The Black Lace Fan My Mother Gave Me by Eavan Boland Flashcards
Why was the black lace fan special to Boland’s mother?
“It was the first gift he ever gave her”
Using quotes, describe the setting of ‘The Black Lace Fan My Mother Gave Me’ by Eavan Boland
“pre-war Paris”
“a starless drought made the nights stormy”
“It was stifling”
How does Boland give us an insight into he parents’ persoalities in ‘The Black Lace Fan My Mother Gave Me’?
“She was always early.
He was late.”
`What are the themes in ‘The Black Lace Fan My Mother Gave Me’ by Eavan Boland?
○Time
○Memory and imagination
○Relationships
○Conflict
Give examples of conflict in ‘The Black Lace Fan My Mother Gave Me’ by Eavan Boland
○”nights stormy”
○”She thought the distance smelled of rain and lightning”
○The “tortoiseshell” and the “inference of its violation”
Describe the structure of ‘The Black Lace Fan My Mother Gave Me’ by Eavan Boland
○No regular rhyme, but she does use end rhyme for an effect in the final stanza
○Short sentences
Give examples of alliteration in ‘The Black Lace Fan My Mother Gave Me’ by Eavan Boland
gift/gave
five francs
stifling/starless/stormy
What effect does the repetition in stanza three (‘They stayed’, ‘They met’, ‘They wrapped’, ‘He was late’, ‘He looked’, ‘She looked’, ‘She ordered’, ‘She stood’, ‘She thought’) have on the poem?
It gives a sense of distance and tension
What is the final line of ‘The Black Lace Fan My Mother Gave Me’ by Eavan Boland?
“…Suddenly she puts out her wing -
the whole, full, flirtatious span of it”
“There are wild …
“There are wild roses, appliqued on silk by hand,
darkly picked, stitched boldly, quickly.
The rest is tortoiseshell”
“a worn..
“a worn-out, underwater bullion”
“And no way…
“And no way to know what happened then -
none at all - unless, of course, you improvise”
“She looked down…
“She looked down the Boulevard des Capucines.
She ordered more coffee. She stood up.
The streets were emptying. The heat was killing.
She thought the distance smelled of rain and lightning”
