Results
#1. What day is the encounter with Sergeant Napper set on?
The ballad explicitly repeats “for it bein’ on Christmas morning,” anchoring the narrative in a festive yet ironic setting.
#2. Which rhetorical strategy does the Sergeant use to persuade them?
He paints soldiering as “a very fine life” with “a charming young wife” and financial ease.
#3. Arthur McBride counters the Sergeant’s claim about clothing by saying…
Arthur mocks that soldiers “only the lend of them” and risk flogging if they change them.
#4. What foreign country is mentioned as a likely destination for recruits?
Arthur warns they’d be sent “to France / Where we could get shot without warning.”
#5. What weapon do Arthur and his cousin use against the soldiers?
They wield the traditional Irish cudgel, symbolizing folk resistance.
#6. How do Arthur and his cousin treat the drummer’s instrument?
They “made a football of his rowdy-dow-dow” and tossed it into the tide.
#7. Which literary device dominates the Sergeant’s promises of soldier life?
He exaggerates soldiering as endlessly pleasant and debt-free, which Arthur ridicules.
#8. What cultural value does the ballad emphasize through Arthur’s refusal?
Arthur insists they are “single and free” and enjoy their own company.
#9. What does the ballad suggest about recruitment practices?
The Sergeant offers money and paints false promises.
#10. What does the cousins’ refusal highlight about class differences?
Recruitment bribes target poor men, but Arthur resists exploitation.
