Paula Meehan

Question 1

What is buying winkles about

Answer 1

A young girl buying winkles from a winkle seller who sits outside the Rosebowl Bar with her pails of winkles in front of her.

Question 2

Colloquial language in buying winkles

Answer 2

Adds to the sense of place
Spare her a sixpence
Tanner
Gardener street

Question 3

Gender roles in buying winkles

Answer 3

Spatial politics that divided the city along gender lines
Men went to the pubs
Woman stayed at home or lingered in doorways
Contrast between the men and woman

Question 4

Poverty in buying winkles

Answer 4

Spared her a sixpence
Intreguied by Pubs hot interiors

Question 5

Childhood in buying winkles

Answer 5

The journey is like an adventure
Unafraid
Innocent
Unaware
Takes delight in completing the task
Childhood memory
Good memory of her mother

Question 6

Methaphors

Answer 6

The sweetest extra winkle that brought the sea to me

Question 7

What is The Pattern about

Answer 7

The speaker of this poem is afraid of her mother, but more importantly, she is afraid of what she might have in common with her. Paula Meehan’s poetry is heavily influenced by the complexities of family relationships. The Pattern” is about escaping destiny. It is about how we try to separate ourselves from our past mistakes and our parents’ mistakes.

Question 8

Mother daughter relationship in the pattern

Answer 8

Mother and daughter are alike and this causes conflict

Question 9

Roles expected of woman in the pattern

Answer 9

The poet attempts to dissociate herself from the tags that society gives to women. She thinks that had her mother been alive, she would have tried to know her as another human being. The poet is also attempting to show how women are always looked at with respect to the role they play and never as individuals. They are always characterized either as a mother, sister, daughter etc.

Question 10

Poverty in the pattern

Answer 10

Handmade clothes
Council flat
Money in short supply

Question 11

Regret in the pattern

Answer 11

Poet never got to explore a different relationship with her mother

Question 12

Honesty in the pattern

Answer 12

Poet is Honest about her relationship with her mother
Not visiting her grave
The sting of her hand across my face in one of our wars
Struggling to connect

Question 13

Nostalgia in the pattern

Answer 13

Looking back on her childhood and the work her mother did
Making clothes
Scrubbing the floor with sunlight soap
Worked hard

Question 14

Identity in the pattern

Answer 14

The poet imagines in this stanza whether or not her mother ever attempted to identify her true self. She wonders whether she caught a glimpse of her face when she uses the wax. She wonders did her mother ever find a glimpse of herself in the mirror – just like she does.

Question 15

Anecdote in the pattern

Answer 15

Direct speech from the mother brings her alive
When she put makeup and a dress on to go and meet Paula’s da but her grandad caught her and scrubbed all her makeup off

Question 16

Hope I’m the pattern

Answer 16

Poet hopes to espace her reality
Doesn’t want to end up like her mother
Thinking of a world outside Dublin
Longing to expand her boarders
Trying to break free from the pattern

Question 17

Enjambment

Answer 17

Run on line
Creates flow and excitement

Question 18

What is Cora aunty about

Answer 18

strong bond that women share
Her aunty Cora who passed away of cancer

Paula Meehan explores the voices of women who are suffering through immense pain, where often the voices filled with pain are ignored, especially those of women.

Question 19

Relationships in cora aunty

Answer 19

Female relationships within her family
Woman working together supporting each other looking after each other
Love between generation
Strong female presence in the poets life

Question 20

Poverty in Cora aunty

Answer 20

Torn furniture
Emigration
Making the dress

Question 21

Courage and determination in Cora aunty

Answer 21

Faced death in her own way despite suffering
Staring death down
Bottle of Jameson

Question 22

Symbolism of the sequins in Cora aunty

Answer 22

Represent different qualities of Cora
Tim box containing symbols of Cora life in Dublin before she emigrated

Question 23

What is Hearth Lesson about

Answer 23

dysfunctional family
Poverty
Money

socio-economic and cultural issues plaguing families.

Question 24

Poverty in Hearth lesson

Answer 24

Mother does her best with the little money the father brings in
Depending on one wage

Question 25

Relationship in hearth lesson

Answer 25

Within a family Listening to her parents argue Her parents relationship Affected by the lack of money

Question 26

Shock in hearth lessons

Answer 26

She threw the lot in the fire She’d had the last the astonishing word

Question 27

Imagery in hearth lesson

Answer 27

Money burning Flames were blue pink and green Alchemical scene

Question 28

What is prayer for the children of longing about

Answer 28

The youngsters who were addicted to drugs longed for a better life but instead got only suffering. They were exploited by drug dealers and others who only took advantage of them. They were promised everything but got nothing in return. Their lives were filled with darkness but now that they are gone the poet wishes that they find peace. The poet also talks about how the community has failed those youngsters. The lives of those youngsters were lost to crime and violence. Through this poem the poet wants to commemorate those kids, to remember their sufferings. The purpose of the poem is to keep them alive in the memories of the people of the community.

Question 29

Poverty in prayer for the children of longing

Answer 29

Many young people turned to drugs out of boredom lack of education to Escobar a life of poverty

Question 30

Xmas tree prayer for the children of longing

Answer 30

Snow Starlight Fresh air Peacefulness if nature Eco ace form noise

Question 31

City life prayer for children of longing

Answer 31

Contrast with the forest Busy Noisy

Question 32

Prayerful tone children of longing

Answer 32

Prayer like Hope for the future Hopes for those left behind in sorrow and grief

Question 33

Quote for prayer for the children of longing

Answer 33

The needle in its track The knife in the back

Question 34

What is them ducks died for Ireland about

Answer 34

Commemorative poem for 1916 Political serious poem Meehan is commenting on the ironic nature of how the public memorialised the political leaders and the sacrifice of soldiers in military matters while forgetting the foundation of their lives, which is directly linked to nature and healthy environmen

Question 35

Remberence in them ducks dies for Ireland

Answer 35

The hero’s of 2916 are commemorated in statues and memorial but how do we remember the ordinary people who died

Question 36

Role of woman in them ducks died for Ireland

Answer 36

Carers Nureses Woman active in the fight

Question 37

Violence and war in them ducks

Answer 37

Impact of war upon people