Discussion Questions for "Last Night's Fun" and "Ceili at Flanagan's"

In Carson, read the chapter “Last Night’s Fun.” In Glassie, read Chapter 3 “Ceili at Flanagan’s.”

Begin thinking about the following questions, which we will address in our first meeting.

(1) What are the differences in the two experiences being described? What is the significance of those two contrasting experiences?

(2) What is the relationship between “insider” and “outsider”, and how/why might music and folklore help people negotiate those relationships?

(3) Do “outsiders” use music and folklore to cross boundaries? Do “insiders” use music and folklore to cross other kinds of boundaries?

(4) In most cases, no money changes hands when this music, dance, and folklore is shared. Clearly, people are sharing these art forms for other-than-commercial motives. What might be some of those motives?

(5) What do we have to say about the language and rhetoric of these two writers? How might our understanding of their contrasting goals shape our experience of reading each?