comparative essay sample philadelphia here i come and ladybird

• Leaving Cert. English (Higher) 2021: Paper 2 Section II The Comparative Study B
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The two texts that I have studied for my Comparative Study are Philadelphia, Here I Come! (PHIC) by Brain Friel and The Spinning Hea rt (TSH) by Donal Ryan.

The relationships that I will be examining will be the relationship between Gar and S.B O’Donnell in PHIC and between Bobby and Frank in TSH. Although these texts were written by different men, fifty years apart from each other, they both portray similarly dark worlds and strained filial relationships. Both of the texts’ main characters have suffered as a result of living in a world, which is toxic and where open communication is discouraged. They have also fallen victim to societies where children are often not valued and accepted as adults. Throughout this essay, I will demonstrate how these worlds have completely ruined the relationships between father and son.

PHIC is set in Donegal in the nineteen-sixties as Gar prepares to leave his unfulfilled and isolated life in Ballybeg for a life in America. One of the major reasons for this isolation is his uncomfortable relationship with his father. A key moment in the text that portrays this unease is the opening scene. Their predictably awkward behaviour begins when S.B. comes in from work in the evening. Gar is able to predict every move of his father's ‘nightly routine’ . S.B. looks at his pocket watch and checks its time with the clock on the wall. This is one of the many references to time in this play because time to make amends and become closer is beginning to run out. It also again emphasises the boredom in the little town of Ballybeg.

The use of the Public/Private device is particularly effective when portraying the two men because they never open up to each other. By having Private on stage, we can see his true feelings because when S.B. is present, Gar ‘assumes in speech and gesture a surly taciturn gruffness’. As S.B. ‘removes his teeth’, Private exclaims ‘That's what we were waiting for; complete informality; total relaxation between inmates.’ This could not be further from the truth. The awkwardness between the two men is palpable. As Gar says, they ‘embarrass each other’. Unlike Bobby and Frank in TSH, Gar and S.B. actually love each other but just can’t admit it. Gar’s desperation to connect with his father is uttered in the final line of episode two, ‘Screwballs, say something! Say something, father!’

Although Gar and S.B. have a very difficult relationship, their lack of communication seems juvenile in comparison to the relationship between Bobby and his father in TSH. The opening lines of TSH are deeply disturbing as Bobby speaks about going to see his father on a daily basis. He confesses ‘I go there every day to see if he is dead and every day he lets me down.’ As the novel progresses, one gets an insight into Bobby's father. Bobby thinks that ‘he stays alive to spite me.’ He is a bitter, cruel man who ‘ drank out’ his father's farm.

However, Frank is also a victim of the world in which he lived. We see history repeating itself as Bobby's grandfather treated his son in a similarly cruel fashion ‘saying he was good for nothing, every badness was possible in him ’. He also recounts a horrifying memory in his childhood when his father beat him with ‘a length of Wavin pipe’ for the ‘deadly sin’ of pride. Whilst Frank failed to inherit his father’s ‘stomach for violence’ on others, his traumatic childhood led him to ‘wound a person with’ words. Whilst S.B. hurt his son by not talking, Frank attacked his family by talking too much. Bobby describes it as the ‘killing sting of his tongue’. He explains that ‘he ruined every day of our lives.’ He ultimately caused a rift between Bobby and his mother because he made them ‘afraid to look at each other’ in case he would attack them for conspiring against him.

S.B. differs from Bobby's father as S.B. wants to communicate positively with his son. Sadly, unbeknownst to Gar, S.B. loves him deeply and does not want him to leave. However, he simply can’t vocalise it. He displays his care by offering advice about where to sit on the plane. Whilst he may seem uncaring, there are many clues that he is actually very upset that his son is leaving. He is reading his newspaper ‘upside down’ and as he looks over to Gar's bedroom door, he ‘sighs’. He also asks Madge for reassurance that he will ‘manage rightly’.

Unlike Frank in TSH, who doesn’t care about his toxic relationship with his son, S.B. is acutely aware that his relationship with Gar is far from perfect. He reminisces about a time when he was a child, and they were ‘happy’ and ‘chatting’. He asks Madge ‘maybe it’s because I could have been his grandfather, eh?’

In both texts tension between father and son is a societal norm. Children are expected to obey their parents and are often restricted by them. An example of this in PHIC is the fact that Gar, at the age of twenty-five, is treated as if he ‘were five’. He is not allowed to order anything without getting S.B.’s permission and is paid less than Madge. This failure of Ballybeg society to respect their sons as adults results in the young men being emotionally retarded and resentful. Ned described his father as ‘a bloody stupid bastard’ and is frustrated by the fact that he ‘didn’t sell the calf to the jobbers’. In similar fashion, Joe is told that he can’t go to America until the ‘sycamore trees’ are grown.

A similar tension is evident in the inhabitants of TSH. Whilst Bobby doesn’t work for Frank, he still feels a responsibility to visit him every day, even though he hates him. Frank restricts Bobby’s hopes and prospects because of his toxicity. He constantly sneers at him and calls him ‘a useless prick’. Unfortunately, the world of the text is so dark that this kind of cruelty is unsurprising.

It is clear that the world of the text adversely affected the relationship between father and son in both PHIC and TSH. Lack of communication and kindness, and the failure to respect young men in both worlds caused massive tension and unhappiness. The main characters of both texts are victims of their surroundings and their poor relationships with their father. However, neither text ends in a totally pessimistic manner. Gar may escape the drudgery and silence of Ballybeg, whilst Bobby has finally been freed from his father due to a random murder. There may be hope for them both.

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Philadelphia, Here I Come!

Brian friel.

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Communication and Affection

In Philadelphia, Here I Come! , a play about Gareth “Gar” O’Donnell ’s decision to leave his home in Ireland for the United States, Brian Friel demonstrates the difficultly of trying to convey emotions to loved ones without open communication. A young man in his mid-twenties, Gar wants to leave home largely because of his stilted relationship with his father, S.B. Although they spend the majority of their time together, they’re unable to truly connect…

New Beginnings and Emotional Escapism

Brian Friel uses Philadelphia, Here I Come! to examine and even challenge the idea that change inherently leads to happiness. Determined to leave the small Irish town of Ballybeg in which he has spent his entire life, Gar fixates on fulfilling the American dream by moving to Philadelphia. Planning to work at a hotel, he invests himself in the grandiose notion that relocating will bring him money and a higher social status. Moreover, his decision…

Memory, Nostalgia, and The Past

Throughout Philadelphia, Here I Come! , Brian Friel explores the way people conceive of their own memories, illustrating how they often manipulate or distort their conceptions of the past in order to trick themselves into feeling happy. Gar recognizes this tendency amongst his peers in Ireland as he prepares to travel to the United States. Unlike his friends, he appears unwilling to shine an unrealistically positive light on his past. Cognizant that neither he nor…

Public Life, Private Life, and Identity

In Philadelphia, Here I Come! , Friel draws a stark distinction between a person’s internal and external worlds by splitting the play’s protagonist, Gar , into two separate characters: “Private” Gar and “Public” Gar, each one played by a different actor. Public Gar, the playwright explains, is the Gar who everyone else in the play sees, but Private Gar is “the unseen man, the man within, the conscience, the alter ego, the secret thoughts, the…

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Theme or Issue – Room and Philadelphia, Here I Come for Leaving Cert English Comparative #625Lab

Compare how comprehensively similar or different ethical (moral) questions are explored in the treatment of the same theme or issue, in at least two texts on your comparative course. develop your response with reference to your chosen texts. (2023).

Feedback: there seems to just be one main point in this essay. It is superbly made, but you really need more. There are no comparisons of key moments, where a lot of marks would have been gained. It’s also easier to achieve more comparisons if you keep comparing the two texts in each paragraph rather than having long stretches discussing just one text. This would score around H4. You may also like:  Guide to All Comparative Texts for Leaving Cert .

Ethical dilemmas are frequently explored in literature as authors delve into complex human experiences and interactions. In the examination of isolation as a theme, both Emma Donoghue’s “ Room ” and Brian Friel’s “Philadelphia, Here I Come!” present compelling narratives that probe into the moral dimensions of human behavior. This essay aims to compare how comprehensively similar or different ethical questions are explored in the treatment of the theme of isolation in these two texts. ( I would take this sentence out, redundant.) While “Room” examines the ethical implications of confinement and its impact on individuals, “Philadelphia, Here I Come!” delves into the moral complexities of emotional isolation and the consequences of interpersonal detachment. Through the analysis of these texts, this essay will elucidate how each author navigates ethical dilemmas within the context of isolation, offering distinct perspectives on morality and human behaviour. (Arguably redundant).

In “Room,” Emma Donoghue constructs a harrowing tale centred on the captivity of a young boy named Jack and his mother, Ma, who have been confined to a small room for years. (Retelling the story, big no-no. Combine this with the point made in the next sentence and you’re analysing rather than retelling). The theme of isolation permeates the narrative, raising profound ethical questions about the consequences of captivity on human development and morality. (This has already been stated in the introduction, so we need a bit more substance now.) Through Jack’s innocent perspective, Donoghue explores the moral ambiguity surrounding Ma’s decisions to protect him from the harsh realities of their confinement, including her intimate relationship with their captor, Old Nick. The ethical dilemma arises as Ma grapples with the necessity of maintaining Jack’s innocence while also confronting the truth about their situation. (Big Clarity of purpose marks earned here!)

Donoghue’s portrayal of Ma’s moral struggles underscores the complexities of maternal love and the lengths to which individuals may go to ensure the survival of their loved ones. Despite the ethical implications of her actions, Ma’s unwavering dedication to Jack’s well-being epitomises the inherent moral compass that guides human behaviour even in the most dire circumstances. Furthermore, “Room” challenges readers to confront their own ethical beliefs and judgments as they witness the profound impact of isolation on human relationships and moral decision-making.

On the other hand, Brian Friel’s “Philadelphia, Here I Come!” explores the theme of isolation through the lens of emotional estrangement and the fragmentation of personal identity . (Too much like the introduction, we need a clearer point here.) Set in a small Irish town, the play follows the protagonist, Gar O’Donnell, as he grapples with the impending departure for America, which symbolises his desire to escape the confines of his provincial life. Friel delves into the ethical dimensions of Gar’s decision to leave behind his family and friends, shedding light on the moral consequences of pursuing personal fulfilment at the expense of interpersonal relationships.

Gar’s internal conflict mirrors the ethical dilemmas faced by individuals torn between individual autonomy and social obligation. (Remove, redundant). As he contemplates his departure, Gar confronts the ethical implications of abandoning his father, who struggles to connect with his son emotionally. Friel underscores the moral complexity of Gar’s decision, highlighting the tension between personal aspirations and familial responsibilities. Through Gar’s interactions with his alter ego, Private Gar, Friel emphasises the internal struggle between self-preservation and communal belonging, ultimately questioning the ethical integrity of pursuing individual happiness at the cost of familial ties.

Despite their distinct settings and narrative structures, both “Room” and “Philadelphia, Here I Come!” offer poignant reflections on the ethical dimensions of isolation. While Donoghue explores the moral complexities of physical confinement and maternal sacrifice, Friel delves into the ethical implications of emotional detachment and personal autonomy. Through the examination of these texts, readers are prompted to reconsider their own ethical beliefs and values, as they confront the universal truths embedded within the human experience.

In conclusion, the thematic exploration of isolation in “Room” and “Philadelphia, Here I Come!” illuminates the multifaceted nature of ethical dilemmas and moral decision-making. Through the portrayal of confinement and emotional estrangement, Emma Donoghue and Brian Friel offer nuanced perspectives on the ethical implications of isolation, challenging readers to confront their own beliefs and judgments. While each text presents distinct ethical questions, both underscore the inherent complexities of human behaviour and the universal pursuit of moral integrity in the face of adversity. Thus, the comparative analysis of these texts serves to deepen our understanding of the ethical dimensions of isolation and the profound impact it has on individual agency and interpersonal relationships.

• Post author: Martina
• Post published: February 6, 2024
• Post category: #625Lab / Comparative / English / Philadelphia Here I Come / Room / Theme or Issue

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