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Mountain Language is a one-act play written by Harold Pinter in 1988 after his trip to Turkey with fellow playwright Arthur Miller.

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Introduction

Andre Foote IB English 26 January 2012 Mountain Language Commentary Mountain Language is a one-act play written by Harold Pinter in 1988 after his trip to Turkey with fellow playwright Arthur Miller. The play echoes the situation in Turkey at the time concerning the suppression of the Kurdish culture. During the scene where the guards ask the women about the dog that bit one of them, Pinter demonstrates how language can be used to dominate discussion and interaction with others. Pinter demonstrates the power in sarcasm when the officers interrogate the women seeking their husband and son in such a way that they belittle them. ...read more.

Middle

or that have already been answered. This lack of concern makes the women's situation seem meaningless as it makes no difference to the officers what their answers may be because the direction and outcome of the discussion is entirely dependent on them. Parents always tell their children to simply ignore bullies who will eventually get bored and find something else to do when you do not respond to provocation, but what usually happens before this (as parents tend to forget) is that before they give up, bullies will often try one last time to "hit them with everything they've got" and achieve some kind of reaction before they give up on their victim and move on to greener pastures. ...read more.

Conclusion

Logic is known but thrown aside. She cannot win the discussion; she can only play by his rules, and all this because of the officers' use of language to completely control the discussion. Mirroring the Turks, the guards put down the women through both the language they prohibit and the sarcastic and demeaning language they use. Pinter effectively warns against the dangers of the abuse of language by demonstrating how by sheer absurdity, people can be easily manipulated. Through these lines and this play what Pinter truly wants known on the most basic level is the true power that language holds with his most imperative message being that oppression of a language is oppression of the people. ...read more.

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