In ‘Song of Soloman’ and ‘Translations’ Morrison and Friel present racial domination through the standpoint of the oppressed minority group, respectively African-Americans and Irish nationalists. The concept of racial domination can be defined as the political action of prominent people throughout the belief in the superiority and inferiority of particular races. Both Friel and Morrison communicate that racial domination is all about electrical power, the level of which will determines if the race may be the oppressor and also the oppressed in a particular contemporary society.
In ‘Translations’, the Irish will be ruled by English whom assume the right to rule Ireland and determine what is which is not acceptable behaviour. Through creating a “new map” of the “whole” of eire, the English language oppressors enforce their own dominance, superiority on Ireland in europe by ‘rewriting’ the country in cultural distribution through the imposition of English as the chinese language of ‘high culture’. However , it is only Manus who understands at first the political implications of such a, what he interprets to be, “military operation” could eventually indicate for the longevity in the Irish tradition and its nationwide identity. Previously Friel presents the act of translation as a type of racial dominance, superiority and an obvious division involving the two ethnicities as ‘superior’ and ‘inferior’ is established through Owen who outlines his role while the “go-between” translating the “King’s great English” into the Irish “quaint archaic tongue”. By doing so, Friel describes that Owen can be rejecting his own identification by rejecting his links to Ireland in europe both in dialect and lifestyle. This further reinforces the damage of British Oppression intended for the culture of Ireland, since it will undoubtedly ruin its id as it has done with “Owen” who has become “Roland” as a result of mis-translation and “standardised” British. Friel pinpoints the speedy process of social imperialism through the geographical metaphor of erosion, which ironically will be identified by the antithetical The english language Oppressor “Yolland” when he poignantly declares, “something is being eroded”. The idea of erosion as a physical metaphor advises layers’ staying relentless worn away until nothing remains to be. This underlines the significance of language in holding lifestyle and remembrances that would otherwise be totally lost “beyond recognition” if the language were to be “anglicised” because demonstrated through the example of “Tobair Vree”. The idea of not being able to translate a memory or a culture into a different dialect is important in ‘Translations’ and it is the Irish tradition that gets lost in translation, Friel seems to talk that the simply way the Irish can easily exist in a modern Community is through translation, Friel argues that the concept of translation is a metaphor for the Irish. Indeed, Friel’s act of writing ‘Translations’ is at itself a great act of translation, seeing that he writes an Irish play in English, so as to demonstrate the sole possibility to get the Irish language and culture to exist is usually through the dialect of the oppressor.
To a varying level, Morrison likewise presents racial domination with the use of language although not as a method of oppression utilized by the taking over race or in other words of translation, but to supply the black community a powerful instrument to subvert white authority. In ‘Song of Soloman’ the African American community in Michigan rename places titles to indicate reality just like in the case of “No Mercy Hospital” where dark-colored expectant mothers had been denied access and had to “give birth” “on its steps” and thus given “no mercy”. It can be this action of renaming place names that is practically doing the other of what Friel describes as ethnical imperialism in ‘Translations’, the black community are providing meaning to position names instead of “eroding” that. This title of dialect is the just power the black community have within their oppressed state and the renaming of place names becomes a political act as the community making the effort to take some control over their language. Furthermore, Morrison illustrates the power of terminology in transporting meaning and having the ability to form identity through the eponymous “Song of Soloman”. The significance of language in defining identity is proven through the first mistranslation of “Soloman” while “sugarman”. Morrison shows just how one mis-translation can totally wipe out a whole family’s identification and take out a part of background. The breakthrough discovery of Milkman’s heritage through the connection with the name “Soloman” gives him an identity and ensures that at loss of life he is by no means more surviving as his journey of self-discovery is complete. It is impossible to never link the value of naming with the example of “Tobair Vree”, the meaning from the name would be lost in translation and would no more exist in the event the language were to change. Throughout the name “Dead” Morrison shows how vocabulary can behave as a tool to “wipe out your past” through Sing’s insistence on to get incorrect brand instead of getting the name of the slave owner and so hoping to detach future decades from the crippling legacy of slavery that may be at the root of African American oppression in an American society. The name “Dead” holds the signification penalized also metaphorically dead and unable to improvement, the “Dead” family certainly are a metaphor for the entire African American competition that suffer under the ethnic domination with the racist light community.
In ‘Translations’ Friel tries to find desire in a racially divided contemporary society in the unanimity of the two cultures through the relationship of Marie and Yolland using the act of “leaping” throughout a “ditch” to metaphorically suggest the potential of daring to step and bridging between the two camps. Friel seems to say that although Yolland may have been killed, the love between two heroes is not defeated and shows sort of hope the two several cultures do not need to be understood to be racially distinct. Friel’s play is radically against the putting of these colonial time borders as well as the grouping of people into classes called ‘British’ and ‘Irish which confesses no targeted traffic or traversing between them. ‘Translation’ as an act of crossing between borders may well offer a solution of colonial conflict of hatred and division by means of love Friel seems to advise, but it remains a dangerous take action and likely to be resisted simply by those who might divide all of us into groups and put borders between all of us hence the “ditch”. Throughout the construction of “Yolland” since an antithetical “soldier by simply accident”, even though ironically a Hibernophile plus the first one to see that “something will be lost” along the way of ethnic imperialism, Friel challenges the pre-determined ethnic stereotypes that he explains are an inevitable side effect of any racially divided community as Yolland can only ever before be recognized by his English racial identity inside the eyes from the oppressed Irish nationalists. The hatred involving the two races is to such an extent that individualism is definitely neglected and only Yolland’s identity as a British Army Official is considered. This concept is particularly apt for Friel’s play which, although placed in the nineteenth century, was written inside the ethno-nationalist turmoil ‘The Troubles’ in 1960s Northern Ireland where ethnic hatred and IRA physical violence divided and made a fight ground of eire. However , the inextricable hyperlink between culture and identity and how the former defines the latter is the essential principle lurking behind racial stereotypes and understanding why Yolland will always be “an outsider” inside the Irish community and so why Owen cannot separate him self from his Irish heritage. Ultimately the Irish tradition is “all [they] have” and by question the community of its mom language and therefore culture is to remove their particular identity which can be shown at the conclusion of the enjoy when Dorothy, who represents Irish oppression (metaphorically and literally with no voice) can be silenced inside the concluding moments showing the death of Irish language and traditions and thus the final of the Irish identity.
However in ‘Song of Soloman’ Morrison shows racial domination as a great unfixable component to American world, which can never be really racially the same until the legacy of slavery is completely removed from memory. White Americans can easily racially master the black community by controlling the law. Morrison convey the file corruption error of the American justice system through the example of the police push who will “stop anyone” if they are black, suggesting the broadly held idea that all of the black community were inherently suspicious. Furthermore, the lack of criminal justice that is certainly brought to the “Butlers” as soon as they “shot” John “five ft in the air” further reinstates how the white colored race centered the law in American contemporary society. Ultimately, Morrison evaluates the black community are caught in a light racially dominated society and a dark American dream is unattainable shown inside the example of Ruth who is actually pressed “small” by the oppression imposed on her behalf by the white colored community to such an extent that her name identifies her because she is metaphorically “dead”. The inherently unjust social benefits of the dark community is represented when it comes to Corinthians Deceased whom after a college degree and studying in France may only get employed as a “maid” and even then the position was just rewarded to her because her employee “liked” her “name”, again showing the importance of naming. Morrison presents ethnicity domination being a limitation and barrier intended for the oppressed community, avoiding them from entering into virtually any position that permits them to gain social electricity in a white dominated society and be at almost equal status for the ‘superior’ race. Morrison considers that although the black community can length themselves from other slave earlier, it is difficult to truly eliminate the past by history and start anew, while Sing wished by keeping the wrong surname “Dead” in place of the slave user’s surname. This is certainly perhaps the reason behind Solomon’s and Milkman’s eventual flight at the conclusion of his journey of self-discovery since Morrison suggests that the only way to progress and truly be “free” from an oppressed contemporary society is to “surrender to the air” and “ride it”.
Morrison and Friel both present how the condition of oppression creates radicalised recipients of oppression that would otherwise not really exist in a racially equivalent society. Nevertheless , Morrison and Friel present the radicalised groups “The Days” and “the Donnelley Twins” through different perspectives. Through Morrison’s presentation of “The Days” she reveals and the reader understands Guitar’s journey coming from an oppressed individual whose life is damaged by the tough realities of racism in the Deep Southern to a significant black extremist. Guitar is unable to fly because he has not quit his emotional hatred of whites and his racist perception that “there are no innocent white people” which weighs in at him straight down by allowing his hatred and suffering to control and define his identity like a psychopath that “could kill would kill” and “has killed’. Alternatively, the “Donnelley Twins” really are a non-communicative push and not called as separate people who have no physical presence, simply existing in threats towards the English oppressors. Much like today’s extremists in Ireland in europe, the Donnelly twins are certainly not outspoken but instead they allow their actions speak for them and Friel uses this kind of fierce Irish nationalism to serve as virtual representations of personnel of the modern day IRA linking a larger personal tragedy of colonial oppression and Irish resistance with all the personal misfortune of specific lives. Their very own actions (the theft of the horses, the burning up of the army’s headquarters and, supposedly, the murder of Lieutenant Yolland) only coin a powerful impérialiste reaction. The play ends with the additional threat of racial violence as Lancey “promises” to kill all the livestock in the area, which Friel suggests will only result in counter horror by the causes that the Donnelly twins represent. Although offered differently, Friel and Morrison both dispute in their text messages that individuality is impossible under nationalism and oppression can split any community on the basis of contest. In conclusion, Morrison and Friel present ethnicity domination through the viewpoint from the oppressed hispanics and their not enough power in defining all their identity as their culture is definitely rewritten to them through mistranslation and racial oppression.
