Belfast Confetti Flashcards
1
Q
‘Belfast Confetti’
A
- Plosives reflect the anger the speaker may feel toward the existence of the conflict.
- Euphemistic language used to refer to homemade bombs used by the IRA because of the nuts and bolts used as shrapnel.
- Imagery of confetti harshly contrasts with the conflict in the poem.
2
Q
‘Suddenly […] it was raining exclamation marks’
A
- opens in media res so put directly in the action, conveying how unexpected it was.
- reflects the noise made by the bomb
- implies the anger and frustration felt by those affected by the conflict
3
Q
‘A fount of broken type’
A
The war has broken everytas hing. Both in terms of destruction and relationships between people.
4
Q
‘An asterisk on the map. This hyphenated line’
‘Blocked with stops and colons’
A
- reference to punctuation shows the effect of war on communication which is a core part of people’s lives.
- the speaker wishes to escape however is unable to do so; the speaker is trapped
5
Q
‘I know this labyrinth so well - Balaclava, Raglan, Inkerman, Odessa Street’
A
- labyrinth makes the city sound sinister mirroring the fear felt by people disrupted by the conflict
- the streets are all named after places/generals/battles related to the Crimean War which could suggest that the conflict is similar to a battle in a bigger war.
- symbolic of conflict
6
Q
‘Dead end again’
A
- play on words - literally can’t continue on the road that they are heading down, can’t continue with the conflict that they are experiencing or is referencing the thousands killed in the conflict
- ambiguous
7
Q
‘What is my name?’
‘Where am I coming from?’
‘Where am I going?’
A
- interrogatives = self doubt
- implies the war has created a lot of confusion
- severe psychological impacts of the war
8
Q
‘A fusillade of question marks’
A
- Finalises the extended metaphor of punctuation by leaving lots of questions
- self interpreted end
