Belfast Confetti

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Belfast Confetti’by Ciaran Carson describes a speaker watching the live scene after the riot between the shipyard workers, who were the Protestants, and the Catholics.

Belfast Confetti - Poetry Archive

The poet has also used the present tense to portray a live scene of what he went through during the time he witnessed the violence.

The narrator’s inability to ‘complete a sentence in [his] head’ is a metaphor for the chaos and irrationality of the riot and the disorientating effect this is having on his composure. They may also imitate the irregular heartbeat of people in shock and fear as a result of the street fighting. Ciaran has beautifully used different punctuation in a very carefree and freestyle manner to put the most contemporary effect on the hearts of the readers.

Ciaran Carson – Belfast Confetti | Genius

Belfast Confetti is a poem about the aftermath of a sectarian riot in Belfast by Northern Irish poet and translator Ciarán Carson. Belfast Confetti’ shows the theme of conflict through the use of punctuation marks, diction, and narrative technique. Belfast Confetti creates a sense of place through the use of proper nouns close proper noun Refers to a person, place or the name of an organisation or brand. In these times conflict between both religious groups was harsh and frequent – hence, the violent connotations which Carson captures.According to Carson, the poem is set in August 1969 during the Troubles, a violent conflict that took place in Northern Ireland during the late 20th century. By reading this poem, one can easily understand the pain that the scene and the riot must have caused to the poet. The following poems similarly showcase the themes included in Ciaran Carson’s haunting lyric ‘Belfast Confetti’. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development.

Writing a response - Belfast Confetti - CCEA - GCSE English Writing a response - Belfast Confetti - CCEA - GCSE English

The “Saracen” is a reference to the tanks used by the riot police to disperse the mob from the situation. Use our GCSE poetry lesson on Belfast Confetti alongside your existing lesson plans or jump straight in with exam prep! In this line, the phrase, “Nuts, bolts, nails, car-keys” hints at the scrap metals used as weapons by the Protestants during the “Troubles” in Ireland. Yet, he is simply unable to forgive himself and whenever he travels back in time, the first thing that comes to his mind is his inability to help people during the riot.He uses a first-person narrative technique to describe the events during the Troubles in Belfast from the perspective of a person who was there at that time. He has used punctuationto symbolize missiles that Protestants used during this riot, which was against the Catholic crowd in Belfast. Youcoulddowith'TheManHeKilled'throughthesenseofbeingfoesand'APoisonTree'notbeingabletocommunicatetheiremotionsastheypreviouslyhaddoneandfeelingremorsefulunlikein'TheManHeKilled'hewondersandattemptstojustifyhisactions.