Eavan Boland is an Irish poet and author born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1944, who focuses much of her work on the national identity of Irish, the role of Irish women. throughout its history, as well as the rich and, at times, tragic history and culture of Ireland as a country itself, particularly in relation to the impact that the Irish Apple Famine land, or “The Great Famine” between 1845 and 1852, had on Irish society. Currently, Eavan Boland is a professor at Stanford University. In the poem "The Achill Woman" written by Eavan Boland, the speaker (strongly indicated as Eavan Boland herself, thus making the poem rather autobiographical) recounts her experiences on the island of Achill off the coast of Ireland and more particularly his meeting with a woman who lives there. Throughout the poem, the narrator describes the woman's simple lifestyle in juxtaposition with her own lifestyle, being an educated student. Upon reflection, the slight cultural clash between the two Irish generations is highlighted through the different interests they spend their time pursuing during the day as well as their general mindset towards life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Firstly, their interests in daily hobbies completely differ in origin and purpose. For example, the Achill woman spends her time climbing “the hill carrying water” (1) in her woolen clothes, or being productive with the “harmonies of servitude” (30). These rituals and daily tasks are the basic necessities for her, and by keeping herself busy, she also remains satisfied with this daily routine; especially since she actually experienced the famine which claimed many victims in Ireland during her youth. Overall, the Achill woman is content and more than satisfied with her simplistic lifestyle. Alternatively, the narrator spends her time as a normal student would, "finishing the week at a friend's house" (16) and reading her books by the fire during the cold night. Preferring to stay indoors with a good book, the narrator does not understand at first and takes the Achill woman's hard work for granted in this way. This typical schedule of a young adult and a student also causes a culture clash between the two women simply due to the fact that they share different lifestyles, interests, and hobbies that are stereotypical for their age and generation. Then both women maintain their own sets of behaviors. values, opinions and perspectives that arise from their own personal experiences and lifestyles, also causing a slight disconnect between the two of them. For example, when the Achill woman speaks with the narrator, "the evening turned cold without warning" (20), as it usually seems after a person reveals tragic or grim news. Assuming that the conversation was about detailed accounts and leaked information about the terrible famine that struck Ireland, then Achill's wife endured many hardships throughout her life - tragedies that the narrator will probably never know due to his youth. The Achill woman represents a generation that has survived hard times, a stark contrast to that of the young narrator. However, the absence of catastrophe in the narrator's life has its advantages. She had “only words, raw words since university” (15) and was therefore raised as a young woman without any real negative experiences or events...