*My blog for The Gathering is under this one for any of you interested*
When I first read the name of the seminar 'Myths, Tales or Stories? : Jeremiah Curtin's Indian and Irish Collections' I was expecting a presentation filled with old Irish tales and folklore, I was not however expecting an in depth memoir of Jeremiah Curtin’s life, which I found out was who the building that the seminar was located in was named after (Curtin Hall). Although I was a little disappointed in the lack of storytelling, the seminar was redeemed by the very well presented biography of Jeremiah Curtin, a fascinating man with many vocations. Before I get into the very impressive life of Curtin, I have to mention the most intriguing aspect of the seminar, in my opinion anyway. Arriving a little early to the seminar I was very lucky to witness some of the attendants of the presentation and the speaker, John Eastlake converse in what I can only assume was Gaelic. I do not know about anyone else, but I have never hear people speaking in Gaelic and although I could not understand a single word that was said, I could not stop watching them and listening to the very strange dialect and accent that they were using. I found it really cool, especially because I sometimes forget that the Irish have their own language.
While I am not going to give you a full summary of Curtin’s life and work, being as it would take an entire book to do that, I will discuss some of the things that I found to be the most fascinating about him. Now when I said earlier that Jeremiah Curtin had many vocations, I wasn’t kidding. Curtin was a linguist, translator, author, diplomat, world traveler, folklorist, and ethnologist. While I find all of these professions to by interesting, the one thing that Mr. Eastlake said about Jeremiah Curtin that I find hard to believe was that Curtin was not just your run of the mill linguist, no Curtin was said to have mastered 70 languages! The only question that I have to this statement is, what is your definition of mastered? I ask this because if this was true, Curtin has got to be one of the smartest men of all time. Seventy languages, really, I can’t even list half that many languages.
When in comes to the subject of mythology I learned that what Curtin was most interested in was not just the stories told, but the origin of myths, stating, “All myths have the same origin.” Curtin based most of his work off of his theory of universal mythology. Curtin believed that having a ‘universal spiritual tradition’ would provide a common spiritual appreciation for mankind. In other words, Curtin believed that a universal mythology would act as a kind of universal religion, wiping away religious differences. Unfortunately, it appears that his ambitious endeavor did not pay off, if current events have anything to show for it.
Besides Curtin one other person that was discussed in the seminar, and who I found to be very interesting, was Curtin’s wife Alma Cardell Curtin. Being that Curtin lived during the nineteenth century, I was very surprised to find that Alma played a very active role in Curtin’s work, working almost as an independent partner to Curtin. Seeing as women in those days did not have much freedom, I was very impressed with the extent to which she contributed to Curtin’s work, going as far as to perform her own field work and write her own papers, under Jeremiah’s name of course.
After attending the seminar and learning all that Jeremiah Curtin had accomplished in his life, I think that I have to agree with the women that introduced John Eastlake and say that when it comes to the building that was named after Jeremiah Curtin, he definitely deserved better.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
The Gathering
Whenever I think about The Gathering the four words that come to mind are bitter, bleak, depressing, and, sorry Anne Enright, boring. While I was not a big fan of the particularly slow pace of the novel, the thing that really bothered me about the book was how every time Veronica Hegarty recalled a past memory, or even just narrated something that was happening in the present, she would conclude it by saying something like “This is real, I think. This is real. Though I am not sure that it is, actually.” (151) That is what drove me crazy, how after every story that she told she would say how she was not even sure that it happened. I felt like I was wasting my time reading tedious and very bitter accounts of a mad women who was not even confident in her own credibility.
I understand that being that The Gathering was a novel written in the first person that whatever was told is subjective. Reading Breakfast On Pluto it was quite easy to discern what Pussy was imagining and what was real, but where Veronica is concerned nothing she says is credible. Even the central plot of the story, the sexual abuse that Liam experienced as a child resulting in his suicide was put into speculation when Veronica stated, “I know that my brother Liam was sexually abused by Lambert Nugent. Or was probably sexually abused by Lambert Nugent.” (224)
While I truly did not like Veronica Hegarty and all her bitterness and hatred, I did find her to be quite interesting. This fascination in Veronica is stemmed from the belief that she was mad, or well on her way. Her inability to tell which way was up, what really happened and what she made up, which I believe I sufficiently explained above, was a sure sign of her psychosis, in my opinion. Another aspect that I found to be just as interesting was her bitterness and hatred toward almost everyone she new. Veronica’s bitterness toward her mother, a ''piece of benign human meat, sitting in a room,'' was based on the fact that she had “twelve children and…seven miscarriages. The holes in her head are not her fault. Even so, I have never forgiven her any of it. I just can’t…I do not forgive her the sex. The stupidity of so much humping. Open and blind. Consequences, Mammy. Consequences.” (7) At the wake Veronica accuses her ‘vague’ mother, who was so absent-minded that she was absent altogether, of the death of Liam. “The year you sent us away, your dead son was interfered with, when you were not there to comfort or protect him, and that interference was enough to send him on a path that ends in the box downstairs.” (213) Aside from blaming her mother, Veronica also blamed her father for the death of Liam, in almost the same way in which she blamed her mother, for having “sex the way his children get drunk – which is to say, against his better judgment.” (228) Veronica even went as far as to blame Ada Merriman, her grandmother, for marrying Charlie Spillane instead of Lambert Nugent, Liam’s molester “She did not realize that every choice is fatal. For a woman like Ada, every choice is an error, as soon as it is made.” (110) All of this blame, though some of it absurd, I believe was placed by Veronica in a way of hiding her own guilt in doing nothing about the molestation when she found out, except run upstairs to the bathroom “with an urge to pee and look at the pee coming out.” (146)
Veronica is suffocated with resentment of her parents for their prolific insensitivity, of her husband and siblings for their inability to share her despair and of herself for her inaction in being able to save Liam from himself. What I have discerned from all of this is that Liam’s death coupled with Veronica’s bitterness and hatred for almost everyone in her life has caused her to follow in her uncle’s footsteps and go mad.
*I apologize for any sort of confusion that my blog may have caused. In my defense I am very sick and on a couple medications, combine that with The Gathering and you have a very jumbled up blog that quite possibly does not make any sense. Sorry*
I understand that being that The Gathering was a novel written in the first person that whatever was told is subjective. Reading Breakfast On Pluto it was quite easy to discern what Pussy was imagining and what was real, but where Veronica is concerned nothing she says is credible. Even the central plot of the story, the sexual abuse that Liam experienced as a child resulting in his suicide was put into speculation when Veronica stated, “I know that my brother Liam was sexually abused by Lambert Nugent. Or was probably sexually abused by Lambert Nugent.” (224)
While I truly did not like Veronica Hegarty and all her bitterness and hatred, I did find her to be quite interesting. This fascination in Veronica is stemmed from the belief that she was mad, or well on her way. Her inability to tell which way was up, what really happened and what she made up, which I believe I sufficiently explained above, was a sure sign of her psychosis, in my opinion. Another aspect that I found to be just as interesting was her bitterness and hatred toward almost everyone she new. Veronica’s bitterness toward her mother, a ''piece of benign human meat, sitting in a room,'' was based on the fact that she had “twelve children and…seven miscarriages. The holes in her head are not her fault. Even so, I have never forgiven her any of it. I just can’t…I do not forgive her the sex. The stupidity of so much humping. Open and blind. Consequences, Mammy. Consequences.” (7) At the wake Veronica accuses her ‘vague’ mother, who was so absent-minded that she was absent altogether, of the death of Liam. “The year you sent us away, your dead son was interfered with, when you were not there to comfort or protect him, and that interference was enough to send him on a path that ends in the box downstairs.” (213) Aside from blaming her mother, Veronica also blamed her father for the death of Liam, in almost the same way in which she blamed her mother, for having “sex the way his children get drunk – which is to say, against his better judgment.” (228) Veronica even went as far as to blame Ada Merriman, her grandmother, for marrying Charlie Spillane instead of Lambert Nugent, Liam’s molester “She did not realize that every choice is fatal. For a woman like Ada, every choice is an error, as soon as it is made.” (110) All of this blame, though some of it absurd, I believe was placed by Veronica in a way of hiding her own guilt in doing nothing about the molestation when she found out, except run upstairs to the bathroom “with an urge to pee and look at the pee coming out.” (146)
Veronica is suffocated with resentment of her parents for their prolific insensitivity, of her husband and siblings for their inability to share her despair and of herself for her inaction in being able to save Liam from himself. What I have discerned from all of this is that Liam’s death coupled with Veronica’s bitterness and hatred for almost everyone in her life has caused her to follow in her uncle’s footsteps and go mad.
*I apologize for any sort of confusion that my blog may have caused. In my defense I am very sick and on a couple medications, combine that with The Gathering and you have a very jumbled up blog that quite possibly does not make any sense. Sorry*
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Online Artifact: “The IRA & Sinn Fein: The Conflict” A Look at Northern Ireland Violence and It’s Influence on Breakfast On Pluto
One aspect of Breakfast on Pluto that I believe every reader can agree on is that there is a very rich political undertone that took place throughout the novel. Political violence in Northern Ireland is the largest problem that Ireland has faced over the last century, with Britain’s rule over the isle and the partition of Northern and Southern Ireland being the cause of this violence. To be able to truly grasp a full understanding of the novel and the events that take place in it, being that it took place during the prime of an era known as the “Troubles”, it is imperative to as a reader have knowledge on Irish history.
Like any conflict there are two sides, and in the case of the Northern Ireland conflict the Protestants and the Catholics headed those two sides. The chief issues between the two groups, besides the obvious difference in religious beliefs, were the socio-economic and political inequalities combined with the opposing views on the future of the state of Northern Ireland. On one side, the Protestants, the dominant portion of the population, were for continued ties with Britain, seeing themselves as British subjects and wanting to remain a part of the United Kingdom. On the other side, the Catholics, the minority in the state, were in favor of Northern Ireland disbanding from Britain and rejoining the Republic of Ireland in a united Ireland. This notion of becoming a united Ireland was unacceptable to the Protestants because in a united Ireland they would be the minority instead of the Catholics.
Breakfast on Pluto takes place during a period known as the Troubles, a name used to depict the political violence in Northern Ireland from 1968 all the way through to 1999. At the beginning of this three decade long struggle the circumstances were further intensified by the mobilization of both Protestant and Catholic paramilitary groups, the two most famous known respectively as the Ulster Defense Regiment and the Irish Republican Army, or IRA. Both groups were determined to take matters into their own hands, and both groups were the cause of the violence to takes place throughout Breakfast on Pluto. The battle between the Protestants and Catholics was not merely a clash over religion. The escalating utilization of state repression measures combined with the lack of democratic solutions to Catholic grievances concerning allocation of housing, jobs, franchise, and gerrymandering by local councils in Northern Ireland served to further the growth of Catholic extremists. These Catholic extremists, mostly affiliated with the IRA, took the standpoint of "We are here. You have to talk to us. If we have to bomb our way to a negotiating table, we will."* During this period Northern Ireland was on the verge of civil war.
In 1968 the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) was created in response to the inaction that was taking place in regards to Catholic inequalities in employment, housing, education, and the right to vote. With the creation of the NICRA civil rights marches began throughout Northern Ireland.
“The beauty of that was that it meant that they weren't going down the road of the Nationalist Party in demanding a united Ireland. What they were saying was that, "We are British subjects and we demand British rights." Such things as employment for Catholics, good housing for Catholics, fairness, under the law, for Catholics.”*
Between 1968 and 1969 many of the marches that took place in Northern Ireland were marred by violence committed by not only the police, but also members of the Protestant community who believed that the civil rights movement was just a deceptive tactic used by the Catholics in their goal to tear down the union and replace it with a united Ireland.
An end to civil rights marches tragically came on January 30, 1972, in Londonderry (Derry), Northern Ireland when British soldiers monitoring the march opened fire on the crowd killing fourteen unarmed civilians. One of the bloodiest events of the ensuing fight, this day became known as Bloody Sunday. Being one of the largest events to take place in the Troubles era it should come as no shock to find that there are many references to Bloody Sunday made throughout Breakfast on Pluto.
“We got home and heard thirteen people had been shot dead by British Army paratroopers in Derry. I was absolutely mortified.” (BP 39) Bloody Sunday was one of the contributing factors in Pussy’s decision to leave Tyreelin for London. “If things had improved even a little bit, I think I might have considered staying around Tyreelin for another while but if you look at those first six months of 1972, you would have to ask: ‘What person in their right mind who had a choice would stay five minutes in the fucking kip!” (BP 45) Pussy would later discovery that not even England was safe from the violence of Northern Ireland.
In the aftermath of Bloody Sunday political violence spiraled out of control, becoming increasingly sinister and lethal in nature. Since 1969, more than 3,200 people had died in the era of the Troubles from Catholic victims of Protestant paramilitary groups and British troops, to Protestant victims of IRA attacks, and victims in Britain resulted from IRA bombs.
Mirroring the increase in violence following Blood Sunday, incidents of savage violence in Breakfast on Pluto began to arise on a much more frequent basis. One such incident of unmerited vicious brutality in the novel took place when a boy with Down’s syndrome was murderer in his own home, after his mother was raped, for being Catholic. “Quite what he must have made of two completely strange men standing in his living room…when they started asking him questions…he raced up the stairs so enthusiastically to get his rosary beads when they leaned in close and asked him, smiling: ‘What religion are you?’ I think it was the first Down’s syndrome boy shot in the Northern Ireland war. The first in Tyreelin, anyway.” (BP 46) While this example of violence is not only unjust, but also malicious it did serve a purpose. “When we speak of soft targets we're talking about people or property which are very easy to target, very easy to pick off. And, obviously, the easier they are, the more successful you're going to be…They all were to demonstrate that Northern Ireland was ungovernable.”*
The Troubles was an era marked by repression, violence, and terrorist bombings. Throughout Breakfast on Pluto there were countless examples of the influence that the violence of the state on Northern Ireland had on Pussy and those around him. From the death for Dummy, Irwin, and Pat, to the multiple bombings that took place in London, understanding the significance of these events to every person in Ireland and England during this period, Patrick McCabe does a brilliant job of showing how, even if you were not associated with it directly, the effects of Northern Ireland violence created a large impact on one’s life.
Work Cited:
*Online Artifact:
“The IRA & Sinn Fein: The Conflict.” FRONTLINE's web sites are produced by FRONTLINE and Entropy Media. Web site ©1995-2010 WGBH Educational Foundation. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ira/conflict/
Other Sources:
"An End to the Troubles? (Special Report)." Encyclopedia. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, May 1998. Web. 20 Apr. 2010.
http://www.2facts.com/article/xn01070
“Northern Ireland Conflict: Key Events.” Facts On File World News Digest: n. pag. World News Digest. Facts On File News Services, 16 Apr. 1998. Web. 20 Apr. 2010.
http://www.2facts.com/article/1998097650
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
The Life and Times of Patrick Braden
I am unsure as to whether I should refer to Patrick as a he or a she considering his identity as a transvestite, but for the sake of not confusing myself, or the rest of the class for that matter, I am going to refer to Pussy (Anyone else feel weird calling him that?) as a he, sorry Patrick.
I think that it is fair to say that Patrick “Pussy” Braden’s parentage was the leading cause of his dysfunctional and destructive lifestyle. The two most important aspects of Patrick is his identity as a transvestite and his “vocation” as a prostitute or as Pussy liked to call himself "a high-class escort girl." (1) In terms of Pussy’s identity as a transvestite, I find myself in agreement with Terrence, “I think the truth, Patrick…is that maybe you always secretly wanted to become her, Eily. After all – she could hardly walk away then!” (95) I believe that Patrick’s desire for his mother triggered his gender confusion and his desire ‘to have a vagina of his own’, while also fueling his desire for a companion. Pussy’s relationship with Louise is a perfect example of Pussy’s attempt at obtaining a parental figure in the form of a lover. “I got more than accustomed to the little grey jacket and the short trousers and really began to get excited when she asked me to call her ‘Mammy’…After a while I started to really like it, just sitting there on her knee and being engulfed by all this powdery warm flesh.” (92)
When looking at Braden’s profession it appears that he had two intentions in becoming a prostitute, however subconscious they may have been. The primary and most obvious reason being to put himself in direct contact with men, preferably older, who found him attractive and offered him the attention that his own father never provided. Every time Father Bernard laid eyes on Pussy “he put his head down and made a detour around by the back of the chicken-shed.” (59) This first reason led to such relationships as that with Eamon Faircroft, Pussy’s “Married Politician Man”(31) an arms dealer for the IRA who was eventually killed by a bomb placed by the IRA or the Ulster Defense Association. Being Pussy’s first “sugar daddy,” Dummy, as Pussy liked to call him, was the first man to bring to light Pussy’s distorted concept of love, believing that affection was shown through gifts. "Well, obviously I couldn't be his girl into perpetuity but I was quite prepared, if he continued to lavish me with compliments and cash, certainly to remain with him for as long as--well, who knew!--and would indeed most likely that have done, if he hadn't gone and died." (33) It becomes clear after this first relationship of Pussy’s that in looking for a lover Pussy was subconsciously looking for a caretaker.
The second purpose behind Pussy becoming an escort girl in Piccadilly Circus was as a means of providing himself with all the street time in London he needed to search for his missing mother, whom he continually mistook complete strangers for, “‘What are you on about? My name’s not Bergin! Nor Eily neither! Get lost before I call the police!’ I made more mistakes like that – but there’s no point in me pretending! I just couldn’t help myself!” (94) This obsession with locating his absentee mother reveals his true motives throughout the novel, and his live, "To be able to say: 'This is where I belong - right here in this place." (114)
OK, so for my final project I was thinking that I might write a fan fiction. Being that my artistic skills are EXTREMELY limited, not to mention my technological skills (It took me awhile to figure out how to work the whole blog thing, let alone create a whole website!), I thought sticking to writing was my safest bet. Having never written a fan fiction I am curious as to how it will go, but it seems like it will be pretty fun, especially when compared to writing a 7 to 10 page paper on what we have already written. As for the storyline of said fan fiction I will need a little more time in figuring that out. I am pretty sure that I will be basing it off of Carmilla, although that may be subject to change. If anyone wants to help a sister out and has an idea for a fan fiction that they are willing to share it would be greatly appreciated☺
I think that it is fair to say that Patrick “Pussy” Braden’s parentage was the leading cause of his dysfunctional and destructive lifestyle. The two most important aspects of Patrick is his identity as a transvestite and his “vocation” as a prostitute or as Pussy liked to call himself "a high-class escort girl." (1) In terms of Pussy’s identity as a transvestite, I find myself in agreement with Terrence, “I think the truth, Patrick…is that maybe you always secretly wanted to become her, Eily. After all – she could hardly walk away then!” (95) I believe that Patrick’s desire for his mother triggered his gender confusion and his desire ‘to have a vagina of his own’, while also fueling his desire for a companion. Pussy’s relationship with Louise is a perfect example of Pussy’s attempt at obtaining a parental figure in the form of a lover. “I got more than accustomed to the little grey jacket and the short trousers and really began to get excited when she asked me to call her ‘Mammy’…After a while I started to really like it, just sitting there on her knee and being engulfed by all this powdery warm flesh.” (92)
When looking at Braden’s profession it appears that he had two intentions in becoming a prostitute, however subconscious they may have been. The primary and most obvious reason being to put himself in direct contact with men, preferably older, who found him attractive and offered him the attention that his own father never provided. Every time Father Bernard laid eyes on Pussy “he put his head down and made a detour around by the back of the chicken-shed.” (59) This first reason led to such relationships as that with Eamon Faircroft, Pussy’s “Married Politician Man”(31) an arms dealer for the IRA who was eventually killed by a bomb placed by the IRA or the Ulster Defense Association. Being Pussy’s first “sugar daddy,” Dummy, as Pussy liked to call him, was the first man to bring to light Pussy’s distorted concept of love, believing that affection was shown through gifts. "Well, obviously I couldn't be his girl into perpetuity but I was quite prepared, if he continued to lavish me with compliments and cash, certainly to remain with him for as long as--well, who knew!--and would indeed most likely that have done, if he hadn't gone and died." (33) It becomes clear after this first relationship of Pussy’s that in looking for a lover Pussy was subconsciously looking for a caretaker.
The second purpose behind Pussy becoming an escort girl in Piccadilly Circus was as a means of providing himself with all the street time in London he needed to search for his missing mother, whom he continually mistook complete strangers for, “‘What are you on about? My name’s not Bergin! Nor Eily neither! Get lost before I call the police!’ I made more mistakes like that – but there’s no point in me pretending! I just couldn’t help myself!” (94) This obsession with locating his absentee mother reveals his true motives throughout the novel, and his live, "To be able to say: 'This is where I belong - right here in this place." (114)
OK, so for my final project I was thinking that I might write a fan fiction. Being that my artistic skills are EXTREMELY limited, not to mention my technological skills (It took me awhile to figure out how to work the whole blog thing, let alone create a whole website!), I thought sticking to writing was my safest bet. Having never written a fan fiction I am curious as to how it will go, but it seems like it will be pretty fun, especially when compared to writing a 7 to 10 page paper on what we have already written. As for the storyline of said fan fiction I will need a little more time in figuring that out. I am pretty sure that I will be basing it off of Carmilla, although that may be subject to change. If anyone wants to help a sister out and has an idea for a fan fiction that they are willing to share it would be greatly appreciated☺
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