In Act I of Brian Friel's Translations, many of the towns and cities in that area of Ireland are being anglicanized or translated. Much to my surprise, several of the Irish characters in the play seem indifferent or supportive of these name changes.
I began to think about how not all naming and renaming transitions are not as smooth.
I am a parishioner at St. Jude's Catholic Church. With the rapid decline of priests in the area, the bishop has decided that St. Jude's will combine with two other nearby parishes -- Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Mary the Assumption.
It was originally suggested that the name remain "St. Jude" because it was the largest of the three parishes. It soon became clear, however, that the other two parishes did not want to completely lose their identities and take on a new one. Unlike many of the characters in Translations, these people wanted some sort of voice in what their new church was to be called. Thus began the renaming process.
Several saints names were suggested, including Basil Moreau. After much debate, the parishes peacefully voted St. Catherine of Siena to be the name for the new church.
Maybe I don't fully understand how much control England had over Ireland at the time, but I know I would be upset if an outsider came in and changed the names of every street, town, or building that I had known, not to mention the obvious language barrier.
I think the characters in this play are too passive to these changes and should fight, like the parishioners of Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Mary's the Assumption, for their voice.
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1 comment:
I agree with you that it would be upsetting if someone who did not you or your culture came in and changed the names that you had always known. I like how you tied in your own experience with changing a name with what is occuring in Translations.
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