Politics, Protests, and Persistent Rhetoric; Observing English Attitudes Towards the Easter Rising in Ireland

Politics, Protests, and Persistent Rhetoric; Observing English Attitudes Towards the Easter Rising in Ireland

The Easter Rising of 1916 in Ireland was a revolution against colonial rule and occupation of Ireland. The violence of the uprising resulted in death for both the Irish and English. The events around that date fueled the existing tensions between England and Ireland and led to a division among the Irish, especially the Northern Irish. Many Irish felt that Ireland’s Independence was cause enough to justify the level of violence, destruction, and death that came out of the Easter Rising. However, much of the division in Ireland ceased when England ordered the execution of the leaders of the Rising. Their efforts to destroy Irish unity around the Rising backfired as the execution of the leaders intensified Irish solidarity. For the most part, English citizens maintained that the Easter Rising was unnecessary, standing behind colonial rule further oppressing and stigmatizing the Irish and the Rising. 

The Derby Daily Telegraph published a piece that captures the view of Ireland from an English perspective. In this piece titled “The Mad Rebellion,” the author writes to the journal’s editor to share his thoughts and experiences of his time in Ireland prior to the Rising. The writer of this entry describes the events of the Rising. The title of his piece, alone, demonstrates the author’s judgments about the event, already labeling it as “Mad.” The author begins by justifying and “respect[ing]” (3) the execution of one of the leaders of the Rising yet moves to condemn the violence of the uprising by describing it as a “disaster,” “tragedy,” and a “terrible scene” (3). His hypocrisy by accepting English shows of violence demonstrates the blind loyalty of English nationalism at this time. Towards the end of the entry, the author compares the events of the Easter Rising to the Holocaust, stating, “However, all tend to prove that the military authority are not dealing at all too severely with the rebels who have made a holocaust of Dublin and thrown hundreds of families into mourning and sorrow. Murder, fire, looting on a scale that would make the Germans green with envy…” (3). The negative descriptions and false comparisons to genocide place the fight for freedom and equality in an extremely negative frame. While the author takes an extremist attitude primarily through his incorrect comparisons, his entry represents the outrage of the collective society who stood by the crown, believing that Irish independence was a severe threat to England and their way of life. 

The entry demonstrates the fear around the perceived threat of Irish independence and equality; while displaying the intense conflict between Irish and England. Timely political cartoons, novels, and other forms of art feature perceptions and attitudes towards the friction between the nations. For example, the depiction of Carmilla in Le Fanu’s gothic novella Carmilla. The picture to the left depicts the character Carmilla, the predatory vampire praying on the pure and innocent Laura. Scholars argue that perhaps Carmilla represents the perceptions of Ireland as sucking the resources from England. 

Further, the rhetoric of this entry pervades current conversations around movements for liberation and freedom from oppression. Significantly, the author of this entry used the term “looting” to disparage the reputation and behaviors of the Irish revolutionaries, a method that Donald Trump used when talking about the Black Lives Matter protesters. Demonizing protestors was a way to slander their reputation and motivations and maintain the power that the movements challenged. Additionally, the author’s false comparison between the Easter Rising and the Holocaust serves as a reminder about the tactic of fear-mongering, another method used in modern politics. Comparing Irish liberation to a years-long genocide is a way to generate public fear garnering support for the political powers that aim to maintain colonial rule and dominance. Again, the same fear-mongering tactic plays a role in modern politics, notably through Donald Trump’s statements that Joe Biden will ruin suburbia and the American Dream. Trump’s statements illustrate the tactic of fear-mongering similarly to the author of the section in The Derby Daily Telegraph by labeling a challenge to political power as a threat to the established way of life. Though this entry was published in 1916, the rhetoric serves to help the modern reader understand the context behind themes and motivations for Irish and English media around this time. Additionally, observing the language of this piece highlights the ways of demonizing any movement that seeks to challenge oppressive power structures, which play out in similar ways in modern politics. 


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