Obtained from Wikipedia.com
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
(McNeil) Nerves towards the North
Yesterday we watched the Michael Collins movie which takes place during the time of the Easter Rising when the Irish people are fighting to obtain an Irish Republic separate from England. The movie really helped to clarify what was actually going on at the time and was very insightful but I can't help to think if the tension today, in the present still exist. Obviously we have been informed that it is and we've been told that even though it is marching season we have little to worry about, but still I can't help but to think does being in Belfast pose any sort of threat to us. The tension today, so we have been told, is mainly between the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. Well ya see, I'm Catholic myself and though I as a Catholic have faced discrimination before because of the small, idiotic "podunk" town I live in, I still can't help but to wonder what it will be like once we arrive there. Will the tension be severe enough for us to notice it or will we get there and go about our business and see nothing unusual. Part of me kind of wants something to happen while we are there just so we can say we were a part of history (obviously nothing that would be a threat to our lives) still it would be interesting to see first hand what the tension is like. Questions of how different will things be there come to mind and even though we are still in Ireland we will be technically entering a completely different government, totally different rule. They use a different currency and have different laws, I wonder if this is anything like North and South Korea or how Berlin had been separated by the Berlin wall in the past. I have a feeling Belfast will bring quite a bit to our lives once we arrive.
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Caroline, I would guess that you will be seen as a tourist, not as a member of a religious group. You don't live in Belfast, you don't have an Belfast Catholic accent (yes, it is a little different from Belfast Protestant accent), so you will hardly be noticed. You might comment a bit more on your own experience of discrimination--to say "podunk town" whets the reader's interest, but you don't respond to that interest. If you say today, you do not have to add in the present, and remember that which in line one is a non-restrictive clause and requires a comma--look it up in a grammar book.
ReplyDeleteI think Belfast will be quite interesting to see too. An introduction about the tensions of Belfast and its history could help organize the piece more and bring the reader onto your terms.
ReplyDeleteWatch out for your mechanics. Surely, your fears arise from more than Michael Collins. Tell us more about what you know about Belfast. Like Danielle, I think more history would add to the piece.
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