Name: Nupur VyasRoll No: 34

year: 2015-17Paper-9 The Modernist literature

Email id: nupuryas1995@gmail.comSubmitted to M.K.B.U , S.B.Gardy Department of

English, Bhavnagar.Topic: Language and power politics in The Birthday

Party Play.

Harold Pinter’s Life and works

Harold Pinter was a Nobel Prize winning English play-wright, screen writer, director and actor.

His best known plays include, The birthday Party (1957), The homecoming (1964),

And Betrayal(1978), each of which he adapted for the screen.

Summary of the Play• The birthday party is about Stanley Webber, an

erstwhile piano player in his 30s, who lives in a rundown boarding house, run by meg and petey boles, in an English seaside town.

• Two sinister strangers, Goldberg and McCann, who arrive supposedly on his birthday on his birthday and who appear to have come looking him, turn Stanley’s apparently innocuous birthday party organized by meg into a nightmare.

What is the meaning of power-politics?• In social science and politics, power is the ability to

influence or outright control the behavior of people.

• The term ‘authority’ is often used for power perceived as legitimate by the social structure.

• The focal point of the study of political institutions is power and its uses.

• Power exists in all types of social- relationships.• For Foucault, power relationships are present in all

aspects of society.

Continue…

• Here I have taken power politics in two ways, 1.Men and Women relation 2. Authority and common people.

• Politics of language and how it works?1. When you are in controlling position , you are

controlling the language, whatever you say it can considered as truth.

2. When you are in power ,you are giving meaning to the language whatever it may be bad or good.

• Political language are full of rhetoric and people can get easily swead away through language.

Examples from the text• When the play starts, Meg: Is that you Petey? This dialogue shows Men- (Pause) women relationship. Here Petey is that you? Wife is constantly asking (pause) that is that u, Petey ,but Petey: What? Husband felt that no need Meg: Is that you? to give answer. She daily Petey: yes, It’s me. Asks him but husband don’t care for her to give answer.

Meg: Is it good?Petey: Not bad.Meg: what does it say? Petey: Nothing Much.Meg: you read me out some nice bits yesterday.Petey: yes, well I haven’t finished this one yet.Meg: Will you tell me when you come to something good?

Petey: Yes. (pause) Here Meg asking for what the newspaper says? Meg is very much dependent to Petey and she told that tell me some good news of yesterday. This shows she don’t want to listen bad news.

• Goldberg : What would your old mum say , Webber? • McCann : Why did you betray us?• Goldberg : You hurt me weber. You're playing a dirty

game.• McCann: That’s Black and tan fact.• McCann: you betrayed the organization. I know him!• Stanley: you don’t.• Goldberg : What can you see without glasses?• Stanley : anything• Goldberg: Take of his glasses?

• This introgession scene is all about how language plays vital role in overpowering us. Language is used as weapon to overpower the people. It is used for verbal power.

Thank you