Irish Parents Review English Curriculum

  The novel revolves around the egocentric, young, and beautiful man named Dorian Gray.    He crosses paths with the painter, Basil Hallward, who becomes completely awestruck by Dorian's physical attractiveness, and begins to paint Dorian's portrait, labeling it as a new form of art.     Dorian meets Basil's wise friend, Lord Henry Wotton, and they begin discussing youth and beauty and its temporary course in nature.     Dorian becomes completely distressed at the thought of aging and decaying, so he sells his soul in order to maintain his physical beauty forever, while his portrait will endure nature's course and reveal his ageing.     However, things start to decline for Dorian as he falls into a series of wicked and immoral acts.     Essentially, these acts are kept secret but they are clearly portrayed on his portrait for all to see.   The Picture of Dorian Gray   speaks to the importance of morals.     It po...

 Macbeth is a tragedy dealing with important themes such as Kingship, Ambition, Jealousy, Deceit, Loyalty and much more! It is action-packed, complete with battles, murder, intrigue, double-crossing, and a host of memorable characters.  Verdict; very suitable for study at Senior Level I loved this play when I was at school myself! So many fantastic themes to explore. Am thrilled my boys get to study it now! Jayne T., Co.Donegal Glad to see the NCCA have not ditched this one. Love teaching this play even though I have covered it many times. Always a hit with the students. Michael R,Co. Leitrim I am pleased to see a quality play like Macbeth on my daughter's book list for this year. Ilona A, Co. Clare

  Published in 2004, this novel tells the story of a scarecrow who comes alive after being struck by lightning and takes a servant with him -young orphaned Jack- on a quest to claim a piece of land.  The story could be described as absurd and whimsical with fairytale elements. Themes include loyalty and friendship. Verdict: suitable for reading at Junior Level

Movie: Hunt for the Wilderpeople directed by Waititi and based on the book Wild Pork and Water Cress This movie tells the story of Ricky, a Maori kid in the New Zealand foster care system. It follows his story as he is fostered out to the latest family (in a long line of foster families) and develops his character as he comes to know and trust, first his new foster Mum, Bella, then his new pet dog, and eventually, his foster Dad, Hector.The story concentrates mainly on the relationship between Ricky and Hector which develops over time and through the (very) unexpected death of Bella. Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a gritty, yet whimsical tale with lots of quirky, memorable characters and an enjoyable, comedic storyline which somehow manages to get us thinking about issues such as the meaning of Family, the process of bonding, the brevity of life and  what life for a foster kid can sometimes entail. This movie is somewhat frivolous, yet moving in its own way. (Review by Kate D.Co.Kilk...

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman In recent years many schools are choosing this book but as a teacher, this concerns me. In my opinion, it is a far cry from the wonderful literature contained in the older curriculum and has very little actual literary content to speak of. It is more like a cheap teenage novel which contains the usual modern mix of violence, sex, gangs, racism, dysfunctional familial relationships, violence, bad language etc.In the story, Sephy, a minor, has sex with Callum -a young man she has fancied for ages- who kidnaps her and ties her up. She later recalls the experience with longing. Is this the kind of sexual experiences we want to introduce our young people to? Is this appropriate for the classroom? Verdict: Not a good choice for our daughters to be reading. Or our sons for that matter. It does not contain any moral values or messages which I wish to convey to my students or children. (Sharon McM. Mother and Teacher, Co.Dublin) Verdict: I read through ...

. . A Doll’s House a play by Henrik Ibsen  This Play incorporates and explores many themes such as Marriage (and the raw deal that women supposedly get), the subservient role that wives must play, the supposed weak, selfish and changeable nature of men, the manipulative power of money, deceit in relationships and ultimately, A doll’s House gives the message that a wife is better off leaving her marriage (and children) to find herself and be truly content. Verdict: This play was once banned because of its negative message about marriage and the role of a wife in the home. How is this going to encourage any of our young people to have a positive view of marriage? I feel strongly, that now, more than ever, that marriage needs to be upheld in a good light and heroines should be celebrated  because they achieve great things, make sacrifices for the good of humanity etc. not because they choose to walk out on  their husbands and children……! In summary, I don’t feel that this ...

  Directed by Terry George, this movie tells the true story of Paul Rusesabagina, the manager of a hotel who gets caught up in the 1994 events connected to the genocide of 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus by extremists within the Hutu-dominated ruling party in Rwanda. Paul demonstrates true heroism and compassion in the face of unspeakable atrocities and despite jeopardising his own safety, and that of his family, he grants sanctuary to those in trouble. A noble and inspiring story which deserves to be told. Verdict: excellent movie but more suited to senior level as there are various upsetting violent/gruesome scenes which some younger viewers might find too harrowing to watch and parental guidance is needed. I agree with this review as my 14 yr-old daughter would find this movie very shocking! Jayne L. Co. Cork Too advanced for some children under the age of  16 -schools should be cognizant of this before putting movies like this on the curriculum without consulting with pa...

  This is a powerful drama which recounts the historical suffragette movement (1912) when women in Britain fought to have the right to vote. It is an important and true story which students deserve to know but we at IrishParents feel that it is more suitable for study at senior level due to the upsetting nature of several scenes such as the physical violence which the police mete out to the women who are protesting; the painful force-feeding of a woman on hunger strike and the (albeit implied) sexual assault of a 12 yr-old child. There is also an upsetting moment when a young child is forcibly separated from its mother.  Verdict: Not suitable to be shown at Junior Cycle level. Great Movie, important movie, but I would prefer my kids to watch this when they are a bit older. Paul D. Co.Sligo

. Philadelphia,here I come by Brian Friel Philadelphia, Here I Come! is a play written by Brian Friel about a young man, Gar, who struggles in his relationship with his father. The play is set in Donegal the night before Gar is planning to emigrate to Philadelphia. Philadelphia, Here I Come! Contains themes of Communication, Love, Escape and Memory running through the play in a kind of muddled up stream of consciousness way. This play is interesting in the way that the character Gar, is divided into his private persona and his public persona. The private side of Gar (which operates only inside his head) is unrestrained in what he thinks and says so it gives us a real insight into his immature mind and heart, whereas his public side is more restrained and careful. The tragedy of this play is the inability of Gar to communicate effectively with his father and the father’s inability to relate to his son, or express true emotion towards him.  I remember having to study this play in sc...

   Setting of play: Italy and Cypress. Iago is furious about being overlooked for promotion and  plots  to take revenge against his General;  Othello , the Moor of Venice. Iago manipulates  Othello  into believing his wife Desdemona is unfaithful, stirring  Othello's  jealousy.  Othello  allows his  jealousy to consume him. Some of the major themes in this play include racial  prejudice ,  manipulation , and  jealousy . Specifically, Othello is regarded as a beast by other  characters  because he is black.  Iago  is  jealous  of Cassio because Othello promotes him to a higher  military  position.  Othello is gullible and believes Iago's lies, murders Desdemona, and then kills himself.  (Shakespeare.org.uk) Verdict: suitable for study at Senior Level. Does not contain gratuitous violence or graphic sexual scenes but there are some bawdy phrases which the teacher wi...

  In Pieces was written by a group of second year students in a Ballymun school, in collaboration with author, Kevin McDermott. The story features a boy called Alan, whose world is falling apart since the death of his Mam. He relies on his friend, Mary, but she cannot protect him from the unwelcome attention of Andrew Stapleton and Alan's father is grieving and is also unable to help him. Along the way, Alan discovers he possesses a special gift and can communicate with his departed Mam. He sets out on a "..ghostly adventure that will change his life forever." Reviewed by goodreads.com Verdict by Irish Parents: suitable to be read by Junior students as an example of a collaborative creative writing project.