Examine the ways in which language and identity are treated in ‘Translations’
‘Translations’ is set in 1833, in County Donegal, which was soon after the time when Britain had claimed Ireland as part of its empire. The British and the Irish therefore had differing languages, so the British decided to go through the process of naming or renaming Ireland’s geographical features. In ‘Translations’ language and identity are used more as a plot device and plot feature rather than as part of stylistic technique, which is their most common role.
When the play was first performed by Friel’s own theatre company it was performed in the Irish language, and at the start of the play, all the characters speak Irish as their first language, the English language comes into the script a lot later, which reflects the course of events in Ireland over the past two centuries. All these characters have been brought up speaking the language and it is a fundamental part of their life, culture and identity.
English is the second main language in the play. It represents the future to Maire and Owen, and ‘a mistake’ to Hugh and Manus. The two English speakers come as part of the same assignment, to make a map of the country and to ‘see that the place names are ... correct.’, but they have greatly differing attitudes towards Ireland and its identity. Captain Lancey sees the Irish as inferior to the English, which is evident when he is willing to evict a whole village of them, over the disappearance and probable death of one Englishman. Yolland however falls in love with Ireland, its language and culture and he feels that ‘something is being eroded’ by his task of renaming the geographical features of Ireland. Yolland is not the stereotypical English male of the time, because he ‘missed the boat’ to India and that stereotypical way of life, which would be following his father’s wishes.
The other two languages used in the play are Greek and Latin, which are spoken only by Hugh and Jimmy. These two classical languages create an identity of intellectualism in their users and it is significant that it is the Irish rather than the English characters who can speak them contradicting Lancey’s view of them being inferior.
Friel shows us the use of language in several different forms. The first scene where Manus is teaching Sarah to speak shows us that language is used to create communication.
“Standard English was imposed on children of immigrant parents, then the children were separated from native English speakers, then the children were labeled “inferior” and “ignorant” (Hughes 70) because they could not speak Standard English. In addition to feeling inferior about their second language skills, these students also felt inadequate in regard to speaking their own mother tongues” (qtd in Kanae)
Thomas Jefferson was a man who believed that all American citizens need to be educated so that they may exercise their rights. He saw public education as essential to a democracy. One proposal he made for public education would guarantee that all children could attend public schools for three years. However, much like other early school reforms, this proposal received much rejection and was never brought into being. Despite this rejection, Jefferson still believed that America needed public education. Eventually, he opened the University of Virginia. Even though his bills and proposals to benefit public education never saw the light of day, he still made many contributions to public education by providing the foundation on how a democracy should handle educating its
Throughout the duration of the crusades real motivations shone though on behalf of the Crusaders. Not only did they lack a religious purpose for fighting, but they made the Muslim’s lives complicated and valueless. They were power hungry, land coveting people who fought with non Christian ideals and Morales. It should be clear to anyone and everyone that the prime motivation behind the Crusader’s fighting was power and land which would eventually lead to wealth.
The book shows how the “Irish” word was used as a derogatory term to establish how low on the totem pole they were and how close they are to Afro-Americans. “ How did this population, varied in social class,
In order for the crusades to begin, the Christians needed to gather an army to travel and fight the forces of Muslims. With all the power being held by monarchies at this time, the church needed to be cleaver in order to gain troops to put their lives on the line. To gain the support of these warriors and dedication of men, Pope Urban II (1088-1099) challenged those morals of men by telling them to grab their weapons and join the holy war to recover the land of Jerusalem. It was not the challenge that convinced men to take part in this war. The promise of “immediate remission of sins” attracted the men to stand up for their religion and beliefs while at the same time, promising them a trip to heaven when life comes to an end. With this statement, men instantly prepared for battle which in a very short period of time gave the church power which has been held by the monarchies. Men of rich and poor prepared for battle, some wearing ...
Contrary to many commonly held notions about the first crusade, in his book, The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading, Jonathan Riley-Smith sets out to explain how the idea of crusading thought evolved in the first crusade. In his book, Riley-Smith sets out five main arguments to show how these ideas of crusading evolved. Firstly, he argues that Pope Urban’s original message was conventional, secondly that a more positive reaction was drawn from the laity (due to the ideas surrounding Jerusalem), thirdly, that the original message of crusading had changed because of the horrible experiences of the first crusaders, fourth, that due to these experiences the crusaders developed their own concept of what a crusade was, and lastly, that these ideas were refined by (religious) writers and turned into an acceptable form of theology. Riley-Smith makes excellent points about the crusade; however, before one can delve directly into his argument, one must first understand the background surrounding the rise of the first crusade.
Language can sometimes make us feel not resembled. As it was written on the original piece, Elizabeth didn't like to speak Chinese because it made her feel uncomfortable and sounded ugly to her. I can relate to the author because I am a Cuban immigrant that struggles with the language. I came to the United States when I was thirteen years and was placed on a 8th grade classroom on middle school. I used to be the girl at the end of the classroom who did not have friends and never talked to anyone. It was frustrating that every time I opened my mouth to say a word everybody would laugh at me and make cruel jokes about my little English. I can say that within a couple of months I understood most of the English that was spoken in front of me,
At first glance, one would not imagine the Donnelly twins to play an important role in the play Translations by Brian Friel. However, after taking a closer look, it becomes apparent that this work would be much less meaningful if these characters were not presented. Although they never physically appear, their actions spark the conflict between the English and the Irish, as well as causing the main problem in the storyline to emerge.
To understand the book, it is recommendable to focus on Irish history, and more specifically, Charles Stewart Parnell. He is a figure alluded to in this and other books by Joyce. He has been referred to as the "uncrowned king of Ireland."The series of short stories included in Dubliners depict a broken morale in and around the city of Dublin. The early 1900's marked a time of disheartened spirits not only in Dublin but all of Ireland. England still clutched Ireland under it's own control.. The citizens were bitter and dismayed.It wasn't until 1922 that Ireland freed itself from England.
One of the main themes in Ulysses’ first episode, Telemachus is the issue of Irish identity and what it means to be Irish. The protagonist, Stephen Dedalus, struggles with his Irish identity and often criticises various aspects of living in Ireland. Various situations arise in which we may find different views and perceptions of the concept of “Irishness” and how Stephen reacts to them. The implications seem to be that James Joyce was attempting to criticise the ideal views of living in Ireland, and he draws on different aspects of Irish symbolism to achieve this. Throughout Telemachus, there is a conflict between the Irish and British view of Irish culture, to emphasise Joyce’s view on ‘Irishness’. He draws on Irish folklore and literature that are often contradicted with Stephen’s thoughts, further showing his confusion about identity and culture.
*Practically ever speech in this play contains examples of Dublin dialect mispronunciation. Typical samples include vowel sounds distorted and spelt phonetically:
This will be gained through education. This would ensure that the guardians do not become the destroyers of the city but rather the saviors. The moderation between these virtues becomes the element which creates happiness among the residents of the city. The presence of these virtues within the city would ensure the city is protects and eliminate the need for laws which are mainly oppressive and contradictory. Individuals within the city mist be able to live up to the expectations and standards established for the city in seeking to make the society
To prove my point that the Irish people share the same language I will explain the unique qualities that the Irish culture possesses. Many of these qualities are unique to the people of this region. The first is the Irish language. It is often referred to as Gaelic, but I have found that it is just called the Irish language now. This language is one of the oldest in Europe and it boasts one of the earliest written literatures in the entire world. A study was conducted b...
Sport does not have a language. Sport does not need words, it can unite people with the fact that people that speak different languages understand each other and the other people supporting their favourite team. People that speak different languages don't need to worry about language barriers as there is no problem with misunderstandings in sport. The rules are the same, the different sporting events are similar and people feel like they fit in anywhere.
Through the personification of England as masculine, dominant and overbearing, Heaney demonstrates his negative opinion of England the political unrest in Ireland, particularly Northern Ireland. However, he (as England) defends himself, suggesting she (Ireland) did not stand up for herself and ‘had it coming’. On the other hand, through the personification and visual imagery of Ireland as feminine, Heaney is adhering to gender stereotypes and portraying Ireland as the passive victim. The personification of both countries acts as an extended metaphor of a familial or sexual relationship, delicately delivering Heaney’s opinion of the Troubles.