Objectives

• Analyse how Friel uses the hedge school setting in Act One to dramatise competing relationships to language and power.
• Explain how the anglicisation of specific place names — Bun na hAbhann, Tobair Vree, Druim Dubh — functions as an act of colonial erasure.
• Analyse how Friel constructs the Yolland–Máire love scene to explore the possibility and limits of communication across linguistic difference.
• Evaluate how Lancey's Act Three ultimatum transforms the Ordnance Survey from a bureaucratic project into an instrument of colonial violence.
• Write a sustained, evidenced analytical argument that connects Friel's dramatic techniques to the play's central concerns of language, identity, and loss.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: The Hedge School as Contested Space: Language and Power in Act One

   55 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Without looking at your copy of the play, jot down every language you can recall being spoken or mentioned in Act One of Translations. Beside each language, note one word that captures its status in the world of Baile Beag. You have four minutes — please work quietly.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the opening stage direction and Manus's lesson with Sarah ('Say it. Say it again. Good girl.') in Act One. Friel immediately contrasts two types of language instruction: Manus encouraging Sarah to say her name in Irish and Jimmy Jack reading Homer in Greek. The stage direction describes the 'barn' as a hedge school—dilapidated and unofficial—indicating that Irish-language education operates outside of established power structures. It’s important to highlight that Sarah's struggle to say her own name isn’t shown as a cognitive failure; rather, it reflects suppression. Her eventual declaration, 'My name is Sarah', marks the play's first act of self-definition.

   Independent task

   Revisit the segment of Act One that spans from Manus's initial conversation with Sarah up until Hugh enters and greets the students in Latin and Greek. Compose one analytical paragraph—at least 150 words—arguing how the contrast between Sarah's lesson and Jimmy Jack's classical reading highlights the language hierarchy present in Baile Beag. Your paragraph should incorporate at least two quotations from this portion of Act One, ensuring they are embedded grammatically, and articulate a clear claim about how Friel employs dramatic juxtaposition to present the play’s main themes surrounding language and power. Please submit your paragraph at the door.

   Exit ticket

   Friel chooses Sarah's first spoken words, "My name is Sarah," as the emotional hinge of Act One's opening to emphasize her struggle for identity and connection in a world dominated by others. This moment highlights her vulnerability and sets the stage for the exploration of her character throughout the play. In contrast, Hugh's Latin greeting, while important, lacks the personal resonance that Sarah's introduction conveys.

2. Lesson 2: Naming as Erasure: The Name-Book Scene in Act Two, Scene One

   55 min · ch. 2

   Do now

   Look at the place names on the board: Bun na hAbhann, Tobair Vree, Druim Dubh, Cnoc Ban, Loch na nEan. Without referencing the play, jot down what you think each name might literally mean, followed by the anglicised version that Friel provides. If you're unsure, make an educated guess based on your understanding of Irish. You have five minutes.

   Teacher input

   Model the analytical move of tracing a single place name through the Name-Book scene in Act Two, Scene One. Focus on the exchange about Tobair Vree — Owen explains that the name comes from a man named Brian who drowned in the well a century ago, while Yolland questions whether it matters if that story gets forgotten. Read aloud Owen's reply ('We're standardising names') and Yolland's counter ('But are we not also…'). Highlight how Friel gives Yolland, the Englishman, a moral concern that Owen, the Irishman, keeps to himself. Show how to write about this irony as a dramatic technique: Friel employs dramatic irony to pull the audience into Owen's complicity even before Owen himself becomes aware of it.

   Independent task

   Re-read the Name-Book scene in Act Two, Scene One, starting from when Owen and Yolland work through the list of place names until the end of their discussion about Tobair Vree. Write two analytical paragraphs—totaling at least 200 words—arguing how Friel illustrates through Tobair Vree that the Ordnance Survey erases not only names but also the communal memories tied to them. In your first paragraph, concentrate on Owen's perspective; in your second, focus on Yolland's viewpoint. Ensure both paragraphs include embedded quotations and a comment on dramatic technique. Once completed, staple your two paragraphs together and submit them.

   Exit ticket

   Friel gives Yolland, rather than Owen, the moral objection to anglicising Tobair Vree because he recognizes the cultural significance of the place and feels a deep connection to its heritage.

3. Lesson 3: Speaking Without Words: The Yolland–Máire Love Scene in Act Two, Scene Two

   55 min · ch. 2

   Do now

   Read the following stage direction from Act Two, Scene Two, silently: 'He takes her hand. She does not move away. They look at each other.' Before you continue, jot down two or three sentences predicting the dramatic problem Friel needs to address — these two characters have no common language — and suggest one technique he might employ to resolve it.

   Teacher input

   Model how to analyze Friel's use of dramatic form in the love scene in Act Two, Scene Two. Focus on the moment when Yolland and Máire speak at the same time in their own languages, each sharing place names from Baile Beag and Norfolk. Read the passage aloud — 'Bun na hAbhann… Saxingham Nethergate…' — and illustrate how Friel transforms these place names, which represented erasure in the Name-Book scene, into symbols of intimacy here. Show how to discuss dramatic form: the overlapping speeches create a duet structure that embodies the potential for understanding without translation, yet also highlights its fragility, as neither character truly understands the other's words.

   Independent task

   Re-read the love scene in Act Two, Scene Two, beginning with Yolland's heartfelt declaration, "I wish I had even one word," and ending with their kiss. In a detailed analytical paragraph of at least 180 words, discuss how Friel employs the dramatic technique of overlapping place-name speeches to explore both the potential and the challenges of communication amidst linguistic differences. Be sure to reference at least two specific place names from the scene, analyze the structural impact of the overlapping dialogues, and link your insights to the play's overarching theme regarding the losses incurred when languages fail to connect. Submit your paragraph on a designated sheet.

   Exit ticket

   Friel opts for Yolland and Máire to recite place names instead of just miming or gesturing because these names carry deep personal and cultural significance, highlighting their connection to identity and home. This choice enriches the moment by emphasizing the emotional weight and shared history tied to the places they mention, making their interaction more profound.

4. Lesson 4: The Map as Weapon: Lancey's Ultimatum in Act Three

   55 min · ch. 3

   Do now

   Without opening the play, jot down everything you recall about Lancey's dialogue or actions throughout all three acts. Next to each note, include a single word that captures the tone or register of his language. You have four minutes. Aim for precision in recalling his exact words.

   Teacher input

   Model how to analyze the shift in Lancey's language and function between Act One and Act Three by closely examining his ultimatum speech in Act Three. In this speech, he declares that if Yolland is not found, livestock will be shot, and the towns of Swinefort, Burnfoot, and Druim Dubh will be destroyed. Pay attention to the detail that Lancey reads the threatened towns from the new anglicized map, which features the English names that Owen helped create. Demonstrate to students how to discuss this as dramatic irony: Owen's act of translation, initially presented in Act Two as bureaucratic collaboration, is revealed in Act Three as the means by which Lancey can list and threaten the community. The map has turned into a targeting document.

   Independent task

   Re-read Act Three, starting from Lancey's entrance and ending when he exits after delivering his ultimatum. Pay close attention to the names of the townlands he reads from the map. Write two analytical paragraphs — with a minimum of 220 words in total — arguing how Friel uses Lancey’s ultimatum speech to expose the colonial violence inherent in the Ordnance Survey project from the beginning. Your first paragraph should focus on Lancey’s language and tone; your second should analyze the dramatic irony created by his use of the anglicised place names that Owen produced. Both paragraphs must include embedded quotations and connect to at least one earlier moment in the play. Submit your two paragraphs on a named sheet.

   Exit ticket

   The choice of Lancey to read the threatened townlands from the new English map instead of relying on memory or an old document highlights the stark reality of change and the impact of colonialism on the landscape.

5. Lesson 5: Hugh's Final Speech: Memory, Loss, and the Unreadable Map

   55 min · ch. 3, 1, 2

   Do now

   Read Hugh's final speech in Act Three — from 'I will teach you English, Máire' to the closing lines of the Aeneid — silently and twice. Afterward, write two or three sentences addressing: what does Hugh offer Máire, and what does he acknowledge he can no longer provide to his own community? Hold off on looking at your notes for now.

   Teacher input

   Model how to interpret Hugh's closing recitation from the Aeneid—'Urbs antiqua fuit…'—as a structural and thematic conclusion to the entire play. Illustrate how Friel sets up Hugh's Latin quote alongside his remark about being unable to find the Gaelic place names on the new map ('I don't think there'll be any old names left'). Show how to analyze this contrast: Hugh's command of Latin and Greek, which initially highlighted the intellectual depth of the hedge school, is now revealed as a form of nostalgia that can't protect Baile Beag from the realities of today. While the classical past provides comfort, it offers no means of resistance. Connect this final image to Sarah's silence at the very end—she has stopped speaking once more.

   Independent task

   Re-read Act Three, starting from Hugh's line 'I will teach you English, Máire,' all the way to the end of the play. Write a structured response of at least 250 words discussing how Friel uses Hugh's final speech—particularly his recitation of the Aeneid and his confession that he cannot read the new map—to weave together the play's themes of language, memory, and cultural loss. Your response should present a clear main argument in the opening sentence, reference at least three specific moments from all three acts (not just Act Three), and analyze at least one dramatic technique. Please submit your response on a named sheet at the end of the lesson.

   Exit ticket

   Friel ends the play with Hugh reciting Latin instead of Irish to emphasize the cultural erosion that Baile Beag is facing. This choice highlights the community's disconnection from its own language and heritage, illustrating the profound sense of loss.

Activities

Assessment

• Lesson 1 exit ticket: checks whether students can articulate why Sarah's utterance of her own name is dramatically significant rather than merely noting that it happens.
• Lesson 2 paragraph hand-in: checks whether students can distinguish between what Owen says and what Yolland says about Tobair Vree, and can name the dramatic irony created by that contrast.
• Lesson 3 exit ticket: checks whether students understand that Friel's choice of place names in the love scene is structurally connected to the Name-Book scene, not merely incidental.
• Lesson 4 paragraph hand-in: checks whether students can trace the dramatic irony of Lancey using Owen's anglicised names as a targeting tool, connecting Act Two collaboration to Act Three violence.
• Lesson 5 extended response: checks whether students can sustain a whole-play argument that connects Hugh's final Latin recitation to the play's opening images of the hedge school and Sarah's silence.

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 it.
• RL.11-12.3 — Analyse the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama.
• 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.11-12.6 — 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) — Write a thesis that makes a defensible claim about a literary text and establish a line of reasoning.
• Textual Evidence (STL-1) — Identify and describe what specific textual details reveal about character, setting, and structure.
• Figurative Language (FIG-1) — Explain the function of specific words and phrases in context, including how they contribute to meaning.
• Narration and Structure (NAR-1) — Explain the function of structure and form in a literary text, including how dramatic form shapes meaning.

AQA

• AO1 — Read, understand and respond to texts; maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response; use 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 and received.
• 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 reference 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

• Engage with and respond to the language, style and content of literary texts studied.
• Analyse how writers use language, form and structure to create meaning and effect.
• Demonstrate awareness of the cultural and historical context in which a text was produced and received.