In "Song of Soloman" and "Translations", Morrison and Friel present racial domination through the perspective of the oppressed minority group, respectively African-Americans and Irish Nationalists. The concept of racial domination can be defined as the political act of dominating people through the belief in the superiority and inferiority of particular races. Both Friel and Morrison communicate that racial domination is primarily about power, the level of which determines whether a race is the oppressor or oppressed in a particular society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In “Translations,” the Irish are ruled by the English who assume the right to rule Ireland and dictate what is and is not acceptable behavior. By creating a "new map" of "the whole" of Ireland, the English oppressors are imposing their own domination over Ireland by "rewriting" the country into cultural submission by imposing English as the language of "high culture ". However, only Manus initially understands the political implications of what he perceives as a "military operation" that would ultimately have consequences for the longevity of Irish culture and national identity. Friel already presents the act of translating as a form of racial domination and a clear division between the two cultures as "superior" and "inferior" is established through Owen who describes his role as an "intermediary" translating the "good English of king ". » in the “picturesque archaic language” of Ireland. In doing so, Friel describes Owen rejecting his own identity by rejecting his connections to Ireland, both linguistically and culturally. This further reinforces the devastation of English oppression to Irish culture, as it will undoubtedly destroy its identity, as was the case with "Owen" becoming "Roland" following a mistranslation and a “Standardized” English. Friel identifies the rapid process of cultural imperialism through the geographical metaphor of erosion, which, ironically, is first identified by the antithetical English oppressor "Yolland" when he poignantly states: "something is eroding.” The idea of ​​erosion as a geographical metaphor suggests that layers are continually worn away until nothing is left. This highlights the importance of language in holding culture and memories that would otherwise be completely lost "beyond recognition" if the language were "anglicized", as the example of "Tobair Vree" demonstrates. . The concept of not being able to translate a memory or culture into a different language is fundamental to “Translations” and it is Irish culture that gets lost in translation; Friel seems to communicate that the only way for the Irish to exist in a modern world is through translation. Friel argues that the concept of translation is a metaphor for the Irish. Indeed, Friel's act of writing "Translations" is itself an act of translation, since he is writing an Irish play in English, in order to demonstrate that the only possibility for the Irish language and culture to exist is through by the tongue of the oppressor. To varying degrees, Morrison also presents racial domination through the use of language, but not as a method of oppression used by the dominant race in the translation sense, but to give the black community a powerful tool to overthrow white authority. In “Song of Soloman,” the African-American community in Michigan renames places to reflect reality, as in the case of “NoMercy Hospital” where pregnant black women were refused entry and had to “give birth” “on its steps” and thus “without mercy.” It is this act of renaming place names that does almost the opposite of what Friel describes as cultural imperialism in “Translations”; the black community gives meaning to place names rather than “eroding” them. This property of language is the only power the black community has in its oppressed condition and the renaming of places becomes a political act as the community attempts to gain some control over its language. Furthermore, Morrison highlights the power of language as a bearer of meaning and its ability to shape identity through the eponymous “Song of Soloman.” The importance of language in defining identity is demonstrated by the original mistranslation of "Soloman" as "sugarman". Morrison shows how a mistranslation can completely erase an entire family's identity and remove part of the story. The discovery of Milkman's heritage through the connection to the name "Soloman" gives him an identity and means that when he dies, he is never alive again as his journey of self-discovery is complete. It is impossible not to relate the importance of the name to the example of “Tobair Vree”, the meaning of the name would be lost in translation and would no longer exist if the language changed. Through the name "Dead", Morrison shows how language can act as a tool to "erase the past" through Sing's insistence on retaining the incorrect name instead of inheriting the slave owner's name and thus hoping to disconnect future generations from this paralyzing heritage. of slavery which is at the origin of African-American oppression in American society. The name "Dead" means to also be metaphorically dead and unable to progress; the "Dead" family is a metaphor for the entire African-American race suffering under the racial domination of the racist white community. In “Translations,” Friel attempts to find hope in a racially divided society in the unity of the two cultures through relationship. of Marie and Yolland using the act of "jumping" across a "ditch" to metaphorically suggest the possibility of daring to jump and cross between the two camps. Friel seems to be saying that even though Yolland was killed, the love between the two characters is not defeated and shows a kind of hope that the two different cultures need not be defined as racially separate. Friel's play radically opposes the establishment of these colonial borders and the grouping of individuals into categories called "British" and "Irish" which admit of no traffic or passage between them. “Translation,” as an act of crossing borders, may offer a way out of the colonial conflict of hatred and division through love, Friel seems to suggest, but it remains a dangerous act and likely to meet resistance from those who would like to divide us into groups and put us in danger. boundaries between us hence the “gap”. By constructing "Yolland" as an antithetical, if ironically hibernophilic, "accidental soldier" and the first to identify that "something is lost" in the process of cultural imperialism, Friel challenges the predetermined racial stereotypes he The descriptions described are an inevitable side effect of any racially divided community, as Yolland can only be identified by his English racial identity in the eyes of oppressed Irish nationalists. The hatred between the two races is such that individualism is neglected and only Yolland's identity as a British army officer is taken into account. This concept is particularly appropriate for Friel's play which, although taking place in19th century, was written in the ethno-nationalist conflict "The Troubles" in the 1960s in Northern Ireland, where racial hatred and IRA violence divided and made Ireland a battleground. However, the inextricable link between culture and identity and the way in which the former defines the latter is the essential principle which underlies racial stereotypes and allows us to understand why Yolland will always be "an outsider" in the Irish community and why Owen will not be able to never part with his Irish heritage. Ultimately, Irish culture is "all they have" and by denying the community their native language and therefore their culture, they are stripped of their identity, as shown at the end of the play when Sarah, who symbolizes Irish,oppression (metaphorically and literally voiceless) is silenced in the final scenes showing the death of Irish language and culture and thus the end of Irish identity. However, in “Song of Soloman,” Morrison presents racial domination as an irreparable part of American society. , which can never be truly racially egalitarian until the legacy of slavery is completely erased from memory. White Americans are able to racially dominate the black community by controlling the law. Morrison communicates the corruption of the American justice system through the example of police forces who will “arrest anyone” if they are black, suggesting the widely held belief that the entire black community is inherently distrustful. Furthermore, the lack of criminal justice suffered by the "butlers" after they "shot" Jake "five feet in the air" further reestablishes the way in which the white race dominated the law in American society. Ultimately, Morrison believes that the black community is trapped in a white-dominated society and that a black American dream is unattainable, as shown by the example of Ruth who is literally squeezed "small" by oppression imposed on him by the white community to such an extent. that her name defines her because she is metaphorically “dead”. The inherently unjust social power of the black community is represented in the case of Corinthians Dead who, after a university degree and studies in France, could only find a job as a "maid" and even then, this job did not suit her. was rewarded only because his employee "liked" his "name", once again showing the importance of naming. Morrison presents racial domination as a limitation and barrier for the oppressed community, preventing them from reaching a position that would allow them to gain social power in a white-dominated society and have near-equal status. of the “superior” race. Morrison believes that while the black community can distance itself from its slave past, it is impossible to truly erase the past from history and start anew, as Sing hoped by retaining the incorrect last name “Dead” in place of the slave owner’s last name. Perhaps this is the reason for Solomon and Milkman's eventual escape at the end of their journey of self-discovery, as Morrison suggests that the only way to progress and truly be "free" from an oppressed society is to "surrender to the air" and "turn it up". Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get a custom essay. Both Morrison and Friel present how the condition of oppression creates radicalized recipients of oppression who would not otherwise exist in a racially equal society...