Belfast Confetti - notes LO: To make notes on themes, language & imagery and form & structure Starter Task Re-read the poem and note down any words or phrases you do not understand

Belfast Confetti - notes LO: To make notes on themes, language & imagery and form & structure Ciaran Carson Ciaran Carson, born in 1948, is a poet and novelist from Northern Ireland. Born into an Irish-speaking family, he went on to become Professor of English at Queen's University Belfast. He combines a life-long passion for traditional music with a deep interest in politics. He lived through what became to be known as 'the Troubles'. This was the era of Irish nationalist terrorism that marked UK social and political life from the 1970s to the 1990s. During that time organisations such as the IRA fought to end British rule of Northern Ireland. ‘…if there was a riot in the shipyard they would assemble the collective nuts and bolts, iron bits for this and that and the other thing… ‘For we’ll throw some Belfast Confetti on them and see how they will be getting on with that.’…and the accent comes across…‘Belfast Confetti’…it’s not nice.’ ‘…I see those poems as being very much just as if I were an eye on the scene. As if I were alert to the sounds of the time and what was going on at the exact time.’

Belfast Confetti - notes LO: To make notes on themes, language & imagery and form & structure The conflict in Northern Ireland began in the 1960s when the minority Catholic population began campaigning against discrimination by the Protestant majority. By the 1970s, some Irish nationalist groups had started using violence to force the UK government to make the region independent of Britain. British troops became an everyday presence on the streets of Belfast, the Northern Irish capital. At first they had come to protect the Catholics from Protestant violence. Before long they became, to nationalists, symbols of an unwanted army of occupation. Violent clashes between protesters and the 'security forces' (the police and army) were common.

Belfast Confetti - notes LO: To make notes on themes, language & imagery and form & structure Narrative Structure (Tells a story) A demonstration has got out of hand and riot police have moved in to control it. The rioters start throwing things and there's an explosion - the nuts and bolts come from the explosion itself. The poet runs for safety but cannot escape. The place he knows so well becomes a trap and he runs into a check-point where he is held up and questioned by the police. Suddenly as the riot squad moved in, it was raining      exclamation marks,  Nuts, bolts, nails, car-keys. A fount of broken type. And the      explosion. Itself - an askerisk on the map. This hyphenated line, a burst  of rapid fire... I was trying to complete a sentence in my head but it kept       stuttering,  All the alleyways and side streets blocked with stops and       colons. I know this labyrinth so well - Balaclava, Raglan, Inkerman,      Odessa Street -  Why can’t I escape? Every move is punctuated. Crimea  Street. Dead end again. A Saracen, Kremlin-2 mesh. Makrolon face-shields. Walkie-      talkies. What is  My name? Where am I coming from? Where am I going? A       fusillade of question- marks.

Belfast Confetti - notes LO: To make notes on themes, language & imagery and form & structure End up reading backwards as our eyes have to move from right to left across and down the page Adds to confusion Suddenly as the riot squad moved in, it was raining      exclamation marks,  Nuts, bolts, nails, car-keys. A fount of broken type. And the      explosion. Itself - an askerisk on the map. This hyphenated line, a burst  of rapid fire... I was trying to complete a sentence in my head but it kept       stuttering,  All the alleyways and side streets blocked with stops and       colons. I know this labyrinth so well - Balaclava, Raglan, Inkerman,      Odessa Street -  Why can’t I escape? Every move is punctuated. Crimea  Street. Dead end again. A Saracen, Kremlin-2 mesh. Makrolon face-shields. Walkie-      talkies. What is  My name? Where am I coming from? Where am I going? A       fusillade of question- marks. 2 stanzas, the first with five lines, the second with four. Each line spills over so there are additional lines of one or two words. Lines are over-long and the stanzas stretched. Expresses the confusion caused by the riot and bomb.

Belfast Confetti - notes LO: To make notes on themes, language & imagery and form & structure Confusion The poem seems to be upside down or back-to-front - instead of starting with a question then answering it, it starts with the answer Under these (war) conditions language is impossible. War/Conflict There are unequal sides in this war - the riot police have Saracen tanks, wire, "Makrolon face-shields" while the rioters have nuts and bolts and nails and car-keys. As a poet, all he has are words. The weakness of these distresses him. Punctuation & Language Linking it to punctuation & language presents the war how it must seem to others in the news, etc. What about the people who are living it? Suddenly as the riot squad moved in, it was raining      exclamation marks,  Nuts, bolts, nails, car-keys. A fount of broken type. And the      explosion. Itself - an askerisk on the map. This hyphenated line, a burst  of rapid fire... I was trying to complete a sentence in my head but it kept       stuttering,  All the alleyways and side streets blocked with stops and       colons. I know this labyrinth so well - Balaclava, Raglan, Inkerman,      Odessa Street -  Why can’t I escape? Every move is punctuated. Crimea  Street. Dead end again. A Saracen, Kremlin-2 mesh. Makrolon face-shields. Walkie-      talkies. What is  My name? Where am I coming from? Where am I going? A       fusillade of question- marks.

Belfast Confetti - notes LO: To make notes on themes, language & imagery and form & structure Punctuation marks are used as metaphors throughout the poem Anger & frustration Suddenly as the riot squad moved in, it was raining      exclamation marks,  Nuts, bolts, nails, car-keys. A fount of broken type. And the      explosion. Itself - an askerisk on the map. This hyphenated line, a burst  of rapid fire... I was trying to complete a sentence in my head but it kept       stuttering,  All the alleyways and side streets blocked with stops and       colons. I know this labyrinth so well - Balaclava, Raglan, Inkerman,      Odessa Street -  Why can’t I escape? Every move is punctuated. Crimea  Street. Dead end again. A Saracen, Kremlin-2 mesh. Makrolon face-shields. Walkie-      talkies. What is  My name? Where am I coming from? Where am I going? A       fusillade of question- marks. Belfast and it’s people are broken due to this war To outsiders it is just another war or explosion, but the people of Belfast have to live it He cannot describe what is happening or how he feels – CONFUSION/SHOCK Roads are blocked off and he is trapped CONFUSION caused by what is happening around him A multi-gun attack This questioning is like an attack

Belfast Confetti - notes LO: To make notes on themes, language & imagery and form & structure Nickname for the bits of rubble flying around after a bomb goes off Contrasts with idea of confetti which links to weddings and celebrations Shows they have become accustomed to it Suddenly as the riot squad moved in, it was raining      exclamation marks,  Nuts, bolts, nails, car-keys. A fount of broken type. And the      explosion. Itself - an askerisk on the map. This hyphenated line, a burst  of rapid fire... I was trying to complete a sentence in my head but it kept       stuttering,  All the alleyways and side streets blocked with stops and       colons. I know this labyrinth so well - Balaclava, Raglan, Inkerman,      Odessa Street -  Why can’t I escape? Every move is punctuated. Crimea  Street. Dead end again. A Saracen, Kremlin-2 mesh. Makrolon face-shields. Walkie-      talkies. What is  My name? Where am I coming from? Where am I going? A       fusillade of question- marks. Simple, everyday objects Used in bombs to create maximum damage Normalises the conflict – shows it is an everyday occurence Sound almost sinister – like it is trying to fool him The street names where he lives Shows how well he knows these streets Make it sound personal – his observations are more believeable They are named after battles from the Crimea War Links to big wars/violence War equipment not sanctioned by the government Shows this is guerilla warfare – the government are not in control

Belfast Confetti - notes LO: To make notes on themes, language & imagery and form & structure Name of poem Reason for comparison example