Translations By Brain Friel

Manus is her speech therapist, teacher, and close friend and is adamant about Sarah’s progession in the language. “ We’re doing very well. And we’re going to try it once more- just once more. . . Come on, Sarah. . . Head up. Mouth open” ( Friel 2). Through Manus’ proding, the reader gauges how set back Sarah’s character is to the rest of the Irish social and verbal society. She can barely speak her name and is too shy in front of other characters to even try to express herself orally. Through the inability of Sarah to talk, one can notice the distinction between those of the Gaelic-speaking background and those who speak English. Gaelic, a now almost dead language, can be seen as a ‘ dumb’ language that only ‘ dumb’ individuals like Sarah speak, and because she can not articulate her Gaelic phrases correctly, Friel lowers her character even further below the ‘ dumb’ Gaelic class as a unintelligible

The short stories of Ireland are distinct and many times distinctly Irish. “The Limerick Gloves” by Maria Edgeworth, “The Pedlar’s Revenge” by Liam O’Flaherty, “The Poteen Maker” by Michael McLaverty, and “Loser” Val Mulkerns are each distinct Irish short stories that deal with Irish topics in original ways. These stories are stylistically and thematically Irish. They are moralistic and offer clear themes that pertain to Irish values. This analysis will explore the Irish-ness of the works and explore their meaning when held against Irish literary tenants.

    In the early twentieth century, Ireland, and more specifically Dublin, was a place defined by class distinctions. There were the wealthy, worldly upper-class who owned large, stately townhouses in the luxurious neighborhoods and the less fortunate, uneducated poor who lived in any shack they could afford in the middle of the city. For the most part, the affluent class was Protestant, while the struggling workers were overwhelmingly Catholic. These distinctions were the result of nearly a century of disparity in income, education, language, and occupation, and in turn were the fundamental bases for the internal struggle that many of Joyce's characters feel.

The primary aim for the narrator is to suggest a reflection on how the Irish are treating the problems happening within their country through satirical writing. The narrator states that, “Infant’s flesh will be in

Joyce 's novel demonstrates a city and a society full of contradictions, parochial ideas, and paralysis. The Dublin inhabitants are divided by the river Liffey, into 'North and South ', 'rich and poor classes

The particular language(s) people grow up with greatly impact the way they view the world because it allows for multiple ways of expressing different perspectives and feelings. Experiences encountered will be defined by the ways people interpret each situation, and language provides a vital means of shaping the basis of people’s thoughts. The relationship between Christa and Mr. Blum, in which their German culture connects them, as well as the relationship between Tan and her mother, strengthened by their use of language, can be compared because their culture bounds them together to provide a connection that enhances their experiences and views of the world. Culture not only provides significant experiences, but it also bounds one as they develop notions of responsibilities.

Identity is pivotal to the story and holds its own innate power, but what is even more pivotal is that the Irish do not necessarily all share the same views. The Irish find their history very important because it is the foundation of the language. Hugh says, “It is not the literal past, the ‘facts’ of history, that shape us, but images of the past embodied in language” (88). It is evident then that Hugh finds the historical meanings of

The history of Ireland is one of early scholasticism and rich culture in times when the rest of Europe had less of a literary and artistic tradition. By the time of Hyde’s speech, the nation had become “one of the least studious and most un-literary”3 countries of the area, and he claims that the fault lies in a divergence from “the right path.”4 Progressive Anglicization has led the Irish to forget their own culture and its traditions. The British claim that because the Irish have forgotten much of their language and customs, they should be content as an integral part of the United Kingdom, and

The Grauballe Man, a literary composition from North by Seamus Heaney, meticulously scrutinizes the iconic ‘bog body’ on display and presents his response towards the violence and chaos revealed in the piece of artifact. The level of detail provided by the poet is very intricate, almost as if he is venerating the bog queen. Throughout the poem, Heaney uses various literally devices to create vivid images, as well as expressing his distinction between the dead and alive. He uniformly alters the context of the poem through noun phrases and striking terminology. The notions of a man’s barbaric actions, expressed within the poem are then associated with the contemporary events happening between the borders of Northern Ireland and the South of England.

agitator of the C19, and his main aim was to secure the repeal of the

The tragedy that is “The Death of Aífe’s only Son” is described by Gantz to be “more international than Iris in feel”, yet “distinctively Irish” in the title (Gantz, p.147). In this case, such a text fits well in a course of Celtic mythology and with the other texts we have read in class because analyzation in style and events may show the transformation and effect of outside influence in the Irish storytelling tradition, and may open a path to a clearer view of the differences in character of the Irish peoples of different time periods. One debatably outside influence may be the idea of the role of fate in these tales.

Pato's lament in this passage concerns regional and national exile, speaking indirectly to the sense of nomadism and diaspora which characterizes contemporary Ireland in an increasingly global world order. Because there is no work in Leenane, he has had to emigrate. In London, Pato has endured horrific working conditions, low pay, and disrespect-factors which ultimately force Pato to immigrate to America. His constant wish to return to Leenane while on the job in England signals a concomitant desire for a stable national identity. But this wish is not nostalgic, given Pato's admission that :

Walter Benjamin’s essay, The Task of the Translator, is illuminating in the way in which it shatters any preconceived ideas that may view the act of translation as diminishing the value of the original. Benjamin has high regard for translation, placing it in the realm of art as a distinct form. He argues that art is not about the audience or the receiver that is, it is not primarily about communication. The purpose of art is not to instil a specific belief, impart information or to entertain certain sentiments in the reader thus, appreciation does not reside in generating a moral by interpreting its content. As an art form, translation for Benjamin is not about propagating ideas or beliefs but is about embarking on the task of attaining pure

      Some call it Ireland. Others instead choose to call it the Holy Ground. In the end, it doesn't matter which name is used to refer to the Emerald Isle. To those with Irish heritage, the mere mention of Ireland is enough to evoke many emotions: pride, happiness, nationalism, anger, just to name a few. They feel strongly about the country. It is not just the place where they were born. Love it or hate it, it is home. Dermot Bolger explores the feelings of two Irish in his plays The Holy Ground and In High Germany. These plays have been performed together under the joint title The Tramway End. Some may think that there is not enough in common between these two plays for

Brian Friel correctly claims that Translations is a play that emphasizes language, not politics or history. This story takes place in a rural Gaelic-speaking town in Ireland and focuses on the interactions between Irish and English folk. These conversations end up to be a series of ‘mistranslations’. Throughout the plot of this play, Friel proves that a person’s identity comes from language alone. Understanding the politics and history of a play merely explains the factual framework of the story, but does not facilitate the reader to make inferences about the underlying meaning and purpose of the play like language does.