Trojan Sofa Flashcards
“I’m not scared - just have some what-if knots in my gut. What if they have a dog. Or a burglar alarm - with laser beams like they have in the movies.”
Shows that he is actually afraid of the position he is putting himself in.
Niall has a childish imagination - shows that there may still be hope that he will get to be a child/innocent.
“My Da sells anything and everything.”
Niall lacks focus and is easily distracted.
“And that’d be my Da clued in.”
- acceptance of his dad’s crimes
- naive to what his dad is doing
“I know there’ll not be much turning around in the foreseeable future.”
the child is trapped in the conflict which shows no ending in the near future.
“I got the highest marks of anybody in Northern Ireland. Smart boy.”
Suggests that even the intelligent can not break free from the vicious cycle of violence, hatred etc.
“He has very strong opinions, has my Da. A war is two sides, one against the other, he says. It’s as simple as that. The wrong done to this country was so great that we can do anything in retaliation. If it’s done against the Brits, it’s O.K. by him.”
Niall trusts everything his dad says and doesn’t challenge his views/authority.
Niall isn’t prepared to understand the complexities of war, and is only focused on the divisive element of war.
To seek his Da’s approval, he must share the same views as him.
“The wrong done to this country was so great that we can do anything in retaliation.” - emphasising that he really does believe that the Protestants deserve anything they get - there is no limitation to the pain/suffering he feels should be inflicted upon them.
” I Stanley-knife my way out and open the door. My Da and Uncle Eamon are sitting there in the van smiling.”
juxaposition - they are happy that he is following in their path
“And it’s one up for old Ireland.”
- sadly he already sees it as just a game
- he is not thinking for himself but is doing his dad’s bidding
“I’d never force anybody to do something like this-never mind one of my own. But I must say it is for Ireland.”
- convinced his son that he is doing it for his own good and would never make him do anything he didn’t want to do
- he clearly doesn’t have a choice as he doesn’t want to upset his dad.
“And went on and on and on.”
repetition - bored of monotony of the situation
suggests no time of stopping
“stop the exercising” “the penny drops”
- naive/innocence
- suggests his dad is corrupting him/sacrificing his childhood in the process
“The news is the usual boring stuff.”
disinterested on what is happening currently
“Boohoo. Lend me a hankie.”
lacks empathy or pity for others
is so used to this cruelty and violence that it is no longer a suprise or new to him
“he’ll be one of ours.”
divisive casualities on both sides - only ones that are relevant are those with the same views
“This must have been what it was like ‘durin the war’. All the old ones at the stalls talk about ‘durin the war’. They never stop.”
reflects on the war
