The Moon is Down Summary

Activity Overview

A common use for Storyboard That is to help students create a plot diagram of the events from a story. Not only is this a great way to teach the parts of the plot, but it reinforces major events and help students develop greater understanding of literary structures.

Students can create a storyboard capturing the narrative arc in a work with a six-cell storyboard containing the major parts of the plot diagram. For each cell, have students create a scene that follows the story in sequence using: Exposition, Conflict, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution.

Example The Moon is Down Plot Diagram

Exposition

A small town in northern Europe is invaded by a nameless occupying force. George Corell arranged it, and now the townsmen are being forced to mine the coal mine for the occupiers. Colonel Lanser wants this occupation to go as smoothly as possible, but Mayor Orden knows that his people don’t like being conquered.

Conflict

Colonel Lanser’s men are facing increasing hostility from the townspeople. Captain Bentick is killed, and after the execution of Alex Morden, the silent revenge of the people seeps out as they sabotage the mining efforts. Lanser seeks to bring them under his control with Orden’s help, but Orden refuses to cooperate.

Rising Action

As the hostility increases, so do the soldiers’ paranoia about the town they are occupying. Men are escaping from the town and fleeing to England. Mayor Orden tells the Anders boys to tell the English to drop dynamite so they can fight back, and they do a few weeks later. Lanser knows he has to bring this spirit of rebellion under control, especially since the townspeople are killing his soldiers at any chance they get.

Climax

After the parachutes with the dynamite drop, Corell, who survived a kidnapping and murder attempt by the Anders boys, arrives and tells Lanser that he has received authority from the Capital. He informs Lanser of Orden’s cooperation with subversive actions in the town, and Lanser concludes he needs to arrest Orden and Doctor Winter, the local historian and physician.

Falling Action

After their arrest, Lanser pleads with Mayor Orden to tell his people to stand down. He hopes that the threat of the execution of the town’s two leaders will deter any more violence. However, while Orden is slightly anxious about his own death, he begins to recite from Socrates’ Apology, and takes heart in the fact that while he may die, other leaders will emerge. The Mayor is an office, and it will continue even if he is not present.

Resolution

An explosion goes off, and Lanser knows he must follow through with executing Orden and Winter as punishment. Orden finishes his recitation of Apology, with resolve that the debt of his death will be paid by the people as they continue to fight their oppressors.