“The roles and status allocated to males or females can be
central to understanding the cultural context of a text.”
Compare how the roles and status allocated to
males or females, or both, aided your understanding of the cultural context in
two other texts on your comparative
course.
Texts: T and INS
T
Men
Manus
- Son – not head of household
- Casually employed as teacher / monitor by his father – no financial security
- Low status due to his financial insecurity – despite education i.e. education is not enough to help you get ahead in society
- Men needed to be financially secure before they could marry – he is essentially abandoned by Maire due to his lack of prospects
Owen
- Also a son, but has made his way financially
- Had to leave the village in order to succeed
- Language abilities are useful outside the village (Manus finding no real use for them in Baile Beag)
- Has succeeded financially but has lost his place in the village due to his departure – loyalty is valued above personal success (compare Owen with Manus)
Women
Maire
- Expected to marry or emigrate in order to stop being a drain on her family (eldest of a large family)
- She would not be expected to work outside the home in Ireland, but it would be essential that she did in America in order to send money home
- Any work she may find will be low-level, ‘female’ work –cleaning / cooking
- Maire wants to break free from the expectations – very independent in as much as she can be
Hugh’s wife, Caitlin
- Absent (died before play began)
- Absence is felt – set described as having ‘no trace of a woman’s touch’ – women would offer some domesticity / femininity
- Hugh refers to her as his ‘goddess’ – objectification of her. She is no longer a real person in his mind, but has become a
myth
central to understanding the cultural context of a text.”
Compare how the roles and status allocated to
males or females, or both, aided your understanding of the cultural context in
two other texts on your comparative
course.
Texts: T and INS
T
Men
Manus
- Son – not head of household
- Casually employed as teacher / monitor by his father – no financial security
- Low status due to his financial insecurity – despite education i.e. education is not enough to help you get ahead in society
- Men needed to be financially secure before they could marry – he is essentially abandoned by Maire due to his lack of prospects
Owen
- Also a son, but has made his way financially
- Had to leave the village in order to succeed
- Language abilities are useful outside the village (Manus finding no real use for them in Baile Beag)
- Has succeeded financially but has lost his place in the village due to his departure – loyalty is valued above personal success (compare Owen with Manus)
Women
Maire
- Expected to marry or emigrate in order to stop being a drain on her family (eldest of a large family)
- She would not be expected to work outside the home in Ireland, but it would be essential that she did in America in order to send money home
- Any work she may find will be low-level, ‘female’ work –cleaning / cooking
- Maire wants to break free from the expectations – very independent in as much as she can be
Hugh’s wife, Caitlin
- Absent (died before play began)
- Absence is felt – set described as having ‘no trace of a woman’s touch’ – women would offer some domesticity / femininity
- Hugh refers to her as his ‘goddess’ – objectification of her. She is no longer a real person in his mind, but has become a
myth