Irish Parents Review English Curriculum

  Joseph O’Connor’s ‘Star of the Sea’ is set on a ship bound for North America during the Irish potato famine. The date is 1847 as the boat sails for New York from an Ireland torn apart by injustice and natural disaster. On board is a crowd of socially disparate passengers, including hundreds of fleeing refugees, seeking to escape the grinding poverty of home for a new life in America. On board, also, is a shadowy figure hungry to enact a vengeance that will bring him absolution from his past. Much of the story during this perilous journey focuses on the intertwining lives of the passengers, highlighting the brutal class system of the day and divisions between the entitled first class passengers and those in steerage. Verdict:  I do not recommend this novel for Leaving Certificate students. It is a harrowing account of life aboard the ‘coffin ship’ and much of the subject matter, apart from occasional flashes of humour, is likewise dark, murky and unsavoury.   There are...

  To Kill a Mo ckingbird   is a novel by   Harper Lee   published in 1960. Instantly successful, widely read in high schools and middle schools in the United States, it has become a classic of modern   American literature , winning the   Pulitzer Prize . The plot and characters are loosely based on Lee's observations of her family, her neighbors and an event that occurred near her hometown of   Monroeville, Alabama , in 1936, when she was ten. Despite dealing with the serious issues of  rape  and  racial inequality , the novel is renowned for its warmth and humor.  Atticus Finch , the narrator's father, has served as a moral hero for many readers and as a model of integrity for lawyers. The historian  Joseph Crespino  explains, "In the twentieth century,  To Kill a Mockingbird  is probably the most widely read book dealing with race in America, and its main character, Atticus Finch, the most enduring fictional im...

        Brief summary of  A Midsummer Night's Dream:   Theseus, the Duke of Athens,  after conquering the warrior Amazons in battle, is in turn   conquered by the charms of their queen, Hippolyta, and  is preparing for his marriage to her.  To speed the time until their wedding night, he orders amusements to be staged. Meanwhile, a  courtier seeks the Duke's intervention because his daughter, Hermia, will not agree to his choice of Demetrius as a suitable husband for her because she's in love with Lysander. According to cliffsnotes.com .,the dominant  theme   in A   Midsummer Night's Dream   is love, a subject to which Shakespeare returns constantly in his comedies. ... At one level, the story of the four young Athenians asserts that although "The course of true love never did run smooth," true love triumphs in the end, bringing happiness and harmony. Verdict: suitable play to be studied at Junior Level.

  As You Like It Summary . Rosalind and her cousin escape into the forest and find Orlando, Rosalind's   love . Disguised as a boy shepherd, Rosalind has Orlando woo her under the guise of "curing" him of his  love  for Rosalind. Rosalind reveals she is a girl and marries Orlando during a group wedding at the end of the play.   Love is the central theme of As You Like It, like other romantic  comedies  of Shakespeare. Following the tradition of a romantic comedy, As You Like It is a tale of love manifested in its varied forms. In many of the love-stories, it is love at first sight. (schmoop.com commentary) verdict: Suitable for study at Junior Level.

 Jane Austen's 19th century story of the interesting, unique and irrisistible Dashwood sisters, their doting, foolish mother, and frivolous/unkind relations, makes for a humorous, satirical, touching and perceptive story which is just as popular and relatable today as it was back in 1811. This classic story provides ample themes for development in the classroom such as Role of Women in society, perceptions of Marriage and love, Class Structure, Greed, Loyalty, rationale vs. sensitivity, and much more! Verdict: suitable text for study in the classroom at Junior Level.

Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. The book tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy.   Wikipedia Animal Farm  is most  famous  in the West as a stinging critique of the history and rhetoric of the Russian Revolution. Retelling the story of the emergence and development of Soviet communism in the form of an  animal  fable,  Animal Farm  allegorizes the rise to power of the dictator Joseph Stalin. Verdict: Very suitable for study in the classroom at Junior Level. The language and story are simple, yet there are profound lessons to be learned from this allegory. A favourite choice among English teachers for good reason. This is a great little book, with no profanity, sexual content or dark, disturbing scenes. The themes of power structures and struggles are explored from...

  Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy and focuses on two very different romances which explore and emphasize different aspects of love and relationships and the importance of not judging apparent circumstances too hastily or a person, by mere appearances. Verdict: Suitable for study at Junior Level .