“Hearth Lesson” by Paula Meehan for Leaving Cert English

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Introduction:

The poet speaks about how she is often reminded of a particular memory from childhood. Her parents repeatedly argued, mainly about finances. She recalls how the arguments eventually led to a pivotal moment where her mother rejects her father’s wages altogether.

Style Features:

Simile: The flames engulfing the pound notes “like trapped exotic birds” create a powerful image. The family is trapped by their lack of income but by burning the money Meehan’s mother takes a step toward freedom.

Metaphor:

• the description of the parents as Zeus and Hera. They were man and wife in Greek mythology and albeit they were the most powerful Gods, they frequently engaged in very earthly squabbles (as described, for example, in the “Iliad”. This metaphor also emphasises the near omnipotence that children can ascribe to their parents and their own relative powerlessness.
• The metaphor of a fight as a tennis match is somewhat humorous as the balls (insults) fly over the net (over the innocent child’s head). The humour contrasts with the gravity of the emotional abuse inflicted on the speaker.

Tone: Meehan’s tone is very conversational, as if she is recounting this memory to a friend. This combined with her palpable emotion offers a very intimate glimpse into her past.

Enjambment: The broken sentences reflect the way someone might recall a distant memory and pause to think of the details. The stilted lines also mirror the theme of conflict better than a more flowing style.

Themes:

Gender and family dynamics: In Meehan’s family her father was the bread winner and had control of the finances and in turn his wife and daughter. This has contributed to a toxic and abusive relationship where there is a serious power imbalance in favour of her father. By destroying her husband’s wages Meehan’s mother is breaking free of his power over them as well as their poverty.

Money: This anecdote highlights that money and finances have a huge effect on our lives and relationships. It is the main cause of conflict in the parent’s marriage and causes arguments that are seemingly unrelated. It is only by rejecting the value of money altogether that breaks the cycle.

Either phrase will bring it back –

money to burn, burning a hole in your pocket.

I am crouched by the fire

in the flat in Seán MacDermott Street

while Zeus and Hera battle

Innocuous, everyday phrases such as “money to burn” have the power to transport Meehan to her childhood. Money was an extremely sensitive topic in her household, and this anxiety stayed with her into adulthood. The reference to a Dublin address creates a sense of familiarity.

for his every thunderbolt

she had the killing glance;

she’ll see his fancyman

and raise him the Cosmo Snooker Hall;

he’ll see her ‘the only way you get any

attention around here is if you neigh’;

he’ll raise her airs and graces

or the mental state of her siblings,

every last one of them.

Meehan describes how in these arguments her parents were evenly matched. For each jab they counter with an answering insult. Her father accuses her of having a “fancyman” (a lover) and she retaliates with the time he spends in the snooker hall. Both try to wound as deeply as possible and always return to the same sensitive topics to do so.

I’m net, umpire, and court; most balls

are lobbed over my head.

Even then I can judge it’s better

than brooding and silence and the particular hell

of the unsaid,

or ‘tell your mother…’ ‘ask your father…’.

Meehan as a child was often dragged into these arguments and felt caught in the middle. Both parents used her as ammunition to verbally attack the other. Despite this, she recalls hating the tense silences between the fights more.

Even then I can tell it was money

the lack of it day after day,

at the root of bitter words

but nothing prepared us one teatime

She straightened up each rumpled pound note, then

a weariness come suddenly over her,

she threw the lot in the fire.

Even at a young age, Meehan recognised that the real cause of conflict was their financial struggles. Eventually, her mother reached a breaking point and in a moment of defiance throws her husband’s wages in the fire.

The flames were blue and pink and green,

a marvellous sight, an alchemical scene.

‘It’s not enough,’ she stated simply.

And we all knew it wasn’t.

The flames sheered from cinder to chimney breast

like trapped exotic birds;

the shadows jumped floor to ceiling, and she’d

had the last, the astonishing, word.

The beautiful colours created by the burning notes signal that her mother’s act was a positive one. By destroying the money she is rejecting the power her husband has as the breadwinner. The reference to alchemy suggests an astonishing transformation has occurred. Meehan is in awe of her mother’s rebellion and though we don’t know the events following the moment, her victory is clear.

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