun signify?
The speaker tells us that they took their time driving to where they were going, passing the school where children were on their break, and fields of grain, and the sun – which is, symbolically, setting in the sky, suggestive of death.
Is Belfast historically accurate?
While Belfast is not exactly a true story, Branagh’s own childhood experience allows the film to touch on the issues faced by many families in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.
Do they say wee in Northern Ireland?
Wee. A word that you can expect to hear in most sentences over here is ‘wee’. The term is a longstanding Irish (and Scottish) way of saying ‘little’. However, in Northern Ireland, it is often used to describe things that aren’t little at all.
What does a confetti symbolize?
Confetti is the Italian word for sweets, in medieval Italy wedding guests would throw sugared almond sweets over the bride and groom, as they symbolised fertility and prosperity. Over the years this possibly painful tradition evolved into paper and flower petal alternatives!
What does Millie mean in Belfast?
A mill worker
millie (plural millies) (informal, Northern Ireland, dated, 19th century, derogatory or endearing) A mill worker, usually a young working-class woman working in the factories of Ireland’s linen industry. (informal, derogatory or endearing) A harshly-spoken working-class woman, often unemployed.