North by Seamus Heaney PDF

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This lecture examines the context behind Seamus Heaney's North. ...

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Seamus Heaney North Lecture Stephen Cheeke When North was being written; When the IRA’s campaign was being carried over to the British mainland Plotted history of IRA English had been in Ireland since the C12th Late 1960’s South – Irish Republic or Eire – independent country established in the 1920’s after the civil war South – Catholic majority, indigenous Irish North – Nine counties of Ulster, six of which constitute Northern Ireland, part of UK, with its own parliament at Stormont North – Protestant majority, Scotch and English Descent ‘Unionists’ The Catholic minoritity are Nationalists – dream of an independent Ireland away from the British Late 1960’s Catholic minority in Northern Ireland form Civil Rights Association Troubles begin in 1968/69 – rioting in Derry and Belfast 1972 Bloody Sunday in Derry Direct rule from London – lasts until 1998 British army remain in Northern Ireland to keep the peace – they are seen as an army of occupation – reinforcing the province as British Seamus Heaney – born a Roman Catholic in County Derry Wrote about communities shared culture, language etc – expected by many nationalists and members of Ira to say something for the cause when the troubles began Read a book Danish archaeologists P.V Glob The Bog People - described the effect it had on him - linked it to the Irish political and religious struggles Heaney had seen photos of people preserved in the bog land – possible victims of religious sacrifice – made a connection with Ireland Most famous poem he writes about this is called Punishment https://genius.com/Seamus-heaney-punishment-annotated Complicating poem Response to the half rotting women – partly erotic Close and intimate fascination – inhabiting the body itself almost Ambiguous Final image of the betraying sisters in tar – 1970’s Belfast and Derry women who had been punished by IRA for sleeping with British army who were tarred and feathered and tied to railings Wondering his complicity in such atrocity He wonders whether the erotic response is also questionable – something obscene – a voyeur To connive

To understand – does he understand how the violence happens but is inexcusable – or more disturbing I understand violence understand where it comes from – feels the same ? Suggesting meaningful powerful drawn between ritualistic killings of the book he read and contemporary sectarian atrocity – continuity and a connection Not everyone agreed with this idea Ciaran Carson review of North Accused Heaney as an anthropologist of ritual killing, a laureate of violence The difference in societies are glossed over for the parallels of ritual Saying suffering is natural – and no political consequences Connor Cruise O’Brien also agrees – saying the word exact hurts the most The most sustained attack came from Edna Longley The sectarian killings were not voluntary Accused H of seeing the battlefield in Catholic and nationalist terms She states it is ok if Heaney is being outrageously honest about his own reaction – but can Heaney have it both ways – calls it fence sitting Accusing him of determinism Aggression in her critique She says the poems ‘grant sectarian killing in Northern Ireland a historical respectability’ Denis Donoghue Opens up a feeling imaginatively prior to such a moment When Heaney moved to live in the Irish republic – the Protestant paper said good riddance to ‘the well-known Papist Propagandist’

Entertain a frightening truth Might it be that our feelings of humane love have themselves evolved within, bound to, feelings of tribal racial and religious loyalties - how do you know about love f not from a tribal community

Comes from the counter violence to the opposition TLS Then Goodness Paradox – link between virtue and violence

In order to know how to love you have to know how to hate – the scape goat Rene Girard Violence and the Sacred 1972 The sense of the sacred and the communal bares on the scapegoat

Whatever you say say nothing https://www.blueridgejournal.com/poems/sh-what.htm Internment – jail without trail for this against the IRA We read axiom of the world but don’t understand them...