English Yuvakbharati 11th Standard Maharashtra State Board
SECTION 4: Genre-Novel
4.2 The Raising of the Moon
The symbolic meaning of the title The rising of the moon
The title of the one act play The rising of the moon symbolizes the theme of the play the Irish Nationalism. It is taken from a popular Irish rebel song of the same name i.e The rising of the moon'. The song is an inspiration motivation to the Irish people to come together and rise up against the British oppressing government. The song compares the rising of the people to the rising of the moon. Through the title, the writer, Lady Gregory wish to express her desire, her hope of Irish freedom from the British rule.
Compare and contrast the characters of Sergeant and the Rebel
Leader. -
Sergeant and the Rebel Leader(disguised as the Ballad Singer) are the two main characters of the one Sergeant and the Rebel Leader(disguised as the Ballad Singer) are the
two main characters of the one act play - The rising of the moon. They
represent the two opposite forces of Ireland. Sergeant represents the
Law and Order of the British Government whereas Patriotism and
freedom is represented by the Rebel Leader. Both the characters are Irish
countrymen.
Both Sergeant and the Rebel Leader share some similarities. When the
Rebel Leader disguised as Ballad singer sings a rebel song to invoke the
patriotic feelings in Sergeant, the Sergeant admits that he used to sing those songs in his youth and believed then in the idea of freedom and
Patriotism. Due to the constant persuasion of the Rebel Leader, there is
a change of heart in the Sergeant and he is unable to prevent the Rebel
Leader from escaping. This is because of the strong feelings of
Nationalism that they commonly share.
The Character Sketch of-
1) Man Rebel Leader/ Ballad Singer -
The Ballad Singer is the Rebel Leader in disguise. He is a simple,
straightforward character that doesn't undergo any change. The various
dialogues and stories narrated about him make him emerge as a
dangerous and smart person. He is an intelligent person who easily fools
the Sergeant. He, who is described as a dangerous, muscular man uses
his persuasion power and convincing ability while dealing with the
Sergeant. He successfully brings about a change of heart in Sergeant. He
is one of the dominant two characters in the play. His character is flat,
static character.
2) Sergeant -
The Sergeant's character is round and dynamic. In the beginning, his
priorities are to maintain Law and Order, claim the reward money and
promotion. He is a dutiful police officer serving the British. He is
extremely selfish as he is seen thinking about the reward money all the time and trying to avoid any share in it from anybody. From his
conversation with the Ballad Singer, it is clear that the Sergeant used to
sing rebel and patriotic songs in his youth and believed then in the idea
of freedom and Patriotism. But in the service of British government, his
loyalty had shifted. He was no longer loyal to his motherland, Ireland
and the Irish countrymen. At times, he is seen torn between the conflict
of choosing duty and patriotism. Towards the end of the play, his
patriotism is rekindled. Proving that he is a true Irish countryman, he
allows himself to see the Rebel Leader escaping from the scene.
The Theme of the play - The rising of the moon. -
Patriotism, Irish Nationalism, Unity of the people are the themes of the
one act play- The rising of the moon. Use of Rebel and patriotic
songs effectively focus on this theme. The play highlights the
importance of folklore, traditions and customs and shows its role in
creating unity among the countrymen. Clash of loyalties is also one of
the themes of the play. The Sergeant serves the British Government. It
is his duty to arrest the Rebel Leader. He himself is an Irish man, and
hence it is also his duty to help his countrymen and his motherland.
Sergeant is seen torn between the internal conflict of choosing duty and
patriotism.
The Setting -
The one act play - 'The rising of the moon' is set in 1907 of Ireland. All
the scenes of the play take place at the harbour in a seaport town on a
moonlit evening.
Priorities of the Sergeant in the beginning
Law and duty
Reward Money
Promotion
Priorities at the end of the play
Patriotism
Freedom of Ireland
Helping the Rebel Leader escape
The Sergeant surprisingly supports the Rebel Leader at the end of
the play –
The Sergeant is a loyal British police officer. Throughout the play, he is
seen talking about his duty to catch the escaped Rebel Leader. When he
realizes that the man disguised as Ballad singer is actually the Rebel
Leader, he is furious. He is angry because he is fooled. This is the
climax of the play. The so far understanding of his character makes it
clear that he won’t allow the Rebel Leader to escape now. But in sudden
twist of events, he permits him to escape and does not inform the policemen anything about him. This happens because of the patriotic
feelings aroused in him by the Rebel Leader. This unexpected
behaviour of the Sergeant at the end of the play is indeed surprising.
Interpretative Questions
Q. 1 Find out the reason of the man for staying at the place.
Ans: The man wanted to stay at the harbor because he wanted to sell songs to the sailors that came into the harbor and buy some food with the money he'd get
Q.2 Find details about the life of the singer that is mentioned in the extract.
Ans: The following details about the life of the singer have been mentioned in the extract:
i) The singer, Jimmy Walsh, is a poor man.
ii) He makes a living by selling bundles of songs.
iii) He is well-known for his songs in the town of Ennis.
iv) He took the train to the Sergeant's town, with the judges coming to the assizes, so that he could make some money.
v) He believes that by selling songs to the sailors that come into the harbour he can earn enough money to buy some food.
3. The stranger stays with the Sergeant. Find a way the Sergeant is convinced by him to let him stay.
Ans: The Sergeant is eager to catch the prisoner so he can collect the reward and earn a promotion. Thus, when the stranger notices the poster and declares that he knows the prisoner, the Sergeant becomes interested in the stranger.
In addition, when the stranger offers to stay and help the Sergeant, he clarifies that he does not want any part of the reward. This convinces the Sergeant to let him stay.
Q.4 The man tries to enforce (urge forcibly) the Sergeant in favour of the criminal. Find the sentence from the text.
Ans: The sentence from the text that shows that the man tries to enforce the Sergeant in favour of the criminal is: And maybe the man you are watching for to-night used to be sitting on the wall, when he was young, and singing those same songs.
Q.5 The man and the Sergeant need each other's support, Find such examples.
Ans: The man and the Sergeant need each other's support in the following ways:
i) The man needs the Sergeant's support: The man, who is a ballad singer, needs the Sergeant to allow him to stay by the sea so he can sell his songs to the sailors that come into the harbour. This will help him buy some food to cat for the evening.
ii) The Sergeant needs the man's support: The Sergeant needs the man's support because the man has information about the prisoner that might help the Sergeant find him. He also needs the man to stay by the sea and help him catch the prisoner so he can earn his reward and get a promotion.
Q. 6 The Sergeant's actions surprise the audience. Justify the statement.
Ans: Throughout the play, the Sergeant, who is a loyal officer of the British rule, talks about how he considers it his duty to arrest the escaped rebel leader. When he finds out that the than he has been speaking to is the escaped prisoner himself, he is very angry at having been ticked and even blocks the prisoner's way to stop him from escaping. This leads the audience to believe that the Sergeant will arrest the prisoner. However, in a sudden twist of events, the Sergeant allows the prisoner to escape by not informing the police officers, who appear on the scene, about the man hiding behind the barrel. This unexpected behavior of the Sergeant leaves the audience surprised.
Q. 7. Explain the meaning of the dialogue, "...when the small rise up and big falls down."
Ans: From the play, it is seen that the power lies in the hands of the British rule while the Irish people face oppression. Here, the British Government is the "big" while the Irish people are the "small". The Sergeant represents the law and order of the British rule while the man represents the people of Ireland. Thus, when the man utters this dialogue to the Sergeant as a way of thanking him for his help, he refers to the future when their roles will be reversed. In other words, when the Irish people regain their freedom and the British have a downfall, the man might be able to repay the Sergeant by helping him.
Q.8 The Sergeant refers to himself as a fool at the end of the play. Give reasons.
Ans : At the end of the play, the Sergeant allows the prisoner to escape. He then refers to himself as a fool because had he arrested the prisoner he would have not only received a reward but also earned a promotion.
Q.9 The Sergeant supports the man by misguiding his comrades. Write whether you agree or disagree with the Sergeant's actions.
Ans: I agree with the Sergeant's actions. As an officer of the British government, the Sergeant had a duty to arrest the prisoner. But as an Irishman he had a duty towards his country, Ireland and to its people. A person's duty towards his country is more important than his duty towards a foreign rule. With the help of the man, the Sergeant was reminded of his patriotism. A true citizen of the country must always put the country above all others and must choose to help its people in times of oppression. By misguiding his comrades, the Sergeant chooses to help his people over the foreign rule of the British. Thus, he makes the correct choice.
Q.10 The title "The Rising of the Moon" has a symbolic meaning. Justify this statement.
Ans: The title, The Rising of the Moon" comes from a popular Irish rebel song of the same name. The song is a call to the Irish people to rise up against oppression. Thus, the song compare the rising of the people to the rising of the moon.
Hence, the title symbolizes the theme of Irish Nationalism. The play is about the Irish freedom movement and by giving it this name, Lady Gregory tries to convey her hopes for the freedom of Ireland from the British rule.
Q. 11. The two main characters in the play are united by the songs of their nation. Justify.
Ans: The main characters in the play represent the two opposing forces in Ireland, the law and order of the British personified by the Sergeant and patriotism and freedom represented by the prisoner. Over the course of the play, the prisoner, disguised as a singer, sings a patriotic Irish song in order to invoke feelings of patriotism in the Sergeant. In doing so, the Sergeant reveals that he had believed in the ideas of freedom and patriotism in his past. Eventually, the Sergeant allows the prisoner to escape due to these feelings of nationalism. Thus, the main characters are united through the songs they shared together as Irishmen.
Q. 12. State the message or the theme of the play in brief.
Ans : The message of the play is patriotism and unity among people. The play specifically focuses on achieving this unity through songs and culture. It tries to teach the reader the importance of the traditions, folklore and customs of a country by showing how it leads to a sense of unity among its people.
Q.13 Write about the persuasive approach of the man.
Ans: The man in the story is very persuasive. In sprit of the segment's repeated attempts to stop him, he does not trying to go down to the sea. His approach is clear from the following instances:
i) As he tries to sneak past the Sergeant the first time, the Sergeant stops him. The man then tries to gain sympathy from the Sergeant by stating how hard it is to be poor and how the Sergeant has stopped him only because he poor. The Sergeant remains unaffected by this and asks him to leave after asking him a few questions.
ii) Since the Sergeant asks him to leave, the mas pretends to assume he has been permitted to go towards the sea and starts moving quickly towards it. The Sergeant stops him again. To this, he asks to be allowed to sit on the steps so he can sell some songs to the sailors who might come into the harbour. Again, he tries to gain the Sergeant's sympathy by saying that the money he cans from this will be used by him to buy some food. Nevertheless, the Sergeant asks him to leave.
iii) The man refusing to give up, then tries to interest the Sergeant in buying some songs by singing one of them but the Sergeant remains uninterested.
iv) Finally, the man claims that he knows about the prisoner that the Sergeant is searching for and offers to help the Sergeant without wanting any part of the reward. This finally convinces the Sergeant to stay. Thus, it can be seen that the man was highly persuasive in his approach and refused to give up till the Sergeant allowed him to let him stay.
Q.14. The discussion about patriotic songs goes on. Find the points from the extract.
Ans: As the man and the Sergeant wait by the quay for the prisoner, the man begins to sing a patriotic song.
'Granuaile". While doing so, he skips a line and the Sergeant immediately corrects him. This surprises the man who remarks to the Sergeant that he would not have expected a loyal British Officer to know an Irish patriotic song. The man further predicts that the Sergeant must have sung patriotic songs with his friends in his youth and the Sergeant agrees. The man then enquires about other patriotic songs, like "Shan Bhean Bhocht" and "Green on the Cape" and the Sergeant admits that he sang all of them as a young man.
This can be understood by the following exchange:
Sergeant: That's not it... "Her gown she wore was stained with gore."
That's it you missed that
Man: You're right, Sergeant, so it is, I missed it. (Repeats line.) But to think of a man like you knowing a song like that.
Sergeant: There's many a thing a man might know and might not have any wish for.
Man : Now, I daresay, Sergeant, in your youth, you used to be sitting up on a wall, the way you are
sitting up on this barrel now, and the other lads beside you, and you singing "Granuaile
Sergeant: I did then.
Man : And the "Shan Bhean Bhocht?
Sergeant: I did then.
Man : And the "Green on the Cape?"
Sergeant: That was one of them.
Q.15. There is a reference of a criminal on Pg. 145 of the extract. Find sentences in the context and write.
Ans : A criminal is a person who breaks the law. By this definition, the extract references a criminal twice.
i) In the first case, the man tries to make the Sergeant realize that the person he wants to arrest might be one of his friends with whom he shared the ideas of freedom and nationalism back when he was a young man The word "arrest" here references a criminal.
This can be understood from the following dialogue:
Man: And isn't it a quour world?... Maybe it's one of the boys you used to be singing with that time you
will be arresting to-day or tomorrow, and sending into the dock...
ii) In the second case, after the Sergeant is convinced that the escaped prisoner and he are very similar, he confesses that if he would have made different choices in life, it is possible that he would have ended up just like the prisoner. In referring to this possibility, he mentions how it would have been him who would be escaping from jail and breaking the law.
iii) The phrases "breaking gaol" and "breaking it reference a criminal.
This can be understood from the following dialogue:
Sergeant ....it might be myself now would be after breaking gaol and hiding in the dark,
Sergeant..... and it might be himself would be keeping the law, and myself would be breaking it
Q.16 Explain how the man and the Sergeant share the same wavelength. Find sentences from the text this.
Ans : When the man, who is actually the escaped prisoner in disguise, begins to sing songs of patriotism, it is revealed that the Sergeant knows these songs as well. The man (who is the prisoner himself) then draws a comparison between the Sergeant and the prisoner and makes the Sergeant realise that just like him, the prisoner too must have sat on a wall with his friends and sung those patriotic songs in the good old days.
Thus, it is revealed that just like the escaped prisoner (the man), the Sergeant too believed in the idea of a free Ireland in his youth.
Sentences from the text that show the similarities between the characters:
i) Man : Now, I daresay, Sergeant, in your youth, you used to be sitting up on a wall, the way you are
sitting up on this barrel now, and the other lads beside you, and you singing "Granuaile"?.....
Sergeant: I did then.
Man: And maybe the man you are watching for to-night used to be sitting on the wall, when he was
young, and singing those same songs.
Man : And maybe one night, after you had been singing, if the other boys had told you some plan they had, some plan to free the country, you might have joined with them... and maybe it is you might be in trouble now.
Sergeant: Well, who knows but I might? I had a great spirit in those days.
Q.17 Describe in brief how the man brought about a change of heart in the Sergeant.
Ans: At the beginning of the play, the Sergeant is determined to arrest the Irish rebel leader. As the play unfolds, the prisoner, disguised as a ballad singer, and the Sergeant have a conversation. During this conversation, the singer begins to sing a revolutionary song in order to awaken feelings of patriotism and unity in the Sergeant As he continues to sing the song, he deliberately misses a line and is immediately corrected by the Sergeant.
From this, the singer is convinced that the Sergeant possesses nationalistic sentiments. He then reminds the Sergeant of his younger days when he, too, had believed in the fight for the freedom of Ireland Eventually, the man makes the Sergeant realize that he and the prisoner share the same beliefs and this brings about a change of heart in the Sergeant.
Q.18 Write your opinion about the man and the Sergeant.
OR
Write a character sketch of the man and the Sergeant.
Ans: In my opinion, the Sergeant, is a complex character. Even though he is simple in his ambition, he surprises the audience with his bravery by taking a decision at the cost of a great sacrifice on his part. It can be seen that he is open to change as he transforms from a dutiful officer serving the British, to a patriot of Ireland through the course of the play. Though the fact that the Sergeant was easily fooled by the prisoner shows that he was not very intelligent, he does come off as a good natured and courageous character.
The man, on the other hand, is a simple character whose ideas do not change throughout the play. From stories about him, it is revealed, that he is dangerous and smart and we can see his intelligence in how ensily he fools the Sergeant. He, too, surprises the audience by choosing to deal with the Sergeant through conversation rather than use his skills of combat, for which he is well-known.
Q.19 The Sergeant faces a conflict that acts as the central theme for the story. Describe this conflict in brief.
Ans: The Sergeant represents the law and order of the British rule while the man represents the people of Ireland and the idea of rebellion. As an officer of the British Government, it is the duty of the Sergeant to arrest the revolutionary.
However, as an Irish man himself, it is also his duty to help the people and the country of Ireland. Thus, the central conflict of the play is the internal conflict of the Sergeant as he decides between arresting the rebel leader in order to fulfil his duty and allowing him to go as his service to Ireland. In other words, it is a conflict between duty and patriotism.
0 Comments