they thought they were doing them a favor. Really, like in most cases of colonization, the ones doing it really just do it to exploit the areas being colonized and justify it by saying that they were only helping them out. It says in the quote “Contrary to European assumptions…” which shows how although they were basically performing a takeover of Africa, they assumed that they would be welcomed for their efforts to better the country, and this is what they truly believed. Of course, for those in Africa who refuted the intrusion of Europeans on their culture, they took action. Many groups tried to rebel, but the Europeans were much better trained and quipped to fight battles and usually had no problems battling the rebellious groups. This did not deter the extreme groups from fighting for what they believed in and …show more content…
His playwright captures the moment in history when the British initiated the remapping and renaming of Irish territories. This change marked the eventual end of the native tongue language of Gaelic and replaced it with the English language. It is apparent in the readings that from the point of view of the British surveyors, they can't seem to feel welcome even when trying to learn more about the traditional culture of the Irish. One of the surveyors tells his Irish companion at one point that “Even if I did speak Irish I’d always be an outsider here” (Friel 48). So while the British thought they would be welcomed for coming in and trying to modernize the traditional cultural ways of the Irish, they were viewed more as invaders than being there to help. What I think Friel tries to achieve from this reading, was that although it was a tragedy that the Irish lost a huge part of their cultural identity, to try and go back and recreate it would probably be a mistake. He tries to convey this because it would only hurt their identity more and that the colonization must remain part of the rich Irish