1. English Summary/Translation of the Poem Stadeolaíocht
Stadeolaíocht translates into Stop Science in English. This poem is written by a poet who is waiting on a bus at a stop and chooses to watch the people around him while he waits. He notices that everyone is buried in their phones and is not interacting with each other. The poet also misses his bus due to him being distracted by his mobile.
Stadeolaíocht was written by Marcus Mac Conghail. This question comes up on the Junior cert exams for the poetry section. As a result, students will need to know the poem as well as the themes, tones, and vocabulary used by the poet to get his point across.
Brúim cnaipe na haipe ag ceapadh | I press the app button thinking |
go gcuirfí ar an eolas mé | let me know |
ach in áit am theacht an bhus a thabhairt dom | but rather give me the arrival time of the bus |
ar mo ghúthan | on my phone |
faighim radharc fíor-ama | I get a real time view |
den tiománaí ag feachaint orm | of the driver looking at me |
(is é ag tiomáint an bus thar bráid) | (he is driving the bus over) |
ar ardú mo chinn dom | on the lifting of my head for me |
2. Who wrote the Poem Stadeolaíocht
Marcus Mac Conghail is the author of Stadeolaíocht. He is a poet, writer, and musician based between Dublin and Galway. Coiscéim Ceol Baile (Poems and Songs) published a collection of poetry with him in 2014 and he was awarded the Michael Hartnett Prize in 2015. He was a member of the IMLÉ band, 'a harbinger of hope for the future of newly composed music in Irish'.
3. Stadeolaíocht Poem Tone
The tone of this poem is a humorous critique of our reliance on social media and smartphones as opposed to real life. The poem also has a somewhat deeper undertone of sadness over lost experiences that most people now have due to their preference for interacting with apps on phones rather than life experiences.
The bus could be perceived as a metaphor for life itself. The poet is using his phone to find information or interact with a life experience, only for the experience to pass him by while he watches it on his device, as opposed to taking part.
The tone of the piece can also be viewed as not too serious. The poet is almost mocking his misfortune while also realizing the harm caused by his constant interactions with his phone.
4. Sample Questions
1 | Cé a scriobh an dán seo? | Who wrote this poem? |
2 | Cá raibh ao file? | Where was the poet? |
3 | Cad a bhí sé ag déanamh ar a fhón póca? | What was he doing on his phone? |
4 | Cén fáth go raibh sé ag déanamh é sin ar a fhón? | Why was he doing that on his phone? |
5 | Cad a tharla leis an mbus? | What happened with the bus? |
6 | Cén fáth gur chaill an file an bus? | Why did the poet miss the bus? |
7 | Cad í príomhtheachtaireacht an dáin seo? | What is the main message of this poem? |
8 | Cad é an mothú is mó sa dán seo? | What is the most prominent emotion in this poem? |
5. Preparing to Answer Questions on Stadeolaíocht
Questions on Stadeolaíocht will usually ask students to describe the emotions, themes, or meaning behind the poem. They may ask something like what is the main emotion of the piece. You will then choose either frustration, humour, sorrow, or whatever you think is best. Then you’ll need to craft an answer using quotes from the piece to back up your point.
You could also be asked about the theme of the poem, which you would then need to talk about how our reliance on technology takes away from our life experiences.
When preparing to answer questions like these on Stadeolaíocht, you will need to choose some key phrases to back up your points. Therefore, it makes sense to check out past papers to see how questions are asked. Then you’ll need to formulate opinions on the themes, tone, and emotions of the poem.
Based on these opinions, you will then choose quotes that illustrate your point.
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