Translations
An Introduction
A lesson in Amharic…..
 How
are you (m/f)?
Indemin neh/nesh?
 Fine
Dehna
1
And
2
Hoolet
3
Sost
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amharic_langu
age
Opening Discussion Points
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Why is language important?
How is language linked to identity, culture,
heritage, power and equality?
Is it important to teach Maori in schools?
Why? Why not?
Which civilisations have lost their language?
What impact has this had on these
civilisations?
What factors are threatening these less
spoken languages?
The Irish Language
 www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_07-
ApFV0w&feature=related
Donegal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfJk1f0F
S5M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGMk
Vae3N0U&feature=related
Historical and Contextual Research
Research and feedback on:
1.
Hedge schools and National Schools
2.
The Irish Language and Gaeltacht
3.
English authority in Ireland and Penal laws (1704 onwards)
4.
Religion in Ireland (Catholics and Protestants and the
difference)
5.
Key events in Ireland from 1770s to 1833 (including Daniel
O’Connell)
6.
Ordinance Survey (1824-41) and The Great Famine (184149)
7.
The struggle for independence and the Anglo-Irish Treaty
(1870s-1921)
8.
The ‘troubles’ in Northern Ireland in 1950 to 1980s
9.
Brian Friel – early life, political beliefs, related work e.g.
‘Making History’
Main features of a play:









Direct speech
Lack of narrative
Stage directions
Characters
Themes
Language devices
Structure
Setting
Dramatic devices: symbolism; dramatic irony; different
types of conflict: internal, between individuals, between
societies, between countries; dramatic contrast; music;
lighting; imagery; foreshadowing
Key Themes








Language, Communication and Translation
Education
Love
Identity
Community
Family
Oppression by the English
Influence of the Greeks – language,
mythology and drama
 What
if we ALL spoke English? Would this
be the solution to miscommunication and
cultural misunderstanding?
 Why
or why not?
 GENRE:
Why does Friel choose this genre?
Consider the features of a play – lack of
description / narrative, inclusion of stage
directions and speech.
CONTEXT: Opening of Play
Annotate the opening stage directions.
 How effectively does Friel convey a sense
of place using the stage settings for Act
1? What do you notice about the
historical and social settings? What
context is given to audiences?
 What is a ‘hedge-school’? Why was a
hedge-school illegal? How could
education undermine political intentions?
Stage directions in Act 1

“..disused barn or hay-shed or byre’. What is the function of the
three part list (triple sting)here? The English thought of the Irish as
animals. Also, the barn is ‘disused’ showing the decline in agriculture.
The students at this school are from a farming background, so
education is both voluntary and illegal.
 “..wooden posts and chains” are used to tether animals. Link
with the way the English tether the Irish by forcing them to be
educated in the new schools where lessons will be taught in English.
Irish schools are forced underground, along with their language and
agriculture.


“..a wooden stairway without a banister..” Look at the way the
schoolmaster and his son live with the animals, reinforcing the
link with the British stereotype of the Irish being like animals. The
lack of a banister is dangerous. This may lead to a discussion of
Manus’s lameness and Hugh’s drinking. Look at these symbolically.
Friel has handicapped his Irish educators physically and mentally.
Why?
“..lobster pots..” Discuss the significane of these and their
association with catching fish. Friel tells the audience of the
proximity of water which may be linked with the Donnelly twins,
who are ‘fish’ the English would like to catch!
Stage directions in Act 1

“..a pail of water and a soiled towel..” Tell the audience

There is no evidence of a “woman’s hand” in the
school. Friel is emphasising the sterility of Manus and Hugh’s
that students at this hedge school come straight from the
fields and need to wash before their lessons.
lives as well as the lack of agricultural productivity. He uses
detail to let the audience know the Irish are doomed to
failure. Their future is English.


Friel is Irish and has chosen the Irish perspective for his
play. The audience see the action from the setting of the
hedge school. Discuss the significance of this perspective.
The first characters who are introduced to the audience
are Sarah and Manus. Discuss his lameness and her lack of
speech. Why does Friel introduce these two young, disabled
characters first? What does it say about Ireland’s future?
What significance is there in having a dumb character?
What is Friel telling his audience about the power of
speech?
Stage directions in Act 1



Friel places Manus physically below Sarah who is ‘sitting on a
low stool’. Why does he do this?
What is Friel’s message about identity when he describes Sarah
who “..could be any age from seventeen to thirty-five”. Why
does Sarah seem so unconcerned about her appearance?
Jimmy Jack Cassie is introduced next. His study of ‘dead’
languages needs to be discussed, as well as his age, the ironic
reference to him as the ‘Infant Prodigy’ and the fact that he is
unmarried.
Organise your notes under the main themes of the play
which Friel introduces via stage direction: place,
character description, language, education, genre.
Answer the following essay question:
How effectively does Friel convey a sense of place using
the stage settings for Act 1?