The Famine Road: Structure & Language Techniques

Structure

“The Famine Road” is carefully structured into six free-verse sections. Each section offers a different perspective or piece of the narrative, contributing to the overall impact.
Dialogue is used in both the third and sixth sections, creating a sense of direct engagement between the characters and adding a powerful sense of immediacy and poignancy to the events.
Boland uses a variety of line lengths throughout the poem, which may reflect the laborious and uneven nature of the road-building or the unpredictable and dire straits of the famine situation.
The poem is largely written in first person plural (“we”, “our”, etc.), suggesting a collective voice. This might represent the shared experience of the Irish people during the famine, emphasising that the tragedy and suffering were widely felt.

Boland employs vivid imagery throughout the poem to capture the harsh realities of the famine and the work the men had to endure. Phrases such as “bird’s nest of mud and twigs” and “the art of darkness” paint poignant and evocative pictures in the reader’s mind.
Metaphor is skilfully used in the title and throughout the poem, with the “famine road” symbolising the suffering and death of the Irish people during the famine, as well as the ineffective and inhumane policies of the English government.
Boland’s use of repetitive phrases like “hungry grass” accentuates the pervasive impact of the famine and the desperate state of things.
There are several instances of juxtaposition, such as “labouring men, in soft hats” and “the poor, the starving”, highlighting the stark contrast between the workers’ state and the purported purpose of the road-building scheme.
Foreshadowing is also used to hint at the tragic outcome of the famine and the work scheme. Phrases such as “the road, unfinished…the men, dead” pre-empt the looming disaster.

The road is a key symbol in the poem, standing for the men’s futile labour and the impact of the famine. It remains ‘unfinished’, signifying the unfinished business and unresolved issues surrounding the famine.
The watches mentioned in the first stanza could symbolise the British administration, distantly observing the hardship without offering effective or compassionate assistance.
The character of Trevelyan symbolises the cold, detached bureaucracy of the English government’s response to the famine. His dialogue with the Roving Woman contrasts institutional indifference with personal suffering.
The Roving Woman is a significant symbol, possibly representing the Irish people collectively, or the spirit of Ireland itself. Her reactions and statements highlight the deep pain felt by the Irish populace.