Alternative Ulsters

Well, we near the end! Two more classes. As we approach our discussion of the final section of Eureka Street, it's probably important that that we think back to that passage from the Heaney Nobel speech when he describes the Protestant on that imperiled bus reaching out to squeeze the hand of his Catholic co-worker. After the terrible waste and loss of life -- the "harrowing of the heart," as Heaney refers to it -- what alternatives (what "Eureka!" moments) have we been shown and given in the literature we've read, the music we've listened to, the films we've watched? "I will sing, sing a new song," right? How, for example, does the act of acceptance asked of us by The Crying Game relate to the possibilities for peace in Northern Ireland? How does McLiam Wilson's "OTG" relate to those same possibilities? Certainly this was (and it's such a wonderful thing that I can get away with using the past tense there) a conflict that reminds us of the value of culture and of artists. There was always a kind of political danger inherent in championing the message of peace and alternative cultural spaces (think back to U2 responding to the Enniskillen bombing, to Stiff Little Fingers using punk music to break sectarian barriers and bring people together, to Rory Gallagher's sweet guitar on that evening in Belfast as bombs fell in other parts of the city, to Jake Jackson's turning of the radio dial in Eureka Street, etc.), but the artists have so often pushed bravely forward.

We do, by the way, definitely want to think about "OTG" in Eureka Street. What does it mean, ultimately? Why does it make sense that McLiam Wilson at one point actually considered "OTG" as a possible title for his novel? As you think about this, you might be interested to check out the work of the legendary London-based graffiti artist, Banksy; I particularly like these two images -- one, two -- both because they are visually striking and because they seem to be ideologically aligned with what McLiam Wilson's OTG might stand for in some way. And then there's this last one, which is also quite arresting.

See you all tomorrow. Do consider sharing your final paper ideas here, as well, by the way -- you might even be able to get some comments and feedback from your colleagues in the class ...