I think Carson chose to make this story a whole chapter to reveal the contrasts in culture. In most American books, you would not find a whole chapter dedicated to such a small story, but I think Carson is trying to portray the fact that the people of Irish culture take time to recognize every story, tune, poem, etc., no matter the length. This format also parallels to the fact that the cultures and attitudes between the cousins are vastly different. Paddy is so at ease with life in no sense of hurry, letting the pigs eat as much as they want one by one. While the cousin is only interested in the amount of time it takes to complete the job, disregarding the pace and care with which Paddy does his work. The "slower pace of life" is also seen in the way the story is told, recounting every detail of Paddy's work, while the cousin's only input is in one line at the end. I think this only shows the great contrast between the characters. I believe the Irish farmer, Paddy comes out on top of the story because he seems so much more at peace with his life revealed in his clever and insightful comment at the end, " But, sure what's time to a pig?" The Yankee seems more concerned about himself and the amount of time it would take him rather than his cousin who seems to be just as carefree as the pigs with total disregard for a timely, and hurried away of living.

Readings 1.23-30.09

Folks:

Here's the next chunk of readings. As always, find the pdf'd links over on WebCT, but please do participate in "Comments" over here:

1.23-30	Glassie: Ch. 5 “Late Harvest”	· This chapter introduces Michael Boyle, one of Glassie’s principle informants and the leader of the mummers’ play (folk-drama) we will enact later in the semester; he also talks about “talent,” “excellence,” “reciprocity,” and the responsibility of the artist to the community and of members of the community to one another. What are the roles and the responsibilities of those with talents in certain areas? What do they owe to other community members? Why does Glassie use the term “reciprocity” to describe these complex networks of obligation?
	Glassie PTT: Ch. 6 “Sacred Beginnings” and Ch. 12 “Plans and Snags” (both short)	· In Chapter 6 Glassie transcribes and describes a number of sacred phenomena: stories, biographies, specific places, and specific “cures.” What is the relationship between history and such “sacred lore”? Does a close familiarity with such lore help people in Ballymenone make sense of their own lives and identities? Can you compare the degree of detailed “local knowledge” held by the people of Ballymenone, versus that held by people who live, say in a city apartment building? What else is lost when one loses “local/nature knowledge”? Does this sense of “the sacred in history and in nature” change how Ballymenone people relate to the natural world? · In Chapter 12 Glassie lets the people’s words articulate their own sense of the “meaning of life”: why humans are put on earth and how they can make sense of life’s seeming contradictions. Based on this chapter, how would you summarize Ballymenone’s “cosmology” (understanding of the world)? Be prepared to articulate this in class discussion.
	Carson LNF “Hard to Fill” (and, if you wish, going on to the next chapter, “The Steampacket”)	· This chapter is (mostly) about Carson’s own instrument, the flute, the various flutes he’s played, how he learned to play, and the whole lore and mystique that surrounds specific instruments. Note the almost obsessive (but wonderfully evocative) description of the flute-maker’s shop and its contents, and likewise the description of the subtle playing differences between various flutes. Why do you think Carson includes such detail? Is there a relationship between description of construction details and the kinds of details that musicians deal with? What is that relationship? Do you think Carson believes that knowing the visual details of the shop will somehow help us-the-reader understand the sonic details of the music? What kind of playing/listening experience might such attention yield? (Hint: ask me in class regarding Tommy Potts’s quote about “the Hidden Note”).
	No readings in Ó hAllmhuráin for this section
	Reading Packet: Glassie, "Hugh Nolan: I'll Tell You the Way It Was."	· This is a short summary of the role of the "mummer's plays" (seasonal folk plays, staged in people's rural kitchens in the shortest days of the winter, with a cast of historical characters including St Patrick, St George, Oliver Cromwell, and various mythological characters as well). Read the description, see what Hugh Nolan and Glassie both have to say about the meaning and social function of the mummer's play, and then read the play's text, linked on WebCT at "Course Menu - Mummer's Play." Try reading the poetic lines aloud and see if you can figure out the appropriate timing to make the lines really swing.