Compare and contrast how both Haney and Montague deal with the subject of education in their poetry The subject of education is examined and explored by both Haney in The Ministry of Fear’ and Montague in ‘Time in Armada’. Equally Haney and Montague share their past experiences of their time at school which allows them to craft their autobiographical poems. Montague is disturbingly descriptive as he explains the torture that the students suffered both from the hands of the clergy and the older boys.
We feel bitterness In his tone that still exists today from past experiences and he Idea that his school life will remain with him forever. Montague recites that he rages “blind” when he hears that “hectoring tone” trying to “put another human being down. ” HIS feelings remain strong and raw as he has experienced both physical and mental torture at his “Time In Armada” Likewise, Haney discusses the subject of education in his poem: however it is less violent than Montage’s experiences. The poet describes his childhood from entering as a new first year in SST.
Columbus College where he “billeted for six years” to his university experiences in “Belfast and Berkeley’ and the various stages of his growing p. Haney tracks and traces his past education and switches from different years at school. This allows his education to seem prolonged and extensive. Honey’s tone changes in certain areas from being reminiscent as he talks about his time spent writing with Seam’s Deane to whom the poem is dedicated to and then it changes to one of negativity as he attempts to explain the religious divide that exists between Protestants and Catholics even on the topic of education.
In the end, Haney comes too conclusion that . The titles of both poems are similarly negative as they suggest fear and dread. It is evident that the subject of their poems will not be light-hearted or a past memory that they would like to reminisce about. However, considering that both poems deal with the topic of education, it is fair to say that their titles are quite ambiguous as they do not point directly to the theme of education. The title of Montage’s poem “Time in Armada” suggests a prolonged prison like sentence.
Therefore suggesting that Montague views his time at school as a sentence of pain and torture that had to be endured. Throughout his poem he makes various references to his “sentence” which links with the title. Montage’s reference to time reminds the reader actually how long he had to spend In amongst such violent and Inhumane behavior. In addition Montage’s title evokes a sense of place In “Armada”, this technique he repeats throughout his poem to root his reader In the story of his education.
Similarly, Honey’s chosen title “The Manliest of Fear” Is quite vague about the topic of education. Haney uses Juxtapositions the word “ministry’ with “fear” as both have usually different meanings. “Ministry” evokes religious connotations and we would usually Attlee It as lovingly serving ten needs AT your monologue Walt devotion to God. Haney may be subtly criticizing the clergy who were supposed to look after him at his time at school but instead on his “first day’ he was whipped as the “leather strap went epileptic”.
These priests are not living the life of a pure and loving Christian. Therefore Honey’s school experiences are consumed with “fear” and past memories which he is not fond of. The structure of “Time in Armada” is made up of three stanzas with triplets to introduce different ideas. Montague sticks to his ongoing narrative structure to suggest the prolonged nature of his time in Armada. The poet uses various connectives such as “then” to introduce a new stanza which gives the effect of a story unfolding before the reader.
However, Montague then disrupts the triplet formation by using the technique of enjambment in certain areas of his poem: “Tears spilt down his face, while the Blessed Virgin smiled inside the altar rails” Enjambment is used by the poet here to emphasis the irony of the “Blessed Virgin” who the priests are supposed to be like and should be guiding and supporting them through their childhoods. The “Blessed Virgin” is smiling benignly and kindly and Montague may be suggesting that the boys didn’t feel the love of God at school but felt pain and suffering like Christ, who was their “exemplary victim”.
Montague refers to Jesus to further explore the image of the boys as innocent victims and suggesting that there were parallels between Jesus and the victims of abuse. The boys went through both physical and emotional crucifixion. This religious imagery permeates throughout stanza one and evokes quite a strong and raw image. By contrast, “The Ministry of Fear” by Seam’s Haney has no set structure or rhyme chem. but instead the poet evokes on a narrative style of writing as he tells the story of his childhood through his education and experiences. Stanza one focuses on his overall experience of “SST.
Columbus College” and his initial reaction to leaving the countryside: “l gazed into new worlds: the inflamed throat Of Brandywine, its floodlit dogtrots” The tone is quite conversational here, almost as if he is speaking to the reader and sharing his feelings towards the changes in his life. Haney uses the word “inflamed” to explain the lights of the city of Deere, a different world to what he as a country boy old be used to. It is suggested that the poet was initially uncomfortable in his new environment as “inflamed” is quite a strong adjective suggesting something which is painful and infected.
Stanza two of “The Ministry of Fear” brings us to Honey’s time as a student in the prestigious Queens multiversity I n “Belfast” Ana teen Nils experience to “Berkeley poet uses repetition and alliteration when introducing this stanza: “Then Belfast, then Berkeley. ” Both these devices are used to drag out the education period in his life. He is still together with his good friend Seam’s Deane as they begin to discover their talent for rating and Haney seems inspired by Dean’s vivid imagination: “Vowels and ideas bandied free As the seed-pods blowing off our sycamores” Haney is talking about poetry techniques, in particular assonance.
Seam’s Dean’s ideas are alive and scattering and then take root like “sycamores” as he produces more ideas. Haney was first awakened to sectarian differences at school, the alleged superior diction of Protestant schoolchildren, used to spur the SST. Columbus boys to greater efforts had the opposite effect, resulting in “inferiority complexes” Tone Language End line Conclusion
