Brian Friel is considered one of the most successful contemporary Irish dramatists. His works have achieved international reputation and are staged throughout the world. Even in schools, especially in Ireland, his plays are dealt with. For language and literature teachers, who work with Friel’s plays in school, this paper shall serve as a kind of handbook. It is divided into two parts. The first is a theoretical analysis of Friel’s plays Philadelphia, here I come, Translations and Making History. It provides the basic theoretical knowledge about the plays that teachers need for professional teaching. The analysis examines Friel’s plays on political and historical topics. The plays mentioned all show many similarities concerning these topics and therefore seem very suitable for a detailed literary analysis.
The second part of this paper is more practically orientated. It provides classroom teaching ideas for Friel’s plays, including many exercises and teaching material. Although a lot has been written on Friel, only a few have looked at his work from a didactical point of view. A journal article by Philip Brady The Scholar in the Hayfield: Brian Friel and the Post-Colonial Classroom (1998) reports about the staging experiences of Translations by a university teacher for Irish literature. Brady mentions the international validity of the political topics in Translations that can be applied to many countries and cultures. Unfortunately the article does not provide teaching ideas and materials. A few teaching materials can be taken from the internet (see II.5., p. 52), but not much has been done here either. This seems to be surprising because the German syllabus as well the Irish syllabus both state that in order to live in this world one needs knowledge about historical, political social and economical coherences. (cf. Richtlinien, 1999, p. XIV) “Language […] is embedded in history, culture, society, and ultimately personal subjectivity.” (English Syllabus Higher Level, 1999, p. 2). The selected plays match the demand of both syllabi because they mainly deal with historical and political topics and illustrate how they affect a whole culture and its individuals. These circumstances show the necessity of a work such as this and it may prove to be something that fills an important gap in Friel studies.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Literary Analysis: Political and Historical Topics in Selected Plays by Brian Friel
1. Politics and language
1.1. Language as a matter of identity
1.1.1. Colonisation by naming: Cultural and national identity
1.1.2. The relevance of the characters’ identities
1.1.3. Friel’s innovative use of dramatic devices: Philadelphia, here I come and Translations
1.2. Language as a basis for communication
1.2.1. Inter-cultural communication: Irish-British
1.2.2. Intra-cultural communication: Irish-Irish
1.2.3. Inter-personal communication: Father-son
1.2.4. Communication between the author and the reader
2. Friel’s presentation of history
2.1. Historical events in Friel’s plays
2.1.1. The Ordnance Survey
2.1.2. Penal laws: national schools and hedge schools
2.1.3. Emigration and the Great Famine
2.1.4. Historical texts and their influence on Friel: Intertextuality
2.2. Making History as a metahistoric play
2.2.1. Hugh O’Neill and the Battle of Kinsale
2.2.2. Historical inaccuracies in Friel’s presentation of Hugh O’Neill and the Battle of Kinsale
2.2.3. History and fiction: objective or subjective historiography?
3. Summary
III. Didactical Analysis of Brian Friel’s Plays: a Teaching Perspective
1. Literature in the classroom: Why read literature?
1.1. The cultural model
1.2. The language model
1.3. The personal growth model
1.4. Why read drama in the classroom?
2. Approaching the play
2.1. Planning the course of the lessons
2.2. Coming to grips with the content
2.2.1. Clusters
2.2.2. Index cards
2.2.3. Tabular synopsis
2.2.4. Writing a blurb / review
3. Working with the play
3.1. Formal analysis: Stage directions
3.1.1. Stage
3.1.2. Setting
3.1.3. Characters / Costumes
3.2. Analysing the characters with the help of parallel-, inter- and contrary texts
3.2.1. Warrants of apprehension
3.2.2. Obituaries
3.2.3. Writing a character’s diary
3.2.4. Rewriting the text from different perspectives
4. Performing the play: scenic interpretation
4.1. Freeze-images
4.2. Role-playing an interview
4.3. Creating a radio play
4.4. Performing the play itself
5. Using the internet
5.1. Internet research
5.1.1. Enquiring about Brian Friel and his plays
5.1.2. Enquiring about Ireland
5.2. Creating a website
6. Summary
IV. Conclusion
V. Bibliography
VI. Appendix
Objectives and Thematic Focus
This work aims to serve as a comprehensive handbook for teachers utilizing the plays of Brian Friel in an educational setting. The research question explores how the political and historical themes embedded within his dramas can be analyzed literarily and translated into practical, student-centered classroom activities that foster inter-cultural and critical awareness.
- The intersection of politics, language, and cultural identity in contemporary Ireland.
- Friel’s innovative use of dramatic devices and the presentation of historical reality.
- Didactical models for teaching literature, specifically the cultural, language, and personal growth models.
- Practical classroom strategies including stage analysis, creative writing, scenic performance, and digital media integration.
Excerpt from the Book
1.1.1. Colonisation by naming: Cultural and national identity
The Ordnance Survey (see I.2.1.1., p. 18), which occurred in the years 1824-1846, aimed not just at mapping the whole of Ireland, but also at Anglicising place names throughout the country. It is the major topic in Friel’s play Translations. The naming of places is a way of identifying and marking. It is also a way of knowing and understanding. Accordingly the naming of place names is a means of making a place known and understood and therefore a means of securing and possessing it (cf. Bullock, 2000, p. 98-100).
Cultural and national identity manifest themselves in place names. The names offer information about the history of a place as shown in the dialogue between Yolland and Owen when they speak of a crossroads called “Tobair Vree” (Friel, 1981, p. 420). Owen explains:
And why do we call it Tobair Vree? I’ll tell you why. Tobair means a well. But what does Vree mean? It’s a corruption of Brian - (Gaelic pronunciation) Brian - an erosion of Tobair Bhriain. Because a hundred-and-fifty years ago there used to be a well there, not at the crossroads, mind you – that would be too simple – but in a field close to the crossroads. And an old man called Brian, whose face was disfigured by an enormous growth, got it into his head that the water in that well was blessed; and every day for seven months he went there and bathed his face in it. But the growth didn’t go away; and one morning Brian was found drowned in that well. And ever since that crossroads is known as Tobair Vree – even though that well has long since dried up. (ibid., p. 420)
The places have their own ontology that would be lost by translating them into English, as would be the case with “Tobair Vree” and“ The crossroads” (ibid., p. 420) and with “Bun na hAbhann” and “Burnfoot” (ibid., p. 410). In losing the name Tobair Vree, Owen would lose a part of his own identity since the knowledge of the place has been passed on to him by his grandfather. In a more general sense this scene represents the loss of the over-all Irish tradition and culture. The place names have become a historical, cultural and social storehouse through the various associations that single persons have with these places (cf. Bullock, 2000, p. 112-113).
Summary of Chapters
I. Introduction: Outlines the purpose of the handbook for teachers working with Friel's plays and defines the theoretical and practical structure of the paper.
II. Literary Analysis: Political and Historical Topics in Selected Plays by Brian Friel: Examines the interplay between language, identity, and the subjective presentation of historical events in three of Friel's major works.
III. Didactical Analysis of Brian Friel’s Plays: a Teaching Perspective: Provides concrete, actionable methodologies for classroom instruction, ranging from initial content engagement to performance and digital project work.
IV. Conclusion: Summarizes the pedagogical value of Friel’s work in fostering critical thinking and interdisciplinary learning in the English classroom.
V. Bibliography: Lists all primary sources, including Friel's dramas, and secondary academic literature consulted.
VI. Appendix: Compiles visual aids, worksheets, and resources designed to support the practical exercises suggested in the teaching section.
Keywords
Brian Friel, Irish Drama, Political Topics, Historical Topics, Teaching Perspective, Literary Analysis, Didactical Analysis, Language and Identity, Ordnance Survey, Making History, Philadelphia here I come, Translations, Education, Classroom Exercises, Intertextuality.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic work?
The work provides a theoretical and practical framework for teachers to utilize Brian Friel’s plays in secondary education, focusing on how to integrate the political and historical content of his dramas into a structured, student-centered curriculum.
Which specific plays by Brian Friel are analyzed?
The analysis focuses on three prominent plays: Philadelphia, here I come, Translations, and Making History.
What is the core pedagogical objective?
The primary objective is to bridge the gap between abstract literary analysis and practical classroom performance, encouraging students to actively engage with Irish history, culture, and social dynamics.
Which educational models are used to structure the teaching approach?
The work incorporates three key models for teaching literature: the cultural model, the language model, and the personal growth model.
How are the practical teaching activities categorized?
Activities are divided into stages including approaching the play, analyzing formal aspects like stage directions and characters, and performing the play through methods like freeze-images and radio plays.
What key academic themes characterize the literary analysis?
The central themes are the relationship between politics and language, the importance of identity in a post-colonial context, and the nature of history versus fiction.
How does Friel use the concept of a "split character" in Philadelphia, here I come?
Friel employs the dramatic device of splitting the protagonist into Public Gar and Private Gar to externalize the character's internal psychological struggles and social isolation, allowing the audience direct access to his consciousness.
Why does the author consider Making History a "meta-historic" play?
It is classified as meta-historic because it explicitly depicts characters discussing the methodology of recording history, thereby challenging the reader to critically evaluate how historical narratives are constructed or distorted by historiographers.
What role does the internet play in this teaching perspective?
The work suggests using the internet for project-based learning, where students research the historical background of the plays and create their own websites, thereby improving both language skills and critical media competence.
- Quote paper
- David Cichowicz (Author), 2002, Political and Historical Topics in Selected Plays by Brian Friel: A Teaching Perspective, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/185793
