How 'Translations' Presents the Conflict Between Lancey and the Irish community Tiana Krkotic College

‘Translations’ by Brian Friel is a play with an overriding purpose to raise awareness about the struggles faced by the Irish community, specifically what they had to endure?ensure with the British military’s attempts to eradicate of eradication of Gaelic place names, the Irish culture and hedge schools. Throughout the play, Friel strongly projects his Irish nationalist views through the use of communication between Lancey, deemed a stereotypical British military soldier, and the rest of the Irish community. This is strongly projected in this extract within Act 3 when whereby Owen and Doaalty, who represent the natives, retaliate back furthermore, resulting in foreshadowing of the tension caused by the Civil War between the Irish and the British in the 19th century and beyond. The conflict of the two groups is further exhibited towards the end of Act 3, by the use of reverse repetition demonstrating the ignorance of the British soldiers and the foreboding helplessness of the Irish.

Through the use of Lancey’s aggressive language towards the Irish community, the dramatic intention of creating a hostile atmosphere achieves the purpose of the audience viewing the British as the occupying force, more so emphasising inequality and...