Study Clicks Podcast on Eavan Boland's Poetry

Introduction

• Presenter: Laura Daly, English Teacher, Dublin
• Focus: Exam-focused podcast on Eavan Boland's poetry for the Leaving Certificate exam
• Approach: Condense poems into bite-sized elements focusing on themes, key images, language, stylistic features, and tone

Background on Eavan Boland

• Born: 1944 in Dublin
• Education: English and Latin at Trinity College
• Influences: Vibrant Irish poets like Eilon, Brendan Kennelly, Michael O’Loughlin
• Themes: Feminism, love, marriage, marginalization, mythology, political-suburban conflation

Analysis of Key Poems

1. Child of Our Time

• Context: Response to Dublin and Monaghan bombings
• Form: Lullaby with rhyme and rhythm
• Themes: War, death of innocence, societal responsibility
• Imagery: Lullaby, childhood, societal discord
• Tone: Angry, sorrowful, resolute

2. The War Horse

• Form: Allegorical poem in rhyming couplets
• Themes: War, societal disassociation
• Imagery: Horse as war, suburban order
• Tone: Threatening, accusatory, pessimistic

3. The Famine Road

• Form: Two parallel narratives
• Themes: Inhumanity, oppression, voicelessness
• Imagery: Famine roads, cannibalism, snowflakes
• Tone: Dismissive, condescending

4. Love

• Themes: Stages of marriage, communication failure
• Imagery: Mythical Anas, elements of survival
• Tone: Nostalgic, regretful, yearning

5. The Pomegranate

• Themes: Mother-daughter relationships, sexuality
• Imagery: Pomegranate, myth of Persephone
• Tone: Desperation, resignation

6. This Moment

• Themes: Ordinary moments, domestic simplicity
• Imagery: Suburban life, mother and child
• Tone: Celebratory, meditative

7. Outside History

• Themes: Marginalization, women's erasure
• Imagery: Stars, human condition
• Tone: Assertive, pessimistic

8. The Black Lace Fan My Mother Gave Me

• Themes: Love, parental relationships
• Imagery: Pre-war Paris, stormy night
• Tone: Passionate, uncertain

9. The Shadow Doll

• Themes: Marriage, oppression
• Imagery: Shadow doll, bridal dress
• Tone: Oppressive

10. White Hawthorn in the West of Ireland

• Themes: Journey, myth, superstition
• Imagery: Suburban life, wild landscapes
• Tone: Discontent, ominous

Conclusion

• Advice: Use at least four poems in detail for essays
• Resources: Study Clicks for sample answers