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6 A Guide to The Plough and the Stars
From century to century ineffective rebellions brought tragedy and sorrow, but intensified the hope of Irish freedom. The brilliant student and orator, Robert Emmet, in 1803, gained from Napoleon Bonaparte a promise to aid in liberating Ireland; his attempt at revolution failed quickly and Emmet went to his execution. His tragic and romantic story is not unlike the story told in the play.
A hundred years later the organization called "Sinn Fein" (Gaelic for "Ourselves Alone") aimed to restore not only the Irish freedom of the past but also the use of the ancient Gaelic, spoken everywhere in Ireland up to the 16th century.
At the time of the World War help was again promised by a foreign power, this time by Germany. On Easter Sunday, 1916, an uprising was undertaken by the Sinn Fein and the Citizen Army. Some 2,000 citizens took possession of public buildings in Dublin and proclaimed a Republic, with a provisional government headed by Padriac Pearse. The vessel carrying arms from Germany was captured, as was a leader of the rebellion, Sir Roger Casement, who landed from a German submarine. In a week's time British forces under Sir John Maxwell put down the rebellion, the British losing 377 men and the Irish over 1,000. Fifteen of the leaders, including Sir Roger Casement, were executed, and 3,000 persons were arrested for complicity.
The ultimate result of the uprising was, however, the present freedom of Ireland.
This striking episode in Irish history is presented in graphic detail by the motion picture.
II. THE STORY TOLD BYTHE PICTURE
Discuss with pupils the various episodes of the story.
1. What do the opening scenes of the picture reveal?
They give vivid presentations of Dublin streets as they were in 1915 in the period of the World War. Especially, they give us sympathy with the common people, the poor and the unfortunate. They introduce the principal characters, and present their differing attitudes in life: Nora Clitheroe and her love of beauty and refinement ; Jack Clitheroe and his relations with the Citizen Army ; Peter Flynn and his irritability ; The Covey and his satire; Fluther Good with his quick temper; Maggie Gogan and her sick daughter Mollser; Bessie Burgess, whose son is with the English forces. The opening scenes stress all the intimate human relationships and thus throw interest on persons. Here, too, we learn that the Citizen Army is to be mobilized by order of General Connolly.