The Portrayal Analysis Of John Conroy's Belfast Diary

The British have reigned over the Irish so long and so cruelly that they have left Ireland in “state of dependence” psychologically, politically, and economically. In other words, the “ideology of Protestant consumption” has “actually eroded” the self-confidence and sense of worth of the Irish so badly that it has left Ireland a nation unable to sustain itself (Mahoney). England is eating up Ireland. But this tribulation cannot be blamed solely on the British. Swift cleverly condemns the British aristocracy for their mistreatment of the Irish people while also criticizing the Irish people for allowing this exploitation.

The short stories of Ireland are distinct and many times distinctly Irish. “The Limerick Gloves” by Maria Edgeworth, “The Pedlar’s Revenge” by Liam O’Flaherty, “The Poteen Maker” by Michael McLaverty, and “Loser” Val Mulkerns are each distinct Irish short stories that deal with Irish topics in original ways. These stories are stylistically and thematically Irish. They are moralistic and offer clear themes that pertain to Irish values. This analysis will explore the Irish-ness of the works and explore their meaning when held against Irish literary tenants.

    In the early twentieth century, Ireland, and more specifically Dublin, was a place defined by class distinctions. There were the wealthy, worldly upper-class who owned large, stately townhouses in the luxurious neighborhoods and the less fortunate, uneducated poor who lived in any shack they could afford in the middle of the city. For the most part, the affluent class was Protestant, while the struggling workers were overwhelmingly Catholic. These distinctions were the result of nearly a century of disparity in income, education, language, and occupation, and in turn were the fundamental bases for the internal struggle that many of Joyce's characters feel.

Loyalist fears: The Catholics in Northern Ireland had a lot of reasons to make them feel displeased. The Protestants made their lives very miserable, mainly I think because they felt very apprehensive of them. They were afraid that in a United Ireland Catholics would outvote them and they would lose control over the education of their

In "Two Gallants," the sixth short story in the Dubliners collection, James Joyce is especially careful and crafty in his opening paragraph. Even the most cursory of readings exposes repetition, alliteration, and a clear structure within just these nine lines. The question remains, though, as to what the beginning of "Two Gallants" contributes to the meaning and impact of Joyce's work, both for the isolated story itself and for Dubliners as a whole. The construction, style, and word choice of this opening, in the context of the story and the collection, all point to one of Joyce's most prevalent implicit judgments: that the people of Ireland refuse to make any effort toward positive change for themselves.

The true statement, although Dr. Dodds, and Conroy’s “...‘outsider’ status makes possible a useful degree of critical distance, ultimately Conroy and Dodds are ill equipped to explain communal passions that shaped political life in the North during the 1980’s”, is misleading. The statement suggest that Dr. Dodds and Conroy’s outsider status automatically gives them the ability to use critical distance, however both John Conroy, in his book Belfast Diary, and Dr Dodds, in Brian Friel’s The Freedom of the City, fail to use critical distance in their analysis of what is happening in Northern Ireland. Critical distance is defined as the introduction of a stranger into a society that is able to be detached from the society, and has the ability to recognize and empathize with all points of view within that society. In addition to that, the statement also seems suggest that Dr. Dodds and Conroy are the ill equipped to explain the communal passions in Northern Ireland simply because they are outsiders. However, even the locals seem to lack the ability to understand their own communal passions in the political conflict of the North during the eighties.

In the first place, my maternal grandfather instilled a pride and understanding of my Irish roots. Specifically, he brought me over to Belfast to learn and experience the culture. At the time, the hostility between the Protestants and Catholics was evident. Additionally, I saw people living under the threats of terrorism and bombing, propaganda graffiti, and a city under a police state. Similarly, I witnessed families torn apart because a mother was one

Joyce 's novel demonstrates a city and a society full of contradictions, parochial ideas, and paralysis. The Dublin inhabitants are divided by the river Liffey, into 'North and South ', 'rich and poor classes

Violence, terror, suffering and death. The conflict that has been burning in Northern Ireland seems to be an unstoppable battle and it has flooded over the land of Northern Ireland. The struggle for power and the persistence of greed have fueled the raging fires of the opposing groups. The conflict in Northern Ireland has been discussed continually over the past few decades. Ever since the beginning of the “Troubles,” organizations have been scavenging to find a plan that will cease the violence. Throughout my research for this project, the questions of what are the main sources of conflict in Northern Ireland and why have they continued today guided me to many fascinating pieces of evidence that

James Joyce’s Dubliners is a compilation of many short stories put together to convey the problems in Ireland during that time. Many of his characters are searching for some kind of escape from Dublin, and this is a reoccurring theme throughout the stories. In the story “Little Cloud,” the main character, Little Chandler, feels the need for both an escape from Dublin and also from his normal everyday life. Gabriel, the main character in Joyce’s final story of the book, “The Dead,” desires a different form of escape than Little Chandler. He desires to escape his aunts’ party, and also at times, Dublin society. Although the stories

Although the young boy cannot apprehend it intellectually, he feels that the street, the town, and Ireland itself have become ingrown, self-satisfied, and unimaginative. It is a

Identity is pivotal to the story and holds its own innate power, but what is even more pivotal is that the Irish do not necessarily all share the same views. The Irish find their history very important because it is the foundation of the language. Hugh says, “It is not the literal past, the ‘facts’ of history, that shape us, but images of the past embodied in language” (88). It is evident then that Hugh finds the historical meanings of

Kevin Barry portrays the economic growth that the Irish society lived during the time he was writing Dark Lies in the Island. “Wifey Redux” depicts the easiness and flexibility that let young people to be owners of, for instance, their own house, and it was due, principally, for the Celtic Tiger, also known as the Irish economic growth fuelled by foreign investment between the 1990s and the 2000s. The young couple could even afford one of them staying at home without working, thus “Hubby went to work, and Wifey stayed at home” (9), but they were an “absolutely equal partnership.”

Throughout James Joyce’s “Dubliners” there are four major themes that are all very connected these are regret, realization, self hatred and Moral paralysis, witch is represented with the actual physical paralysis of Father Flynn in “The Sisters”. In this paper I intend to explore the different paths and contours of these themes in the four stories where I think they are most prevalent ,and which I most enjoyed “Araby”, “Eveline”, “The Boarding House”, and “A Little Cloud”.

Pato's lament in this passage concerns regional and national exile, speaking indirectly to the sense of nomadism and diaspora which characterizes contemporary Ireland in an increasingly global world order. Because there is no work in Leenane, he has had to emigrate. In London, Pato has endured horrific working conditions, low pay, and disrespect-factors which ultimately force Pato to immigrate to America. His constant wish to return to Leenane while on the job in England signals a concomitant desire for a stable national identity. But this wish is not nostalgic, given Pato's admission that :