Thursday, September 22, 2011
Ivy Day in the Committee Room
Note: Charles Stewart Parnell was a great nineteenth century leader in Ireland, and fought in Parliament, with great but incomplete effectiveness, for Irish people to allowed to rule themselves. He withstood different attacks that left him looking all the more heroic. However, he had an affair with a married woman, and this led to the Catholic Church in Ireland attacking him; this attack led to great division in Ireland between the pro-Church faction and the pro-Parnell faction.
At the time of the story, Parnell has been dead for some time. "Ivy Day" was an annual day of remembrance, on October 6, for Parnell by his supporters. In the story, the day occurs on the same day as a parliamentary election, and the characters are people working for a political party in Dublin, Ireland. Some of them may be full-time; some have been hired for the day.
1. How would you describe the atmosphere in this story?
2. If you had to identify a climax in this story, where would you locate it?
3. Would you describe this story as more objective, or more pro-Parnell?
4. Is there any aspect of the story that could be interpreted as symbolic? Discuss.
5.Or comment on an apect of the story of your own choosing.
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The atmosphere in the story "Ivy Day in the Committee Room" is dense. All of the characters seem on edge, and uptight. There is a great sense of anticipation and unease about them. The characters seem not to entirely trust one-another and this tension is present throughout the story.
ReplyDeleteAll of the characters happen to be men. These men are politically active and opinionated. They believe in their own personal causes to such a degree that the seriousness with which they move about their lives and careers prevails throughout the story. Sometimes, people who feel very strongly about something (political or otherwise) can seem almost close-minded and hardened. These men have a sense of desperation for their ideas and opinions to come to fruition. Unfortunately not everyone's ideas can become a reality.
The Committee Room and the concept of the Committee Room is symbolic of the difficulties portrayed in this time period, involving politics. For example, these men are supposed to be pushing forward from their history, and ensuring that their history does not repeat itself negatively. Instead of continuing to recompense for their past, they choose to brood about paltry issues. The Committee Room in the past has been the place for the discussion of Irish politics, and has in the past been known for betrayal and problems with not being able to stay true to their beliefs. This forces Parnell out of the public eye and ruins his career. Despite the fact that such drastic betrayal is not repeating itself, the Committee Room still has the same issues. For example, Henchy outwardly supports Tierney, but behind closed doors thinks he is nefarious and "tricky". This shows that the "politics within politics" is still very much alive, and the betrayal of the committee room, and theme of not learning from history prevails.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, this was quite a difficult story for me to comprehend...but after reading over it a few times i feel that the atmosphere in the committee room is very "non-caring." The group of men that gather in this room show little to no enthusiasm toward the candidate that they are supposed to be supporting, and instead bicker with each other throughout the entire story. This story is a good example of how the past shapes the present, but also that some people living in the present fail to correct their wrong doings.
ReplyDeleteThe men in the story dwell so much in the past that little to no positive action takes place. It seems to me that the men in the committee room are very "inactive" in politics and they seem to use language that prevents them from committing to anything. They seem to just sit there bickering, and harshly criticizing one another.
I think this story has a turning point when Hynes recites his "poem." At this point in the story i feel like the men decide to reflect on their contribution to politics and at this moment they honor Parnell. The men then sit there for a minute feeling guilty in essence, and they suddenly realize that they shouldn't be the one's to lead the charge.
I think this story represents how difficult it is to keep specific beliefs alive throughout the years. The men have met in the Committee Room which used to be full of life and excitement, but is now dull and full of bickering and disagreement. This downfall in Irish politics is connected to the betrayal of Parnell. As Parnell's career was destroyed, so was hope for the following generations in politics. It is true that the past shapes the present, but only if one allows himself to learn from past mistakes.
ReplyDeleteI think the fact that these men are so independent and bitter towards each other creates tension. The men are constantly disagreeing, complaining, changing their views on various subjects, and more slightly annoying things.
I agree with Elli, this story was not the easiest for me to read through. But, as I concentrated, a couple things about the conversation and style of writing caught my attention. The first was that these men's conversation was as difficult to follow as a group of teenage girls. They jumped from topic to topic, barely leaving room to breathe in between. They also did not refrain from talking about other men, and not always in a positive manner. As the night progressed, the men seemed to become more and more like teenagers to me.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that was interesting to me was the style in which the story was written. Being a theater major, I have been exposed to many plays and musicals, and script writing is very familiar to me. The way that the author describes the actions of these men is remarkably similar to stage directions that an actor notes in a script. Just one example of this writing occurs toward the end, "Mr. Lyons jumped off the table, went to the fire, took his bottle and carried it back to the table." The way that the author states the actions of Mr.Lyons are so simplistic that they are more like commands. In a script this would be written something like, "Jump off table, go to fire, take bottle and carry it back to table." The two sentences are very similar. It leaves me wondering why the author bothered to include the sentence, as it is so simple, and could be skimmed over so easily, that it does not seem entirely significant to the story.
After reading this short story, I believe the atmosphere in the Committee Room is very argumentative. The men seem to be very caught up on the subject of social classes and sides during their discussions.
ReplyDeleteIt also appears as though the climax is when Mr. Lyons asks about the "address to the King". This seems to stir up some more heated conversation, which leads to the comparison between King Edward and Parnell's "cases". After this, Mr. Hynes recites "The Death of Parnell" to the small crowd in the Committee Room. One could argue, however, that this moment is the climax because the room grows silent, for once, after Mr. Hynes finishes the poem. Everyone in the room is momentarily thinking about the poem, and remembering Parnell in some way.
Of the utterly small amount of this story that was readable to me, I caught on to an atmosphere of bitterness. They all talk about other men behind their backs in a passive aggressive way. In addition, the men begin to discuss how working men should be paid more, and that they are justified. There is much irony in this, seeing as the men sit around and discuss issues which they can hardly relate to themselves. When the minister drops in the room, he seems to be the one man they can talk about without having opinions. However, they soon begin speaking about drinking again.
ReplyDeleteAside from the men's discussions and debates is the poem. It most definitely represents a climax in the story and finally represents a mutual feeling.
I find the whole scene within the lounge area to be symbolic. To me, the content of the conversation, and the atmosphere it has created is symbolic of the state of Britain and Ireland during Parnell's time. The main problem of these characters is their inability to hold onto one solid thing that they believe in. After some research i discovered that a situation similar to this that consisted of irish politicians that ended up ruining the career of Parnell in the 1800s. Like them, our characters beliefs, on even mundane subjects, constantly change as well. For example, Henchy seems to be very critical of Tierney during the story, but will constantly defend him when he is questioned by other people in the room. This is symbolic of the Irish politicians split thoughts on Parnell. One minute he is a war hero, the next he is a sinner.
ReplyDeleteThe whole atmosphere of the story is very relaxed and nonchalant, yet at the same time all the men are on their guards just slightly. The discuss politics with such vigor throughout the whole night. I find it interesting that the men are so gossipy. They are trash talking people for much of the story, yet they still always go back to their serious political discussion. In a way this story is a very petty one because these men each have a very individual sense of pride in themselves and the whole conversation is each of them defending or attacking someone's in some way. The men also seem very bitter and this especially comes through when they would discuss the man that would later join them. They seem almost jealous and annoyed with him, and he seems to think himself a cut above the company. It's almost like a sly battle of wits in a very casual setting so that the opponent would be unsuspecting. All of the men have a competitive edge to their language choices and the most fervent attacks are almost always said in the most casual of manners. The story is essentially a battle of wits over drinks.
ReplyDeleteThis whole story is ironic, and the characters are just pathetic! The politicians are chatting about the most random subjects- about either their family lives or their preferences for political leaders. These men chat so much about this that no constructive action takes place concerning elections.
ReplyDeleteHenchy is by far the most pathetic character in the story. Henchy not only constantly changes his opinions on political leaders, but demonstrates that he is guilty of betrayal of Parnell.
The whole gathering of these men is so ironic- concerning the title- Ivy Day in the Committee Room. The other men openly contradict themselves by saying that their needs to be a plan of action, even though they do nothing- and seldom even discuss elections.
The references about the priest being a black sheep further shows the turmoil of the country at this time; not only can nothing get done politically, but there seems to be doubt/lack of a belief system.
The purpose of this short story is that we must no be hypocritical and that we must take action if we want to accomplish something. These men clearly do not learn from past mistakes, and get nothing accomplished. The reason for the country’s downfall is the lack of action. I think that the part of the title “in the Committee Room” shows that what ever work that actually gets done-which isn’t much at all- will only stay in the committee room. They are not leaders at all because they cannot work together effectively to accomplish the country’s needs, take a course of action, or spread ideas to the public.
This story could definitely be described as symbolic, especially in the context of the story. I think the entire story is symbolic of the times and the opinions of the people. The Irish people cannot make up their minds about what they really want to accomplish and what they want to have happen in their country. They changed their minds and equivocated, as evidenced by the frivolity of their complaints and sometimes of their unwillingness to back a candidate. This story is very representative of the past state of political affairs within Ireland.
ReplyDeleteI would describe this story as more pro-Parnell because of the last scene. This was when none of the men were keeping their discussions about and much less relateable to actual decisions in politics, but once they were reminded of the meaning of that day, they seemed very willing to set aside sometime from their argumentative debates to appreciate Mr.Parnell. When the poem was read in his honor there seems to be a large shift in the characters. They all seem, in a split second, to become more reflective on the past. Perhaps, because of him they finally start realizing how ineffective they've been, and that if they keep going at the current rate they'll be known as someone like Parnell, someone who has significant ideas, but was known for never putting them to order...
ReplyDelete