Thomas Lynch describes an Ireland that reflects a sense of freedom from the constraints of city life, emphasizing the beauty of the land. The speaker of the poem yearns for the liberty of taking ownership of his land and acting however he pleases, in this case “piss[ing] on the front lawn.” Mentioning that the suburbs pale in comparison to the sweeping landscape of Ireland, the speaker longs for the beautiful Ireland over the crowded suburbs of the United States.
The picture I found perfectly embodies this sense of freedom and pride that represents the beauty of Ireland. The image of both the land and sea represents different elements of the poem. Lynch mentions the “River Shannon empties into sea” and the green grass evokes the idea of “piss on the front lawn,” not in a derogatory way, but rather in a freeing way. I chose where the Cliffside meets the water for the dramatic and independent feeling one receives when looking at this picture. This cliff represents the kind of freedom that the speaker of the poem yearns for because the landscape and sea represents so much possibility within its vastness. The dark cloud even relates to the sense of “Still, there is nothing, here in the suburbs,/as dense as the darkness in West Clare.” Although Lynch focuses on seemingly unromantic ideas of darkness and “wind/that rattles,” he is celebrating Ireland for what it is, darkness, wind and all. Instead of believing that his love, Ireland, is perfect, he sees the beauty in Ireland’s imperfections and loves Ireland just the way it is. The symbol of the whitethorn in the poem reflects the freedom that the speaker so desperately covets. The “holy trees” are a constant reminder of the freedom that was alive and well in Ireland.
Introduction to Poetry 
Oct 25, 2014 @ 01:20:52
Well done! I think you have done an excellent job of picking a very representative picture that does a good job of characterizing the speaker’s criticism. I am impressed by the depth of the interpretation of the picture and the connection to the poem because you mentioned both the freeing imagery of the sea, the land, and the dark cloud. However, you bring up the point that Ireland isn’t perfect, and that the speaker still loves it for what it is, which brought up the question in my mind, “Why doesn’t he love America’s imperfection in the suburbs?”. Perhaps a little more evaluation of the speaker’s exact feelings of his environment in the United States would have strengthened your overall argument.
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