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Michael Longley The Butchers

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Michael Longley The Butchers

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    1. Amber Pechacek Page 280 Michael Longley “The Butchers”

    2. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1939 Educated at Royal Belfast Academical Institution Went on to teach in Belfast and London Director for Literature and the Traditional Arts for the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Has published over a dozen collections of poetry Married to Edna Longley, critic, and they have three children Michael Longley History

    3. Received the Whitbread Poetry Award  in 1991 Received the T.S. Eliot Prize in 2001 and 2004 On September 6, 2007, he was named the Professor of Poetry for Ireland Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry in 2001 Awards and Honors

    4. Uses myth and classical stories to express contemporary issues Strong attachment to nature and the landscapes of Ireland Focus on the dichotomy of nature with the urban Belfast life Other comparisons are: war and peace and life and death Greatly influenced by WWI and WWII; His father fought in both Best known for his poem “Ceasefire” Style

    5. Contemporary language about Homer’s classic story “The Odyssey” Longley describes the scene when Odysseus slays Penelope’s suitors Loose Metric Free Verse Whole Poem (28 Lines) is only ONE sentence No Stanzas Style of “The Butchers”

    6. Linked to the infamous Shankill Butchers Loyalist group from Belfast, Northern Ireland During the 1970’s, conducted “paramilitary activities” Catholics were abducted, tortured, and murdered (by throat slashing) Motivated by religious conflict and personal grudges No one turned anyone in for the crimes Eventually, most of the gang was prosecuted and sent to jail Inspiration for “The Butchers”

    7. Clip from The Odyssey

    13. Strong Imagery “Their heads bobbing in a row, their feet twitching but not for long” Alliterations “Like fish that fishermen with fine-meshed nets” Rich with Similes “like long-winged thrushes” “like a clergyman might wave the supernatural baton” “like bats gibbering in the nooks of their mysterious cave” Poem Analysis

    14. Only one sentence because it is one moment described in 28 lines Relates barbaric behavior of so long ago (The Odyssey) to equally barbaric behavior of Ireland in the 1970’s (The Shankhill Killers). Comparison between man and nature Odysseus like a lion The women are doves The souls of the dead are like bats People are animals, savage, and barbaric This relates to his feelings on war Poem Analysis

    15. Longley, Edna. The Bloodaxe Book of 20th Century Poetry. Bloodaxe Books: Northumberland, 2000. Patten, Eve. “Michael Longley.” Contemporary Writers. 2002. Web. Accessed 15 April 2010. The Odyssey. Dir. Andri? Sergeevich. Mikhalkov-Konchalovskii?. Perf. Armand Assante, Greta Scacchi. 1997. “Shankhill Butchers.” Wikipedia. Web. Accessed 15 April 2010. 2009. Sources

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