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PRE-READING 1. Do you think you would like to get married at some point in the future?


2. The wedding industry is one of the most lucrative industries in Ireland. Why do you think weddings have maintained their important status while marriage rates are declining?


COMPREHENDING AND RESPONDING 1. What image of the shadow doll do you form when you read stanza one of this poem?


2. What do you think Boland means by the phrase ‘airless glamour’ in stanza two? Explain your answer.


3. Why does the shadow doll stay discreet about ‘visits, fevers, quickenings and lusts’, in your opinion?


4. At what point in the poem do you think Boland relates most to the shadow doll? Refer to the poem in support of your answer.


5. Why do you think the poet keeps repeating her vows ‘on the night before’? Explain your answer with reference to the poem.


6. How do you think the poet is feeling about getting married in the last two stanzas of the poem? Support your answer with reference to the poem.


7. Brides traditionally wear white, but there are many different shades of white to choose from. Compile a list of the synonyms for white that Boland uses and explain what impact these synonyms have on the poem.


8. With reference to this poem (and other Boland poems if you wish), do you agree that Boland is a feminist poet?


9.  your answer.


CREATING


1. Imagine you are the Victorian bride-to-be who has just received this shadow doll. Write a diary entry recording your thoughts and feelings about the doll, the dress and your forthcoming wedding.


2. Write a short story in epistolary form (composed completely of letters) between two people who are due to get married in one month’s time. Your story can be set at any time in any place.


3. Write a blog post in which you discuss possible reasons why fewer people in Ireland marry now than in the past.


24 VERSE 2025


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