STAR of the SEA-Joseph O’ Connor
Assignment 1
Introduction;
In this assignment I am going to be looking at the two main topics associated with the Great Famine. The two main topics which I will be analysing in detail is both Kingscourt and The Famine. I will be looking and analysing the view of Kingscourt himself in Chapter two, G.G. Dixon the journalist in chapter 3, Mary Duane and her view on Kingscourt in chapter eight and finally Pius Mulvey on the famine in chapter 11. I am going to be comparing and reviewing the opinions of each character towards both Kingscourt and The Famine. I will then finish off with a conclusion of what my opinion is of both Kingscourt and The famine after analysing each character and what their opinions are in detail.

Paragraph One, Chapter two; Lord Kingscourt
Lord Kingscourt is firstly introduced to us in chapter 2. Our first encounter and impression of Lord Kingscourt is that he is a man of very high class, we know this as he is firstly introduced by statement ‘The Right Honourable Thomas David Nelson, the noble Lord Kingscourt, the Viscount of Roundstone, the ninth Earl of Cashel, Kilkerrin and Carna.’(pg.5) From looking at the following statement and how he is firstly put across to us we already know that Lord Kingscourt in a man that holds a lot of responsibilities and is held in very high regard. When Lord Kingscourt was in the dinning saloon we know that a negro man holding an overload of charged champagne flutes stumbles near the doorway. When this happened an ironic slow-handclap started then numerous voices sitting around the table started to shout “Huazzah! Bravo! Well done, that fellow” “They’ll have to put up the fares!”.(pg.5) This is showing us the perception and respect the negro’s got from the higher class people during the Great Famine. On the other hand Lord Kingscourt who was looked up at by the higher class people during the Great Famine refused to insult the negro man, said to him “Mind your hand, here!”(pg.5) as he handed him a clean linen handkerchief. This is already indicating to us as readers that Lord Kingscourt does not see himself as better than anyone else. He is showing sympathy for this negro man by not mocking him and trying to help him. Despite Kingscourt being in pain and discomfort because of the Great Famine he still sees this negro servant as no better than himself. He is a man who sees everyone on an equal level no matter first class or third class. After proceeding to help the negro servant, Lord Kingscourt’s wife who was sitting around the table called “David” as he turned to look at her she has half risen from her banquette and was gaily beckoning him over with a bread-knife, her knotted eyebrows and pinched lips set in burlesque of impatience. As a reader this makes us realise just how disgusted she is to even think her husband would do something so stupid as help a third class citizen. The way in which Lord Kingscourt’s wife reacted was a way of insulting both him and the negro servant, as she was the one who laughed at the servant then showed impatience toward her husband for trying to help him. Lord Kingscourt comes across to us as a caring man who even though he is going threw pain and discomfort because of his illness he still manages to put his family and people before himself, not many people that are held in regard as first class citizens back during the famine put anyone before themselves even their own family. We as readers know this from reading the text as Lord Kingscourt says “Excuse my lateness, there are two little chaps I know who insist on being told bedtime stories”.(pg.7) Soon after Kingscourt had said this his wife’s reaction was to roll her eyes like a doll, this shows a reaction of disgust toward her husbands actions. She then goes on to say “Our girl Mary is ill again”.(pg.7) This from a readers point of view makes us feel a sense of embarrassment for Lord Kingscourt’s wife as she is making excuses for him in front of people as she feels for her husband to do such a thing as read his children bed time stories is wrong, this is the reason why they have a nanny. Lady Kingscourt then continues to insult the nanny by saying “I don’t know what has come over that girl, she’s barely left her cabin since the moment we boarded, when usually she’s hale as Connemara pony”.(pg.7) This again shows us as readers that Lady Kingscourt feels that anyone who is not first class is not worth talking about or even considering. On the other hand Lord Kingscourt defends the nanny by a means of contradicting her wife and saying “Perhaps she is homesick, she was bereaved of her husband not too long ago, so she probably shan’t notice the sailorboys I should think.”(pg.7) This statement shows us that Lord Kingscourt feels what is wife is doing is wrong and that everyone no matter who they are should be treated equally. We are readers learn that Lord Kingscourt was left with a disaster to handle after his father had passed away. Everything has dropped on him all at one time; Famine, blight, taxes, poor land and dept. For any young man to be have this affliction dropped on him would be mind destroying. Lord Kingscourt has intentions of moving from New York until he was giving this disaster to handle, we know this as in the story the captain says to him “You’ll remain in New York for some time, Kingscourt?”(pg.8) In reply to the captain Lord Kingscourt said “Yes, so you see my predicament, Dixon. Not a man on my estate has paid rent for four years. My father’s death leaves me with half of all the bogland in southern Connemara, a great deal of stones and bad turf, a greater deal of overdue accounts and unpaid wages, not to mention the considerable duties owing to the government.”(pg.8) This statement gives us as readers a sense of sympathy towards Lord Kingscourt the disaster in which he is in. He was a young man who had intentions of travelling but now this is no longer an option as everything has just been dropped on him at once. When they were all sitting a around the desert table we find out a young women began to pluck the ornate, the melody in which she played sounded tiny but Lord Kingscourt found that she played with seriousness he found effect. This is showing us again the Kingscourt is man who seeing goodness in people no matter who they are and is showing sympathy for the women as he feels she is doing her best. Meadows in a character is which we learn is driving physiologically mental by the famine but Kingscourt is not a person who judges him or sees him any differently from other because of this he sees him as the son of a loving father. This again is showing us Lord Kingscourt sees every man and women as equal as he then goes on to state “treat a man like a savage”.(pg.10) Lord Kingscourt knows that due to the famine people are struggling to make ends-meat and struggling to survive, as a result of Kingscourt tries to get these people jobs in the work houses we know this he states in the story “I have done all I can to improve the situation of those in the workhouses, I have lobbied, for example, to relax the conditions for admissions”.(pg.15) Again he is showing sympathy towards the people who are struggling due to the famine and is trying to help them in whatever way possible.

Paragraph two, Chapter 3; G.G Dixon (the journalist)
Mr. G.G. Dixon was firstly introduced to us in chapter three. Our first encounter and impression is that G.G. Dixon’s view of the famine is evil and he feels that Lord Kingscourt has a lot to answer for the cause of the famine. He is taking a biased view of the causes of the famine. This part of the story from G.G. Dixon is written in emotive terms, we know this as the phrase is used “the apocalypse”. Dixon puts his point of view across that he feels that the British would have done a lot more than Kingscourt did to help people during the Great Famine. G.G Dixon states “Kingscourt contends, in his memorable phrase: Hunger kills the poor. It does not ask their flag; doubtless if the famine were laying waste in Yorkshire the government’s response would be less dismally ineffective”(pg.19) This is showing us he feels that the British feels more compassionate about looking after people than Lord Kingscourt does about looking after people during this disaster. Dixon then proceeds to use olde- sarcasm by saying “nineteen out of twenty Britons have no vote”(pg.20) this adds a sense of provoking. G.G. Dixon then continues on to tell us that Lord Kingscourt cautioned in a newspaper “ everything about this Irish Famine is more complicated than is appears”(pg.20) Dixon opinion of this statement was “Unlike the legion of victims His Lordship enjoys the luxury of being alive its complications”.(pg.20) This tells us as readers that even though Lord Kingscourt is doing right in saying what he said, Dixon still thinks that no matter what he says he needs to put his words into actions. Dixon is showing a sense of extreme aversion towards Lord Kingscourt. G.G. Dixon sees Lord Kingscourt as a man of extreme wealth who cares about nothing only himself. He sees him as someone who looks down on those are not first class citizens during this time. In the story G.G. Dixon states “ Many have even enough to purchase a coffin; through most do not, as Lord Kingscourt will see if he rises from his writing desk and looks out his window”.(pg.20) This shows us that Dixon feels that Kingscourt is living in luxury during these hard times and he does not care about the people who are struggling to make ends- meat or even worse ‘survive’. Overall G.G. Dixon has an evil view of the famine as he feels Kingscourt is not doing enough on his behalf to help the country and the poor. He has a feeling of hostility towards Lord Kingscourt.

Paragraph 3, Chapter eight; Mary Duane
Mary Duane is firstly introduced to us in chapter eight, she is a women that gives us a very positive image of Lord Kingscourt an explains to us in detail just how hard his life had been from a very young age. She shows a very sympathetic attitude towards Kingscourt as she knows the way in which he was brought up and the tragedies in which he had when he lost both his mother and father. Mary Duane tells us that “Lord Merridith was a man who has troubles of his own”.(pg.60) Again she is showing sympathy towards him here. Mary Duane tells us that David Merridith was sent away to a boarding school in England and that every half term he would return to Connemara and tell her all about the experience in which he had. The boarding school that he was sent to was described to us in such detail as “You stuck up for the honour of your house to the end. But if it came to a fight you’d fight fair and manly.”(pg.61) This tells us the horror living conditions in which David Merridith had to live in whilst at boarding school. Mary lived a quarter of a mile away from David’s house, she tells us that “Sometimes at night, they could hear Lord Merridith bawling in the yard. Strange rumours about him began to go around the estate: that he had beaten his son until the boy screamed for him to stop”.(pg.59) This is showing this that Mary Duane is showing us the horrors in which Lord Kingscourt went through from a young age. We are readers also learn that Kingscourt develops a twin personality between British and Irish as he is at a British boarding school. Mary Duane tells us that he often came back from Hampshire sickly and pale, he would take off his neatly presses trousers, his Winchester College blazer and schoolboy’s cap, and don the rough clothes he wore at home in Connemara; the peasant’s canvas britches, the bawneen ‘brat’ or smock. This indicates to us as readers that Lord Kingscourt is not embarrassed to show were he is from, he feels proud to dress as a peasant when he arrives home to show that he is not better than anyone else around him. We are also told that when Mary Duane awoke he was lying beside her muttering some words “Ta gra agam duit, a Mhuire. Ta gra agam duit.”(pg.67) Which meant ‘I love you Mary’ spoken in Irish. By Kingscourt actions this indicates that he shows and says all his loving tender thoughts in Irish.