Analyzation of "The Last Conquest of Ireland"

"The Last Conquest of Ireland" John Mitchel

The Great Potato Famine, which this article discusses, was a very horrendous period, in which million suffered and died. All across Europe, villages were literally wiped because of the starvation and deprivation was too much for the already malnourished working class. However, one of the hardest hit places was Ireland, where the writer is a native of. Of course, his right to be biased is a given, and his choice of words are allowed to be an exaggeration. Yet, one must conclude with the prior knowledge of this famine, and how hard pressed Ireland was at the time, one cannot honestly say that this piece is just all exaggeration. The time is 1847, in Galway, Ireland. The audience is the upper classes of England and Europe. Rather than its main purpose to be a spark of outrage, I believe Mitchel's true purpose was to tell of the story and horror he felt and saw in this place where in his memory was one of prosperity. It was a source of information of hard times, and to prompt further discussion of why these hard times were happening. It tells us exactly how poor the poor were, and an insight to the minds of the rich, who felt that the poor were poor because they deserved it.