‘Aspects of Kavanagh’s poetry could be seen as dated and irrelevant, but his unique poetic language has enduring appeal. ’
Do you agree with this assessment of his poetry? Write a response, supporting your points with suitable reference to the poetry of Patrick Kavanagh on your course. (2012)
SAMPLE PLAN Poem
Poem
‘Inniskeen Road: July Evening’
Dated and An old-
fashioned community dance in ‘Billy Brennan’s barn’
Dated and irrelevantirrelevant
Unique poetic
Unique poetic languagelanguage
Colloquial language: ‘the half-talk code of mysteries’; ‘the wink- and-elbow language of delight’
Pun: ‘every blooming thing’
Allusion: Alexander Selkirk
‘Advent’
Not really observed anymore – Ireland is no longer a monocultural and uniformly Catholic country
‘A Christmas Childhood’
Setting – rural Ireland in 1910, everyone walking to dawn Mass on Christmas morning
Alliteration: ‘tested and tasted’
Powerful words and phrases: ‘knowledge we stole but could not use’
Enduring appeal Enduring appeal
Captures the sense of excitement and anticipation
Celebrates the joy and drama of everyday life
Feeling apart from society is more relevant than ever now in our hyper-connected world
The search for meaning in an increasingly confusing and
overwhelming world
We are drowning in information which, far from making our lives better, makes things harder