Objectives

• Analyse how Friel uses the hedge school setting and its characters in Act One to establish a community defined by language and under threat from colonial power.
• Explain how the anglicisation of place names in the Name-Book scenes of Act Two functions as a dramatic metaphor for cultural erasure.
• Analyse how Friel's staging of the Yolland–Máire love scene uses dramatic irony and lyrical language to present both the possibility and the impossibility of cross-cultural understanding.
• Trace how the structural collapse of Act Three — Lancey's ultimatum, Owen's crisis, Hugh's final speech — dramatises the themes of loss, grief, and cultural extinction.
• Write a sustained, evidenced analytical essay that argues a clear position on how Friel presents the relationship between language, identity, and power across the play as a whole.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: The Hedge School as a World: Language, Community, and Power in Act One

   55 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Look at the list of characters on the board: Hugh, Manus, Owen, Bridget, Máire, Doalty, Sarah, Jimmy Jack, Captain Lancey, Lieutenant Yolland. Without opening the play, sort them into two columns — 'belongs to Baile Beag' and 'arrives from outside' — and write a sentence predicting the conflict that division might spark.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the opening stage direction and Manus's first lesson with Sarah (Act One, from 'Manus is teaching Sarah to speak' to Sarah's first utterance of her own name). Here, Friel encapsulates the play's central argument: Sarah's difficulty in saying 'My name is Sarah' isn't just a speech-therapy moment, but a political statement — our identity is shaped by language, which can be given or taken away. Highlight how the stage direction ('Her articulation is not good') and Manus's patient repetition create dramatic irony. The audience is aware that the British surveyors are about to arrive and rename everything, putting Sarah's hard-fought name at risk.

   Independent task

   Students read from the start of Act One up to the point where Hugh enters and greets his students in Latin ('Salvete, omnes'). Following this, they write a structured paragraph of 150–200 words discussing what the hedge school's use of multiple languages—Latin, Greek, Irish, and English all coexisting in one barn—reveals about the community's connection to knowledge and identity. The paragraph should include at least two quotations from this part of Act One and must address the importance of the school being conducted in Irish, even though the audience hears it in English.

   Exit ticket

   In one or two sentences, explain why Friel's decision to have Sarah speak her name as the very first dramatic event of the play is politically significant, not merely characterful.

2. Lesson 2: Naming as Conquest: The Name-Book Scenes and Colonial Language in Act Two, Scene One

   55 min · ch. 2

   Do now

   Write the following pairs on the board and ask students, without looking anything up, to match each Irish name to its anglicised version. Then, have them write a sentence about what is lost in the change: Bun na hAbhann / Burnfoot; Tobair Vree / a name that has forgotten its own story; Druim Dubh / Dromduff. Students should be prepared to share their sentences.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the passage in Act Two, Scene One where Owen and Yolland work through the Name-Book together, particularly their exchange about Tobair Vree (from 'Tobair Vree' to Owen's line 'We're standardising it into the present'). Highlight how Friel contrasts Owen's practical dismissal of the name's backstory with Yolland's romantic unease, creating a tension that reflects an internal debate about colonial complicity. Owen's acceptance of the name 'Roland' by the soldiers parallels the erasure of Tobair Vree, as both involve adopting a false identity for convenience's sake. Emphasize Friel's use of dramatic irony — the audience is aware of insights that Owen has yet to grasp.

   Independent task

   Students should re-read the Name-Book exchange from "Do you want to do Burnfoot?" to the conclusion of the Tobair Vree discussion, then write a structured paragraph of 150–200 words analyzing how Friel contrasts Owen’s and Yolland’s attitudes toward place names to highlight the tension between colonial pragmatism and cultural conscience. The paragraph must include at least two quotes from this section, mention the specific place names discussed, and comment on how Owen’s acceptance of the name "Roland" contributes to the argument of the scene.

   Exit ticket

   Write one sentence identifying which character — Owen or Yolland — is more aware of the violence being done by the Name-Book at this point in Act Two, and one sentence explaining what dramatic irony Friel creates from that reversal.

3. Lesson 3: Speaking Without Words: The Yolland–Máire Love Scene and Cross-Cultural Understanding

   55 min · ch. 2

   Do now

   On the board: 'Two people who don't speak the same language can still understand each other completely.' Take three minutes to write — do you agree? Share an example from your own experience or from any text you're familiar with. Be prepared to discuss it.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the central love scene between Yolland and Máire in Act Two, Scene Two — specifically the passage from Máire's "Take me away with you, George" to Yolland's "I would tell you how beautiful you are" — where both characters communicate in their own languages while the scene unfolds like a lyrical duet. Explore how Friel's stage directions ('They are now very close. He takes her hands') and the rhythmic, echoing structure of their alternating dialogues create the illusion of mutual understanding. Highlight how this moment is both the play's most hopeful point and its most ironic: the audience is aware that this connection is a dramatic construct, and that Yolland's imminent disappearance — likely at the hands of the Donnelly twins — will ultimately destroy it.

   Independent task

   Students will re-read the Yolland–Máire love scene from Máire's initial attempt at English, titled 'George,' until the end of the scene. After this, they should write a structured paragraph of 150–200 words arguing whether Friel depicts the love between Yolland and Máire as a true bridge between cultures or as a beautiful illusion that the play ultimately dismantles. The paragraph must include at least two quotes from the scene, discuss the dramatic effect of both characters speaking in their own languages at the same time, and connect the scene's outcome to at least one of the play's broader themes, such as loss or colonial power.

   Exit ticket

   Write one sentence explaining what theatrical technique Friel uses to make the audience feel that Yolland and Máire understand each other, and one sentence explaining why that technique is also an act of dramatic irony.

4. Lesson 4: The Map Makes the World Unreadable: Collapse, Threat, and Elegy in Act Three

   55 min · ch. 3

   Do now

   On the board, jot down Hugh's final lines from memory as accurately as you can — or, if you haven't read Act Three yet, describe what you think the last image of the play will look like and explain why. Those who have read it should write the lines; those who haven't should write their prediction. Each group will also write one sentence about the type of ending that would result.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of Hugh's closing speech in Act Three — from 'We must learn those new names' to his recitation of the opening of the Aeneid ('Arma virumque cano…') — demonstrating how Friel crafts the play's ending as a dual movement: a practical acceptance of the new English map coupled with a mournful retreat into a Latin text that reflects on exile and the creation of a new civilization from the remnants of an old one. Illustrate how the Aeneid quotation serves a purpose beyond decoration; Virgil's epic opens with themes of displacement and loss, and Hugh's tipsy recitation amidst the ruins of the hedge school situates the Irish community as a people whose narrative is now being articulated in a foreign language. Note the stage direction indicating that Hugh is unable to locate Baile Beag on Lancey's map.

   Independent task

   Students should re-read Act Three, starting from Lancey's ultimatum ("Lancey reads from a list: Swinefort… Mhachaire Buidhe…") to the conclusion of the play. Afterward, they will compose a structured paragraph of 150–200 words that analyzes how Friel portrays Hugh's inability to locate Baile Beag on the new map, along with his recitation of the Aeneid, to illustrate cultural loss as both a political and personal issue. The paragraph must include at least two quotations from Act Three, identify the specific place names that Lancey reads, and discuss their dramatic impact. Additionally, it should address the significance of Hugh opting for Latin, rather than Irish, as his ultimate refuge.

   Exit ticket

   In two sentences, explain what Friel suggests about the relationship between maps and identity by ending the play with Hugh unable to locate his own home on the Ordnance Survey map.

5. Lesson 5: Writing the Argument: Language, Power, and Identity Across the Whole Play

   60 min · ch. 1, 2, 3

   Do now

   On the board: 'Friel portrays language not just as a tool for communication but as a tool of colonial domination.' Take four minutes to write — do you agree, partially agree, or disagree? Note two instances from the play (including the act and the characters involved) that you would reference in a complete essay.

   Teacher input

   To construct an effective essay introduction and first body paragraph in response to the question, "How does Friel use language to explore the relationship between power and identity in Translations?", start by focusing on a specific moment in Act One. This could be Manus's lesson with Sarah and Hugh's Latin greeting.

   Begin with a clear statement that identifies the scene and its significance. For instance, you might say, "In the opening of Act One, Manus's lesson with Sarah, alongside Hugh's Latin greeting, illustrates the complex interplay between language and identity."

   Next, provide a precise quotation from this moment. After quoting, shift to a structural observation, noting that the hedge school's multilingualism serves a dramatic purpose rather than aiming for realism. This leads to a thematic claim: "Friel's choice to incorporate multiple languages highlights the play's commentary on colonial power dynamics, as it compels the audience to recognize the imposition of the English language over Irish."

   Conclude the paragraph by analyzing the language used in the quotation. Discuss how specific word choices convey deeper meanings about power and identity within the context of colonialism.

   By ensuring each sentence flows logically into the next, you create a strong paragraph that names the moment, provides a precise quote, analyzes the language, and connects back to the central argument of the essay.

   Independent task

   Write a comprehensive analytical essay of 600–800 words addressing the question: "How does Friel use language, form, and dramatic irony to explore the relationship between colonial power and cultural identity in Translations?" Your essay should start with a clear introduction that outlines your argument. Include at least three body paragraphs, each focused on a specific moment from the play, naming the act and the characters involved. Conclude with a reflection on the significance of Hugh's final speech. Make sure to quote directly from at least four different moments in Acts One, Two, and Three. Additionally, one paragraph must analyze a moment of dramatic irony—where the audience knows something that a character does not. Avoid summarizing the plot; ensure that every sentence supports your argument.

   Exit ticket

   Re-read your essay's introduction and write one sentence identifying the single strongest claim you have made, then write one sentence identifying the one piece of evidence from the play that you wish you had used but did not — and explain in that sentence why it would have strengthened your argument.

Activities

Assessment

• Lesson 1 exit ticket checks whether students can articulate the political significance of Sarah's naming as a dramatic event, not merely a character detail.
• Lesson 2 exit ticket checks whether students can identify the reversal of colonial awareness between Owen and Yolland and name the dramatic irony Friel creates from it.
• Lesson 3 exit ticket checks whether students can name the theatrical technique used in the love scene and explain why it simultaneously creates and undermines the illusion of understanding.
• Lesson 4 exit ticket checks whether students can connect the map's illegibility to Friel's broader argument about colonial power and cultural identity.
• The Dramatic Irony Tracking Chart from the carousel activity checks whether students can locate and articulate at least four moments of dramatic irony across Acts One and Two before the summative task.
• The Name-Book Renaming Exercise checks whether students can inhabit two opposing perspectives on anglicisation and connect that tension to the play's central argument.

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.11-12.4 — 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 a text, order events, and manipulate time create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
• RL.11-12.6 — Analyse a case in which grasping a point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — Develop a thesis that makes a defensible claim about the literary work and supports it with evidence.
• Figurative Language (FIG-1) — Explain the function of specific words and phrases in a literary text, including connotative and figurative meanings.
• Narration and Structure (STR-1) — Explain how the sequence or structure of a text contributes to its meaning.
• Character (CHR-1) — Explain the function of contrasting characters and their relationship to the text's central argument.
• Contextual Connections (CC-1) — Explain the relevance of historical or cultural context to a literary text's meaning.

AQA

• AO1 — Read, understand and respond to texts, maintaining a critical style and developing an informed personal response, using textual references including quotations to support and illustrate interpretations.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
• AO3 — Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written, received and interpreted.
• AO4 — Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation.

Edexcel

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts, with particular attention to language, form, and structure.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received.
• AO5 — Explore literary texts informed by different interpretations.

Leaving Cert

• Leaving Certificate English — Higher Level: engage with the language, style, and dramatic techniques of a prescribed text, supporting personal response with close reference to the text.
• Leaving Certificate English — Higher Level: demonstrate awareness of the cultural, historical, and political contexts that shape the meaning of a literary work.
• Leaving Certificate English — Higher Level: write in a sustained, coherent, and well-structured manner appropriate to the task.