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Discuss Friel’s Presentation Of The English And Irish?
In this essay, I am going to discuss Friel’s presentation of English and Irish. Firstly, I will give a small introduction of ‘Translations’ and how it is illustrated.
Act One introduces the characters Manus, Sarah and Jimmy. The surroundings, character, setting and principle collide into one subject matter. Hence, at the beginning, Friel uses a lot of negative lexis. The hedge-school is held in a ‘disused’ barn where the teacher Manus is to be described whenever he moves to be ‘lame’. The characters speak Gaelic language due to set in Ireland, 1833, just a few after the devastating potato famine. Friel is trying to indicate that Irish was ‘dominant’, in command, that they settled there first then the English invaded the country few years later. The play indicates separation between the two nations and how it affects love, language and culture. Act one; give stage directions and impressions of a way of life, which is dying. Language matter is that Maire uses language to ‘pin’ Manus down, ‘she did not, doesn’t matter, suit yourself’. Manus is too lame and weak to respond back, but every attempt he does not reply impolitely, ‘I saw you out at the hay’, (Maire ignores him). Jimmy throughout the play recites Latin and Greek phrases, as if Jimmy is in his world of his own, Ton d’emeibet epeita thea glaukopis Athene’, - classic Greek. Jimmy lives in a world of virtual reality, where Greek gods and goddesses mean much more than the actions and characters of those in Baile Beag. To him, it is perfectly ordinary to speak these ‘dead’ languages. Jimmy speaks classic Greek and lives in the past, it is also suggested to us that the community in Baile Beag live in a world of classics. It also suggest to me that the community live in a society which rather than focusing on the future, is very traditional. Greek culture has faded; the question in the audience is that, will the Irish language and culture fade?
