Learning Reflection #5

This week i read the Cripple of Inishmaan. i really enjoyed this script and i could not help but recognize the difference in perspective throughout the play.

being far away from our culture, the people of Inishmaan have some very funny views of our society and the rest of the world. one of the examples that sticks out to me is when one of the characters talks about a man with a funny mustache. this man is of course hitler and i find it funny when the woman says "i hope he does well" or something along the lines. this not only shows how far away and uninformed these people are, but also the time in which the play takes place.

i think it is important that they place little facts like this in the script because it gives the reader a sense of what time and place this is. at first i thought maybe the play was set in a far off time, however, hearing about hitler and how people from inishmaan immmigrate to america tells much about the setting.

of course this then helps with the researchers of the play. knowing the setting gives a point of reference for further research. we can learn about inishmaan during this time and look into some of the things that influence and appear in the play. its quite important to recognize the time and place for a better understanding of the play. of course when performed, the characters will appear like people from the setting, however when reading the script, some references are needed to pick up on the setting.

this play does this well. unlike some plays which either ignore setting up the times and the tribulations of which the play takes place, cripple of inishmaan allows those who just read the script to pick up on what times these characters live in. one of the things i was confused about was how johnny gave the news. at first i thought that it was because there was no technology to present the news. however, because the script says that the play takes place in the 1930s, it allows the reader to understand that its a social and communal thing that johnny delivers the news.

although i think there is much to say about the presentation of the setting in the script, i will stop here. as i have showed briefly, knowing the setting of the play can really affect the understanding of the characters, jokes and culture in the play. cripple is a prime example because it presents this information not outright but by hinting at things that were happening during their time period and this allows the reader to understand a bit about where they live and how separate they feel from and know about the rest of the world.