liberation of ireland Essay -- essays research papers

Liberation of Ireland The 1916 Easter Rising The Easter Rebellion, was an armed uprising of Irish nationalists against the rule of Great Britain in Ireland. The uprising occurred on Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, and centred mainly in Dublin. The chief objectives were the attainment of political freedom and the establishment of an Irish republic. Centuries of discontent, marked by numerous rebellions, preceded the uprising. The new crisis began to develop in September 1914, following the outbreak of World War I, when the British government suspended the recently enacted Home Rule Bill, which guaranteed a measure of political autonomy to Ireland. Suspension of the bill stimulated the growth of the Citizen Army, an illegal force of Dublin citizens organised by the labour leader Jim Larkin (died 1948) and the socialist James Connolly (1870-1916); of the Irish Volunteers, a national defence body; and of the extremist Sinn FÃ ©in. The uprising was planned by leaders of these organisations, among whom were the British consular agent Sir Roger David Casement, the educator Padhraic Pearse (1879-1916), and the poet Thomas MacDonagh (1878-1916). Hostilities began about noon on April 24, when about 2000 men led by Pearse seized control of the Dublin post office and other strategic points within the city. Shortly after these initial successes, the leaders of the rebellion proclaimed the Independence of Ireland and announced the establishment of a provisional government of the Irish Republic. Additional positions were occupied by the rebels during the night, and by the morning of April 25 they controlled a considerable part of Dublin. The counteroffensive by British forces began on Tuesday with the arrival of reinforcements. Martial law was proclaimed throughout Ireland. Bitter street fighting developed in Dublin, during which the strengthened British forces steadily dislodged the Irish from their positions. By the morning of April 29, the post office building, site of the rebel headquarters, was under violent attack. Recognising the futility of further resistance, Pearse surrendered unconditionally in the afternoon of April 29 . The British immediately brought the leaders of the uprising to trial before a field court-martial. Fifteen of the group, including Pearse, Connolly, and MacDonagh, were sentenced to death and executed by firing squad. Four others, including ... ...m. In June, Irish voters ratified a treaty strengthening political and monetary integration within the European Community. Presidents DOUGLAS HYDE 1938-1945 (+1949) SEAN THOMAS O'KELLY 1945-1959 (+1966) Fianna FÃ ¡il EAMON DE VALERA 1959-1973 (+1975) Fianna FÃ ¡il ERSKINE HAMILTON CHILDERS 1973-1974 (+) Fianna FÃ ¡il CEARBHALL O'DALAIGH 1974-1976 (+1978) Fianna FÃ ¡il PATRICK J. HILLERY 1976-1990 Fianna FÃ ¡il MARY ROBINSON 1990-1997 Labour MARY MCALEESE 1997- Fianna FÃ ¡il Taoiseachs (Prime Ministers) EAMON DE VALERA 1932-1948 (+1975) Fianna FÃ ¡il JOHN A. COSTELLO 1948-1951 (+1976) Fine Gael EAMON DE VALERA 1951-1954 (+1975) Fianna FÃ ¡il JOHN A. COSTELLO 1954-1957 (+1976) Fine Gael EAMON DE VALERA 1957-1959 (+1975) Fianna FÃ ¡il SEAN F. LEMASS 1959-1966 (+1971) Fianna FÃ ¡il JACK M. LYNCH 1966-1973 FIanna FÃ ¡il LIAM GOSGRAVE 1973-1977 Fine Gael JACK M. LYNCH 1977-1979 Fianna FÃ ¡il CHARLES HAUGHEY 1979-1981 Fianna FÃ ¡il GARRET FITZGERALD 1981-1982 Fine Gael CHARLES HAUGHEY 1982 Fianna FÃ ¡il GARRET FITZGERALD 1982-1987 Fine Gael CHARLES HAUGHEY 1987-1992 Fianna FÃ ¡il ALBERT REYNOLDS 1992-1994 Fianna FÃ ¡il JOHN BRUTON 1994-1997 Fine Gael BERTIE AHERN 1997- Fianna FÃ ¡il

The Function of Narrator in 3 Short Fiction

The narrator in a short story provides for the readers the eyes and mind by which they see and understand everything that happens in the story. He affects the perspective by which they approach and digest the story. The narrator always creates a subjective viewpoint for the reader, however omniscient and objective the writer makes him out to be, because choosing a particular viewpoint in which to tell the story would omit some aspects of a story that could be examined further had the author chosen another character or viewpoint by which to narrate the plot. The choice of narrator, therefore, affects the overall reading.The narrator of the plot, however, is carefully chosen by the writer in order to accomplish the said subjective viewpoint that the author would like the reader to get from his reading. This paper would examine the functions of the narrators in three short stories, namely: â€Å"A&P† by John Updike, â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker, and â€Å"The Jilti ng of Granny Weatherall† by Katherine Anne Porter. Updike’s â€Å"A&P† is the story of Sammy, a teenage sales clerk at an A&P grocery, whose dull day at work suddenly becomes significant when three young ladies come into the store in their swimsuits.Sammy fantasizes about the girls, especially on the one he names as Queenie, the prettiest and leader of the group. However, Lengel, the store manager, does not share Sammy’s appreciation for the girls when he confronts the trio about the inappropriateness of their clothing. Sammy defends the girls from the prude manager and resigns right there and then, hoping at the same time that his gesture would be appreciated by the girls. The story is narrated in the first person by the hero, Sammy.The theme of the story is about disappointment and disillusionment after responding to what the individual believes is an impulsive call for heroism or a chance to rise from one’s lowly and commonplace existence. By usi ng the protagonist as narrator, Updike is able to juxtapose the discrepancy between fantasy and reality. Sammy, we learn from his own narration, aspires for a bigger and better life than what all the small-town people he considers as like â€Å"sheep pushing their carts (Updike)† have. He is bored with his work, the unexciting town, and life in general.The girls, coming from a more affluent part of town, are a breed apart from him and the regulars of A&P, and one that he would like to be a part of someday. When he sees the opportunity to defend the girls from Lengel, he thinks the girls would thank him and probably, befriend him. The train of events and associations he must have imagined at the sight of those girls and the fact that he defended them consumes him, enough for him to make the sudden decision of resigning from his job. The final disappointment however, is just as strong in its impact when he realizes that the girls have gone without even acknowledging his heroic act.The reader feels the sting of reality check along with Sammy when the protagonist expresses: â€Å"I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter. (Updike)† In Alice Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use†, the narrator is Mama or Mrs. Johnson, an African-American living in the South just after the years of emancipation. She is uneducated, lived, and survived a hard life. Mrs. Johnson still carries the old feelings when blacks were uncomfortable in the presence of whites yet at the same time, are very proud of their native African heritage.The conflict in the plot plays up the differences between Mrs. Johnson’s generation and her daughter’s. Dee, intelligent and educated in the city, has her own way of regarding her indigenous identity. She looks at her African-American heritage as something one displays for others to admire. She visits her mother to get a butter churn top and dasher which she would bring back with her to the city where she wou ld display them like museum pieces in her home. Mrs. Johnson, however, could not understand why one needs to display these everyday things when they could be put to their intended uses.The conflict climaxes at the point when Dee asks for the quilt Mama already promised to give the other daughter, Maggie, on her wedding. Mrs. Johnson refuses adamantly. â€Å"You just don’t understand†¦your heritage, (Walker)† Dee accuses her mother and sister. Walker could have chosen Dee as the narrator of the story and the same theme would still be adequately explored from the conflict between Dee and Mrs. Johnson. After all, it is the dialogues of both characters, specifically their arguments, which move the story forward.Obviously, however, the writer would like the readers to sympathize with Mrs. Johnson thus allowing her character and her viewpoints to dominate in the text. Mama’s image is the first that the reader meets in the story thus establishing an immediate affi nity between reader and heroine, and the final image is again of her and Maggie â€Å"just enjoying (Walker)† their simple life, creating the impression that her philosophy, ultimately, is the better one. One’s cultural heritage would survive longer and best valued when it is practiced in everyday life by the members.Mrs. Johnson is right and her daughter Dee, is not. The third story, Katherine Anne Porter’s â€Å"The Jilting of Granny Weatherall†, is told in the third person, but it is the most intimate of the three in that as the narrator leads the reader into the mind of the 80-year old protagonist, Granny Weatherall. It looks into the life and personality of the old woman and allows the reader to realize things that may be vague, unrecognizable and sometimes incomprehensible to the failing mind of its main character.By choosing a third person narrator that delves into the consciousness of the character, the reader becomes acquainted with the Granny We atherall’s personality; but more important to that, are the revelations that the images that run through her mind—her accomplishments, her sources of pride, the unfinished tasks, her jilted dreams, frustrations, fears, —provide for the reader’s analysis of her character, and in turn, of the meaning of the literary piece. The events of Granny Weatherall’s life are presented in snippets, the past overlapping with the present, the sequences of events occur through associations rather than chronologically.For instance, the sound of rustling leaves outside the window brings back memories of her daughter, Cornelia, when she was a child that in turn, triggers more memories from her hard life, and all that she has survived and outlived. The most poignant memory, however, is that of her wedding day 60 years ago where she was jilted by her lover at the altar. At the end of the reading, one does not only get a whole picture from the fragments of memories but also realize that the writer has attempted to recreate the experience of dying in prose form and succeeds in it.By choosing to narrate the story through the consciousness of the old woman, the reader gets the impression of Death hovering everywhere in the story: from Granny’s detachment from everything that’s happening, to the flashbacks, and her struggles to look through â€Å"a whirl of dark smoke (Porter)† that blurs the images in her mind and disorients her. The final betrayal mentioned in the final paragraph, the realization that what she has long been expecting with the coming of death might not be what really happens in the end after all, becomes more felt as the narrator ends the story with the slow darkening of light until it is fully extinguished.The narrator of a story has a lot to do with both the intention of the writer for writing the story and the lingering effect that the story has upon the reader as he thinks about what he read and attempts to a nalyze it. One can read two stories with the same plot yet employing different narrators and he would realize the different effects produced by the readings. There is no best narrator as all stories can be told in various perspectives; however, the fact is that the quality of the final narrative would depend greatly on how the narrator tells the story and what the reader gets from his viewpoint.

Jonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal - 1008 Words

Harsh But Solutions Decisions In Ireland According to Sparknotes, In the 1700’s, Ireland went through an economic depression as well as other problems in the country such as starvation, overpopulation and intolerable taxation by England. The families in Ireland could not afford to maintain their children therefore the children became a burden. Politicians did nothing to improve Ireland’s situation. These ongoing Problems in Ireland led Jonathan Swift to write,† A Modest Proposal.† In his essay, Swift uses satire to give rational but extreme solutions to Ireland’s issues. Swift institutes the practice of cannibalism of children in his essay to address the issue of starvation, economic depression and overpopulation. In â€Å"A Modest Proposal,† Swift says,†... The remaining hundred thousand may, at a year old, be offered in sale to the persons of quality and fortune, through the kingdom, always advising the mother to let them suck plentifully in the last month, so as to render the m plump, and fat for a good table.† In this quote, Swift solves three of Ireland s problems by his proposed plan of cannibalism. Mothers would raise their children to a year old at little to no cost, then the child would be sold to a wealthier family for consumption. This idea gives the family income from selling their child, it gives the buyer a food supply, and it lessens the population of children begging on the streets. Swift’s satirical solutions are far too extreme in the sacrifice needed and in theShow MoreRelatedJonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal996 Words   |  4 PagesJonathan Swift, 18th century writer and political activist, published â€Å"A Modest Proposal† in 1729 in the midst of turmoil in his home country of Ireland. Under British rule Irish citizens were left destitute and neglected, giving Swift the inspiration for â€Å"A Modest Proposal†. Jonathan Swift’s use of Aristotle s modes of persuasion and straight-faced satire broke Ir eland s silence, calling out affluent members of British society and religious hierarchy alike, creating one of the most influentialRead MoreJonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal971 Words   |  4 PagesJonathan Swift is a well known writer who wrote Gulliver s Travels and many more lesser known works. A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift can be used to argue many things. The work itself is a pamphlet to that explains how one could go about the famine in Ireland. He suggests by his title that this will not be a over the top or extreme suggestion instead being modest and understandable. The most notable part of his work however is the obscenity of it as he describes in detail what the benefitsRead MoreJonathan Swift s Modest Proposal1562 Words   |  7 PagesEmpire. Thesis: Jonathan Swift s Modest Proposal is the most effective in conveying its proposal against Imperialism as a universal theme. Directional Statement: Jonathan Swift s Modest Proposal successfully uses evidence to support its proposal and an effective style of writing. It also presents a clearly defined problem and solution compared to George Orwell s â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† and Thomas Jefferson s â€Å"Declaration of Independence†. Point 1: Swift s Modest Proposal effectively usesRead MoreAnalysis Of Jonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal956 Words   |  4 Pagesissue for the Irish and became a topic of satire ridicule for writers. Specifically, Jonathan Swift demonstrates mockery of this time in one of his written works, â€Å"A Modest Proposal.† The speaker proposes to shift the issues of over population and poverty to a business like mentality by paying woman to bare children and then after a year, gaining a profit by selling and eat their children. The speaker’s proposal to consume the children of Ireland demonstrates a satirical solution to the Irish’s economicRead MoreJonathan Swift s Modest Proposal850 Words   |  4 PagesJonathon Swift â€Å"Modest Proposal† is shocking satire that is supposed to bring to light the ill state of the Irish nation during the time period. Swift was making a point that the state that Ireland was in a major economic crisis and was overpopulated and was in a dire need of a solution, so he propose one. But even though this was written many years ago we can still draw inspiration form it today. The essay begins as a Proposal for a solution to the extreme poverty and over population of IrelandRead MoreJonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal1809 Words   |  8 PagesJonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal is a satirical essay that sardonically uses an outrageous solution to the massive poverty in Ireland. He proposes this lengthy idea of eating children as the solution to the society’s problems. His serious yet hyperbolic and satirical style allows Swift an approach to get people engaged in the difficulties the Irish had to do to survive their everyday life. This essay explores Swift’s ability to use literary devices and how these techniques advance his idea aboutRead MoreJonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal1456 Words   |  6 PagesJonathan Swift was an Irish poet and satirist of the eighteenth century. Although the son of Englishmen, Swift was born and raised in Ireland. While living in Ireland, he witnessed the death of thousands of Irish due to starvation whic h was caused due to crop failure. Swift, who wasn’t even personally affected by the issue, acknowledged that the death of the Irish population which he argues was caused because of the neglect of English landowners. Instead of allowing for the issue to continue to beRead MoreJonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal1859 Words   |  8 Pagessuperiority (Holmes). The satirical literary device was at its peak during the Neoclassical Period in which the enlightenment writer, Jonathan Swift, was exceptional at this writing style (Jokinen). He excelled at rebuking Britain’s flaws and pointed out the hypocrisy at the time by extensive ridicule of the conventual school of thought. Jonathan Swift’s, A Modest Proposal is an inspiration to many aspiring satirical authors, as he is admired as a rhetorical virtuoso that shed light on the profuse moralRead MoreAnalysis of Jonathan Swift ´s A Modest Proposal Essay532 Words   |  3 Pagesdone, the issue hasn’t been fazed a bit. From Jonathan Swift’s Modest Proposal, he clarifies the poverty issued throughout Ireland in the early 1700’s and how one suggestion could change it all. Elaborated from the Literary Reference Center, â€Å"A Modest Proposal, like Gulliver’s Travels, transcends the political, social, and economic crisis that gave birth to it, woeful as they were. Packed with irony and satirical revelations of the human condition†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Swift wasn’t just writing a masterpiece, but an intendedRead MoreCollectivism Vs. Individualism : The Unknown Citizen And Jonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal1783 Words   |  8 Pagespolitically, with emphasis on the role a person takes in society, or philosophically- what makes a person think collectively or individually. Even though one might say that both theories are important, both W.H. Auden s The Unknown Citizen and Jonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal reflect criticisms of collectivism and promotes individualism. There are two main types of collectivism: â€Å"horizontal collectivism† and â€Å"vertical collectivism†. Collectivism has been characterized as horizontal collectivism