the rising of the moon long answer questions
1. In The Rising of the Moon, what is the theme of the play?
This play by Lady Gregory explores the theme of loyalty and betrayal. The police sergeant is placed with the difficult decision of whether he should be loyal to England, as his job obligates him to be, or to the Irish republic that challenges English rule.
One of the main themes of The Rising of the Moon is the subversion of national identity by colonialism. In the play, the Sergeant has subverted his own Irish identity in order to enforce British colonial rule as a police officer. The Ragged Man reminds him of this lost identity by singing the Irish nationalist ballad of Granuaile.
2. Is the title of the play The Rising of the Moon justified?
The “moon” in the title of Lady Gregory’s play has both literal and symbolic meaning and thus is an important element of the title. Furthermore, the idea of “rising” is related to the specific action that occurs within the play and the broader concept of “uprising” as political resistance. Therefore, both elements of the title are very appropriate to the play’s content and the larger context in which they author wrote it.
On the literal level, the action occurs overnight. The sergeant watches the moon rise, and while he does so, he comes into contact with the ragged man. The physical setting and interaction between the men soon connects thematically with the idea of Irish nationalism. The feelings that resurface in the sergeant and the larger question of political resistance are both embodied in the “rising”
3. Can you describe the setting and the costumes in Lady Gregory's The Rising of the Moon
Lady Gregory's one-act play The Rising of the Moon is set on the quay of a small Irish seaport town on a moonlit night. There are some posts and chains, a large barrel, and stone steps leading down to the sea. Three policemen, led by a sergeant who is older than the others, enter carrying placards and a pot of paste
The play was first staged in 1907, so the policemen would be wearing uniforms typical of early-twentieth century Irish police officers: dark blue serge tunics and trousers with matching helmets. They would be dim figures in the moonlight.
Soon afterward, a ragged man enters. We are told nothing of his appearance except that he is in rags, but this alone provides a contrast to the sombre uniforms of the three policemen.
As suggested by the title, the dominant element in the setting and atmosphere of the play is the moonlight: its soft, silvery quality, the shadows it casts, and the silence of night-time. The other principal element constantly referenced in the text is the proximity of the sea, since the policemen are always waiting for the sounds of a boat nearby. This also creates a strong sense of anticipation, particularly after the ragged man describes an escaped murderer who is now in the vicinity.
The costumes do not, in fact, say much about the personalities of the characters. The policemen are in uniform, but the sergeant ends r showing sympathy for the rebels despite the affiliation to the English rulers of Ireland that his uniform obviously suggests. Similarly, the rags of the ragged man are essentially a disguise, making him seem a harmless vagrant rather than the fugitive the policemen have been seeking.
4. What literary devices are used in The Rising of the Moon?
The literary devices used in The Rising of the Moon by Lady Gregory include hyperbole, repetition, stichomythia, and allusion.
The ragged man in The Rising of the Moon has a rhetorical, hyperbolic way of speaking, using such exaggerated phrases as "All the world’s against the poor!" and "Do you want to have me killed?" He is also given to repeating the sergeant's words and phrases as they talk. He sometimes does this to evade the sergeant's questions, as when the sergeant repeatedly asks where he is going, and he replies,
Sure you told me to be going, and I am going.
The play consists almost entirely of a long dialogue between the ragged man and the sergeant. Much of this is conducted in stichomythia, short, staccato lines which speed up the pace of their conversation, adding interest to a play in which there is little action.
Finally, the ragged man sings old Irish ballads, which appear at first to be solely for entertainment but turn out to be part of the man's scheme to evade capture. The title of the play is an allusion to one of these ballads.
5. In "The Rising of the Moon," who does the singer reveal himself as?
The singer, a man in ragged clothing, first identifies himself as "Jimmy Walsh", a ballad singer who only wants to sell some songs to sailors landing at the wharf. By the end of the story, he reveals himself to be an escaped political criminal, an Irish rebel whose face is displayed on wanted posters and who is the object of an intense manhunt being conducted by the English government. The irony of the story is that through the bulk of the narrative, the singer is speaking with a Sergeant who is involved in the search but does not recognize that the ragged man with whom he is conversing is the fugitive. By the end of the story, the singer has brought the Sergeant to recognize unacknowledged Irish sympathies within himself, so when the rebel reveals whom he really is, the Sergeant allows him to escape.
6.What is the conflict in the one-act play The Rising of the Moon?
Lady Gregory’s play The Rising of the Moon is concerned with a police sergeant who must make a difficult decision. The play’s action builds toward a climax in which the sergeant finally decides to allow an escaped prisoner to remain free rather than take him into custody. The main conflict is internal, taking place within the Sergeant.
The primary conflict in The Rising of the Moon is internal within the Sergeant. He is torn between his sympathy for the Irish nationalist cause and his responsibilities as a police officer.
7. What tactics does the "man" use to change the sergeant's mind in The Rising of the Moon?
The Ragged Man proves very skillful at diverting the Sergeant from doing his duty as a police officer. Initially, the Sergeant is very hostile toward the man and orders him to leave for the town so as to leave the wharf clear to make it easier to apprehend the escapee. But the Ragged Man gradually gains the Sergeant's confidence and in so doing, acts as a catalyst for the re-emergence of the Sergeant's long-suppressed rebel sympathies.
He does this first of all by telling the Sergeant that he knows the rebel well. According to the Ragged Man, the rebel's a dangerous, powerful man, skilled in the art of weaponry. This information gives the Sergeant a bit of a scare, and so he now welcomes the man's company, as he's worried that this dangerous criminal could arrive on the scene at any moment.
The Ragged Man then uses his skills as a balladeer to sing old Irish songs to the Sergeant, such as the one about an oppressed old lady called Granuaile. (The song is clearly an allegory on the state of Ireland under British colonial rule).
Little by little, the man is reminding the Sergeant that, beneath his police uniform, he's still an Irishman at heart, and that instead of serving the British colonial authorities, he should be fighting on behalf of the rebels. The Sergeant himself used to sing this very song in his younger days, and the Ragged Man's singing of it stirs up nostalgic memories, which remind him of the time when he too was a supporter of the cause of Irish nationalism.
Thanks to the Ragged Man, who, of course, is the escaped rebel, the Sergeant has become utterly confused as to his true identity. So much so that he lets the rebel escape instead of turning him in as is his duty. As the rebel rows off into the distance, the Sergeant wonders whether he hasn't just made an almighty great fool of himself for letting the man go.
8. What is ironic about the scene between the Sergeant and the Ragged Man in The Rising of the Moon?
Isabella Augusta Persse introduces irony in two main ways during this scene. In different ways, both the Sergeant and the Ragged Man are disguised and then reveal their true selves. In addition, the two characters reverse their functions: the Sergeant begins as the pursuer and investigator but ends being investigated and found out by the Ragged Man.
The Sergeant is metaphorically disguised because he is hiding his true feelings about the Irish nationalist cause. As the two men converse, these feelings emerge at first when he admits knowledge of the song lyrics. The Ragged Man is literally disguised as the singer and ballad seller and finally reveals his identity as the wanted man. The Sergeant’s sympathies get the better of him when he lets the man escape.
The main reason the Sergeant was on the wharf was to keep watch for the wanted man. He allows the man first to distract him and then to pry out his true sentiments. The Ragged Man was on the run, trying to escape from the policemen. He patiently waits in a dangerous situation while ferreting out information that could be—and indeed proves to be—useful to him.
One realizes the irony of the situation of the Sergeant and the Ragged Man in The Rising of the Moon as they sit talking on the barrel overlooking the river. The Sergeant is a poor family man who ekes out a living, the Ragged Man is an Irish diplomatic patriot who disguises himself as a poor man. The Ragged Man begins to sing an Irish ballad which brings back memories to the policeman. In their discussion, the Sergeant reveals that as a youth he had patriotic feelings and divulges this information to the patriot when he misses a line in the ballad he is singing. The sergeant acknowledges that if his life circumstances were different that he might have become a patriot for the Irish cause himself.
It is ironic that the Ragged Man has actually disguised himself to be a poor man eking out a living singing his patriotic ballads for the sailors, while the sergeant who had been a patriotic at heart as a youth, tries to capture the escapee.
9. What is ironic about the situations of the sergeant and the ragged man?
One realizes the irony of the situation of the Sergeant and the Ragged Man in In the Rising of the Moon as they sit talking on the barrel overlooking the river. The Sergeant is a poor family man who ekes out a living, the Ragged Man is an Irish diplomatic patriot who disguises himself as a poor man. The Ragged Man begins to sing an Irish ballad which brings back memories to the policeman. In their discussion, the Sergeant reveals that as a youth he had patriotic feelings and divulges this information to the patriot when he misses a line in the ballad he is singing. The Sergeant acknowledges that if his life circumstances were different he might have become a patriot for the Irish cause himself.
It is ironic that the Ragged Man has actually disguised himself to be a poor man eking out a living singing his patriotic ballads for the sailors, while the sergeant who had been patriotic at heart as a youth tries to capture the escapee.
10. What are propaganda plays?
The Rising of the Moon is a propaganda play in that it openly supports a political cause, namely the cause of Irish nationalism. The play's author, Lady Gregory, was a strong supporter of Irish nationalism, particularly its cultural dimensions. In this regard, she was one of the main figures in the movement towards developing a distinctive Irish theater that would spearhead an indigenous cultural renaissance
The Rising of the Moon encompasses both the political and the cultural dimensions of Irish nationalism. Lady Gregory presents politics and culture as being inextricably linked rather than separate as many artists believed at the time. Self-described aesthetes regarded art as occupying a realm all of its own, from which all the grubby little aspects of daily life, including politics, had been expunged. On this view, art served no purpose, indeed would be cheapened were it to be put to some further end, be it political or otherwise.
Suffice to say, Lady Gregory and her fellow Irish nationalists strongly opposed this view of art. They saw art as having a fundamental role to play in raising the nationalist consciousness of the Irish people, which had for so long been repressed under centuries of British rule. The transformative power of art is revealed most strongly in The Rising of the Moon when the singing of an old patriotic ballad is enough to reconnect the police sergeant, a functionary of British colonialism, to his Irish roots
11. Analyze the title of the play The Rising of the Moon.
In Lady Gregory’s one-act play, a police officer makes an irrevocable decision to help an escaped prisoner. This decision comes at a financial cost, as he is forfeiting a reward he might have claimed for capturing the prisoner. More importantly, however, it brings him a moral and ethical reward, as he is acting in accordance with his nationalist convictions rather than in obedience to the state. The title refers to Irish nationalism, as the audience would have been aware of the significance of the song of the same title, which the escapee sings—a ballad that had become a symbol of the cause. It also refers to this sentiment taking hold once more in the police officer, as he embraces the beliefs he had tried to set aside.
12. Where does the play The Rising of the Moon take place?
The Rising of the Moon by Isabella Augusta Persse takes place on an Irish wharf. The setting remains the same as the Sergeant and Jimmy Walsh sing and discuss the Irish rebels. Walsh reveals himself to be the fugitive rebel the Sergeant seeks, but the Sergeant lets him escape.
Isabella Augusta Persse's play The Rising of the Moon opens on a moonlit night near an Irish wharf. A dangerous Irish rebel is on the loose, and a Sergeant and his two subordinates are out trying to catch him. The Sergeant takes his place along the water's edge while the other officers go off into the night to post flyers and look around
As the Sergeant sits looking out at the water, a ragged man approaches him. The Sergeant stops him, and the man says that he is ballad singer Jimmy Walsh. The two begin a conversation, and the man sings some Irish ballads. They then talk about the fugitive the Sergeant seeks, and the singer begins to perform some ballads of the Irish rebels. The Sergeant knows these, too, and he begins to wonder what would have happened if he had made different choices in his life. Perhaps he, too, would have been a rebel, for his sympathies once leaned in that direction, and he discovers that they still do in a way.
Eventually, Jimmy Walsh begins to sing the ballad “The Rising of the Moon,” and he reveals himself as the fugitive rebel the Sergeant is seeking. His rescuers are nearby, and the Sergeant now has a choice. He can arrest the man and collect the reward, or he can let him go. The Sergeant chooses the latter, allowing the rebel to hide from his returning companion officers and then letting him slip away in a boat. His deep rebel sentiments have won, and the Sergeant is left alone on the wharf.
13. Is the Sergeant in The Rising of the Moon a tough police officer? /: chracter sketch of Sergent
One could say that the sergeant in The Rising of the Moon isn't a tough police officer, because he allows his sentimental attachment to his Irish heritage to override his professional responsibilities. As a consequence, he allows a terrorist to escape.
The escaped prisoner is a wily, devious old soul who shamelessly plays upon the Sergeant's sentimental attachment to his identity as an Irishman in order to trick him into letting him get away. Even when the Sergeant realizes he's been tricked, he makes no effort to recapture the fugitive terrorist; he's developed too much of a personal connection with the man to do such a thing.
A genuinely tough police officer would've done his duty in such a situation. He would've put aside whatever personal feelings he may have had, any sentimental attachment to his nationality, and done his job.
Toughness in such a scenario doesn't involve brutality or the meting out of harsh treatment; it simply means doing what needs to be done. Unfortunately, the Sergeant failed to show such toughness, and the consequences of his actions—or rather, inaction—will be paid in the blood of innocent people soon to be murdered by the terrorist he allowed to get away.
14. What does the line “You will get your reward in heaven" mean in The Rising of the Moon?
In The Rising of the Moon, the line “You will get your reward in heaven” is spoken by the Sergeant to the singer Jimmy Walsh, who is really the escaped prisoner. The Sergeant means that good deeds are always rewarded, even if the reward does not come in this life. The statement becomes ironic when the Sergeant discovers Walsh's true identity and allows him to escape.
In the play The Rising of the Moon, a Sergeant sits by an Irish wharf keeping a sharp eye out for an escaped prisoner. A man comes up to the Sergeant and identifies himself as a ballad singer named Jimmy Walsh. The singer tells the Sergeant that he knows the prisoner well and that he will help watch for him. The two sit down together and chat. Then Walsh begins to sing a ballad of the Irish rebels (the group to which the prisoner belongs).
the song to sing in these troubled times. Walsh replies that he is only trying to keep his “heart up.” Then he assures the rather nervous Sergeant that he is keeping “a good look-out” and not even for any reward. Here is where the Sergeant says, “You will get your reward in heaven.”
The Sergeant means that all good deeds, even if they are unrewarded in this life, will eventually be recognized and honored by God in the next life. He is merely trying to assure Walsh that people who do good things will receive good from them in the end.
The line, however, ends up looking extremely ironic by the end of the play. The man who calls himself Jimmy Walsh is actually the escaped prisoner, one of the Irish rebels about whom he sings. Walsh, of course, believes that How does the fugitive remind the sergeant of his idealistic youth and its effect on him?he is in the right with his activities against the oppressive government, and deep down, the Sergeant does, too, for when he finds out who his companion really is, he decides to let him go. Walsh seems to think that he will indeed get his reward in heaven, even though he is on the run now, and perhaps he believes that the sympathetic Sergeant will, too.
15. How does the fugitive remind the sergeant of his idealistic youth and its effect on him?
Although the fugitive and the sergeant are on opposite sides of the law, they're both Irishmen. They come from similar backgrounds and share a number of cultural references that, under normal circumstances, would probably make them the best of pals. But this isn't a normal situation. In colonial Ireland, the police force consists largely of native Irishmen, who enforce the rigors of English law against their own people.
But underneath the officer's uniform there still beats an Irish heart, and the fugitive uses this to his advantage by playing on the police officer's fondness for an old sentimental Irish ballad. The ballad reminds the officer of his distant youth, long before he agreed to sign up for the police force and do the colonial authorities' bidding. This makes him question his life choices, possibly for the first time since he joined the police force.
By reminding the officer of his indomitable Irishry, the balladeer fugitive is gradually reestablishing the connection between the officer and his people which was broken on that fateful day when he decided to join the police force. Though he's angry when he finds out he's been duped, the officer nonetheless lets the fugitive go, a clear indication that he's not quite the same person as he was before. He may be much less of a police officer than he once was, but he's also a good deal more Irish.
16. What is the reward for capturing the revolutionary in The Rising of the Moon?
At numerous points in The Rising of the Moon, various characters discuss the reward that has been offered for turning in the member of the “organization” who has escaped from jail. As the play begins, the Sergeant and Policeman B. and Policeman X. are beginning their search for the missing man along the quay. Policeman B. suggests posting a placard, out of a large roll they have brought, on a barrel. After consulting with the Sergeant, the policemen paste the notice there.
From the placard, the Sergeant reads the minimal description of the man and comments on his skills and position within the “organization.” With the policemen, they discuss the monetary amount of the reward the government is offering, as well as the certainty of promotion for a member of the police force who would catch him and turn him in. Policeman B. comments that a hundred pounds is a relatively small sum, but the promotion would be of greater value. He says:
A hundred pounds is little enough for the Government to offer for him. You may be sure any man in the force that takes him will get promotion.
The three men also discuss the popular sentiment for the movement, which will make them unpopular if they do catch the man. The policemen leave, but the Sergeant stays to look around the boats. Alone for a few seconds before a stranger walks up, the Sergeant muses further about the value of the money and the opportunity one man may gain.
A hundred pounds and promotion sure. There must be a great deal of spending in a hundred pounds. It’s a pity some honest man not to be the better of that.
At the end of the play, after he has let the man escape, the Sergeant looks once more at the placard. Thinking about the hundred pounds that could have been his, he speaks the play’s last line:
I wonder, now, am I as great a fool as I think I am
