Partner response

Michelle’s picture and her commentary show me that she is interested in different types of people. She contrasts the man looking on with the milk man; what traditions do the different men have? It is as if she is interested in how the two men react to certain stimuli from very different cultures, and how that would influence their day to day lives. This same idea is present in her commentary on the Yeats poem; she has a respect for the way different cultures live (Ireland’s simplicity, in this case). Although it is a goal that we all share, it seems to me that Michelle’s primary goal is to learn first hand, instead of out of a book from a teacher who knows little about the core of the subject.

Valerie’s picture of the Kylemore Abbey highlights the Catholic and Protestant conflict in Ireland. She seems to want to identify on a higher level with the Irish themselves; her commentary on her chosen writing excerpt, “The Easter Proclamation”, leads me to believe that she still has many questions about the conflicts with the United Kingdom and about the culture of the people themselves. She notes her interest in the superstitions and ghost stories of the Irish people, but it is more likely that Valerie seeks knowledge of the Irish background and the things they hold sacred, including their history, culture, and music.