Poem 2.3 The Inchcape Rock by Robert Southey Part II Brainstorming activities

 

XII - 2.3 - The Inchcape Rock ( Part II Brainstorming activities)

Enhance your vocabulary  by guessing the meanings: -

Stir - swirl, whirl, rotate (here means movement)

Still - here,not moving , steady, silent, quiet, calm

Sails- canvas used for mast , strong sheet of fabric attached to a boat.

Keel - base or bottom of ship

Motion –movement

Steady -- stable

Shock - blow, jolt, stunned, unpleasant event

Buoy - floater, drifter, floating object anchored in the sea

Swing (Swung) - swayed, waved

Ring (Rung)-sounded, call for attention by sounding a bell

Mariner-sailor, seamen

Abbot-- head of Abbey of monks

Abbey-- a building where monks or nuns live or used to live

Aberbrothok- largest town in Scotland

Surge's swell--sudden and great rise in the level of the sea

Perilous--dangerous

blest--old English form of blessed

Joyance – (Poetic) joy, delight, enjoyment

gay- happy, light hearted and carefree

Wheel's round-- whirling over the sea, soaring

Joyance-- screaming in joy, delight

Speck – dot, spot, point, mark

Sir Ralph the Rover – a sea pirate

Pirate- a person who attacks and Rob’s ships at the sea.

Deck – flooring of a ship, boarding place in a ship, the upper floor of the 

sea

The darker speck – here metaphorically used for the Inchcape Bell

Cheering – encouraging, motivating, soothing , delighted

Mirthful – joyful, merry, gleeful, overjoyed, amusing

Wickedness – evil, malice, badness, being immoral

Inchcape float – means the buoy (floater)

Quoth – archaic word for quoted (said/spoke)

Row – oared to, sailed to, rowing by oars in waters

Plague – torture, torment, cause trouble, kill, destroy

Spring- name of one of the seasons

float-a thing that is buoyant in water

Sunk- past participle form of sink, submerged, go down

gurgling-bubbling, make a hallow sound

burst-apart suddenly and violently

Scour'd-(here) travelled freely, energetically for ships to rob

Plunder'd store-big amount of looted/robbed wealth

Steers- directs the course of the ship, guide

haze-thin mist, fog

hath-(an archaic word)has

gale- a very strong wind

dawn-(here)moon will appear, the first appearance of light in the sky before sunrise

Canst-can, an archaic word for you can

breakers-(here) heavy sea waves

Methinks- it seems to me (archaic form of 'I think')

Swell- (here) Tide

drift- move slowly, be carried slowly by a current of air or water

Vessel- large boat, ship

Strikes-hits forcibly

tore- pulled hard

despair- frustration, absence of hope

beneath- under

dreadful- extremely bad or serious

Devil- the supreme spirit of evil, Satan, demon

Knell-the sound of a bell solemnly after death or at funeral announcement of death

BRAINSTORMING

 A1) Narrate in groups the scene described in the beginning of the poem.

 Ans : In the beginning of the poem the poet depicts the scene of ocean. It was calm. The ship stood still in the ocean means motionless. And keel of the ship was also steady. It was peaceful and calm. The day was bright and sun was shining. Everything looked like just perfect. The mood was of happiness.  Means poet depicts the picture of the ocean.

(A2) (i) Complete the following statements.

(a)        The Abbot of Aberbrothok placed a bell on the Inchcape Rock because-

-      Ans :- The Sailors/Mariners could be protected from the dangerous rocks near the coast which would wreck ship.

          

(b)        The mariners were grateful to the Abbot of Aberbrothok because

-    Ans :- The kind Abbot of Aberbrothok  anchored the bell on the Inchcape rock , due to which the Mariners steered their ships safely.  This bell worked as a warning bell for the mariners, whenever they were near the dangerous rock.

 

(c)        The result of the thick haze that covered the sky was that____

-    Ans : The sailors had no way of knowing in which direction they were sailing because of thick haze and darkness in the sky and could not see the land , wished if they could hear Inchcape bell. 

(d)        The Rover in frustration pulled his hair and cursed himself because—

-    Ans :- The Rover’s ship was in trouble. Water entered the vessel from all sides. In despair, agony and frustration he tore at his hair and cursed himself for cutting off the bell which would have helped them to save themselves from those dangerous rocks. 

 

(ii) Given below are the events that give the theme of the poem in a jumbled form. 

Arrange in a proper sequence as per their occurrence.

(a)        The waves were so small that they did not move enough to ring the bell at the Inchcape Rock.

(b)        The Abbot of Aberbrothok had placed the bell on a buoy on the rock.

(c) There was a thick haze spread over the atmosphere.

(d ) Ralph bent over from the boat.

(e)        Sir Ralph cursed himself in despair and in his frustration tore his hair.

  

Ans : - (b) The Abbot of Aberbrothok had placed the bell on a buoy on the rock. 

(a) The waves were so small that they did not move enough to ring the bell at the Inchcape Rock.

(d) Ralph bent over from the boat.

(c) There was a thick haze spread over the atmosphere.

 (e) Sir Ralph cursed himself in despair and in his frustration tore his hair. 

Describe the qualities of the Abbot of Aberbrothok in your own words.

                          Benevolent

                           Big-hearted

                            Generous

 Qualities of          well-wisher

 The Abbot of        Helpful

 Aberbrothok       Adventurous / Brave

                             Intelligent

                             Skilled/Innovative

                           Kind -hearted

  -    (iv) ‘Jealousy’ is the most incurable defect, Justify

Ans:- People get jealous for the success, fame and achievement of others. They don’t try to achieve the same but take pleasure in harming good people. In the poem Sir Ralph, the Rover got jealous at the Abbot of Aberbrothok’s fame for installing a bell on the dangerous Inchcape Rock and saving the passing ships and a lot of lives in bad weather. Out of his jealousy, the Rover decided to cut the bell and put an end to the Abbot’ fame. So, behind the act of cutting the bell the main thing was jealousy for the Abbot. Thus their mind becomes evil and it results in the most incurable defect.

(v) ‘but the Rover’s mirth was wickedness.’ Explain this line in your own words with the help of the Poem.

 

Ans:- 

There were everyone happy and light- hearted during the spring season. The Rover was also very happy and joyful. But his intention was evil. His chief purpose in life seemed to bring suffering and sorrow on all he met.He was jealous upon Abbot's well being. He wanted to trouble him. Rover wanted to cut the warning Bell which was placed by Abbot. So this attitude shows that Rover’s mirth was wickedness.

    (A3) Some words in the poem are related to different parts of a ship or a mariner’s life. Given below are the meanings of those terms. Identify the word.

-    Helps in steering the ship                      -Rover

-    The lowest part of the ship                   - keel

-    Floating object that shows direction      - buoy

-    Another name for a ship                        - vessel / craft / boat

-    Sinking sound                                       - gurgling

A4) (ii) Select the appropriate figure of speech from the box given below and complete the table.

   (Metaphor, Alliteration, Repetition, Personification, Inversion, Simile, Apostrophe, onomatopoeia)

Examples	Figure of speech	Explanation
1.Sir Ralph the Rover tore his hair.	Alliteration	The initial sound 'h' is repeated for poetic effect.
2.No stir in the air no stir in the sea.	Repetition	In this line the words no, stir, in the repeated for poetic effect..
storm it floated and swung.	Inversion	Words are not in correct prose order. The Correct prose order is – It floated and swung on a buoy in the storm.
4.  Down sank the bell with a gurgling sound.	Onomatopoeia	Sound is expressed.
5.  The devil below was ringing his knell.	Metaphor	The devil ringing the bell is indirectly compared with the Rover’s death.
still as she could be.	Personification	‘ship’ is personified.
Rover takes his stand.	Inversion	Words are not in correct prose order. The Correct prose order is – The Rover takes his stand on the deck.
8.  Oh Christ !	Apostrophe	The poet is addressing to to the Christ.

 

(A4) (i) Ballad 

A ballad is a song that tells a story, and it can be dramatic, funny or romantic.

Traditionally the ballad has been considered a folkloric verse narrative which 

has strong associations with communal dancing. Generally, the term is used 

for a narrative poem which uses an elliptical and highly stylized mode of 

narration. The technique of repetition with variation may play an important 

part in it. 

From the 18th century onwards, collections of folk / ‘popular ballads’ began to be made. The form was taken up by some of the most influential poets of the late 18th century as a folkloric form of expression.

A typical ballad consists of stanzas that contain a quatrain, or four poetic 

lines. Some ballads have a refrain, or a repeated chorus, just like a song 

does. The rhyme scheme adds musical quality to the poem. 

One famous ballad is ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ by English poet 

Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

A5) (ii) Compose 4 to 6 lines on ‘sea’.

-                            I like the blue Arabian sea

And view the dolphin without any fee,

Sitting on shore, taking the tea

Spending sometime tension free,

I pray the God bending on my knee,

 To give more time to see the sea.

 A 6 is in part I and A7 is Part III writing skills

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