2. The Heather Blazing, by Colm Tobin
Example of preparatory reading in view of making an oral commentary.
Getting started:
After reading for gist the candidate should begin close reading on a linear basis to scan the
extract for specific sense. Due to the multiplicity of writer's technique it is impossible to know in
advance what particular means the author has used. This particular extract is rich in description and
metaphoric symbolism. The fact that it is so abundantly visual could give the candidate several very
different courses to follow when choosing the thread they wish to present during the oral exam.
Whatever the result of the candidate's study of the extract the oral itself should make clear specific
reference to the text and this can only come from careful reading and thought.
The choice of comments made is no way exhaustive and in no way precludes other
associations of ideas, the ideas discussed here must only be seen as examples, nothing more. It must
be stressed also that what follows below is a selection of associated ideas; choosing certain themes to
exploit and by doing so avoiding others, no doubt equally valid.
It follows that at some stage there would be a temptation to use a synthetic approach once the
main themes became apparent. This would be a mistake however, as the commentary should stick to
the text itself showing, when required, the appropriate allusions and associated ideas evoked. In the
same way one must avoid expanding on a given subject suggested by the text. The viva or oral exam
is on the text itself and not on generalities. The commentary has to make sense and be pertinent to
the text in hand.
From a linear approach the following elements may be identified:
The commentary
Definition : This exercise should enable the candidate to illustrate the specific arguments and
techniques used by the author to deliver a certain message.
A commentary should start with a brief summary of the document before going forward to tackle
other aspects of the text that could be : theme, tone, associations, figures of speech, repetition of
particular words or images, repetition or associated adjectives, allusions made to concepts and
historical, literary social or economic matters. Some texts may be devoid of any apparent starting
point, in this case one might look at the tone, pace or rhythm spotting when some particular element
clashes with the rest.
Guidelines
Introductory sentences quoting sources, dates and times: N.B. It is a matter for constant
concern for the jury that many candidates struggle with the correct pronunciation of dates and
numbers. Special attention to detail and regular practice should be the norm in order to make the right
impression and get the commentary off to a good start. Special attention should always be paid to the
title, in this case the title can be particularly useful.
There is no perfect plan for a commentary on a given text.
What is required here is a carefully prepared study of the structure of the text itself and the
techniques used by the author and the purpose to which they are used.
Lists of techniques used and associations made have little value in a commentary unless they
serve to show to what effect the author uses them.
Similarly, one must be aware of what the author has chosen not to say, as that may be just as
enlightening as what actually has been said thus inviting the reader to read between the lines.
However, every commentary should be well-organised and listening to the finished commentary
one should feel that; the text has been summarized objectively and efficiently; there is a definite order
in the paragraphs / parts showing a degree of careful preparation, leading the reader logically from
one point on to the next; all the important points have been covered and mentioned in one way or
another.
49
Historical, social, cultural and economic associations have been drawn to create the impression
that the student knows what is being talked about and is not frightened to make interesting comments
about the pertinence of their presence.
However much has been said and explained about the document, there is scope for branching
out into wider considerations on related themes.
Given that preparation time is always at a premium, how much of that time should be used to
build the plan? There is no easy answer to this question, what is clear though is that the more one
practices this, the easier it becomes and the less time is required.
Method
Formulate in words what question or statement the author of the document is trying to make.
Analyse this and associate it with the information and examples drawn from the text.
Make a short list of the important points that have become apparent from reading the text.
Always refer to the actual points being made (and the key words used) as read in the original.
Put the ideas into a logical order. It is possible to do this graphically on paper using boxes or
numbers detailing main titles and possibly subtitles for quick reference during the oral exam.
A very simple reminder of an easy-to-use framework to organize an oral commentary
"PARAGRAPH " STRUCTURE
Organize the arguments into manageable paragraphs / parts or sections.
Each and every one of these should have a reason for being, i.e. each paragraph should
illustrate a particular point made or technique used and should show how this is essential to the
understanding of the overall effect created. If this is not the case, the paragraph should be discarded.
An easy to use paragraph / point plan:
a ) STATEMENT ( from plan)
b ) EXAMPLE ( from text)
c ) EXPLANATION
d ) CONCLUSION (showing
impact or effect)
Sort through these and retain only those that will illustrate an essential issue.
Make sure that all the points you bring up are linked and relevant to the text or subject.
Comment on the tone, literary and rhetorical techniques used. It is crucial to explicitly say what
effect these techniques have on the reader.
Never lose sight of the main thrust behind the argument itself and refer to this continually to
illustrate your commentary.
All important historical, social, cultural, economic and political aspects should be underlined and
explained, if necessary associating them to wider topics and themes.
Never quote large sections of the original text; never write / prepare an oral commentary using
substantial quotes from the text to substantiate the commentary. This defeats the object of these
exercises and must be avoided at all costs.
Linear study and close reading
Use the guidelines as seen above to identify areas of interest and work towards a
commentary drawn from the text.
50
SOME ELEMENTS DRAWN FROM THE TEXT:
Pain: The narrator is in pain, walking is difficult for him. Changes of mood are brought on by the
unfolding landscape around him. One thinks of Genius loci or the spirit of the place.
Exhilaration and Hope: The narrator feels a surge of warmth from the day's efforts, as if there
were some kind of reward or satisfaction to look forward to after and despite the pain and suffering of
the walking / mourning.
Epic journey: The passage is metaphorically vivid; his is a journey of pain, an epic journey or
odyssey. His eyes are riveted on the horizon, there are changes in mood and in light that follow the
undulations of the terrain itself. The journey could classically be seen as a parallel for life.
The Meal, or perhaps one could take a risk and say “last Supper”: a short space of time where
he is content that foreshadows another meal in another temporal plane; the meal with Carmel, his
dead wife. The food mentioned is also very symbolic, lamb and wine, red wine for a very special
dinner. There are Biblical associations here and indeed throughout the extract.
Past and Present: the images from the past collide with his present predicament, concrete
things like canvas shoes and the town of Bally connigar anchor the narrator in the reality he has been
trying to escape from during his long walks i.e. the death of his wife. There is confusion and loss, each
day is seen as a trial of grief and depression. One could think of a kind of pilgrimage or some kind of
expiation.
Approaching the house / tomb: one can correlate the narrator's confusion and pain in the
approach to the house. The house itself is a sort of tomb or repository that he cannot face. The
everyday necessities of washing and eating contrast with his inability to accept his loss. Again, the
feeling of having become fitter is a stark reminder of the pain he has been through, this
metamorphosis shows him to be different physically from the person he was before.
Nightfall: with the coming of night, the absence of his cousin, the red streak disappearing in the
sky, the narrator is plunged once more into despair. He fears the dawn, much in the same way as a
condemned prisoner might await execution at dawn. The night is a time of emptiness and loss, he is
desperate to fill those spaces; the spaces in the back of the car are filled with cushions while the
house itself he leaves is in darkness, knowing that he cannot bear to face the reality of the empty
house as a too cruel reminder of his loss.
Car / tomb or repository: the car is a sort of halfway house between his two worlds, the
daylight world where he spends his time and energy avoiding thought and the house, and that of the
night time world of intimate memories evoked by the bedroom, kitchen and house in general. The
narrator is in a kind of limbo between two worlds, the car takes on the aspect of a shelter or safe
haven where he is isolated from the harsh realities of his life.
Loaves and fishes: the food he buys when he is out in the car is of special interest, he buys
bread and fish and whiskey, again there are strong Biblical connotations here.
Limbo: he sits in darkness, the moon, the lighthouse, the stars and the sky suggest a kind of
passage or transformation from one state to another. The house smells of damp and stale smells (as a
tomb might smell). He washes in the dark, this is a sort of purification that heralds the advent of a new
state. The narrator's preparations reflect those carried out on the dead, his sleep in the car that of the
tomb. It could be suggested that there are two tomb like rooms; the bedroom smelling of mothballs
associated with his dead wife and the car where he himself is isolated.
Resurrection: from line 132 there is a definite break, his awakening, as if from death itself, is a
kind of resurrection. His perception of reality has changed, his body has become fitter and leaner, his
beard has grown and he now feels that he might have the strength to go on. Lines 136 to 137 : "There
has to be some end to this" is the start of his acceptance of death.
Purification: Water plays a purifying role when he slakes his thirst in the kitchen that is strewn
with mouldy dishes. The dishes may have come from their « last supper » together. The rain that had
51
spoiled the false sense of exhilaration during his walks represents the medium through which he can
begin to accept the process of mourning.
N.B. The above notes are based on a rapid linear study of close reading and jotting down notes
and ideas. Despite a fairly cautious start so as not to jump to conclusions too early it quickly became
apparent that the extract abounds with Biblical references and associations.
Oral plan
- Identify the setting
- Briefly sum up the central thread of the extract
- Broadly define your approach
- Supported by specific reference to the text, explore the following lines of thought: landscape,
mood changes, pilgrimage, grief, epic journey, solitude, the fabric of the narrator's reality, Biblical
connotations, Last Supper, tombs, bedroom / car, concrete realities gradually bringing the narrator to
terms with his loss, physical transformation, resurrection of a kind and the dawning, perhaps, of hope.