PRE-READING


1. ‘Eccentric’ is a word that is sometimes used to describe certain people. What kinds of actions or behaviours do you think might lead to someone being described in this way?


2. Has a grandparent or an older relative ever told you stories from their childhood? Give an example of one such story.


3. Have you heard the expression ‘ as cute as they come’? Discuss what you think this colloquialism means.


COMPREHENDING AND RESPONDING 1. Who do you think brought the speaker’s grandfather in ‘from the world’?


2. What effect do you think is created by the choice of the word ‘wounded’ instead of ‘injured’?


3. What do you think the speaker means when he describes how ‘Boiler-rooms, row upon row of gantries rolled/ away to reveal the landscape of a childhood/ only he can recapture’? Discuss the effectiveness of this image.


4. What kinds of things did the grandfather do around the house that the speaker remembers? Give at least four points.


5. Read lines 12 and 13 again carefully. What do you think these lines reveal about the grandfather?


6. The last line seems to be somewhat contradictory. What do you think this line reveals about the grandfather’s character?


7. The poem is written in the form of a sonnet. Why do you think the poet chose this form? Does the form of the poem in any way relate to the poem’s theme?


8. What is your impression of the grandfather? Is he a likeable character, or might there be something dubious or disagreeable about his behaviour? Support your answer with reference to the poem.


9. How is the theme of old age treated in this poem?


CREATING


1. Write an article meant for publication in a national newspaper in which you identify what you see as the most important needs of older people in our society, and discuss how these needs could most effectively be met.


2. Write a personal essay in which you explore familial and/or friendship relationship(s) between different generations and what these kinds of relationships mean for you.


3. Write a short story that includes the line: ‘Nothing escapes him; he escapes us all’.


LEAVING CERTIFICATE HIGHER LEVEL


317


Derek Mahon


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