Adrienne Rich Poetry

In English we have been studying some poetry by Adrienne Rich, a poet that we will be studying for the Leaving Cert. So far we have read "Storm Warnings", "Living in Sin" and "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers". I really like her confessional style. I think poetry is more interesting when it gives you an insight into someones life, feelings and emotions rather than a description of a monotonous object. having said that, I do like poetry with nice descriptions too. "Living in Sin" is about Rich's relationship with her husband. It is evident from the poem that their marriage was not a happy one - "She had thought the studio would keep itself; no dust upon the furniture of love". The woman in the poem (presumed to be the poet herself) it busy trying to dust off the cobwebs and tidy up the house, trying to put things back the way they should, make things right. In contrast, the man "with a yawn, sounded a dozen notes upon the keyboard, declared it out of tune, shrugged at the mirror, rubbed his beard, went for cigarettes". It is clear the man is resigned to the fact that nothing can be done, the relationship is over. This poem makes me sad, because it is clear the woman is trying to make up for what has gone wrong in their relationship, whereas the man has just given up. He seems completely unwilling to forgive her and forget what happened in the past. It seems almost inevitable that their relationship will never be as good as it once was. "Storm Warnings" is a descriptive poem about a storm. I really like it as a descriptive poem alone, as I think the language use is really unusual - "How with a single purpose time has traveled, by secret currents of the undiscerned into this polar realm". "Storm Warnings" is also a very metaphorical poem, and the hidden meanings are really what bring it to life for me - "A proof against the wind; the wind will rise, we can only close the shutters." This is one of my favourite metaphors in the poem. It is a classic example of the underlying story of how things have gone wrong in her life, and as she has grown older she has realised that things will go wrong in life, and sometimes try as we might we can't always prevent them. "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" is about a woman of creative fire and passion, but she has been defined by the rules of others (especially her husband who it could be interpreted is abusive) for so long that she is unable to express herself outside of them. Ultimately, the poem is a tale of hopelessness, of a caged bird’s inability to sing of freedom because she doesn’t know what it is. I think this poem was the saddest of all, because Aunt Jennifer had an awful life - " When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie, Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by." The use of the word "ringed" references to "uncles wedding band". The only bit of hope at the end of the poem was when she said that after Aunt Jennifer's death "The tigers in the panel that she made will go on prancing, proud and unafraid." This portrays the tigers as a symbol for the life of freedom and happiness Aunt Jennifer had always wished for herself, but never experienced. They seem to say that because Aunt Jennifer left them behind, other people will be comforted and break out of bad relationships like her marriage, which caused her so much heartche and suffering.

Retreat in Glendalough

On tuesday we went to Glendalough for a retreat. It was just Amina and a few people from Emnet who couldnt make it today. We got the bus down, and it was roasting because there were no windows! Thankfully we discovered an opening in the roof that we wedged open with bottles for some air! When we arrived we saw loads of other groups of people and buses. We met our tour guide who broiught us over onto the grass away from the other people. We had to do this dance type thing where we put our hands on the ground and felt the earth. Then we did a reflective walk around a big symbol which was marked out as a labyrinth on the grass. We saw St. Kevin's Well and then we went into the centre. In the centre we watched a film about the foundations of the monastry in Glendalough and the life of St. Kevin. After that we went outside again and went on a big walk up a hill. We saw this gorgeous waterfall which ran along the hill for ages. It was a tough climb, but thankfully we got to sit down for a rest at the top. We then walked down the hill and ate lunch on picnic benches. It was surrounded by trees and the mountains and the lake made it very picturesque. After lunch, we went on a walk up by the lake and saw St. Kevin's bed, a tiny 2mx1m cave in the hillside. We also saw remains of an early monastic settlement church. We then went to the graveyard, where we saw graves both ancient and recent, and many high crosses. The main feature was the round tower, which the guide said was like a metaphor for our lives, because it has seven windows for every 10 years of the average person's life.

Overall it was a good day, it was nice to get out in the fresh air rather than being stuck inside all day :)

Hotel Rwanda

In the last few Religion classes, we have been watching Hotel Rwanda, another film about the Rwandan Genocide. We finished it today. I really enjoyed watching it, and I think it is a brilliant film, even though the subject on which it is based - The Rwandan Genocide - is horrific. After watching Sometimes in April, I think we had a really good understanding of the tribes, the Hutus and the Tutsis, so Hotel Rwanda was easy to follow. I preferred Hotel Rwanda because it is more of a personal story, and although it ends with the awful figures of how many poor people were murdered, the story ends happily for the main character, which is hopeful. I have really enjoyed watching both films. I knew nothing about the Rwandan Genocide this year, which I know realise is a disgrace. It was during my lifetime, and yet I had never heard of it. I think these films really highlight the silent suffering of the Rwandan people in a world where the west were, and still are, ignorant of the extent of their suffering. "They will look at it and say That's awful, then continue on eating their dinners" - this is a quote from the film which I remember. It really struck me because it is so true. It has really made me think about what is going on in the world today in Africa, and around the world. Our class is hoping to have a talk with Amnesty International, and try to organise some kind of action, as what is going on in countires such as Libya today is really worrying, especially after seeing what has happened before when Europe didn't step in. There has to be some way we a class of TY students like us can help?

Place 1 Geog Project - Inis Mór

I am doing my project on one of my favourite things to do.. sun bathing! There's nothing better than lying out on a beach or freshly cut grass on a summers day, sun on my back & sea air tossing my hair = smile on my face! I went to the gaeltacht on Inis Mór two years ago. This is where you get off the ferry from Galway, and it is the only town on the island. It contains the only shop which is a Spar, a few cute pubs such as Joe Watty's and a few little restaurants. It is also home to the Aran Sweater Shop which attracts many tourists. The 3 weeks I was there was the sunniest Irish weather I have ever seen. I got a better tan there than I ever have abroad! Combining that with the absolutely STUNNING sunsets, Cill Mhurbigh beach, clear blue water and the unique rocky landscape and unusual formations, I have never been anywhere more naturally beautiful. The cracked surface of the landscape marks out much of the land in a grid pattern kwon formally as glints and grykes. The clints are the flat blocks of limestone can cover the land while grykes are the deep straight fissures which cut through the clint blocks. The karst limestone landscape of the Aran Islands and The Burren was formed by a Glacier during the Ice-Age which cleared the land of any plant and soil material leaving the bare rock exposed. The grykes between the clints were formed by water cutting through the softer parts of the rock.

Never Let Me Go

In English we have been given our list of novels for next year. We have to pick one and read it before Easter. I picked "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro. I am only on page 30 at the moment. I picked it because my friend recommended it and I have heard the film is good. I hope the little snippets I have heard from people talking about the movie don't ruin it for me! So far it it isn't really clear what's going on, but I think I'll stick with it because it's good according to my friend and it has won loads of awards. So far it has been told by a girl called Kath who is looking back on her school days. She works as a "carer" but its not really clear what happens to the people she cares for. I have heard the students of her school are clones who are raised for organ donation? I don't know if this is true, I guess I will just have to read on and find out!