The Ballad of Father Gilligan
Read the lines from The Ballad of Father Gilligan and answer the questions that follow:
The old priest Peter Gilligan
Was weary night and day
For half his flock were in their beds
Or under green sods lay.
Once, while he nodded in a chair
At the moth-hour of the eve
Another poor man sent for him,
And he began to grieve.
'I have no rest, nor joy, nor peace,
For people die and die;
And after cried he, 'God forgive!
My body spake not I!'
1. Why was father Gilligan weary?
Answer : There is an epidemic spread in his parish. Because of that half of his parishioners were either sick or dead. So, father had to perform the last rites for them. It made him weak.
2. Pick out the lines that indicate that many of the people in his parish were sick or buried.
Answer : For half his flock were in their beds / Or under green sods lay.
3. Pick out the word from the lines that mean 'Very tired'.
Answer : weary
4. What is the rhyme scheme followed in this poem?
Answer : ABCB
5. Pick out two pair of rhyme words from the poem.
Answer : day - lay, eve- grieve, die- I
6. Pick out instances of alliteration from the stanzas.
Answer :priest Peter, Was weary, For half his flock, no rest, nor joy, nor, die and die
7. The word ‘flock’ in the context of the poem means:
Answer : People in the parish
8. The expression ‘green sods’ refers to:
Answer : Graves covered over by green grass.
9."I have no rest, nor joy, nor peace,/ For people die and die;"- Who said this? Why did he tell so?
Answer : This is the statement of father Peter Gilligan. There is an epidemic spread in his parish. Because of that half of his parishioners were either sick or dead. So, father had to perform the last rites for them. It made him very weak. So he told so.
10. "My body spake not I!" - Who is the 'I' referred to here? Why did he tell so?
Answer : Father Peter Gilligan.
While father was resting, somebody came there to take him to a sick man's house . At that moment, father became very sad and grieved that he had no rest or joy. But, at the same time he realized his mistake and asked forgiveness from God by saying that he unknowingly said so because of his weak body.
11. Why did the father seek forgiveness from God?
Answer : While father was resting, somebody came there to take him to a sick man's house . At that moment, father became very sad and grieved that he had no rest or joy. But, at the same time he realized his mistake and asked forgiveness from God by saying that he unknowingly said so because of his weak body.
12. What does the phrase ' under green sods lay' suggest?
Answer : Here ' green sods' refers to the graves covered over by green grass. The phrase suggests that many of the parishioners were died and buried.
13. Why did the poor man send for father?
Answer : The poor man was waiting for his imminent death. So he wished to get the last rites for burning all his sins and entering the world of heaven.
Read the lines from The Ballad of Father Gilligan and answer the questions that follow:
He knelt, and leaning on the chair
He prayed and fell asleep;
And the moth-hour went from the fields,
And stars began to peep.
They slowly into millions grew,
And leaves shook in the wind
And God covered the world with shade
And whispered to mankind.
Upon the time of sparrow chirp
When the moths came once more,
The old priest Peter Gilligan
Stood upright on the floor.
14. What made father Gilligan kneel down?
Answer : While father was resting, somebody came there to take him to a sick man's house . At that moment, father became very sad and grieved that he had no rest or joy. But, at the same time he realized his mistake. So he knelt down before God to ask forgiveness.
15.What time is referred to as ‘moth-hour '?
Answer : Evening
16. 'He knelt, and leaning on the chair' - Who is the 'he' referred to here?
Answer : Father Peter Gilligan.
17. Where did the father sleep?
Answer : on the chair
18. What are that indications did the poet give that the night has arrived?
Answer : Stars began to peep and they grew into millions. And leaves shook in the wind.
19. What is the phrase did the poet used to indicate the morning time?
Answer : sparrow chirp
20. What time is referred to as 'sparrow chirp'?
Answer : Morning
21.Identify the figure of speech used in the line 'And stars began to peep.'
Answer : Personification
22. 'They slowly into millions grew' - What are the 'they' referred to here?
Answer : The stars
Read the lines from The Ballad of Father Gilligan and answer the questions that follow:
'Mavrone, mavrone! The man has died one
While I slept in the chair.'
He roused his horse out of its sleep
And rode with little care.
He rode now as he never rode,
By rocky lane and fen;
The sick man's wife opened the door,
'Father! you come again!'
'And is the poor man dead?' he cried
'He died an hour ago.'
The old priest Peter Gilligan
In grief swayed to swayed and fro.
'When you were gone, he turned and died,
As merry as a bird.'
The old priest Peter Gilligan
He knelt him at that word.
23. Why did the priest cry calling "mavrone mavrone "?
Answer : The father became very sad and guilty as he failed to perform the last rites for the dying man.
24. Why was the sick man's wife surprised to see Father?
Answer : The angel sent by god reached the sick man's house disguised as the priest and performed the last rites. But the sick man's wife was not aware of that. So she thought that father came there again.
25. Who is the 'I' referred to here?
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