The Famine Road: Key Quotes

Key Quotes - “The Famine Road”

Quote 1: “Idle as trout in light,

The simile likening the idleness of the workers to trout in light sets a tone of aimlessness and sense of futility. This effectively captures the desperation of the famine workers.

Quote 2: “unpaid, half mad,

The workers are identified as ‘unpaid’ and ‘half mad,’ highlighting the extreme conditions and the exploitation during Ireland’s Great Famine when people worked on infrastructure projects for food rather than payment.

Quote 3: “The bad life made a vision that they would know how to die.”

This quote helps to show the fatalistic acceptance of their inevitable death due to the harsh conditions they are forced to live under. It also explores the theme of despair and resignation to fate common in Boland’s work.

Quote 4: “We, who could not make or mend,

This quote can symbolize the workers’ desperation, their struggle with identity as they are unable to take part in productive work. It also shows their disempowerment.

Quote 5: “A hunger stalked the roads.”

A poignant image which personifies hunger like a predator on the roads where the Famine victims had travailed, bringing the massive scale and impact of the Great Famine to light.

Quote 6: “There was a woman with a basket and a baby.”

The simplicity of this line draws attention to the ordinary humanity of the victims, a reminder of Boland’s recurrent theme of the importance and resonance of domestic experiences in history.

Quote 7: “And the last, the very last / To join the work was a young girl. / She pushed her hair behind her ears.”

Boland’s use of sensory detail here is evocative and strong. In ending the poem this way, Boland focuses intensely on individual human experience, creating a powerful sense of pathos.