Objectives

• Analyse how Friel's split-protagonist device (Public and Private Gar) dramatises the gap between inner feeling and outward expression.
• Analyse how Friel uses silence, stage direction, and interrupted speech to present the emotional paralysis between Gar and S.B. O'Donnell.
• Analyse how the failed connections in Episode Two — with the boys and with Master Boyle — develop the themes of exile and loneliness.
• Analyse how the blue-boat memory in Episode Three functions as a symbol of irrecoverable tenderness between father and son.
• Write a sustained, evidenced analytical paragraph that argues a clear interpretation of Friel's dramatic and linguistic choices in a named passage.
• Evaluate how Friel uses the structural device of a single night's duration to present emigration as both escape and loss.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: Two Gars, One Stage: The Public/Private Device in Episode One

   60 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   On the board: 'List three thoughts you have but wouldn't share with a parent or authority figure. Then, write down what you would actually say instead.' Students spend four minutes writing quietly. No need to share — the contrast between the two lists is what we'll focus on in this lesson.

   Teacher input

   Analyze the opening pages of Episode One, where Private Gar directly addresses the audience with the line, "Screwballs — that's what I call him," while Public Gar remains silent next to S.B. at the counter. Highlight how Friel's stage directions, such as "S.B. does not look up" and "silence," along with Private's sardonic remarks, illustrate two different layers of the same moment. Pay particular attention to the verb choices in Private's dialogue, like "shouts" and "screams," contrasting them with Public's one-word responses to show that the humor serves a deeper purpose related to repression.

   Independent task

   Students choose another exchange from Episode One where Public Gar speaks to S.B., and Private Gar offers his commentary. They annotate the selected passage on a printed extract and then compose one analytical paragraph (using the PEEL structure or an equivalent method) to argue what the contrast between Public and Private reveals about Gar's emotional state. The paragraph should include quotes from both voices and analyze at least one specific word or stage direction.

   Exit ticket

   On a sticky note: 'In one sentence, explain WHY Friel needs two actors to portray Gar instead of relying on a soliloquy. Use the word 'simultaneously'.'

2. Lesson 2: The Language of Silence: Gar and S.B. in Episodes One and Two

   60 min · ch. 1, 2

   Do now

   Printed on the board, the stage direction from Episode Two reads: '(Silence. S.B. reads his paper. Public Gar stands at the window.)' Students take four minutes to write: 'What does this silence communicate that dialogue cannot? List at least three possible meanings.' There’s no right answer here — the goal is to encourage students to interpret silence as a form of dramatic language.

   Teacher input

   Model close reading of S.B.'s single extended speech in Episode Two — 'I didn't know you were going until Madge told me this morning' — focusing on the bathos of its content (he discusses the weather and the shop) in stark contrast to the significance of the occasion. Explore how Friel employs the stage direction '(He folds the paper carefully)' as a displacement activity, illustrating S.B.'s attempt to distract from the gravity of the moment. Additionally, examine Private Gar's response ('Say it now. Say: I love you. I love you, Screwballs'), which highlights the insurmountable gap between them. Demonstrate how to effectively integrate stage directions as evidence within an analytical paragraph.

   Independent task

   Students receive a printed excerpt of the kitchen scene from Episode Two, featuring Gar and S.B. They make annotations focusing on: (a) instances of attempted speech, (b) displacement activities indicated in the stage directions, and (c) Private Gar's observations. Following this, they compose two analytical paragraphs discussing how Friel conveys emotional paralysis through the structure of the drama itself, rather than solely through the characters' dialogue.

   Exit ticket

   Friel uses silence in this scene to imply that _______, a notion the audience perceives because _______.

3. Lesson 3: Small Lives, Stagnant Town: The Boys and Master Boyle in Episode Two

   60 min · ch. 2

   Do now

   On the board: the start of the boys' visit in Episode Two — Ned's crude joke and the boys' laughter. Students read it quietly and write: 'Do you find this scene funny, sad, or a mix of both? Write two sentences explaining your answer, referring to something specific from the page.'

   Teacher input

   Model a reading of Master Boyle's farewell speech to Gar in Episode Two — 'Screwballs, it's not the going away that matters — it's the coming back' — illustrating how Friel adds irony to Boyle's wisdom by contrasting it with his drunkenness and failures (he's been dismissed from his job, and he clutches his bottle). Teach students to analyze a character's speech in light of their dramatic context: Boyle serves as a cautionary figure for what Gar might become if he stays, while also warning that leaving doesn't resolve anything. Demonstrate the technique of exploring dramatic irony through juxtaposition.

   Independent task

   Students can select either the boys' visit or Master Boyle's farewell from Episode Two. They need to craft a structured response consisting of three paragraphs addressing the question: "How does Friel use this scene to explore the theme of exile and the boundaries of male friendship in Ballybeg?" Each paragraph must identify the character, include a specific quote or stage direction, and present an interpretive claim regarding what Friel is conveying to the audience.

   Exit ticket

   In one sentence: How does Master Boyle's presence in the play enhance the story in a way that the boys' visit alone doesn't? Be sure to mention both characters in your response.

4. Lesson 4: The Blue Boat: Memory, Tenderness, and Irrecoverable Loss in Episode Three

   60 min · ch. 3

   Do now

   On the board: 'Madge comments on S.B. at the end of Episode Three: 'He'll miss that boy. He'll miss him terribly.' Write for four minutes: does the play justify this statement? List two moments from any episode that support it and one that challenges it.'

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the blue-boat memory passage in Episode Three, where S.B. recalls — hesitantly and without prompting — the image of young Gar in a sailor suit singing in the boat on Lough na Cloc Cor. Pay attention to the conditional and uncertain syntax ('It was — it could have been — aye') as a formal reflection of memory's fragility. Highlight how Private Gar's urgent interjection ('Yes — yes — that's it — that's the memory — hold on to it') and S.B.'s inability to finish the recollection together dramatize the play's central tragedy: the moment of connection comes too late and too incomplete to mend the relationship.

   Independent task

   Students are tasked with crafting a complete analytical response (four paragraphs, about 350–450 words) to the question: 'How does Friel use the blue-boat memory in Episode Three to illustrate the relationship between Gar and S.B.?' They need to: quote and analyze the specific syntax in S.B.'s speech; discuss Private Gar's reaction; link the memory to the theme of the irrecoverable past; and reflect on what the moment indicates about the costs associated with emigration.

   Exit ticket

   Friel gives this memory to S.B. instead of Private Gar to highlight S.B.'s personal connection to the past. This choice emphasizes the emotional weight of the memory and its significance in shaping S.B.'s character.

5. Lesson 5: Philadelphia or Ballybeg? Synthesising Exile, Freedom, and Loneliness Across All Three Episodes

   60 min · ch. 1, 2, 3

   Do now

   On the board: the play's last stage direction — 'The boy on the bus. Leaving. Leaving.' Students write for four minutes: 'Is Gar's departure a sign of freedom or a sign of defeat? Write a one-sentence claim and two pieces of evidence from anywhere in the play.'

   Teacher input

   Model how to construct a comparative argument across episodes by exploring the question: 'How does Friel present Philadelphia as both promise and illusion?' Use Lizzy and Con's arrival in Episode Three as an example — their empty American expressions ('Gee, honey, it's just beautiful'), their lack of children, and their desire for Gar to fill an emptiness in their lives — contrasted with Private Gar's earlier fantasy of Philadelphia in Episode One ('It's a great life, Gar — a great life!'). Guide students on tracking the motif of Philadelphia as an idea versus Philadelphia as reality throughout the three episodes, and show them how to use this motif to develop a coherent argument.

   Independent task

   Students will write a timed essay (40 minutes, around 500–600 words) responding to the summative question: 'Explore how Friel presents emigration as both an act of freedom and an act of loss in Philadelphia, Here I Come!' They are required to reference at least two out of the three episodes by number, quote specific lines or stage directions, and maintain a coherent argument throughout. This will serve as the summative assessment piece.

   Exit ticket

   What does Friel want the audience to feel most in the final moments of Episode Three, and how does the staging create that emotion?

Activities

Assessment

• Exit ticket Lesson 1: student's sentence uses 'simultaneously' correctly and identifies the theatrical function of the split-protagonist device, not merely its existence.
• Exit ticket Lesson 2: student's sentence names a specific technique (silence, displacement activity, stage direction) and makes an interpretive claim about what it communicates.
• Annotated extract Lesson 2: annotation identifies at least three distinct moments of attempted speech and embeds at least one stage direction as evidence in a paragraph.
• Three-paragraph response Lesson 3: each paragraph names a character, quotes a specific line, and makes an interpretive claim — teacher checks that claims are not merely plot summary.
• Exit ticket Lesson 4: student's two sentences show understanding that giving the memory to S.B. rather than Private Gar shifts dramatic sympathy and complicates the audience's judgement of the father.
• Exit ticket Lesson 5: student identifies a specific staging choice (the empty stage, the bus, Madge's final lines) and connects it to an emotional effect on the audience.

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• RL.11-12.3 — Analyse the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g. where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
• RL.11-12.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• RL.11-12.5 — Analyse how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
• W.11-12.1 — Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — Develop a thesis that makes a defensible claim about the literary text and supports it with evidence.
• Figurative Language and Imagery (FIG-1) — Analyse how Friel's figurative language (the blue-boat memory, Philadelphia as motif) contributes to meaning.
• Character and Narration (CHR-1) — Analyse how Friel's split-protagonist device (Public and Private Gar) develops character and advances the play's themes.
• Structure and Form (STR-1) — Analyse how the three-episode structure and the single-night duration contribute to the play's overall meaning and aesthetic impact.
• Textual Evidence (TEV-1) — Select and use relevant evidence from the text to support a literary argument, including stage directions as evidence.

AQA

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received (Irish emigration, post-war economic stagnation, cultural conservatism of Church and State).
• AO5 — Explore literary texts informed by different interpretations (the play as tragedy of communication vs. the play as social critique of emigration).

Edexcel

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology — specifically Friel's use of stage directions, silence, and the split-protagonist form.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received, including the Field Day Theatre movement and Irish emigration in the 1960s.
• AO4 — Explore connections across literary texts — students may connect Friel's treatment of exile to other texts on the specification.