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300 words on “The Irish Car Bomb: the controversial drink with a split reputation”

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300 words on “The Irish Car Bomb: the controversial drink with a split reputation”

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The article “The Irish Car Bomb: the controversial drink with a split reputation” was issued in the British newspaper The Guardian on the ear of the 100-year anniversary of Easter Uprising and in connection to the celebration of Sct. Patrick’s Day the 17th of March. The intention of the article is to entertain and to some extend inform about the famous drink called The Irish Car Bomb and the debate about it. According to the article the drink consists of a shot of Irish whiskey, Bailey’s Irish Cream liquor and occasionally Kahlua served with a pint of Guinness on the side.

Charles Oak who invented the drink expresses how the drink accidentally came into existence on Sct. Patrick’s Day in 1976 in an attempt to get drunk fast while remaining awesome drinking the popular, sugary cream liquors of the time. Since then it has been a part of the annual Sct. Patricks Day celebration worldwide since Sct. Patrick’s Day is the most celebrated ‘international’ holiday globally.

While it might be unwise to order an Irish Car Bomb in Britain and Ireland due to the fact that The Troubles still stings, the connotations related to the drink in the US are less significant. Here most people merely relate it the celebration of Sct. Patrick’s Day.

The article showcases both sides of the debate about whether or not is it ok to serve this controversial drink. Therefore, the article seems to be objective. But it is still published in a British Newspaper, The Guardian, so the angle is from a British point of view. That matches the audience of the article which primarily is The Guardian’ readers: British people, people living in the UK (and in the US).

by Kirstine

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Some company wanted to buy Andy Warhol´s aura. He did not know what they meant and that is why he wanted to found out. In Warhol´s opinion an aura is only something other people can see, and some people they have an aura.
One of the good things of being famous is that you can read the big magazines and know all the people in all the stories. One of the down sides being famous is that you get recognized everywhere so you can not have any privacy. Warhol has had a lot of nutty people writing him all the time. He was shot in 1968 and he is worried about someone who wants to do a 1970s version. He believes that famous people should have a product that represents them, not just their work.

In my opinion Warhol is right about that actors, models and so on, only think they are their work, that being famous is only them. For example Kim Kardashian. She only believes she is only famous, when she is doing her reality shows, naked photos, dating celebrities and making sex tapes. I am sure that she only sees herself as a celebrity and lives by this.

This text can be related to the documentary by 30 seconds to Mars. They are fighting with being famous, and it is their whole world. They do not have their own personal product they only have their music.

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'Good Girl' takes place in the Northern Ireland. At this time there is tension between protestants and catholics.
The maincharacter is a girl named Crissy. Crissy is a very feminine teenagegirl and comes from a 'good catholic family', but is dating a protestant. (CONFLICT)
The themes are: Religion, forbidden love, politics, family ties and social circles.
The story can be compared to Romeo and Juliet, Some place better and The Illusion.

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... is a poem written by a patriotic, Yeats in the early 1890's. The poem is about the author's love for his country and his wish for GB and Ireland to unite despite the conflicts linked to the later civil war between free staters and the republicans. It's build upon a metrical, iambic system and the rhyme scheme: AABB.  There are allot of imagery and  symbols in the poem, but the main symbol is the fact that Ireland is described as a woman. This underlines his love and makes the power of it rise to a almost erotical level. The thing is that the athor also loves GB, which makes him torn between the "red-rose-bordered hem" (the borders between england and Ireland). He both wants to become better than the best writers of Ireland in order to show his patriotism, and on the same time be dependant on England, which is a not so patriotical ideology.
He originally has roots in England. Maybe that can explain his fragmentation in his loyalty.

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Someplace Better is about 19 year old Diane, who is a waitress from North Dublin.

The first part of the story takes place in a tattoo studio. Diane wants a tattoo on her forehead and suddenly Jim, who is against the act, interrupts her. Jim is very interested in Diane and they end up at a pub and quickly they confide in each other. She explains the meaning behind the tattoo. It symbolizes Uranus, a place she made up - a better place.  Later that night they fuck and the next day he is kind enough to give her a ride home. Diane tries to climb over a wall when she cuts herself and Jim helps her.

It I also mentioned, that her father once called her a slut and the tattooed S on her spine makes her think herself of a slut. Jim does not agree and in his opinion the S means sexy, strong and special.

Diane wants to go to someplace better but Jim becomes her someplace better. Maybe it’s not necessary to escape or travel that far to find the better place. Maybe it’s around the corner. Jim becomes her hero and he saves her from her bad self-esteem.

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300 words on the text

The Sniper takes place in the capital of Ireland during the civil war between The Free Staters and The Republicans. The main character is the sniper and we follow the story through his eyes. Therefore, it is a 3rd persons limited view because we hear about the sniper’s thoughts and feelings but no one else’s. He shoots a couple of people and thereby draws attention to himself. Adding to that dangerous and unwanted attention he lights a smoke and an enemy fires at him. Finally, he outsmarts the opponent and shoots him. When he goes to the streets to check out the dead body he realizes that he had shot his brother. In this text “brother” is not necessary to be taken literally – it could be his former ally, his brother in arms. The sniper’s personal development from being a cold murderer to being a somewhat compassionate human being underlines the theme of the meaninglessness of the war. Each combatant represents a side in the civil war, the sniper is a Republican and the ‘brother’ is a Free Stater, but really they are fellow countrymen and should not be slaughtering each other. The conflicting feelings the sniper suppresses about having to kill also manifest themselves through his substance abuse: He smokes and drinks to numb himself.

Comparison to another text from the theme

The Sniper’s outlines of the conflict between The Free Staters and The Republicans resembles the insight to conflicts between Protestants and Catholics given in Good Girl. Ideally the people of Ireland are supposed to unite and live peacefully in harmony but the division separates them and creates unwanted and unnecessary violence with human losses (emotionally in Good girl as supposed to actual casualties in The Sniper) and hurt as an outcome.

by Kirstine

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Summary:
Someplace better is about a girl named Diane, sitting in a tattoo studio looking to get a tattoo on her forehead. A guy named Jim rushes to stop her and the two of them go for a drink at the nearby pub, they talk about their lives, where they want to travel and why Diane wants a tattoo on her forehead.
They leave and drive for Diane’s home and when they get there, Diane doesn’t want Jim around anymore. When trying to climb over a wall Diane cuts herself and after talking with her parents, Diane makes Jim drive her to work. Here she smears blood all over her boss.
Afterwards the two of them drive to the hospital for Diane to receive help with her wounds.
They go back to Jim’s place to make love, talk about the planet tattoo Diane wanted and in the end Jim calls her special.

‘’Someplace better’’ reminds me somewhat of the text ‘’good girl’’ by Marita Conlon-McKenna, in the way that the protagonists in both stories wishes to break out of the comfort of their families by doing what they want. Though in ‘’Someplace better’’ Diane is doing it by getting a planet tattoo so it can be her someplace better and in ‘’Good girl’’ the protagonist Gemma is doing it by having a Protestant boyfriend.

Johann