Introduction to Eavan Boland

Boland is introduced to us as one of the most important poets in modern Irish literature. She is commended for her interest in womens liberationist issues throughout her work, in particular the role of women society. In her meter she expresses a more accurate glance on the contributions and achievements of women in Irish history. Bolands early poetrys were approximately domestic issues such as marriage and children. Boland alike showed an interest in the role of women in Irish literature and society. In Child of our time Boland introduces us to the theme of motherhood and dealing with the evil of contend.The features of the this meter atomic number 18 important to interpreting what Boland is saying, she uses end-rhyme. The tint of Bolands poetry must also be considered, the overall the tone is shocked, but that it is up to us to do something about it. There is a sense of deep hurt engendered in the last line of the second stanza, you fallen. The first stanza has a sad, re gretful tone while there is anger in the use of the intelligence informationmurder. The images of caring for a child in the second stanza are conveyed in a tone of tenderness. The background to the poem is that it was written in response to the death of a child killed in a Dublin bombing in May 74.Boland may also have been prompted by a newspaper publisher photograph showing a fireman tenderly lifting a dead child from the debris slumber in a foundation your final sleep has woken. This is the final line of the poem and it is one of consent and prayer. The initial image here is of the child waking up in a world where it go out sleep peacefully and undisturbed, possibly heaven? As a poet she touches issues of concern and hopes that she can make a difference she cleverly points out that it is the adults job to teach the child, but in position it is the child that has taught the adults a lesson.We see a how Boland continues with the theme of war and violence The war ply, this p oem was written in the early 70s during the violence in northern Ireland. The context of this poem lies in the title. the war horse is a powerful horse ridden in war by a knight. In the poem the war horse is a large beast that has strayed from the traveller site. At first you may conceive of that the poem is filled with bloody battles but the first two couplets eliminate the likelihood of this. She is comparing the horse to violence in Northern Ireland.The horse intruding into the suburb she lives in, like a rumor of war, huge, dark is like the intrusion of violence into Northern, and to a greater extent, Irish life. Boland even uses such words as a maimed limb as comparisons to gardens uprooted to make the comparison more concrete. I lift the windowpane As the poem continues Boland describes how she is left to observe the damage, Only a rose which instantaneously will never climb.. only a crocus its bulbous head The rose and crocus have both been destroyed, but the rose is expe ndable life will continue with or without it.We are able see what message Boland is trying to convey as she mentions the Line of defence and the volunteer that symbolise the rose and crocus. She is aware of having escaped violence and that she is now safe but she also knows that war involves fierce commitment. She speaks of a fear of commitment a fear of the threat of war. Boland is making us ask the hard questions here, why should we care? Based on the above text it is clear to see how Boland is a valuable poet to Irish literature, she discusses relevant issues of the time and feels the extremity for change.Bolands poetry is its link to her life. This including of a personal perspective in her poetry allows us to use her biographical details to understand and view the poem. In my own opinion that her views on life, war and death are relative to all eras, even though the poems are about the troubles the situations can be compared to war world wide whether its world war one, or th e war in Iraq, everybody can learn from Bolands poetry. For these reasons I introduce you to the poetry of Eavan Boland.