Carson lived in Belfast during the height of The Troubles.
The Troubles was a 30-year conflict between Nationalists and Unionists.
Belfast Confetti was the slang name given to homemade bombs.
The poem discusses the impact of the The Troubles on people living in Belfast.
Carson uses different punctuation symbols to explore the overwhelming emotions we associate with war.

Common misconception

The Troubles was a war that occurred between the armies of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

The Troubles were fought in Northern Ireland between the unionists (who wanted NI to remain in the UK) and the nationalists (who wanted NI to join the ROI). Most of the fighting occurred between paramilitary groups.

Keywords

Exacerbated - made worse or more severe, intensifying existing problems or conflicts
Civil war - conflict within a country involving opposing groups, often leading to widespread violence and destruction
Paramilitary - armed group operating like military but not officially recognised by the government
The Troubles - period of conflict in Northern Ireland characterised by sectarian violence and political tensions
Sectarian - divisions or conflicts between religious or political groups, often marked by intolerance or hostility

You might want to listen to the U2 song 'Bloody Bloody Sunday', written about the Troubles. Explore some of the lyrics and discuss what life must have been like living in NI during The Troubles.

Teacher tip

Equipment

Edexcel GCSE Poetry Anthology ('Conflict' cluster)

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.

Which of these countries isn't part of the United Kingdom (UK)?

England

Scotland

Wales

Northern Ireland

Correct answer: Republic of Ireland

Q2.

What is the name of the conflict that occurred in Northern Ireland between approximately 1968-1998?

The Upset

Correct answer: The Troubles

The Rebellions

The Revolutions

The Tremors

Q3.

What is the name of this punctuation symbol '*' ?

full stop

semicolon

Correct answer: asterisk

hyphen

ampersand

Q4.

What is 'confetti'?

spray-painted artwork on buildings and other urban structures

a political agreement between two opposing forces

a type of machine gun used during The Troubles

Correct answer: small pieces of paper, thrown during celebrations, parades, or festive occasions

Q5.

What is shown in this image?

paramilitary forces

Correct answer: riot police

diplomatic negotiators

armed civilians

Q6.

What does the prefix 'para-' mean?

Correct answer: alongside or side-by-side

in between

inside of

outside of

before the existence of

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.

During The Troubles, the nationalists wanted Northern Ireland to ...

remain part of the United Kingdom.

Correct answer: become part of the Republic of Ireland.

become its own separate state.

join Europe.

Q2.

Match each word to the correct defintion.

Correct Answer:exacerbated,made worse or more severe, intensifying existing problems or conflicts

made worse or more severe, intensifying existing problems or conflicts

Correct Answer:civil war,a conflict within a country involving opposing groups

a conflict within a country involving opposing groups

Correct Answer:sectarian,divisions between religious/political groups, often hostile or violent

divisions between religious/political groups, often hostile or violent

Q3.

In 'Belfast Confetti', the speaker is...

confronted by a photographer after fleeing an explosion.

contemplating how Northern Ireland's culture will be affected by the conflict.

Correct answer: questioned by riot police after being caught in street fighting.

making homemade bombs to use in the conflict.

Q4.

In 'Belfast Confetti', Carson names the streets "Balaclava", "Raglan", "Inkerman", "Odessa" and "Crimea". What do all these words have in common?

Correct answer: They are all sites of military conflicts or wars.

They are all places in Northern Ireland with strong links to cultural heritage.

They are all types of weapon used during WWII.

They are all places that are considered holy or sacred.

Q5.

Match each of these punctuation marks to its correct function.

Correct Answer:colon,separates a list or examples

separates a list or examples

Correct Answer:question mark,poses a question

poses a question

Correct Answer:hyphen,joins words or parts of a sentence

joins words or parts of a sentence

Correct Answer:exclamation mark,shows excitement or fear

shows excitement or fear

Correct Answer:asterisk,links to extra information

links to extra information

Correct Answer:full stop,pauses at the end of a sentence

pauses at the end of a sentence

Q6.

At the end of the poem, Carson describes how the speaker receives a "fusillade of question marks" from the riot police. What emotion could "question marks" symbolise here?

overwhelming sadness

overwhelming joy

Correct answer: overwhelming confusion

overwhelming relief

overwhelming rage