New prompts:
1. Passage Analysis
Choose a passage from Brian Friel’s play Translations in which translation (mistranslation, imperfect translation, the absence of translation, renaming as a form of translation, cultural translation, etc.) plays a significant role. Type out the passage including the page number and MLA citation. Below the typed out passage, explain how Friel uses literary techniques, such as selection of suggestive detail, indirect (or implied) characterization, point of view, events (on stage or off stage), actions (as implied by dialogue or stated in stage directions) irony, etc., to make a point about identity, language, and culture. The best analyses will display a mastery of what Friel is saying (or, rather, what he is suggesting or implying) in the passage, what techniques Friel uses in the passage to say it, and how the passage relates to the work as a whole.
Note 1: Make a strong assertion about what Friel is saying (suggesting or implying) in the passage.
Note 2: When showing how Friel uses a technique or techniques to make his point in the passage, discuss only the techniques that you understand and that contribute to the meaning of the passage you’ve chosen. Some responses may mention all the techniques I’ve listed but will fail to show an understanding of how Friel uses the techniques to make a point about translation. Other responses may focus on one or two techniques but thoroughly and convincingly explain how those techniques contribute to what Friel has to say about translation. If you can explain how Friel’s way of writing contributes to what he is saying (implying, suggesting, showing, illustrating) but you do not know the name of technique, don’t worry. Explain what you think Friel is doing; you can learn the name for the technique later.
Note 3: You must have direct quotations from the passage in the body of your response. Avoid dropping the quotations into your writing as separate sentences. Try weaving the quotations into your own writing. If that seems too hard do this: “place the quotation after a colon if what precedes the quotation is a complete sentence on its own.”
2. Passage Creation
Write a brief scene (300+ words) of your own in which translation, mistranslation, or lack of translation reveals something about identity (who I am), language (how we communicate), culture (how a group acts, what it believes, what it values), and/or power (who is in control). In other words use the conventions of dramatic writing—especially dialogue and stage directions—to make a point about translation. (Don’t forget to title your scene.) (Alternative: if you are uncomfortable using the conventions of dramatic writing you may instead write a personal narrative essay in which you narrate and reflect upon a story about yourself in which translation plays a prominent role.) I am looking to see that you understand how issues of translation can reveal something about identity, language, culture, and/or power.
3. Self-Reflection on Wide Sargasso Sea ResponsesName:
Assignment:
I had trouble with
1.
2.
3.
What I like about my responses:
What was most difficult for me:
What I learned from this assignment:
Post these responses to the blog or email them to me. One is due Sunday, August 10. The other is due Friday, August 15. You choose which is due when. (When you post or send the "Passage Analysis" of Translations also post or send a self-reflection on the Wide Sargasso Sea responses.)
8 comments:
In our last meeting, SJ wanted to know what sapper meant. I looked it up in the dictionary and it said it was either a soldier that could build fortresses, trenches, etc. or a force or person which undermines or saps. I thought that this was very interesting and useful to know about the name choosen by the people of Bally Beag for the soldiers. I read nothing about sapper being a deragogatory term.
widji<33Sarah Johnson
Reflections Wide Sargasso Sea Responses
I had trouble with 1) Reading this book. I found myself slightly confused sometimes, and I inadvertently shifted my focus to the plot (a mistake) and consequently missed some key motifs and subtle literary techniques, which made my analysis that much more difficult. I also struggled with 2) selecting the right passage from Invisible Man to compare with Wide Sargasso Sea, because they are so alike, I wanted a passage which really stood out with parallels and ran myself in circles just choosing one and getting down to business. And 3) I had difficulty staying focused while I was writing because I had too many abstract thoughts on random parts of the book I wanted to incorporate into my responses which were supposed to be more precise.
What I like about my responses: I liked the theme I chose to write about (death before death) because it was something I was picking up without even thinking about it, and then when I actually stopped to consider it, it made perfect sense, and I later realized it was a viable theme in Invisible Man too.
I was most difficult for me to: select only a few individual passages to write about a theme.
What I learned from this assignment: you don’t always need to understand the plot to get a lot out of a book (I unfortunately had not read your notes on the blog Mr. Cook before I read this one…)
What I will do differently on the Translations responses: decide what passages I’m going to write about as I read.
Thoughts on Translations
Friel, (faber and faber), p.51-53
Hugh The phrase goes. And I’m interrupting work of moment. (He goes to the door and stops there.) To return briefly to that other matter, Lieutenant. I understand your sense of exclusion, of being cut off from a life here; and I trust you will find access to us with my son’s help. But remember that words are signals, counters. They are not immortal. And it can happen – to use an image you’ll understand – it can happen that a civilisation can be imprisoned in a linguistic contour which no longer matches the landscape of…fact.
Gentlemen. (He leaves.)
Owen ‘An expedito with three purposes’: the children laugh at him: he always promises three points and never gets beyond A and B.
Yolland He’s an astute man.
Owen He’s bloody pompous.
Yolland But so astute.
Owen And he drinks too much. Is it astute not to be able to adjust for survival? Enduring around truths immemorially posited – hah!
Yolland He knows what’s happening.
Owen What is happening?
Yolland I’m not sure. But I’m concerned about my part in it. It’s an eviction of sorts.
Owen We’re making a six-inch map of the country. Is there something sinister in that?
Yolland Not in…
Owen And we’re taking place-names that are riddled with confusion and…
Yolland Who’s confused? Are the people confused?
Owen …and we’re standardizing those names as accurately and sensitively as we can.
Yolland Something is being eroded.
This passage is an excellent portrayal of Translations as a whole. Besides Hugh’s speech which speaks for itself, the following conversation identifies some of Friel’s main messages about communication and translation. Hugh is Friel’s say-it-all character. He is wiser and more knowledgeable, it seems, than any other in the book (although for good measure he has his human flaws, like drinking, pompousness and forgetfulness). In this speech, he basically explains the entire enigma of merging cultures, and that it’s important to remember that “a civilisation can be imprisoned in a linguistic contour which no longer matches the landscape of…fact”, which is exactly what is happening to the Irish. Hugh is indicating that translating the Irish names into English could indeed change Irish culture forever, but perhaps in order to maintain prosperity in the world, Ireland must choose this eviction of culture, because “words are not immortal”. Friel might be sending a message directly through Hugh, but he also delves further into the workings of translation with the ensuing conversation between Yolland and Owen. Owen sees nothing wrong with “standardizing” the names which are “confusing” people for the progress of man, but it is Yolland, the outsider, who sees the necessity for the maintenance of Irish culture through language. He feels that “Something is being eroded”, a powerful intimation that anglicized language may be functional, but something important is lost in the translation which might not be retainable. This theme of culture-identity is found throughout the book, as characters struggle to cross language barriers without losing a sense of their own culture. Owen, for example, continuously puts the value of his work above the value of Irish tradition, and only realizes when it’s too late that perhaps this forward thinking is actually backwards thinking, since so much identity is lost. Perhaps not everyone remembers the story behind the name of Tobair Vree, but there is a sense of cultural pride that it entails. Yolland is used to juxtapose Owen in this situation, since he, as a foreigner, can appreciate these snippets of history which help to shape a culture. When two people like Owen and Yolland have such different ideals, and are speaking on different levels with one another (talking over each other), then the safety of the matter in discussion is in peril, due to simple miscommunication, as Friel seems to imply. Clear and direct translation is important, but sometimes leaving a culture the way it appears is best for everyone.
Sarah Johnson
the formatting got completely destroyed when i pasted it in here..but this was my play!
At A Glance
[Lights up in an airport. Two very “American-looking” parents sit with their young daughter playing with dolls on her chair, across from a foreign-looking trio of dark men in street clothes. The audience can hear both parties speaking, but can observe that neither can hear the other.]
CLAIRE: Well I don’t feel comfortable. That’s all. Natalie is too young to be traveling like this. All of this trouble and we don’t even know if it’s a real problem. It’s just like your brother to have us fly all the out there for a “maybe-alarm”.
KREIGH: I can’t help it, and you know how much it means to me that you’re coming along. [He looks at her hopefully] And maybe it’s good to expose her to flying early; it’s going to be a part of our lives no matter what, since we moved your mother into that retirement home [pointedly].
CLAIRE: I know, you’re right honey, it’s just...[she looks around uneasily and tilts her head across the stage]I’m not so keen on the company. I’m not exactly thrilled about having a run-in with Bin Laden every time I turn a corner.
[KREIGH shrugs but we have cut out on this conversation and cannot hear his response as the audience’s attention is directed at the three men, speaking with thick accents. ADHAM, looking casually over at NATALIE.]
ADHAM: Exactly like my daughter, Fatima. I just got her “Palm Springs Vacation Barbie”, heaven knows if it was a good idea!
SAMIR: [Chuckling good-naturedly] Thank goodness my kids don’t like dolls. All three of them want to play for team USA someday.
[CLAIRE gets up and heads to the Ladies’ Room]
ADHAM: Of course they do! Ha ha. Every kid deserves to have an Olympic dream. That’s what’s so great about this country.
SAMIR: Tell me about it. Being born and raised American is such a privilege, I hope they can appreciate it like we do someday.
[The still-silent OMAR watches as NATALIE’S doll is dropped to the floor. She begins to scramble down to retrieve it, but a passing stranger accidentally kicks it across the room where it spins to a stop at OMAR’S feet. KREIGH, absorbed in his newspaper, doesn’t notice when Natalie crosses the room to find her doll.]
OMAR: [Kneeling down to pick up the doll, holding it out to Natalie with a small smile.] Here you are.
NATALIE: [Unable to take her eyes away from the looming face, taking the doll without noticing] Thank you.
[CLAIRE emerges from the restroom just in time to see NATALIE reaching for OMAR’S outstretched hand. Without hesitating she lets out a scream and runs over to NATALIE, scooping her up and holding her in hysterics.]
CLAIRE: How dare you? How DARE you! Get away from my daughter, GET AWAY! Natalie, Natalie! What are you DOING?!
[Heads are turning at the commotion, NATALIE starts crying and KREIGH hurries over in confusion.]
CLAIRE: Kreigh! What were you thinking!?! You almost just let our daughter get kidnapped!
KREIGH: What?!
ADHAM: Excuse me, ma’am? But he was just trying to help.
CLARIE: [Furious] Oh-ho, don’t even think about trying to pull the wool over my eyes. Where are the police? SECURITY!
SAMIR: Now hold on lady, we weren’t doing anything wrong.
KREIGH: Claire, are you sure about this? Let’s not jump into anything.
CLAIRE: Didn’t I tell you this was dangerous? He almost just convinced our daughter to go with him!
KREIGH: Are you sure?
OMAR: No, no please, I just wanted to give her the doll.
CLARIE: A likely story! Well you can tell that to the police! You CREEPER! Stay away from little girls that don’t belong to you!
ADHAM: Now just hold on, you’re assuming we had bad intentions! I have a daughter just that age, I can understand your distress, but believe me; he was just trying to help.
[Airport Security is on the scene now, evaluating the situation, asking everyone questions. The head of the squad turns to Omar.]
POLICE CHIEF: Well? What’s going on here? Did you attempt to kidnap this girl? I’m going to have to take you into custody.
OMAR: [shaking his head] No! God, no! I’m just trying to get home, it’s my wife’s birthday.
POLICE CHIEF: I’m sorry, but there are enough witnesses here, I’m going to have to take you in for now.
OMAR: [looking at CLAIRE and KRIEGH for help] But, please! I really was just giving her the doll, someone kicked it over here, and it just landed at my feet, see, she has it!
CLAIRE: [looking now at NATALIE] Natalie? Baby? Are you ok? Did this man try to take you away?
[NATALIE has her head buried in her mother’s chest in fear of all the noise, with one eye peeking out. She shakes her head shyly and then hides her face again]
OMAR: See! See, she knows! I truly truly meant no harm!
POLICE CHIEF: Regardless, accusations have been made, and you’ve been arrested. You have to come in.
KREIGH [to CLAIRE] Honey, what if you just saw this wrong? What if he’s telling the truth? [to the POLICE CHIEF] Sir, my wife was just panicking; we don’t want to press charges.
POLICE CHIEF: [leading OMAR to the Airport Security Office] It’s too late for that.
[ADHAM and SAMIR look on in disbelief and shoot incredulous looks at CLAIRE, and KREIGH turns away from CLAIRE, who won’t relinquish her hold on NATALIE, but looks rather put off]
KREIGH: [sighing] Well I’m going to go sort this out. This is ridiculous. Call my brother and tell him we won’t be there tonight. I’m not letting this happen. I can’t believe it Claire, what were you thinking?
CLAIRE: I was just protecting our daughter, can you blame me? Watch the news, listen to the stories, I can’t believe you weren’t more concerned! It could have been the end of her.
KREIGH: I know, you’re right. I just…wish it wasn’t that way.
[KREIGH walks off after the Security Guards and CLAIRE heads for her cell phone, holding on tightly to NATALIE, tears in her eyes. ADHAM and SAMIR look at each other in distress and reach for their own cell phones to spread the news.]
Hi Mr. Cook, I'm sending this again. I hope you get it this time. If you could email my WSS responces to my mom, hopefully then, I'll get them. Thanks,
Allie
“Manus: And they call you Roland! They both call you Roland!
Owen: Shhhhh. Isn’t it ridiculous? They seemed to get it wrong from the very beginning—or else they can’t pronounce Owen. I was afraid some of you bastards would laugh.
Manus: Aren’t you going to tell them?
Owen: Yes—yes—soon—soon.
Manus: But they…
Owen: Easy, man, easy. Owen—Roland—what the hell. It’s only a name. It’s the same me, isn’t it. Well, isn’t it?”
p.33 Friel, Brian. Translations. London: Faber and Faber, 1981.
One of the main themes of Brian Friel’s play, Translations, is the idea that by changing or translating the name of a thing, one can change its identity. On page 33 of the play, Manus, the assistant school teacher at the hedge school in Baile Beag, Ireland where the story takes place, is upset that the British soldiers his brother, Owen, is working for have been calling Owen “Roland” instead of “Owen”. Owen has been working for the British as a translator between the British and the Irish. Throughout the novel, he appears divided between his loyalties to the British and the Irish. During his work for the British, he has begun denouncing his own heritage and language. On page 29, he says, “My job is to translate the quaint, archaic tongue you people persist in speaking [Irish] into the King’s good English” (Friel 29). While working for the British, Owen, as the foreigner, has been lower in class than the British men he works for. This is reflected in the fact that he has allowed the men to call him Roland, a name that he clearly only tolerates to please the men he works for. On page 44, he bursts out to the only Brit who treats him like an equal, “…For God’s sake! My name is not Roland!” (Friel 44).
At the end of the scene on page 33, when Manus is still irked by Owen’s name change, Owen says, “It’s only a name. It’s the same me, isn’t it. Well, isn’t it?” (Friel 33). In this scene, Friel uses selection of detail to assist the reader in coming to the conclusion that it isn’t “only a name.” When Owen is called Owen, he is a loyal son, an Irish man, a brother, spokesman and protector of his people. When Owen is called Roland, he has the Brits’ best interests in mind. He is subservient and lower than the rest because he is an Irishman, which the British in their nationalism believe to be an inferior nationality than their own. As Roland, his duty and sole purpose is to make Ireland “standardized” for the British, in other words, change the names and identity of Ireland to their liking. He is also to ingratiate the British among the Irish which can be seen on page 31 when he translates what the British said to make it seem as though they were attempting to assist Ireland rather than impose military control over it.
Friel uses such a simple detail as what a person is called to examine identity. Names are not often considered at length but they are often bursting with meaning. A name can indicate a shared culture and heritage, such as the Irish names of Baile Beag. It can express loyalties such as who Owen is when he is called “Owen” versus when he is called “Roland.” It can also be used to symbolize domination and values and culture forced upon the unwilling such as the fact that the Brits call Owen “Roland” when he obviously resents the name. This scene is crucial to the reader’s overall understanding of the plot of the play.
Safe
Lights up on a small room with a bed, a window, and toys and clothes put neatly away. The room has peeling floral wallpaper and the sheets, clothes, and toys that look old and second hand. HADIDJA is discovered sitting on the bed. She is a shy, quiet girl of 15 and speaks with a Rwandan accent.
HADIDJA: When I come to America from my home in Rwanda a year ago, I speak no English. But de people dat took care of me kept saying dis word, “safe.” I do not understand what dey meant but dis word “safe” sound like a good ting. Now I speak English, I know my old self would not know what de word “safe” mean. Dere was no “safe” in Rwanda. Every dey, we knew dat we could be de next ones, de next ones whose blood dey spilled. We knew dat de men could come and take me or my mother and sisters in de night and do de bad thing to dem. We knew dat dere might not be food or water when we wake up in de morning. People here in America when I tell dem my story, dey say, “How you live with de fear and de sadness all de time?” We felt sad and afraid but most of de time, we were tinking about living. But I did not feel dis American word “safe”. When I come here, I do not understand dat dere was no danger. De people who cared for me, dey would find me under my bed in de night. When dey ask me why I was dere, I say I was worried de bad men going come for me. I do not understand dat in America de bad men could not get me. I do not know dat here dere is food for me every day. But now sometimes, I feel dis word, “safe”. Is a nice feeling, like when Mama would hold me and sing me songs or I would sleep with my brothers and sisters. But even dou I like dis word, “safe”, I miss Mama and my brothers and sisters. I worry dat even dou killing is over dat dey are not safe. And I pray God dat dey could feel dis feeling I have even for one dey.
Courtland Kelly
Self-Reflection on Wide Sargasso Sea Responses
I trouble with:
1) Understanding the purpose of the book/what the author was saying. I was paying attention to and marking motifs as I read, so I think I had more fun than most of the other kids reading the book just because I was recognizing the literary intricacies, but I was unsure of their meaning most of the time.
2) Staying on track with all the footnotes that were in my book. Although they ended up being helpful in the contextual aspect of the story, I found the reading very slow at the beginning of the novel until I realized that it was a lot easier just to ignore the footnotes.
3) The comparison of the two similar scenes in Invisible Man and Wide Sargasso Sea. During our class session I noticed the doll connection and was really excited because in my mind the connection was very clear, but then when I went to write out the response and formulate my thoughts into coherent sentences, it was a lost harder than I expected.
What I like: I like that I underlined and marked parts and words in the book that I thought were significant as I read. I was determined to do this because I spent a lot of time going through Invisible Man again to find the motifs, and did not want to have to go through the same thing.
What was most difficult: Supporting the ideas that I came up with. Statements that sounded really good would pop into my brain and make sense to me, but sometimes I had a hard time finding evidence in the book and other support for why my thought was true or made sense.
What I learned from this assignment: Taking notes as you read ends up being very helpful and totally worth it when it comes to analyzing and responding to works.
One my translations responses, I will focus on supporting my assertions and also focus on making good, supportable yet insightful assertions. Hopefully I will be successful.
Courtland Kelly
Translations Response
Owen (explodes) George! For God’s sake! My name is not Roland!
Yolland What!
Owen (softly) My name is Owen.
Pause
Yolland Not Roland?
Owen Owen.
Yolland You mean to say -- ?
Owen Owen.
\Yolland But I’ve been –
Owen O-w-e-n.
Yolland Where did Roland come from?
Owen I don’t know.
Yolland It was never Roland?
Owen Never.
Yolland O my God!
Pause. They stare at one another. Then the absurdity of the situation strikes them suddenly. The explode with laughter. Owen pours drinks. As the roll about their lines overlap.
Yolland Why didn’t you tell me?
Owen Do I look like a Roland?
Yolland Spell Owen again.
Owen I was getting fond of Roland
Yolland O my God!
Owen O-w-e-n.
Yolland What’ll we write –
Owen –- in the name book?
Yolland R-o-w-e-n.
Owen Or what about Ol-
Yolland Ol- what?
Owen Oland!
And again they explode.
Manus enters. He is very elated.
Manus What’s the celebration?
Owen A christening!
Yolland A baptism
Owen A hundred christenings!
Yolland A thousand baptisms! Welcome to Eden!
Owen Eden’s right! We name a thing and – bang! it leaps into existence!
Yolland Each name a perfect equation with its roots.
Owen A perfect congruence with its reality. (to Manus) Take a drink (Friel 54 56).
In this passage, Friel emphasizes the importance of culture and naming and the hazards of translation using irony and point of view. The unexpected role that Yolland takes during the story is ironic in its complete opposition to the job he was assigned by the English army. As an orthographer, Yolland’s job is to reassign English names to all of the Irish place-names. However, as he works with the native Owen, he finds that he appreciates and prefers the Irish names to the new, and in his mind “eroded” English ones. Even though this characterization occurs throughout the play up to this point, his opinion on the importance of names is apparent when he explains to Manus, “each name a perfect equation with its roots (56). Yolland’s view that a name should embrace its origin and heritage juxtaposes Owen, who has a certain disregard for the sanctity of his own home and language. Yolland, who has come to love Ireland and its rich history, thinks that names should reflect this, but Owen adds after Yolland “[each name] a perfect congruence with its reality” (56). This comment implies that Owen believes that a name distinguishes a thing, and vice versa, reiterating his earlier line: ““Eden’s right! We name a thing and – bang! it leaps into existence!” (56). This insight is a revelation for Owen, who in a previous scene showed a complete irreverence for names when he disregarded the Owen-Roland mix-up during a discussion with Manus saying carelessly, “Easy, man, easy. Owen – Roland – what the hell. It’s only a name. It’s the same me, isn’t it? Well, isn’t it?” (37). However, in the above passage, Owen shows a complete change in his value of names. His line “[each name] a perfect congruence with its reality” (56) is even more telling than just of Owen’s character because shortly after this “baptism” occurs, the English names fall under English rule as Ireland is colonized by its powerful neighbor. Owen’s revelation into the importance of names, along with Yolland’s respect for the preservation of names are both represented in this passage and further develop Friel’s warnings about too much change.
Courtland Kelly
Passage Creation
I apologize in advanced for all the formatting issues that I know this is going to have. Hopefully it will still make sense...
Scene opens to the interior of a restaurant in Germany. A fairly large round table sits on the forward center stage. An American family sits around the table, generally facing the audience. The FATHER is dressed conservatively, has grey hair and a slightly pompous, defensive air about him. The MOTHER is pretty, blonde, and visibly excited to be in her present situation. The two kids, a BROTHER and SISTER, are in their late pre-teens, early teens. They look about the same age, but the sister could be slightly older. They observe their surrounding, but are carefully not to appear interested.
MOTHER: Before we order, I just want to thank you guys for coming on this trip with me. You know how much I love Germany when I was younger, and I'm so glad that I could bring my beautiful family back here to experience this wonderful, cultural place that means so much to me.
She grasps her husband's hand and beams around the table. The HUSBAND returns her gaze with a fleeting smile, and the kids give small nods while diverting their eyes, embarrassed at their mother's emotional outburst.
HUSBAND: Of course, Honey. This is fun for us too, and we're just glad to make you happy.
BROTHER and SISTER mutter simultaneous, unenthusiastic agreement, but MOTHER seems satisfied.
WAITER comes over with menus.
WAITER: Guten Tag! Wilkommen! Koente ich Sie Trinken bringen?
MOTHER (with a poor accent): Guten Tag –
FATHER: We only speak English. Can we see some English menus?
WAITER: Ahh. English. Okay. Ein Moment.
WAITER hurries off stage and returns seconds later with a new stack on menus.
FATHER (taking the offered menu): Thank you.
MOTHER glares at FATHER before accepting her menu.
MOTHER: Danke.
BROTHER and SISTER take menus silently and WAITER exits.
MOTHER (to FATHER): You know, Hon, you could at least try… I didn’t teach you those words for nothing.
FATHER: Everybody speaks English here anyway.
SISTER: You don’t know that, Dad.
FATHER: Well, if they don’t, they should.
MOTHER: Why do you say that?
FATHER (clearly frustrated): English is the universal language! We already went over this! Look, t was on every sign we passed today. They have English menus. You said it yourself that every child learns it in school here. So why not use a language that we both know than embarrass ourselves with this guttural nonsense?
MOTHER (quietly but forcefully): It’s a question of respect.
BROTHER: I guess we’re lucky that whoever decided picked English.
SISTER (more to herself than to her family): I wish I knew two languages…
WAITER comes back over to their table. He addresses them in accented but perfectly intelligible English.
WAITER: Good afternoon. What may I get you today?
FATHER (excessively loud and slow): We’ll. Have. One. Large…Wee-ner Shnit-zal.
WAITER: Is that all?
FATHER: Ye-es.
WAITER exits.
SISTER: Dad, was that really necessary?
FATHER: What?
BROTHER: You sounded like you were trying to communicate with a monkey.
SISTER giggles.
MOTHER: I thought we just went over that everybody speaks English.
FATHER: I said everybody speaks English. I didn’t say they did it well.
SISTER(SOFTLY): I wouldn’t be surprised if his English was better than yours…
FATHER looks like he is about to respond harshly, but is cut off by the arrival of the waiter, carrying plates. They all fall silent, and the lights dim to black.
Notes After Translations:
1. Passage Analysis
- Starting on page 62 when Yolland and Maire leave the dance together they eventually realize that they are alone together hand in hand. Here Brian Friel introduces the power of body language itself, and the intimacy that is born with it, from it. From this moment on up until page 67 Yolland and Maire, without tons of words, share a conversation between their hearts, a conversation beyond what language itself can interpret and explain. As the reader looking in it gives me hope as a young girl living in the world today that the heart’s voice can certainly be louder than the mouth’s voice.
- In a way I feel like Friel was implying that when Yolland and Maire were speaking, though they didn’t know each other’s languages well, they could by some superior source, understand each other’s emotions behind their words.
- Technique-wise, Friel closes the gap between languages as we know them and not so much creates, but reveals a new one that it innately in all of us.
2. Passage Creation
Alternative:
When I went on the Italy trip my junior year I came across several situations where translation played a significant role. One situation that stood out to me more than just the conversations in the stores and restaurants was when all of us girls on the trip met a group of Italian boys in Sicily at our hotel. Their hometown was Milan, and they and their other classmates were traveling around Italy learning more and more about their culture, and landscape that surrounded them. There were two boys named Riccardo (Richard) and Marco who most of us girls became closer with. They spoke the best English out of there group of friends and were eager to learn more just by listening to us. Because they were our age, in the same situation as us, I had this longing to be able to speak fluently to them, understand them, and really get to know them. With the lack of understanding of each other’s languages, I thought I’d feel uncomfortable, or just hopeless in the sense of getting to know them. But despite the difficulty we had at times conversing back and forth, I learned more and more about their personalities that shined through their words, whether I could completely understand them or not, I could understand their effort, and their character. I remember one of the girls we were with telling a story and to them and she ended her sentence with “and blah blah blah”, the boys answered back “come si dice, BLAH BLAH BLAH?” The correct translation would be “how do you say blah blah blah? But they were sking, “what do you mean by blah blah blah?” Which I understood. This experience stands out to me all the more because I’m actually still keeping in touch with Marco and Richard by email, and back and forth we write sometimes in Italian, sometimes in English. I laugh sometimes when I re-read my emails to them before I click send, because I greet them as if I’ve known them for years, and yet I’ve only met them one day. Perhaps as Brian Friel was trying to tell us, we do more speaking aside from just our mouths than we’re aware of.
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