Final Project: Fighting For Ownership, Belonging, & Identity

So here it is...my final project with my paper included. As previously noted, you have to go to my google doc page in order to download my slideshow as it is too large to appropriately upload or email. So here is the link. It's been really great working with everyone, I've really enjoyed this class.

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B3bQbfhPFELPMDVkZDU0MTgtY2RmNS00Zjc4LWI1OWItYmU0Mjg4NWViM2E3&hl=en


Marie Brick
Colleen Booker
Eng 263
18 May 2010

Fighting For Ownership, Belonging, and Identity: A Tale of Ireland
Throughout this semester we have read many novels and literary critiques regarding works from Irish or Anglo-Irish authors. It has been very interesting since these novels are unlike any I had previously read. One of the things that really struck me is that all the novels and critiques can be seen as interrelated as they frequently have many similar themes. For me, the biggest themes have been those related to ownership, belonging, and identity.
The first reading we discussed was David Lloyd’s “Violence and the Constitution of the Novel”. From the very beginning of this semester it became clear that violence and the idea of a subaltern group would be a major part of the Irish novel. In order to really understand the Irish novel it became apparent that one would definitely need to understand the history of this country. In doing so, the themes of ownership, belonging and identity become clearer and easier to understand as to why they are such a focus in these novels.
The next book that we read this semester and the author made a big impression on me throughout the semester. Maria Edgeworth’s “Castle Rackrent” was such an interesting book because of the style of writing and the complicated underlying meanings of what was written. Additionally, Edgeworth’s own background became a fascinating topic for me in trying to understand why she wrote this book and what she really meant. “Castle Rackrent” really brought about the idea of ownership and the struggles associated with it in Ireland, as well as, understanding your identity and where you belong. I found the last few pages of this book to be very telling and one of my favorite passages discusses the ideas of ownership, belonging and identity as follows:
“If you want to know any more, I’m not very well able to tell you; but my lady Rackrent did not die, as was expected of her, but was only disfigured in the face ever after by the fall and bruises she got; and she and Jason, immediately after my poor master’s death, set about going to law about that jointure; the memorandum not being on stamped paper, some say it is worth nothing, others again it may do; others say, Jason won’t have the lands at any rate. Many wishes it so; for my part, I’m tired wishing for anything in this world, after all I’ve seen in it – but I’ll say nothing; it would be a folly to be getting myself ill-will in my old age” (Edgeworth 121).
This passage really says it all. It discusses the struggles surrounding ownership of the land between Jason and lady Rackrent. The comment about “many wishes it so” could be seen as the issues related to identity and belonging. It is possible that the Irish and Anglo-Irish gentry wish for the lands to remain in the hands of lady Rackrent while the “subaltern” groups of native Irish tenant farmers wish to see one of their own able to “make it” and keep the lands. Additionally, while reading this novel, I personally was of the opinion that Edgeworth was on the side of the native Irish and identifying herself more with that part of her heritage. However, after reading the article by Susan Egenolf, “Maria Edgeworth in Blackface”; I was no longer sure about which side Edgeworth was on. The only thing that did remain clear was that Edgeworth’s novel was indeed discussing the ideas of ownership, belonging, and identity.
In this article my favorite question is asked, “Whose land is it and what right do they have to it?” (Egenolf 854). These questions point out the main issue surrounding a lot of initial violence in Ireland. Constant fighting over who “owns” or “rules” the land can be seen dating back as early at 8000 BC. Another of my favorite passages regarding ownership and belonging came from the article by Sara Maurer, “Disowning to own: Maria Edgeworth and the illegitimacy of national ownership - Irish nationalism in the works of Maria Edgeworth - Critical Essay”. This article was the one I used as my online artifact project. The following passages clearly discuss the themes I’ve been discussing:
“Yet unlike the paintings, romantic ruins, and "recovered" manuscripts that can belong both to past and present in Scott's novels, the objects of the Irish national tale are the subject of current property disputes that an appeal to the past only complicates. If the nation is an inheritance, perpetually owed to its descendants, Ireland's problem lies in being owed to more than one line” (Maurer).
“The paradox of inheritance in Ireland, then, is that it can not be owned by its Anglo-Irish holders, since they illegitimately seized it from the Irish children to whom it was owed. On the other hand, Ireland cannot be given up by its Anglo-Irish holders, who already owe the land to their children” (Maurer).

These two are essentially what inspired me to do this creative project regarding ownership, belonging and identity. Both passages above discuss the issues surrounding rightful ownership of land and in Ireland the idea of “the land as the inheritance”. In my creative project, I wanted to use music and images to portray the constant struggles in claiming ownership of property and the right to rule the land as well as looking at the struggles to belong to a group and understand one’s identity. Many of the images in my project are of objects, places, or people who represent Irish culture as it evolved through its many owners. Starting with the Celts, the Vikings, the Normans, the English, and finally back to those considered “Irish”.
In portraying the ideas of belonging and identity, I tried to use images that showed native Irish and some of their struggles such as famine leading to loss of identity and belonging, especially in death or emigration. Also the image of the half-way house in my mind signified the struggles with alcohol abuse which was common in Ireland and often leads to or stems from a sense of lost identity and belonging. Finally, the images related to the intra-national battle between the unionists and the loyalists and that of the rural farmers trying to “catch up” portrays additional and ongoing struggles for the Irish in determining their current identity and where they belong.
The music selections are two of my favorite songs from the group Celtic Woman. The first song, “Dulamon”, is sung in Gaelic and I just love the sound of the language. I chose that for the first part of the presentation as it reminded me of the more native and early Irish people and times. In looking up the actual meaning of the song, it is related to collection of Irish seaweed for the purposes of eating or dying clothes. The story in the song is about the daughter of one seaweed collector eloping with another seaweed collector. The song’s actual meaning isn’t as closely related to the presentation as I had envisioned, but I still think it serves its purpose in conjuring up images of native Irish culture and the land that was once theirs.
The second song is called “The Voice” from the same group. I chose this song for the second part of the presentation because the lyrics are all about listening to “the voice” which I interpret to mean the voice of Ireland, the voice of the land. The song clearly discusses the troubled past, famine, bloodshed, and the need for peace as well as looking to the future. To me, this song is the epitome of understanding your belonging and identity.
So many of the books read this semester dealt with these themes. The idea of understanding your identity was seen in Dorian Gray’s character as well as Basil’s character. Patrick Braden struggled throughout the novel, “Breakfast on Pluto” to fully come to terms with his identity as either a man or a woman as well as his struggle to find a place that he belonged…a home and a family. In “The Gathering”, Veronica has a hard time understanding who she really is, where she belongs, and why she feels and acts the way she does. In “Carmilla”, Carmilla herself finds her own identity as a source of negativity that must be kept a secret because of whom and what she is. And finally, in “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” Stephen struggles to find his identity but struggles even more to find where he belongs and what “group” he belongs to.
As previously stated, the themes of ownership, belonging and identity can be seen in all of the books read this semester. The Irish novel is a very unique style of literature that has been heavily influenced by Ireland’s history and culture. The very things that have been fought over for centuries remain as the very things that make Ireland such a fascinating place and unique culture. I have thoroughly enjoyed this class, this project, and learning so much about Ireland.

Works Cited
Edgeworth, Maria. Castle Rackrent. London: Penguin Group, 1992. Print.
Egenolf, Susan B. Maria Edgeworth in Blackface: Castle Rackrent and the Irish Rebellion of
1798. Project Muse. Web. 18 May 2010.
Enright, Anne. The Gathering. New York: Black Cat, 2007. Print.
Evans, E. Estyn, et al. The Irish World. London: Thames & Hudson, 1977. Print.
Joyce, James. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. New York: Penguin Group, 2003. Print.
Lloyd, David. Anomalous States. Durham: Duke University Press, 1993. Web. 18 May 2010.
McCabe, Patrick. Breakfast on Pluto. New York: HarperPerennial, 1998. Print.
Maurer, Sara L. Disowning to Own: Maria Edgeworth and the Illegitimacy of National
Ownership - Irish Nationalism in the Works of Maria Edgeworth - Critical Essay. Criticism. 22 Nov. 2002. FindArticles.com. Web. 9 Feb. 2010.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2220/is_4_44/ai_102981644/?tag=content;col1
Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print.

Rough draft hopefully not too rough

So…I’m only about 58 hours late in my post of my rough draft!!! I’m realizing now that I should have just posted a few slides of what I had; however, I’ve learned that I really can’t post a PowerPoint presentation with sound to Blogger. Trust me…I’ve tried and tried and tried!! In addition, I’ve cried, lost my temper, gone giddy, panicked, and last night pulled an all nighter (which I haven’t done since I was an undergrad and I’m way too old to not get any sleep). So, I apologize if my post is rambling as I have been working on this project for a while now and actually for about 23 hours straight now. I’ve downloaded all sorts of great gadgets and tools for PowerPoint and Blogger…none of which have helped me at all. So in the end all I’m able to do is post this link to my Google documents page where my slide show is being held. You will need to click the download button (it is a rather large file so it will take a while and it will say that it can’t scan for viruses…download it anyway, I promise I’m not sending anyone a virus). If you click open, it should automatically open up PowerPoint for you. Just click the full screen viewer or view slide show (whichever you prefer) and make sure you have sound on as well. Please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions for changes or if it even makes sense. I’m drinking coffee now so I should be awake for a while as I have more homework to do and plenty of house cleaning to get done. Thanks for listening to my ranting…and please, please post your comments on my blog (the good, the bad, and the ugly…I can take it)!!

PS. I’m also going to try to send this to everyone in an email since I’ve no idea if this link is really going to work…

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B3bQbfhPFELPMDVkZDU0MTgtY2RmNS00Zjc4LWI1OWItYmU0Mjg4NWViM2E3&hl=en

Addendum: Reflections
I was too busy feeling sorry for myself from my frustrations that I totally forgot about the reflections part. I have to say this has been one of my favorite classes ever. I've always been a major fan of Ireland and the Irish people, but now even more so. I also feel a stronger connection to understanding some of my own family history and that was a great experience. Additionally, even though from my ranting above it may not seem like it, I love technology and learning how to use new programs and stuff so the idea of blogging was great. Honestly at first I wasn't sold on the idea before we started blogging, but I quickly changed my mind. So thanks for opening me up to yet another new experience and all the new perspectives. Great class, great instructor, and great classmates...now on to graduation on Sunday...WhoooHoooo!!!!

A family's crisis...a nation's crisis

Well, I find parts of this book interesting, with funny comments and then there are parts that make me so horribly uncomfortable I find it difficult to finish. But here we are to talk about it anyway.

This book, like so many others we’ve read this semester, is often so vague that it almost makes the point but not quite. What I mean is that these novels all seem to skirt around the issues they are trying to address. It’s like they can never really just come out and say what they want to say. Instead they insinuate and talk in circles leaving the reader to have to “connect the dots” so to speak. The trouble with this is that sometimes as a reader, you’re not completely sure you’re getting the right message. At least that’s my problem.

Looking at the question Colleen posted regarding the quote,

"This is what shame does. This is the anatomy and mechanism of a family--a whole fucking country--drowning in shame” (Enright p. 168).

I read and re-read this page, this chapter and the one prior trying to fully understand what the major issues were. What I got out of it was really the issues of drinking, molestation, and then the complete lack of acknowledgement that there was an issue. To me it sounds like Veronica is talking about the problems with sex and molestation. Especially in the quote at the end of chapter 25,

“-if I hadn’t been listening to the radio, and reading the paper, and hearing about what went on in schools and churches and in people’s homes. It went on slap-bang in front of me and still I did not realize it. And for this, I am very sorry too” (Enright p. 172-173).

It’s this horrific problem that is going on right in front of everyone that seems to go unnoticed, but really just goes on ignored. People don’t talk about it, don’t try to fix it; they simply feel ashamed, disgusted, and often drink their way around the real issues.

Again I think this whole situation of not acknowledging the problems can be seen in many of the books we’ve read so far. In “Carmilla” Laura and her father couldn’t seem to acknowledge that the problem was Mircalla until it was almost too late. In “Dorian Gray”, just about everyone was in denial of the circumstances. In “Castle Rackrent”, the Rackrent’s just ignored their problems hoping they would disappear and even in discussing Edgeworth herself, she seemed to struggle with acknowledging her own status acting like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It’s really an issue of turning a blind eye to a situation that isn’t going to go away without being addressed. Perhaps there is even some correlation between that concept and the overall and ongoing issues between England and Ireland; the loyalists and the unionists. Pretending there isn’t an issue or that there never was a problem does NOT make the situation better.

Not sure if this all makes sense, but just some of my ideas on this topic.