The Ethics of Touting and Retaliation in Northern Ireland Using Deane’s novel Reading in the Dark a story of Northern Ireland set from 1920 to 1960 and, Conroy’s social history Belfast Diary, for the history of Northern Ireland as told in the 1980’s, this essay discusses the treatment of informers by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Starting with Reading in the Dark, Which tells the tale of a young man growing up while discovering his dysfunctional families’ history involving an uncle framed for informing and being murdered by his own people. Comparing the novel with the social history Belfast Diary, about the author’s time spent in Belfast in 1980 and all the social problems four hundred years of oppression and war create. Conroy and Deane …show more content…
We were haunted! We had a ghost, even in the middle of the afternoon” (Deane, 4). The ghost matches the start of Belfast Diary the quote on page two “The ghost of an informer, shot almost fifty years ago, is believed to walk Clonard’s back streets” demonstrates the power of the emotions generated by informing on your friends, as well as killing that informer in retaliation. In the novel, this revelation concerning Uncle Eddie explains why his mother and father stop talking to each other “Only your mother knows it all. I had to tell someone, especially her, but now I’m sorry. She can’t understand, she can’t forgive … Eddie was dead, he told me … He had been executed as an informer. …. But my father knew … That his brother was an informer.”(Deane, 131). The narrator now understands the dysfunction, in his family. He also understands this information in rumor form, ruined all of their credibility in the …show more content…
Towards the end of Belfast Diary Conroy tells how the IRA took over the place he lived at twice for an ambush that did not work. The quote is about how he feels afterward “The aftermath was as nerve-wracking as the visits. Too many people knew what had happened---the people I had told, the people Mrs. Barbour had told, the people George had told, and all of the people who had heard it second and third hand. I was worried about the gossip, the explosives and the possibility that the Provos might pay us a third visit.” Conroy’s visit from that period ended badly, with a description of his terror and paranoia from this
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.
One example of what gossip can do is shown in the Anderson Independent News Paper in an article called “Trusting Loved Ones Enough to Tell Them the Things They Need to Know.” The story tells about two sisters who were very close concerning aspects of their lives. One of the sisters, Sharon, calls her brother, Joe, only to find out the sister, who she thought she could confide in, is going to a heart doctor. The sister had previously experienced a stroke, so not knowing the reasoning of the appointment Sharon began to panic.
One of the biggest differences between Captain Ahab and Chillingworth is the time periods of their lifetime.
In the text’s earliest stages, O’Brien feebly muses on the ideas formed from both his pre- and post-college life, demonstrating a socially unacceptable unsureness brought forth from the desire to conform to both ideologies, which consumes him until he reflects on it in the 1980s. Soon after the brief description of O’Brien’s ideas of moral behavior and courage unfold, O’Brien’s novel jumps from his small-town American life to a place where O’Brien first began to develop ideas separate from his parents’ ridged ideals: college. Falling alongside many other students in the ‘60s, O’Brien is exposed to the idea of the war being unfounded and begins to tentatively form his ideas, taking a “stand against the war”. However, he does “nothing radical…just ringing a few doorbells for Gene McCarthy” (O’Brien 173). While aligning with the principles associated with the movement in a tentative manner, O’Brien makes the suggestion that these ideas were a governing principle when dealing with the war’s justification. However, he then echoes the other side’s rhetoric, stating he “could not claim to be opposed to war as a matter of general principle” especially when it was needed to stop a true evil, for then he “would’ve willingly marched off to battle” (O’Brien 175). Through the inclusion of these two contrasting ideas side by side in the novel, one can gather O’Brien seeks
Conroy’s analysis of Northern Ireland is, in the simplest of terms, refreshing. Convoy’s attention to detail and analysis when describing Jimmy Barr’s dealing with the Housing Executive’s, when discussing the hunger strikes, and when discussing the plight of those who live in the Divis Flats all support the notion that Conroy has an understanding of Northern Ireland, even though he’s an outsider. John Conroy’s Belfast Diary is an example of how an outsider can provide a reliable analysis into the communal violence that has consumed Northern Ireland. I believe that Conroy’s outsider perspective, combined with his choice to immerse himself into the culture of Belfast allowed him to write a story that leaves out major biases, a story that
Response Paper: “Molly Brant-From Clan Mother to Loyalist”, “Disorderly Women and the Struggle for Authority” and “Punishing Deviant Women-The State as Patriarch”
The Great Depression challenged societies around the world. These societies tried to find new ways to organize themselves to bring the economy back. Each society envisioned new roles for their country. The solution of the USSR Central Executive Committee, and the USSR’s economic construction challenge the status quo and changed the nation. Roosevelt, Mussolini, Gandhi had a specific vision for their people and challenged the status quo, rebranding the national identity specific to their countries. The following paper would examine these topics.
While both brothers are conscious of their community’s dark side, they manage their environment differently. The narrator tries his best to distance himself from those problems, and to refrain from getting emotionally involved in the tragedy. Also, he has a difficult
Most importantly, the narrator’s motivations were purely self-centered and caused his brother’s ultimate death. I am certain that the narrator’s reflection on his short time
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
This book is unlike any other that some people have crossed. At first glance of the cover, they all ask the same question. There was an Irish mob? Yes, actually there was. Its incredible that some people don't realize this.
Though the Misfit is a runaway criminal, the “villain”, his calm consistency is resolute. When the grandmother pleads that he must be a “‘good man...not a bit common,’” he simply denies that fact (353). He holds no illusion that his actions are honorable. This self-aware cognition is pleasant to the audience, especially in contrast to Red Sammy who eagerly accepts the compliment; being a good man would explain his gullibility and ease his ego. “My daddy said I was a different breed of dog from my brothers and sisters.
In August 1998 the IRA claimed responsibility for a car bomb which killed 28 and injured 220 in the Northern Irish Town of Omagh. The bombing was the worst terrorist activity in nearly three decades for Ireland. While claiming responsibility for the blast an IRA representative anonymously told an Irish newspaper “Despite media reports, it was not our intention at any time to kill any civilians. It was a commercial target, part of the ongoing war against the Brits. We offer our apologies to the civilians,”
The brother is the person who has the most information about the family. His knowledge of his uncle’s account and conversation with his mother contribute to the overall completeness of the story that would have been missing otherwise.
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.