Ulysses Episode 9: Scylla and Charybdis

[@brianhennigan8345]

Love these videos Chris I really find them a real help with understanding the book. Just something I think worth pointing out. In ‘21 Ireland won way more then home rule. Full independence from the United Kingdom was achieved against the will of the British government, via a guerrilla war. Think what’s going on with Brexit x 100! Suddenly, in the aftermath of World war 1, Ireland had to establish an independent country having broken away from inside the United Kingdom, not just the British empire. It’s a huge change in what underpins society, a political earthquake for those who lived through it. Unfortunately, as you mentioned there was a bitter civil war that followed. If you get the chance the movie Michael Collins directed by Niall Jordan is a good retelling of the history of those years. Subsequently in the 30’s , before the country had rebuilt, an inward looking protectionist approach swept the world and Ireland found itself with very little economic advantages. We were geographically isolated and then economically further isolated in a series of trade disputes with the UK. I would say this contributed much more to the sense of a stagnant struggling society then the revival of the language. It’s not surprisingly that the likes of Joyce being Dublin based and aged 40 at the time of independence would be a bit hostile to the revival of the Irish language, it must be disconcerting. I think he left Dublin in 1904 so basically he’s about 20 years abroad when he’s writing about Ireland so he actually missed being present at the “blooming” of Dublin from being a regional town to a capital of an independent country occurred. I think it worth keeping in mind that brilliant as he was, his finger may have been off the pulse as to what was making Ireland tick in those years. Your point about the utility of the language is a good one in that even today there are people who resent learning Irish because of its limited use in practical terms. However, education in Ireland was bi lingual and to a very high standard so I don’t think it’s accurate to draw a link between it and the state of the society in the twenty years post independence. Absolutely love these videos and wouldn’t be reading this far if it wasn’t for your great work in making the book more approachable! Thanks again. Brian

[@TeachUBusiness]

Hi Brian, I agree 100% with everything you say. I am trying to keep the videos within the time that Joyce portrays as he was such a fanatic for detail. 1904 serves as my reference point. Joyce left Ireland because it was stagnant and still under the British and Catholic Church's respective thumbs. I tried to make the point about looking backward is not the best way to chart a forward course. I look at Trump's "'Make America Great Again" theme in that same light. I prefer to correct the ills and be greater than ever. When I refer to the Irish Literary Revival, it is in that spirit; Ireland has much great talent and the path ahead is better than the path behind. Indeed the road to Independence was a rough one followed by the more recent 'troubles' and into today with the Backstop being the biggest roadblock to finishing Brexit. (I don't want to start on Brexit as I believe that is more about racist tendencies than free trade) Once a people break free and establish an independent state, certainly I would support and encourage the preservation of culture. Bringing back the language, preserving the old lore and stories, all good. But from a lens in 1904, there would be great frustration to escape the past first. You are correct that Joyce was indeed off the pulse---but he writes of a time when he was very in tune with the pulse. I especially enjoy and deeply appreciate your thoughtful comments. Thank you so much for that. While I think Ulysses is the greatest novel written, it becomes harder to comprehend the stagnation of 1904 in the light of today's progressive and very successful state that Ireland has become. Ireland today is 5th in the world for GDP per capita! That's proof of what the Irish are capable of!

[@vincentvanwyk5522]

Ireland in 1922 got something akin to dominion status aka like Canada, South Africa and Australia. Not independence. Ireland got independence in 1931 like those other counties. Something very few people in Ireland realise.

[@brianhennigan8345]

vincent vanWyk , For the purposes of speaking about the break in administration from the UK , this is what Irish people probably mean when they talk about independence. Yes it’s way more complicated then that but generally discussing Irish independence, the post ‘21 period is what people reasonably point to as ‘independence’. The Anglo-Irish Treaty itself gave the Irish much more independence than many other dominions. The Oath of Allegiance in the Irish Free State was much less monarchist than its equivalent in Canada or Australia. The king's representative in Ireland was Irish, unlike the other dominions, power was derived from the Irish people. There were also questions raised about the word "treaty". The British claimed it was an internal affair while the Irish saw it as an international agreement between two independent states, a point which was accepted by the League of Nations, when that body registered the Treaty as an international agreement in 1924. Therefore not unreasonably the date of the statute of Westminster 1931 is completely ignored as irrelevant by Irish people for talking about independence. Of course it was not until 1937 that the new constitution was completed and until 1948/9 that the Republic of Ireland act passed so the creation of a country takes time but given all of that, its probably not surprising at all that people use the word independence to refer to the creation of the free state. In fact, I vaguely remember a senator here suggested we create an Independence Day, which he dated to the first Declaration of Independence by the first Dail in 1919 so it probably shows that there is no perfect moment to say exactly when enough independence was achieved to warrant the short cut term independence!

[@vincentvanwyk5522]

@@brianhennigan8345 actually the treaty put many restrictions on Ireland some of which still are enforced today. For example Ireland and Northern Ireland are agreed never to introduce conscription. South Africa and the so called White Old colonies like Canada and Australia saw the 1931 westminster statuate as a merely acknowledging what had already been accepted. Internal self government. Those colonies couldn't pursue a foreign policy that clashed with Britain's nor trade with Britain's enemies. This included Ireland. Ireland got internal admin control only. In fact because 1922 was a separate treaty England didn't feel obliged to offer Ireland full independence in 1931 along with the other dominions. Herzog from South Africa and mackenzie King of Canada said they wouldn't proceed unless Ireland was given the same deal. Very few people in Ireland know this. England wanted a subordinate Ireland devoid of any foreign policy clout. Anyway, I'll give Ireland this. It remained neutral in ww2 when south Africa should have done likewise. Of course Ireland helped the war effort we all know that. Anyway, if Ireland had in some crazy alternate history decided to ally itself with Germany it would have got invaded and occupied. No questions asked. Norway nearly did. Iceland was invaded and so was Iran. Today Ireland enjoys a much closer bond with the UK than any of its former dominions and colonies. Full rights for any Irish citizen in the UK including benefits, voting, medical etc. Gerry O'brien who taught Irish history at magee college told me personally that Ireland got much less than what the other white colonies had in terms of self government.

[@mhabert]

That's adorable, thank you very much. Hugs from Brazil, sir.

[@grsp0810]

I have a question: How can you be so wholesome? You completely sold me the book! This seems to be the type of work that I will revisit and enjoy for years. Thanks for your enthusiasm and your love for literature! It's contagious!

[@TeachUBusiness]

You are so kind. Thank you. My whole objective was to make this book, despite being very difficult, fun! I am so happy you are getting pleasure from the book.

[@cirrusmusic]

Thanks for your insight into this chapter. Really appreciate your enthusiasm about this great work.

[@seamusmcquaid1316]

Chris I know you did these videos some time ago, however I wanted to thank you for the work you have done on the analysis of the book. I haven’t finished the book yet I am up to this part of the it. You have made the experience of reading Joyce so enjoyable and helped me uncover the richness of the book. Once I have completed it I will start again, don’t see this as a chore it an experience and a good one. Regards Seamus

[@andreamorales3924]

If it hadn't been for you my Ulysses would be sleeping peacefully on some shelf defeated and unread. Thank God, on the contrary, I'm falling so much in love with it!!! This shouldn't be called "a book". It should be called a "BOOXPERIENCE", if you allow me the neologism. Thanks, thanks, thanks.

[@celenebru]

I'm studying Ulysses for an upcoming exam and your videos have been more help than my university lectures/seminars, SparkNotes, Shmoop, Cliffnotes and all other online material combined. Thank-you for helping me not fail my degree!

[@TeachUBusiness]

Cel Ebru, that is so kind of you! When I make a video, I want to accomplish 2 things. First, make the chapter understandable enough to be enjoyable. This book is very deep so it's impossible to clarify everything. Second, I try to add something to think about that isn't in every other commentary and shortcut notes. While the book is heavy, it should be experienced, not just analyzed. I am so happy to get your comments. Best wishes for a very successful class. Do you mind if I ask where (about) you are located? It's fun for me to hear from people in many different places. Sláinte from California!

[@celenebru]

Thank-you! And I'm currently located in London :) I'm struggling to find a poem to pair Ulysses with for a comparison question in my exam and was wondering if there are there any Modernist poems you'd suggest? Particularly Ezra Pound/Wallace Stevens

[@TeachUBusiness]

Modernist. There's the rub. It is a tricky problem. Modernism is a product of the first world war. It devastated Europe. After the turn of the century, it was a pretty good time with life beginning to improve due to technology. Then it seems all the technology went into warfare. Industrial capacity shifted to making arms. Technology produced gas weapons. The war was meaningless and futile. It was insanely costly. Practically every family in Europe experienced loss in some form and an entire generation was killed or maimed. The great expression to come from that is "The Wasteland" (Pound, 1922) While Ulysses changed the novel from a flat story with beginning, problem to solve, climax, resolution to a format of expressing ideas. Joyce (and others of course) showed us that thinking is not linear. Life isn't linear either. The passage of time is bound by physics but our lives take vey unpredictable twists and turns. You'll get a great explanation of this in the Eumaeus chapter. There Joyce compares the writers art to journalism. The Wasteland, rather than a pretty poetic expression of nature is a convoluted, opaque, and very stark statement on the wasteland of civilization. The Wasteland might be an all to obvious choice, but if Ulysses is model of modernist novel, The Wasteland is the modernist work of poetry. April is the cruelist month.

[@celenebru]

I really wanted to compare with T.S Eliot but I'm restricted from doing so as I've written about him previously. The same with Virginia Woolf, as I thought Mrs Dalloway made a good pairing. Someone suggested a Gertrude Stein poem (yuck) but I'm not very familiar with her -- do you think there are any appropriate Gertrude Stein poems? (Sorry for all the questions!!)

[@TeachUBusiness]

I would look at Sagawa Chika---She is a modernist poet from Japan. Her works are short, very interesting, and sharp. Her biography might interest you... You can find some of here works here: www.asu.edu/pipercwcenter/how2journal/archive/online_archive/v2_2_2004/current/translation/chika.htm#poem2

[@dbalderas90]

I just want to thank you. You are truly accomplishing your goal with so many of us.

[@stevehargett4922]

I really enjoyed this video and gained some new insights. I have been reading "Ulysses" since I was 17 years old in 1975 and have read many secondary sources. Your video underscores Joyce's richness and the limitless depths yet to plumb!

[@TeachUBusiness]

Thank you so much. Stay safe.

[@wasfuerkeksigkeit]

You, sir, have blown my mind. You are a fantastic teacher. Great analysis but even better at imbibing a passion for the book.

[@TeachUBusiness]

Thank you so much! That's a great compliment and I thank you.

[@glenernstrom9256]

Best word ever in this chapter: Yogibogeybox. A Joyce original I think. I wanted this to be my gamertag but someone else already beat me to it.

[@TeachUBusiness]

Love it! Great observation. I agree too: Best word ever!

[@jackieberger8812]

These little lectures are wonderful! My quarantine summer reading project.

[@TeachUBusiness]

Thank you! I hope you are enjoying your summer read.

[@sanadbanawi2151]

I have never been encouraged to leave a comment on a youtube video, but I really appreciate the effort. You are clearly doing this for fun, however, I'm an MA student of English literature and I found your video very useful.

[@TeachUBusiness]

Thank you so much! I believe the humanities make us human. Thus, these videos are intended to be fun and to open a brilliant book to more readers. It is a study but the ultimate goal is pleasure. If readers have fun with Joyce's wit and cleverness, I (along with you and those who comment) achieve the goal. Thank you again from a very appreciative fellow reader.

[@cbmanualidadesmexico231]

You’re really adorable! Funny and make me laugh and enjoy this chapter! Thanks

[@pamelapellegrini1766]

Cheers to you, a person with so much insight. Just love the way you ❤ are.

[@paulgrist9962]

Fantastic Chris. Great take on the episode. Really illuminating

[@nickmalato6987]

I just wanted to thank you for doing these videos I decided to read Ulysses for the first time about a week ago after each chapter I watch your videos to hear a break down and they are very helpful in helping me get more out this wonderful book.

[@TeachUBusiness]

Nick Malato Thank you so much! I hope I can keep up with you! It is challenging to make these videos but it is a labor of love!

[@olivergoldsmith6669]

WOW, I'm EXCITED TO REREAD THIS CHAPTER. MY UNDERSTANDING IS "BLOOMING." OLIVER

[@TeachUBusiness]

Thank you, Oliver. Hope you enjoy this chapter and can feel the metempsychosis that is going on with Shakespeare and Hamlet...very witty chapter, one thinks of Homer!

[@KathrynTanner-t8f]

Thanks for this. I was perking along okay with Ulysses, with some help from Gifford's and other sources, but really hit a wall with chap 9. Will attack it again after you've grounded me in what's going on here.

[@shopiayay]

Thank you for making these videos. You’re adorable!

[@Xylus.]

This has been my favorite chapter so far, I think. Even before hitting play, I'm excited to hear you crack this one open. Edit: Playground? Joyce built us a veritable amusement park of thrills, and even though I'm not "tall enough" as it were to ride some of the bigger rides, Im still having fun, and getting taller every minute as I extend this metaphor to it's breaking point.

[@TeachUBusiness]

I love this episode and hope this video helps you find pleasure in it!

[@cosimocaputo4827]

Thanks again for bringing some candle light in this dark National Library. This one has been tougher and more challenging than I expected. There are more changes (spoken/thought, music/speech, lots of character) than I could stand. Maybe "the life of esoteric is not for ordinary people". I could read it again, hopefully understanding a little bit more, but for now I will share some very superficial thoughts. 1) The episode starts with "Urbane, to comfort them". Intellectuals need to know that their knowledge make them superior to others. Is it really so? Their actions are mockery. That is why we find a play script later on. "Speech, speech. But act." Moving one step forward and one step backwards, they are paralyzed zombies in their cemetery of books. They perform being alive, and yet the more they speak the less they do. Feeling guilty for their idleness, instead of facing their issue, they find comfort in literary discussions that bring them into a never ending loop of dissatisfaction. Charybdis: a whirlpool of frustration. Books are their narcotics, giving them their "Paradise lost". 2) Hypocrisy is another big theme of the first page. These intellectuals speak of Wilhelm Meister as a brother poet, so you may apparently think they value brotherhood. Anyway, later on, Stephen says:" A brother is as easily forgotten as an umbrella". Also (this is just my personal and hazardous interpretation), John Eglinton asks:" Have you found those six medicals" (six like the heads of Scylla) and then we read "Smile. Smile Cranly's smile. First he tickled her. Then he patted her. Then he passed the female catheter. For he was a medical. Jolly old medi.." This makes me think of a perverted doctor: only in name (what's in a name) gynecologist, while actually introducing women in his clinic for his own advantage.

[@TeachUBusiness]

Cosimo, let me offer some encouragement on this episode. There are more difficult episodes but they can be broken down and somewhat figured out. This one makes many references specific to the Irish condition. This is the struggle that drove Joyce off the Irish island and to the mental freedom of Europe. The Irish Literary Revival was driven by the Irish Literary intellectuals of the time. They wanted to "revive" the old language and return to the old forms of literary culture. Yeats was a key player in this movement. Joyce didn't want his art to be constrained by backward thinking. In this episode, there is talk about a gathering of the best new poets that is to happen later in the evening. Stephen is not invited and he is resentful though also full of 'sour grapes' about this gathering. Buck Mulligan WAS invited as a promising writer! Mulligan?! These events are based on true events. It's not important to get all the inside stuff. Rather, get the feel. The two characters, Stephen and Bloom, are both in a sort of ground zero for their vocations. Bloom needs materials for an ad he hopes to place and Stephen needs (supposedly) the association with the intellectuals. Both of our characters are outsiders and both are slighted by others. If you get the feel for the mockery of Bloom and the slighting of Stephen, you have the biggest pieces. Also, we can see Stephen's mind wandering around pretty funny places. Ironically, some of those places were visited by Bloom earlier. The notion of Alexander's Ship comes up. If we preserve the ship of Alexander the Great, his actual ship, we have a great piece of history. Over time, the wood decays and it's necessary to make repairs. Over a long time, we might replace all the original material. Is it still Alexander's ship? Bloom says earlier, "me then and me now". Stephen calculates how long it takes the body to grow new cells and makes the joke about whether it's he who owes a pound or the old Stephen who borrowed it! Our characters are converging mentally. Read this episode for pleasure. You have a lifetime to untangle the finer points. Take care, my friend.

[@cosimocaputo4827]

Thanks for your explaination and for the encouragement. Reading wandering rocks.

[@darrenmacgearailt8205]

Thank you Chris for your insight and for teasing out a lot of the deeper meanings that I would never have picked up. I don't want to go down a rabbit hole on this as I can see some people have already alluded to the connection you made between Ireland's difficulties post 1920s, and the literary revivial taking hold and forcing the schools to teach in Gaelic (Irish), being the cause of these difficulties. Irish was very much a living language and still is to this day on the Island (although the majority are not using it I will concede). It was many other factors that resulted in Ireland's difficulties and I am sure you didn't mean for it to come out the way it did. I also want to highlight that Ireland has never achieved full independence as is often percieved/stated. I hope to someday be celebrating Independence Day as our national day instead of the plastic-Paddy nonscense that goes on around St. Patrick's Day each year. Partial independce was achieved alright at a terrible cost of life in the form of a 26 county state currently titled the Republic of Ireland, while a portion of the Island in the north-east is still under British rule with a divolved parliment and currently running under the guise of an internationally recognised treaty between the Repuplic of Ireland and British governments. Therefore one needs to be careful around the language of "Ireland" being independent as there are varying understandings of it in Ireland today. The Republic of reland is doing very well today as you have mentioned, even though the same approach of every school having to teach Irish remains in place. So i just want to clear that up as I think an objective viewer may come to a negative conclusion about the inclusion of Irish as a core curriculum subject to help promote our native tongue that had been so heavily usurped. It was not this negative thing (promotion of the Irish language) that resulted in economic hardship for the new southern partitioned state. Coimeád suas do chuid oibre agus beidh mise ag tnúth go mór leis an chéad físeán eile le feiceáil.

[@TeachUBusiness]

Darren, I appreciate your comment very much and am thinking about how to address it in a way that would most benefit the readers. I might do a video on this subject. Maybe you and I might do a video together? I have addressed this before but not adequately. The thrust of my comments are frozen in the perspective of 1904 and that of Joyce. Certainly the advantage of the current view of the last century changes that perception. I need to address that better but I need some help. Also, my comments are somewhat distorted geographically. Dublin is a very different place than Belfast. I confess that my sense of the book is around southern Ireland and Dublin. I would love to develop this with your guidance. [e-mail]

[@feseconnino]

Fantastic video Chris. loved it.

[@TeachUBusiness]

Thank you so much! Are you enjoying the book?

[@feseconnino]

@@TeachUBusiness .Yes Chris, I am really into it and put all my other interests on the back burner. I am taking my time, chapter by chapter, try to familiarise with each one before tackling the next. Each one an adventure. Thank you very much

[@0drat]

Another fascinating episode...... thanks for all the insights. Just something that resonated when you were talking about transmigration and parallax .. both are in essence about change and are linear .. just trying to remember what you said in the Intro to your series about Joyce's view of history, and the idea that the individual is a microcosm of a larger entity.

[@TeachUBusiness]

Thank you for commenting. Joyce had a view that history was a big repeating cycle. We certainly can see the same ole stupidity repeating over and over. We never seem lear of the futility of war.

[@theresabruno2452]

Happy Bloomsday 2020 Chris. So many fun things online this year. Have you watched any? I listened to just an hour of an audiobook reading of Hades and it was such a different understanding having read it once. Even without the research, it becomes layered from having read it once. I totally get what you mean about the experience of reading it for the first time being special. Thank you so much for your help thus far

[@TeachUBusiness]

Happy Bloomsday to you! I am so happy that you are enjoying the experience of making your own odyssey! I feel like we all share a special experience. Take care and enjoy the day.

[@ralphleonart1786]

Mr. Reich. The excellence of your presentation stems from your clear love of the subject matter. Please give us time references; when the book was written; the fictional time and the historical events, e. g., the Irish civil war. It will add to your presentation.

[@TeachUBusiness]

I love your comment and appreciate that you took the time. This is very interesting to me. I want people to read the book for pleasure. I struggle with every video to balance giving inspiration AND education. I try to avoid being too academic. FEEL the writing and experience the events and don't stress over every one of Joyce's obscure references. That's why I try to bring some background but not too much. After all, you can get facts from Wikipedia. You get heart and a desire to read the book, in part, from me. (I hope)

[@jvpresnall]

“In the intense instant of imagination, when the mind, as Shelley says, is a fading coal that which I was is that which I am and that which in possibility I may come to be. So in the future, the sister of the past, I may see myself as I sit here now but by reflection from that which I then shall be.” The problem is not so much a retrieval of the past in the Irish revival, but a past denuded of possibility. This is Joyce’s statement on the proper relation to a poetic heritage-the intense instant of imagination. The was in the is, is the possible of what may be.

[@jvpresnall]

The videos are great, BTW.

[@AlexanderLaurence]

Thanks

[@dreamingrightnow1174]

I came here because of an article you may have seen by Marc Tracy [www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/books/86541/the-tenth-man-2] in which he remembers asking Christopher Hitchens what his favorite chapter was in Ulysses: “Probably the Shakespeare chapter. At the library.” Thank you for illuminating it for me.

[@TeachUBusiness]

Thank you! I hope you managed to finish...

[@jamesacres797]

Love these videos, I'm watching along while I read through the book! 18:37 - I never understood this exchange in Calypso.. maybe I'm missing something really obvious but who is Molly talking about? who is "he"? "-Metempsychosis? -Yes. Who’s he when he’s at home?"

[@jamesphelan3285]

It's a British phrase, I think it derives from the observation that people behave differently, in a fancier manner, at formal events and in public than when people are at home. 'He' refers to the term metempsychosis, and essentially she's just asking what it means in simple, less fancy words. If I remember correctly, Bloom then goes on to try and explain the term to her.

[@deirdre108]

@@jamesphelan3285Interestingly (at least to me) in David Foster Wallace’s “Infinite Jest” there is character named Madame Psychosis, which is very close in pronunciation to metempsychosis!

[@herrklamm1454]

Crab (a bushranger) 😂

[@anthonyleecollins9319]

Your comments on the Irish language education reminds me of a girl I met many decades ago. She had been educated in an experimental school where they'd taught the kids to read and write with a phonetic alphabet (English is notoriously unpredictable in terms of spelling and pronunciation, of course). Interesting idea, I guess, but it meant that for all intents and purposes she was illiterate. She always did very well in math, but she failed every other class.

[@mariainesricur6446]

I envoy this you tube with you so much! Please tell me where are episodes 5, 6, and 7? I’sorry don’t speak well in English. I am from Argentina !

[@TeachUBusiness]

It is so great to hear from you! Your English is amazing. Here is episode 5 kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqGVZYOAmp5kiKc I wonder if I did not set the channel up correctly. Can you find the main page for the channel? All videos are listed there. Let me see if I can help further.

[@TeachUBusiness]

Here is a link to the channel. kzbin.info/door/UMwUkF1PNik9-pmNgR40FQ If you go to the videos tab, you will see all the episodes. I hope that helps you.

[@phattadonnilphat7936]

If this isn't nice I don't know what is.

[@TeachUBusiness]

Thank you! I hope you are enjoying the book. Best wishes to you.

[@Greendalewitch]

You see online, how do you pronounce these things? Charybdis, that can't be its impossible. Its an error, somebody made a mistake along the line. There are no female gods that end with a S" So are people forgetting Artemis then? She's kinda important in Greek Mythology.

[@TeachUBusiness]

The generally accepted pronunciation of Charybdis is Car-RIB-Dis. Thank you for adding Artemis to the discussion! I am so glad you joined the journey through Ulysses.

[@Greendalewitch]

Chris Reich No, I wanna thank you. I am currently in course about Ulysses and the teacher expects us to "get" Ulysses through one reading, and im so glad to have found someone who says its not supposed to be understood through one reading, because I have no idea whats going on in the book lol.

[@mikemcnary8006]

I love this series Chris but to blame the Irish Literary revival for Ireland's economic woes in the 1900s is way off the mark. The Island was made an economic backwater by the policies of the British Empire which enslaved them for over 500 years. For instance at one time Catholics were not allowed to own property in Ireland. it takes a long time to overcome such oppression but you're right in declaring that is exactly what they've been able to accomplish since achieving their freedom.

[@TeachUBusiness]

Hi Mike, I think you might have misunderstood me. The Irish Literary Revival certainly was not to blame for the woes of Ireland, economic or otherwise. Joyce wanted to move the literature of Ireland forward, not backward. He saw the ILR as a move back to further stagnation which he left Dublin to escape. The ILR had nothing to do with the condition of Ireland but Joyce thought, and I tend to agree, that looking back would only delay progress forward and out of the stagnation. Look at the US today---Trump says "Make America Great Again" The key word is again. I would say "greater than ever" is a more forward-looking term. Romanticizing the past leads to some bad stuff as I suggest in the Cyclops episode. Certainly, it is beautiful to preserve the past art and culture as those things make the fabric of the national tapestry. It would be silly for Americans to start conversing and writing in the language of the 18th century. Joyce thought it wrong for Ireland to take a similar course at the turn of the 20th century.

[@EoinP]

The points you make about teaching Irish are extremely far from the truth. Irish was then and still is a living language. There is no evidence to suggest that education through Irish (only ever available in a limited number of schools in reality) had anything but a positive influence on the general level of education. It is totally false to say that the Irish people were illiterate. One point that Joyce might have made was that to focus on Irish in any way would be to be insular and looking away from wider Europe. In reality you have to ask how learnéd one can be if they are very au fait with multifarious aspects of the classics and many European languages but largely blind to basic elements that form that substratum of culture in their own country.

[@TeachUBusiness]

I really appreciate your comments. At the time, the push was not just to teach Irish, but to teach everything in Irish. Regardless of whether that was a good idea, my focus is trying to convey Joyce's thinking. His great work, Dubliners, largely speaks to the stagnation of Dublin and Ireland in general. Looking backwards won't take a nation forward. The U.S. went backwards to the glory days with Trump and it was a disaster. I have nothing against the Irish language and I fully support cultural preservation. I speak to this a bit more in Cyclops. Cheers and thank you for your comments.

[@nilsanieves3457]

A wise guy? Why not a wise woman?