• Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

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

Extracts from this document...

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.

The above preview is unformatted text

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our International Baccalaureate World Literature section.

Found what you're looking for?

  • Start learning 29% faster today
  • 150,000+ documents available
  • Just £6.99 a month

or


Not the one? Search for your essay title...
  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

See related essaysSee related essays

Related International Baccalaureate World Literature essays

  1. Hamlet Journal - rewriting key passages from the play

    This is significant because it is a clever line. He is saying the pay will appeal to his conscience and this is important to draw out his guilt and move the plot along. G Relationship between Hamlet and his father.

  2. Hamlet Act II Questions and Answers

    Do you find his reason convincing? In Hamlet's soliloquy at the end of Act II, Hamlet plans to "catch the conscience of the King" by directing the play The Murder of Gonzago (II.ii.617). Hamlet will "observe his looks, [He'll] tent him to the quick.

  1. Hamlet Act I Questions and Answers

    In Claudius's second speech to Hamlet, Claudius shows himself as pragmatic yet hypocritical and self-protective. After Hamlet's father's death, Hamlet still mourns and Claudius humiliates him in front of the gentry, affirming the noble's correct decision on making Claudius

  2. Othello - A Racist Play?

    In Act 2 where Othello is forced to relieve Cassio of his duties, Cassio shows no resent or bitterness, nor does he show any r****t feelings, but shows nothing but loyalty towards Othello. [50] Othello Othello, who is a proud individual, aware of his achievements and knows about his valiant services to the state.

  1. Treatment of escapism in A Street car named desire by Tennessee Williams ...

    Turn that off! I won?t be looked at in this merciless glare9?. By avoiding light She wants to escape the reality that she is middle aged woman, past her prime, and that truth cannot be hidden. Eventually Mitch becomes suspicious and tears the lantern off to have a look at her in light.

  2. How and to what effect does the use of language empower Higgins and ...

    Shaw's parenthetical comment on Eliza's speech stresses his distaste for the cockney accent. The importance of language is further brought into view when Eliza comes across Professor Higgins in the street, a proud phonetician, who can distinguish everybody's origin from his/her accent.

  1. Themes and style in "The Road", written by Cormac McCarthy.

    There's nothing to be done for him. They went on. The boy was crying. He kept looking back.? (Page 15. The Road) 1. Allusion 1. A reference to something which is commonly known such as an event, place, book, song, among others. It is useful when trying to make the author felt identified with the story. 1.

  2. In No Sugar, by Aboriginal playwright Jack Davis. The British colonizers featured in the ...

    Which even now day?s aboriginals aren?t completely equal to whites. As it is stereotyped for men to have power over women and in this case white people to have power over aboriginals. The treatment of women in the Noongar community is menacing to the viewers.

  • Over 160,000 pieces
    of student written work
  • Annotated by
    experienced teachers
  • Ideas and feedback to
    improve your own work