Portrayals of Poverty in Twentieth-Century Irish Drama Meliki Addison
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XULAneXUS Volume 8 | Issue 2 Article 1 4-1-2011 Portrayals of Poverty in Twentieth-Century Irish Drama Meliki Addison Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.xula.edu/xulanexus Recommended Citation Addison, Meliki (2011) "Portrayals of Poverty in Twentieth-Century Irish Drama," XULAneXUS: Vol. 8 : Iss. 2 , Article 1. Available at: https://digitalcommons.xula.edu/xulanexus/vol8/iss2/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by XULA Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in XULAneXUS by an authorized editor of XULA Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Addison: Portrayals of Poverty in Twentieth-Century Irish Drama ! Volume 8, Issue 2, April 2011. Scholarly Note. 21-28. ! <http://xulanexus.xula.edu/textpattern/index.php?id=111> ! Portrayals of Poverty in Twentieth- Century Irish Drama Meliki Addison, English/English Education Faculty Mentor: Dr. Nicole Pepinster Greene, English Abstract This essay examines the portrayal of impoverished people in twentieth century Irish drama, comparing the situation of impoverished Irish people during certain periods in history to the drama produced during and about those periods. I explore the various causes of poverty in Ireland by looking at British Meliki Addison is an colonization of Ireland, the role of the Church in social and English/English Education economic affairs, and the effects of mass emigration. The issue to major from New Orleans, LA. be investigated is whether or not the portrayal of impoverished Upon graduating from Xavier in people in twentieth century Irish drama is truthful to reality. May 2011, she plans to pursue Exploring this problem will give insight into how conscious Irish her master’s degree in English playwrights were of realistically portraying poor Irish people. The Education at the Teacher’s essay considers research by studying the plays of Ireland’s most College at Columbia University well-known playwrights, historical Irish government documents, in New York City. Addison’s and scholarly articles written about the economic and political research interests include the situation of Ireland. This analysis reveals that twentieth century present and historical conditions Irish drama does give a fair view of impoverished Irish people. of disenfranchised people, the Some plays explore the situation of poverty directly and others relationship between language present it as a background issue. Most playwrights explored here and social power, mythology, show an understanding of the realities of poverty in Ireland in the and religion, as well as the twentieth century and before. These playwrights explore the daily influence of media and pop lives of impoverished people as well as their treatment by the culture in society. Addison’s British and Irish government. initial involvement with this project began as a term paper for Key Terms: her 20th Century Irish Drama • British • Famine class. • Drama • Irish • Emigration • Poverty • Twentieth Century Published by XULA Digital Commons, 2010 1 XULAneXUS, Vol. 8 [2010], Iss. 2, Art. 1 22 M. Addison ! Poverty is a situation commonly associated Politics is greatly affected by economic with twentieth century Ireland both by the Irish status. Poor people tend to have less political and by outsiders. Poverty affects every aspect of a power than wealthy people. Therefore, it is not person’s life. In twentieth century Irish drama, surprising that a poor nation like Ireland would however, poverty is not always a main theme, but have far less political power than a wealthier it is always a present element. More often than nation like Britain. A result of Ireland’s poverty is not, playwrights did not set out to make a that, historically, the country did not have the statement about poverty in Ireland; they only money to fund an adequate military. An Irish portrayed their reality. That most people in Army was not formed until 1913 (The Defence twentieth century Ireland were poor is a Forces). Ireland has often had to seek help from stereotype. At the same time, it is a reality that the other countries to defend itself against Britain. country has struggled with poverty for much of its However, even with the help of other countries, existence. As such, it is not unusual that that many Ireland did not have the resources to be totally characters in Irish drama live in impoverished independent of the British until 1922 (Brown 33). conditions. This essay considers whether the The results of less political power are not just various depictions in Irish drama are truthful confined to armed conflict. Even in peace time, representations of the Irish people. Specifically, do poor people suffer politically. Irish politicians, like the situations of poor characters reflect the reality politicians all over the world, are susceptible to of the periods depicted in John Millington Synge’s bribery by the rich. Poor Irish people have to deal The Playboy of the Western World and Riders to with paternalistic politicians as well as those who the Sea, W.B. Yeats’s and Lady Gregory’s do not cater to their needs. Historically, this Cathleen Ni Houlihan and The Pot of Broth, Lady paternalism came in large part from government Gregory’s Spreading the News, Sean O’Casey’s officials put in place by the British government. Juno and the Paycock, George Bernard Shaw’s This is because Ireland was under British rule until John Bull’s Other Island, and Brian Friel’s, 1922 when the Anglo-Irish Treaty was created and Dancing at Lughnasa? These plays depict British the Republic of Ireland was recognized as a colonization of Ireland, the function of the Church sovereign nation (Brown 33). in social life and the economy, and the consequences of large-scale emigration. Part of the reason that Ireland has been so poor is that the industrial revolution was about one Although the playwrights considered here hundred years late in coming to Ireland. When it are Irish themselves, Irish people are capable of finally hit in the late 19th century, Ireland was still stereotyping and romanticizing themselves just as an agrarian based society. One of Ireland’s biggest any other people are. This is especially true sources of income came through the export of considering the various backgrounds of Irish food to industrialized countries. The continual playwrights. The socioeconomic background of a export of food had a detrimental effect on Ireland. playwright plays a part in the way he or she Even during the Irish Potato Famine from 1845 to portrays impoverished people and the political and 1852, Ireland did not stop the export of food and social messages found in his or her drama. An livestock to other countries. Poor people in Ireland Anglo-Irish Protestant playwright from a did not have money to buy food and livestock. landowning family in the north of Ireland is likely During the Famine, there was still enough food in to have a different perspective than an Irish Ireland to feed the people. However, the crops that Catholic playwright from a working class family remained during the famine were primarily in the Republic of Ireland. exported for money and were not used to feed people (“The Great Irish Famine”). XULAneXUS: Xavier University of Louisiana’s Undergraduate Research Journal https://digitalcommons.xula.edu/xulanexus/vol8/iss2/1 2 Addison: Portrayals of Poverty in Twentieth-Century Irish Drama SpecialPortrayals Relationships of Poverty 23 ! One of the many results of widespread War between the Free Irish States and the United poverty is mass emigration. Ireland is a country Kingdom lasted from 1932 to 1938. One of the that was greatly affected by emigration, partly causes of this war was the money paid to absentee because of the historical economy and landscape British landlords for their former Irish estates. The of Ireland. Because the countries Ireland payment of these sums, called “Irish annuities,” interacted with were industrialized, it lagged began under the government of President William behind them economically. There was a shortage Thomas Cosgrove (“Irish Free State” 1). This war of employment in Ireland (Brown 14-15). prolonged emigration because it cut off trade with Although Ireland was a largely agrarian society, one of Ireland’s biggest importers. Dancing at for most farming was not an option. Many land Lughnasa is set in this climate. The only men we holdings were so small and unsuitable for farming see in the play are Gerry and Jack. Gerry, a that a person could not support a family from it. Welshman, is the father of the youngest sister’s The reason that suitable farming land was so small son and rarely visits his family. Jack is the sisters’ is because of the nature of Irish farm subdivisions. brother and has returned from a 25-year stay as a It was a common practice in Ireland before the priest in Uganda. The women in the play are all famine for parents to divide land between all the struggling to support themselves and young sons of a family. The land that these men inherited Michael during a time when Ireland is at odds eventually became so small that they could not with the British superpower. Though the women support their families from it. After the famine, are all single during the play, they all had suitors land was only given to the eldest son to ensure that when they were young. The fact that all five at least one son had enough land to support his sisters are single despite having suitors in their family (Brown 19). The only option for a lot of younger days could suggest two things. One other young men was to leave the country to find suggestion is that the men they were interested in work.