english essay (ignore you guys)
Compare the presentation of the power of language in ‘Translations’ and ‘Mr Pip’.
Language is a powerful feature of both Translations, an Irish play written by Brian Friel during the time of one Anglo-Irish conflict yet set in the time of a previous conflict, and Mister Pip, Lloyd Jones’ story of a young girl finding an escape through literature in the middle of a violent civil war. Brian Friel wrote his play during the time of the Troubles, when the IRA were considered dangerous terrorists by the English government and centuries of a power struggle between Ireland and England were almost coming to a ceasefire of sorts. However the text is set in the fictional village of Baile Beag, 1833 - a few years before the Irish Potato Famine - and the English are there to reinforce their cultural imperalisation by anglicising the Irish place names. In other words, they wished to take away a part of the Irish’s indentity through their corruption of linguistics. Similiarly, Mister Pip also takes place admist a conflict. The story was inspired by the events of 1990’s civil war in Bougainville of Papua New Guinea, a small island outside of Australia, which Lloyd Jones covered as a journalist. Mister Pip is told in retrospect and ultimately with hindsight whereas Translations is looking ahead, foreshadowing what was to become of the Anglo-Irish conflict in the future. Language is presented as both empowering and unifying especially during times of struggle in each text but it is also shown to divide the characters and their communities through misunderstandings or alienating one side from the other. Whether the language is written or spoken, it retains some of the influence to determine the course of the characters’ actions or even their fates. Mister Pip is told in retrospect and ultimately with hindsight whereas Translations is looking ahead, foreshadowing what was to become of the Anglo-Irish conflict in the future.
As the written word, language can still have the ability to influence just as much as the spoken word. Translations and Mister Pip both contain a book central to their stories. The Namebook in Translations and Mr Watts’ copy of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations in Mister Pip are incredibly significant, in what they mean to the characters and in the case of Mister Pip, how the storytelling gives more of an impact. Through Great Expectations, Matila and her class are offered an escape from their unstable world through the Victorian literature. As Matilda says '”Mr Watts had given us kids another world to spend the night in”. This world is a retreat from the fighting that happens in the nightMatilda in particular feels as though she has gained a friend in the form of Pip, the protagonist. She’s They are liberated through an archaic form of the english language, whereas in Translations the Namebook opresses the Irish by anglicising place names. It is a part of their indentity being taken away from them. However, they also ironically provide a way of Yolland and Maire communciating and bonding. Great Expectations does the same for Mr Watts and Matilda. It also empowers Matilda enough to inspire her to tell her own story. The characters Jimmy Jack and perhaps Hugh to an extent in Translations have an escape from reality through Homer’s The Odyssey. In the end, it’s an escape that completely disconnects Jimmy from the real world. He’s so lost in the fantasy of gods and godesses that he is unable to tell the difference between myth and reality.
Language is also used as empowerment, or at some points, a weapon. It creates a common ground for Mr Watts’ class in Great Expectations. Relatives in the village share their knowledge with the class, which empowers them as they have a chance to tell stories or anecdotes that are important to them. They are given a voice. Mr Watts is able to defend himself against the Rambos by subduing them through his own storytelling. However, Dolores feels left out because she isn’t familiar with the language of Great Expectations so therefore she rejects it and loses touch with Matilda.
In Translations, Jimmy Jack and Hugh speak in latin whilst teaching and in daily conversation with others to give themselves a higher position above of the rest. They like to mock Lancey for example by taking advantage of his lack of linguistics.
Owen can manipulate others through his translations of Lancey’s orders to keep the peace, although he is belittled by the English when they call him Rolland as it is not his name. Names are a strong part of indentity in both texts. Doalty uses Irish to confuse Yolland for his own amusement, which is a cruel mocking device. Sarah is empowered once she begins to speak fluently and not stutter, so she literally and metaphorically finds her voice through spoken word. She is more confident until Lancey threatens her, which scares her so much that she regresses back to refusing to speak. She is a metaphor for the English oppressing the Irish. In Mister Pip, Dolores is also silenced but not before she makes a brave last stand in which she says she will stand as God’s witness to Mr Watts’ murder. She sacrifices herself but also shows power through her last stand by speaking up to the enemy.
Language also unifies communities or characters.
The censorship of language is a way of that the characters in both texts, particularly Translatins, lose their culture and indentity. Anglicising the place names for the Irish means that history in the names is gone, as well as showing how the English impose themselves on the Irish. Losing Great Expectations in Mister Pip is the village’s downfall. Lancey and the Redskins officer are similiar. Language is a barrier at some points as misunderstandings arise in both texts.
Conclusion. Focus on the endings of both texts. Translations is tragic as the power of language is lost through misunderstandings and the inability to find a way of communciation that both sides have in common. Mister Pip has a sense of hope in its ending. It’s optistimic in a way, as Matilda has found her voice and is empowered by her own language.