Compare and contrast the treatment of emigration and rural life in “The Country Boy” by John Murphy and “Philadelphia, Here I Come” by Brian Freill.

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ENGLISH COURSEWORK - EMIGRATION

Q. Compare and contrast the treatment of emigration and rural life in "The Country Boy" by John Murphy and "Philadelphia, Here I Come" by Brian Freill.

A. Emigration has been, and still is, a major factor in Ireland. It has been ever since the famine of 1845. Over one million people left Ireland to go to The United States Of America, and Irish people have been leaving ever since. It used to be that everyone who left, were leaving due to unemployment or lack of opportunities, but these days, even though there are a lot more jobs available and the economy is at its best ever, people are still leaving. It seems they are leaving to find adventure. They think Ireland is too small and too boring a place to spend the rest of your life in. I will be looking at two plays which deal with emigration. The first is "The Country Boy" and the second is "Philadelphia, Here I Come".

In both plays, the writer shows that boys haven't got a very good relationship with their fathers. There is a lack of communication between the father and son, and although they seem