SSLC English chapter The Ballad of Father Gilligan Full Note with
Textual Question & Answer, Textual Activities, Appreciation of Poem,
Summary in Malayalam, Poetic devices and Exam Oriented Question &
Answers.
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Appreciation of The Poem The Ballad Of Father Gilligan
WB Yeats, an Irish poet and one of the noted figures of 20th-century
literature, depicts in this poem the poverty and extreme religiosity of the
Irish rural life of his time.
This poem tells the story of an old priest, Father Gilligan. Half of his
people in the parish were either in sick-bed or already dead due to an
epidemic. Day and night Father Gilligan was in service of them and he was
very tired and weak. He could not attend one sick man's last moments, as
he fell asleep in his chairs. Realizing that he failed to do his duty, the
next day morning in great grief Father Gilligan rode on his horse to the
man’s house. Where his wife told the priest that her husband had already
died and she asked him why he came again. From her question Father
understood that in his absence God had sent an angel to perform his
duties. He knelt and cried in repentance and thanked God for His mercy.
This poem is a perfect example of the class of poems or songs called
Ballad. It is written in multiple stanzas of four lines each,
keeping a regular rhyme scheme of ABCB. Though not specifically
said, the setting of the poem is a countryside dwelled by poor people. The
mentioning of the father’s riding a horse “by rocky lane and fen”
and phrases like “green sod” show us more of the settings of the
poem.
The poem is rich with imageries. Visual Imagery: We see the dusk
and the dawn with the presence of moths, we see the night sky twinkling
with millions of stars and we watch the whole world gets covered in
darkness. We can also visualize the image of Father riding his horse by
the rocky and grassy country-sides. Auditory Imagery: we hear leaves
shaking in the wind and sparrows chirping. Also, the cry of repentance
from the priest calling “Mavrone”, mavrone!”
The two lines, “For half his flock were in their beds,/ Or under green sods lay’’ are metaphoric with sick and death respectively, denoting
that half of the villagers are either in sickbeds or in graves due to some
devastating epidemic. The lines ‘’... he turned and died /As merry as a bird’’ is an example of the literary device Simile.
The repetition of the line, “The old priest, Peter Gilligan”,
constitutes the use of Refrain in the poem.
Poetic devices
Rhyming words
- Repetition of similar-sounding words occurring at
Rhyme scheme
A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyming words at the end
- Rhyme scheme of the poyem is ABCB
Alliteration
Use of the same consonant sound at the beginning of each wordFaster than
fairies, faster than witches,
Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches;
Simile
This rhetorical device is used when an overt comparison is made between two
different things. In this poem, the poet uses the device of simile in the
2nd line of the 10th stanza when the dead man’s wife says compares him with
a bird, saying he was in a similarly happy state when he died.
Eg:- As merry as a bird.'
Metaphor:
This rhetorical device is used when a covert comparison is made between two
different things or ideas.
In this poem, the poet uses the device of metaphor in the 3rd and 4th lines
of the 1st stanza when he compares being sick to lying in bed and being dead
to lying underground.
Eg:- For half his flock were in their beds, Or under green sods
lay.
Compound Words:
Compound words are formed by adding two words into a single one when
normally those words are not used together. In this poem, the poet uses the
device of a compound word in the 2nd line of the 2nd stanza when he uses the
word “moth-hour”. We cannot say for sure that the word was
created by the poet himself, but it is for sure that there are not too many
known occurrences of this word in the English language.
Litotes:
This rhetorical device is in the form of an ironical understatement in which
an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary. In this poem,
the poet uses the device of litotes in the 4th line of the 7th stanza when
he writes that the priest rode “with little care” instead of writing
that he rode carelessly or recklessly.
Allegory:
The poem seems simple enough but it has hidden depths in it. It has a moral
too. Thus it becomes an allegory.
Repetition:
‘die and die' in the third stanza emphasis the grief of the priest at
the news of another man’s suffering. ‘Mavrone! Mavrone!’ in the latter half
of the poem too shows the priest’s concern and sincerity towards the man and
his job.
Refrain
The refrain is a poetic device that repeats some lines or parts of a poem at
regular intervals in different stanzas. In this poem, the repetition of the
line, “The old priest, Peter Gilligan”, constitutes for the
use of Refrain in the poem.
Textual questions from the poem The Ballad of Father Gilligan
1. Why was Father Gilligan weary night and day?
Peter Gilligan was an old priest. He rendered selfless service and worked
hard day and night for the poor and needy. His parish was in the grip of
an epidemic and half of the people were affected by the disease and they
were dying one after another.
2. What is the significance of the work “flock”?
“Flock “refers to the people who were under the charge of the priest. the
priest is considered to be a shepherd and the people are sheep.
3. Why were his flock either in bed or lying under green sod?
They were either affected with fatal epidemic or they had already become
victims of the deadly disease.
4. Why did another man send for Father Gilligan? Why is the man
referred to as ‘poor’?
He was sent for the priest to receive the last sacrament and thereby he
could go to heaven.
5. Why did Father Gilligan seek forgiveness from God? What
justification does he give to God for his errant words?
It was his God-given duty to look after the parishioners. So his desperate
outburst was a sin and challenge to God. It was his exhausted body and not
his spirit that complained of the state of his life.
6. Why is the Time called ‘moth-hour’?
The poor illiterate villagers never possessed a clock or watch. They
always told time by the changes which took place from time in nature. It
is the evening hour.
7. What is meant by ‘upon the time of sparrow –chirp’?
It refers to the early morning.
8. What does the line ‘And rode with little care’ indicate?
He was anxious and concerned about the sick. He rode recklessly to their
house without bothering his own safety.
9. Why is the sick man’s wife surprised to see Father Gilligan?
Her husband had received the last sacrament from the priest and died
happily. But she was surprised to see the priest again.
10. Why was the priest overcome with grief at the words of the
widow?
The priest was heartbroken for failing to provide his religious duty to
the dying man.
11.’He knelt him at that word. Why?
The widow’s words made Father Gilligan realize that God had extended his
helping hand to him. The priest was humbled and knelt.
12. How did God save Father Gilligan from damnation?
God sent one of his messengers to perform the last sacrament of the
stickman.
13. ‘He Who hath made the night of stars/For souls who tire and bleed,’
What do these lines mean?
God brings ease to the laboring mankind by spreading over the earth. God
had made the night for the troubled humanity.
14. What do you understand about the character of Father Gilligan from
his words ‘Had pity on the least of things?
Father Gilligan had firm faith in the power of God. He expressed his
gratitude when knew that God had sent one of his angels to perform the
last sacrament to the dying man. Father Gilligan had been doing his duty
as a priest perfectly in his parish. He was performing the last rites to
the dying men day and night. It shows his deep religious belief and
nobility in his duty.
Additional questions from the poem The Ballad of Father Gilligan
1. What do you mean by “under green sods”?
“Under green sods” means the people who are dead and are buried in the
graves which were covered with grass.
2. What do you think might be the reason for widespread disease and
death in Father Gilligan’s parish?
Some fatal epidemic diseases might be the reason for the widespread
disease and death of a large number of people in Father Gilligan’s parish.
3. What impression do you form of father Gilligan?
Father Gilligan is a simple, kind, and a noble priest. He is an embodiment
of selfless and dedicated service. He is a God-fearing and pious man who
does his duty as a devoted priest. He helps the poor and needy who were
suffering from an epidemic and stood day and night at the bedside of the
dying man to perform his last rites. He does not care for his own health
and safety.
4. Why did the old priest complain? What was his complaint?
When a message came from a poor man who has been dying and needed his
earnest service and then the old priest began to complain because of his
tiredness due to his hard work day and night and he had no time to take
rest.
5. What did he realize thereafter?
He realized soon after that he had made a mistake in uttering unholy words
being a priest he should not have made such complaints. He felt guilty and
asked forgiveness from God. He said that was his body that spoke not his
spirit.
6. Do you think Father Gilligan’s complaint was genuine?
Yes, his complaint was genuine. He became tired and overworked though he
was willing to do his duty but he could stretch his strength beyond the
limit. It was his physical weakness that made him to speak such unholy
words.
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