A Difficult Birth, Easter 1998 Gillian Clarke

Lesson Objectives To understand the poem To explore the themes, language and effect of the poem To make links to other poems by Gillian Clarke

A Difficult Birth The poem explores two (or even three) stories It charts the birth of a lamb at the poet’s farm It refers to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 It recalls the resurrection of Christ, who died on Good Friday and rose on Easter Sunday

Ireland – The Troubles The area has been a area of contention for hundreds of years – with Britain governing the country Easter 1916 Rising – Irish Republicans rebelled against the British 1922 – Britain handed Ireland back – apart from an area in the north. This became Northern Ireland Continued fighting between IRA and British governed Northern Ireland

Good Friday Agreement The Good Friday Agreement was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process. It was signed in Belfast on 10 April 1998 (Good Friday) by the British and Irish governments and endorsed by most Northern Ireland political parties. It was endorsed by the voters of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in separate referendums on 23 May 1998.Northern Ireland peace processBelfast10 April1998Good FridayBritishIrishNorthern Ireland23 May1998 One commitment by all parties to "exclusively peaceful and democratic means". The establishment of a Northern Ireland Assembly with devolved legislative powersNorthern Ireland Assemblydevolved

A Difficult Birth - Annotate Explore the language – Think about the effect it has on the reader Try to think about any connotations words or phrases have How is Clarke trying to make the reader think?

A Difficult Birth - Questions How does the difficult birth of the first lamb parallel events in the Irish peace process? Is this an optimistic or pessimistic poem in your view? How far does this poem show that events immediately around us and more public events are all joined up in the "five fields" of our world? What do you think of the contrasts the poet makes between people (like her) and experts (men in white coats)? What view of nature do you find in this poem?

A Difficult Birth – Extension How is the last line of the first stanza ambiguous? What effect does the phrase “tamed by pain” have on the reader? What tone does the poet achieve in lines 15&16? What is the significance of the last two lines?