Evan Boland Lesson 2

Evan Boland Lesson 2

Evan Boland

Let's Review Our Prior Knowledge!

Open Ended

Please write three points about the poet Evan Boland. What did we learn yesterday?

Multiple Choice

Which one of these is NOT a theme we are expecting to see in Bolands poetry?

• Motherhood

• Irish History

• Covid 19

This Moment

• ■The poem describes an ordinary suburban street: “A neighbourhood. At dusk”. A light is on in one of the houses, making the window seem ”yellow as butter”. There is an apple tree that looks “black” in the falling darkness.

  
  

  
  

This Moment

■This seems like a quiet and uneventful scene. It strikes us as peaceful but also maybe a little dull – there seems to be little dramatic or engaging taking place.  

Open Ended

Read the poem again. Describe the imagery evoked.

■However, in spite of this initial impression, the poet assures us that “Things are getting ready / to happen / out of sight”.

■Moths lurk in the street’s hidden places, preparing for flight. When it gets dark enough they will flutter through the neighbourhood.

• ■The stars, too, are “out of sight” for the moment. But when its gets dark enough they will suddenly become visible in the sky above the neighbourhood.

  ■The poet also mentions the apples that hang hidden in the tree’s branches. She beautifully describes how the apples’ skins curve around the sweet inner flesh: “rinds slanting around fruit”. 

Poll

I feel that the mood of this poem so far is..

• joyous

• lonesome

• depressing

• angry