The Cripple of Inishmaan
ESSAY QUESTIONS
DUE APRIL 29
Normal Margins, 12 pt. type, 750 words minimum

A. WRITE A PARAGRAPH DESCRIBING THE PLOT OF THE PLAY (5 POINTS)

B. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN ESSAY FORM (20 POINTS)

1. The characters in this play have made advances despite their secluded location in a remote corner of Ireland. They have their own ways of getting information, liberating women, bartering for goods, or coping with their isolation. Choose 3 characters in the play and discuss their methods in one or more of the above areas. Support your ideas with examples from the text.
2. What is it about Hollywood that makes it seem like the great escape to the inhabitants of Inishmaan? Support your answer with examples from the text.
3. The characters have different ways of showing their true spirit. Choose two characters in the play and compare or contrast each one’s reaction to Cripple Billy’s physical condition and his supposed disappearance. Support your answer with examples from the text.

EXTRA CREDIT: (10 points)
The comedy in the play comes through in the playwright’s use of “colorful” language, repetitions and obscenities written in Irish dialect. Cite some examples of this language and describe each one’s comic effect.