English Language In 'Fahrenheit 451'

Melina Marchetta once said “Because without our language, we have lost ourselves. Who are we without our words?”(Melina Marchetta quotes about language) Without words there is no passion or purpose for us to portray our thoughts and opinions. Even though learning English will benefit the Irish natives, what they don’t understand is that in meaning they are losing their heritage. The society of Baile Beag in a sense wants to set the Gaelic language behind them and move onward towards the English language. The entire play is about the language barrier between the Irish language and the English language. The town’s people of Bail Beag need someone to translate for them, but they can understand hand gestures and facial expressions between the two languages. Between the English and the Irish, they will never sincerely understand each other even if they do wind up speaking the same linguistic. You can always learn a new language, but you …show more content…
Manus knows how to speak English, but refuses to speak it when talking to Yolland and Lancey. He comes across very shy towards them and even though his brother Owen tries to get him to speak English towards them, and he refuses. Owen learned English because he wants to be a part of their heritage and culture to forget his own since he is never home, and he doesn’t seem to really care about his father and brother too much either. Owen is also the translator of the story especially when he is translating for Maire and Yolland about the dance, he asked Manus to take over but he wouldn’t. At the end Owen realizes that he will truly never be able to be a real Englishman, but rather only a translator when Lancey said “Do your job. Translate.(Translations 302)” Hearing that from someone you looked up to and admired them, had to hurt since Lancey basically said that the only thing Owen is good for, is translating the two different