Comparing Dermot Bolger’s The Holy Ground and In High Germany
Some call it Ireland. Others instead choose to call it the Holy Ground. In the end, it doesn't matter which name is used to refer to the Emerald Isle. To those with Irish heritage, the mere mention of Ireland is enough to evoke many emotions: pride, happiness, nationalism, anger, just to name a few. They feel strongly about the country. It is not just the place where they were born. Love it or hate it, it is home. Dermot Bolger explores the feelings of two Irish in his plays The Holy Ground and In High Germany. These plays have been performed together under the joint title The Tramway End. Some may think that there is not enough in common between these two plays for them to be performed together. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes obvious that there are many similarities between the plays that allow them to be seen as one unit.
On the most basic level, these two plays can be said to be partners because of the similarities in their structures and the way they are performed. Both are one-act plays featuring a single actor presenting a monologue. Throughout the course of their monologues, the actors become several characters other than the ones they are portraying. (For example, Eoin speaking as his friend Shane, and Monica speaking as Myles.) However, to say that this is the sole reason for the plays to be performed together is not a fair representation of the deeper meanings of both. There are countless other plays that could also fit into these simplistic guidelines. So, what is it that ties these two plays together? It cannot be pinpointed down to a single reason. The truth is that there are many reasons that they belong together.
For exampl...
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... should go to England and leave Ireland. She is held back, however. No one was holding her. She could have made the choice to leave, but something made her stay. That something is the way she feels about Ireland. Whether she is aware of these feelings or not, they are a very important part of her.
This is the most important commonality between Eoin and Monica. It is further reinforced by the appearance of the lines, "And still I live in hopes to see, The Holy Ground once more" (76, 110) in both plays. Ireland is a part of Eoin and Monica, whether they admit it or not. They share the same Irish blood and their hearts beat to the same rhythm. If you listen closely, this rhythm sounds remarkably like the crowd at the soccer game chanting, "Ireland, Ireland, Ireland!"
Works Cited
Bolger, Dermot. Dermot Bolger: Plays 1. Methuen Publishing Limited: London, 2000.
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...her to feel despair. Her misery resulted in her doing unthinkable things such us the unexplainable bond with the woman in the wallpaper.
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One of the biggest industries during the Industrial Revolution was textiles. Many women and children made pants, shirts, socks, bedspreads, and other items by their tiny hands and fingers with cloth. With the population growing in England, more people were willing to pay for these items instead of making the items themselves. This started to lead to a new factory system. With “cotton becoming the world’s most imp...
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Think about your life for one second: you communicate with people, travel, make purchases, and utilize those commodities. But have you ever wondered what made those things possible? After all, you go to the store to buy things you need. You drive a car to work and to visit your friends. If you need to talk to someone, you simply pick up your phone or computer. However, none of this would be possible without a means of communication, factories to manufacture the products you need, places to work, and ways to travel and transport goods. And what made these possible? The answer is the Industrial Revolution, which started in Europe around the year 1730. A revolution is a major change or turning point in something. The Industrial Revolution was a major turning point in history and in the way people lived. Their careers, living situations, location, values, and daily routines all changed, and they needed it desperately. The ideas for new life changed and spread, much like a balloon. As the air—or ideas—grew, the balloon expanded. When one man betrayed his country, the figurative balloon exploded. Then, all the ideas that had been contained inside the balloon grew and spread.