Link texts Flashcards
Faith Healer
The play consists of four parts, with a monologue making up each part.
The monologues tell the story of Hardy, including an incident in a Welsh village in which he cures ten people.
Dancing at Lughnasa
This play is loosely based on the lives of Friel’s mother and aunts who lived in Glenties, a small town in the south-west of County Donegal in the west of Ulster.
However, as the summer ends, the family foresees the sadness and economic privations under which they will suffer as all hopes fade.
Communication Cord
Tim is writing a thesis on “Discourse Analysis with Particular Reference to Response Cries,” and one of the many ironies running through the play is that his character is woefully inarticulate except in the context of discussing his thesis.
As is characteristic of Friel, this confusion is achieved through linguistic descriptions and failure of communication. The farce ends with the roof of the cottage literally falling down on top of Gallagher.
Kanthapura
The village of Kanthapura is a traditional society based in oral culture: few of its inhabitants can read or write, and storytelling ceremonies are a crucial aspect of the town’s collective life. Oral tradition is a source of power in the village, for it allows Kanthapura’s residents to shape their understanding of history, consolidate their identity as a community around shared religious values, and organize politically against the repressive British colonial government.
In contrast to the oral traditions Moorthy uses to spread his message, written language is associated with Western imperial and economic power—it carries the force of the law from afar.
Things fall apart
Language is a vital part of Umuofia society. Strong orators like Ogbuefi Ezeugo are celebrated and given honorable burials. Because clan meetings are so important for organization and decision-making, these speakers play an important role for society.
Storytelling is also a form of education for the clan—whether they’re masculine war stories or feminine fables, storytelling defines different roles for clan members and moves them to action.
The ability to read and write in English begins to represent power, as the white men provide more financial incentives for learning their language and more clan members choose to enroll in their schools.
