Lammas

Question 1

Types of Qs that could come up for Lammas

Answer 1

theme of the supernatural
unusual events
creates fear
creates mystery
creates suspense
creates atmosphere
etc

Question 2

heavy purse
struck so cheap
yields doubled

Answer 2

semantic field of money - anecdote shows us the power of the supernatural being - it brings the man great fortune

Question 3

light heart
heavy purse

Answer 3

linguistic antithesis between light and heavy creates ambiguity - builds atmosphere

Question 4

struck

Answer 4

introduces ideas of violence - key to second stanza

Question 5

the enjambement in ‘I grew fond of company// that knew when to shut up’

Answer 5

Enjambement emphatic of ‘that knew when to shut up’ which creates an uneasy atmosphere
It raises Qs - who didn’t know when to shut up before? (did he kill his wife) and Why do they need to shut up?

Question 6

disturbed from dreams of my dear late wife I hunted down…

Answer 6

plosive alliteration - again a link to violence/threat
the verb hunted - causes us to question his relationship with his late wife (one of aggression?)

Question 7

her torn voice from his pale form
the light from the dark
a cow with leather horns

Answer 7

oxymoronic statements creating a supernatural and ambiguous atmosphere

they also represent the crossing of boundaries (e.g in the light from the dark) which raises Qs as to which boundaries the speaker has crossed - suggestions of a sexual relationship between the man and the hireling

Question 8

analysis for the reading where the man and the hireling might have a sexual relationship

Answer 8

As this was set in traditional catholic Irish society they would have had very stereotypical views of homosexuality - one party was masculine and the other was feminine

the use of male and female terms in oxymoronic statements such as ‘ her torn voice to his pale form’ and ‘a cow with leather horns’ may suggest the sexual relationship between the two

Moreover, the fact that the hireling was ‘stark-naked’ raises similar suspicions

Question 9

enjambement in ‘I levelled//and blew the small hour through his heart’

Answer 9

the enjambement creates a dramatic pause and emphasises the fact that he killed the hireling

the minimalistic description makes the killing of the supernatural seem callous and easy

Question 10

its yellow witness

Answer 10

creates a gothic atmosphere - unease etc

Question 11

his lovely head
I carried him

Answer 11

contrasts the callous killing with care and affection - ambiguity

Question 12

the sack that grew lighter

Answer 12

motif of light weight running throughout

Question 13

enj in ‘there was no// splash.’

Answer 13

emphatic of the fact there was no splash
raises Qs about if it was the supernatural, was there a body at all?

we can’t trust his narration - creates ambiguity and unease

Question 14

casting ball from half-crowns

Answer 14

structural parallel
now being punished - money being taken away that was originally gained by the hireling

the fact he is creating bullets could also lead to his fear of the supernatural

Question 15

It’s been an hour since my last confession

Answer 15

his voice of doubt causes us to ask questions

atmosphere of fear/uncertainty etc