Translations Brian Friel

Questions of identity have generally been associated with a sense of belonging. Whether it is belonging to a nation, a community or even an ideology; But the most important question most people have is, what does it really mean to belong? Does it necessarily give one a sense of identity, and does it really enable the formation of one? Throughout the play, Translations, by Brian Friel, the vexed topic of language and national identity has been a very centered preoccupation. In his play, Friel reveals what occurs when the language of the colonizer is replacing the language of the colonized. The play dramatizes two important processes in the linguistic transformation of a colonized nation, remapping and education. In the play, Lancey and Yolland …show more content…
For Hugh, history means shaping the language. He states, “It is not the literal past, the ‘facts’ of history, that shape us, but images of the past embodied in language.” (Pg. 88) What he is saying is that the traces of history represented in the language by means of words are important. Fighting wars and battles is not really his ‘thing’, and this can be seen from his behavior towards the end of the play. Although Owen warns him and Jimmy about the “trouble”, he still pursues his plans to teach Maire English and he then utters his famous line: “We must learn where we live. We must learn to make them their own. We must make them our new home.” (Pg. 88) He is not the type of person to fight against the change but rather he wants to adapt to the change that is right in front of him. Another example of this is in the story that Hugh tells Jimmy, about how he and Jimmy marched to battle 23 miles a day during the 1709 rebellion against the British, only to march back home after missing home and feeling homesick. On the other hand of it all, Owen’s historical awareness and knowledge is much more interrelated to petite histoire. This is because he enjoys learning and telling historical stories, which are not significant or important enough to exist in history books. Yet, the history of place names appeals to him. Another character that can be examined …show more content…
She has a lot of difficulty speaking throughout the play and more importantly she cannot even utter her name- which in some ways, signifies her identity. The name is the very first thing that one uses to introduce him or herself. Yet, Sarah cannot do so because of her illness. She begins to say her name with Manus’ help. He tells her that “Nothing will stop them now! In the wise world!” (Pg. 3) Yet, when the colonizers come and Lancey asks Sarah her name, she is unable to pronounce it. This event can be seen and interpreted as Irish people’s strong difficulty in adopting their different types of identity, and it is represented by Sarah’s sickness. Finally, they can find a way to express it with the help of others, as Sarah did with uttering her own name. Nonetheless, they cannot do this anymore when the colonizers arrive. This is simply because they make them forget about their identity, which happens to be attained with much difficulty and hardship that came along with it along the

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Friel Essay

Syllabus: University of Cambridge and Cambridge Pre-u Syllabus Essay

Translations Brian Friel

Related Documents: Translations Brian Friel

Friel Essay

Syllabus: University of Cambridge and Cambridge Pre-u Syllabus Essay