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Brian Friel

Language has been the topic of many debates throughout history. It is an issue, which can cause upheaval and even bloodshed. A modern day example of this can be found right here in Canada. A great amount of time, and emotional input, among other things, has been invested into Quebec's sovereignty debate. There has been no long-term solution to the problem. This may be due to the lack of understanding the majority tongue has of the issues. Language is a part of one's identity. One might even venture to say the most important component. It is the framework used to make sense of the world. Of course other methods are adequate to do this, but language is paramount. To understand one must interpret and internalize. One's language is interwoven with culture; consequently morals, values, and traditions are passed down by language to future generations. In

Friel's Translations correlation of language and identity are best exemplified through the character Owen who embraces English, forgets what language actually means, and in essence slights who he is. Owen is the Irishman in Translations who seizes English. He believes it to be an element of success. Language is to be manipulated to fulfill his needs. The c

Owen is an example of the type of people who reduced Irish to this level. He has taken on the English language to replace Irish, not just the Irish language, but everything that is interwoven within it. Owen has acquired the English language, but does not realize that he will never be English. There is a divider, which prohibits this second language speaker from completely being embraced into the language. He is the colonized, not the colonizer. Owen will always be Irish to the British, even though he is their ally. He is an outsider on the inside, but overlooks this. He is finally faced with this reality when he is just the translator. "Lancey: ...commencing forty-eight hours from now we will embark on a series of evictions and a leveling of every abode... Owen: You're not---! Lancey: Do your job. Translate" (Friel). Owen believed he was identified with Lancey and his troops where in actualization he was nothing more than a pawn. He had no influence over the British who he called "friend". English could never mask his true identity. Irish is a part of his very being, and nothing can change this fact. Language is a part of one's identity no matter how profusely it is denied. It provides the foundation with which one views the world. Languages and people are individual; they may see the same effects, but in different and unique ways. This is what makes the world an interesting and complicated place. It is the sam