English Made Easy-Std.XI & XII: XII - 2.3 - The Inchcape Rock ( ICE BREAKERS & BRAINSTORMING )

2.3 The Inchcape Rock

- Robert Southey

ICE BREAKERS

Prepare a word register related to marine life.

Sailors	Sea	Ocean	Naval
Seafood	Coastal	Navy	shellfish
Ship	Lighthouse	Dolphin	Shore

Ø The functions of a lighthouse are -

to show the direction

Lighthouse to aid prevention of any major accident

to indicate one’s own status as a vessel

ØDiscuss in pair the various famous rocks in the world and mention the places where they are.

Famous rock	Place
Balancing rock	Mahabalipuram
Hanging rock	New south wales, Australia
Yana rocks	Karnataka, India
Marble rocks	Jabalpur, India
Mount Tai	China

Ø Narrate in the class a story about someone who destroyed or spoilt someone else’s good work.

- Aaryan and Riya were best friends in their school. They were studying in std.10^th. Aaryan was very poor in study but Riya was intelligent in it. One day they played a game and Aaryan lost it. Being jealous, he was very angry upon Riya. He was hurt so badly and was always upset upon Riya. In the final paper of board’s exam, Aaryan sat exactly behind Riya. Aaryan was unprepared for his examination. So, he had carried a copy with him and started writing on his answer sheet. But when the teacher came near Aaryan and was checking him, he secretly threw that copy towards Riya. The Teacher checked Aaryan but he didn’t get anything. He saw a copy near the Riya’s seat. So, the teacher suspected Riya. Riya convinced the teacher but he didn’t agree and punished her. Riya got disturbed and was unable to write further. Thus, Aaryan spoilt Riya’s good work & career.

Ø Discuss in pairs and groups the following expressions. Take the help of your teacher.

- When we live our life, we should be aware that we should live it very friendly, cheerfully, kindly, helpfully, honestly and politely. The result will be that people also will behave with us in the same way. Hence, we can get great peace of mind and we will be satisfied in our life. On the contrary if you behave unfriendly, rudely, and unhelpfully with others, you will not be satisfied or you will not get peace of mind. So, message is that we should always sow/do good things in our life and we will get sweet fruits later on.Overall, our negative actions produce negative consequences while positive actions produce positive consequences.

As you sow so shall you reap.

Ex – Farmers, teachers and many other good persons are sowing good things and they will get good results in their life.

Crime gets its own punishment.

Ex- A student, who has passed board’s exam by copying, will fail in CET.

What goes around comes around.

Ex – If someone always looks doubtfully to others, in return, he will be looked at doubtfully .

Tit for tat.

Ex – In most of the Indian movies the villain

gets the same treatment in the end of the cinema which he gives to the hero earlier.

Evil digs a pit for others but falls into the same.

Ex –A corrupt person. Who cheats people, may get cheated.

- BALLAD-

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

- 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.

- FEATURES- (The Inchcape Rock)

- Ballad is lyrical.

- It is a narrative poem.

- It has seventeen stanzas.

- Each quatrain has four lines.

- Each quatrain follows the rhyme scheme of- aabb

- The theme of the poem is – ‘Crime gets its own punishment’

BRAINSTORMING

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

- 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-

- Mariners should become aware about the presence of dangerous rock.

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

- The kind Abbot of Aberbrothok anchored the bell on the Inchcape rock. This bell worked as a warning bell for the mariners, whenever they were near the dangerous rock.

- Because of thick haze and darkness in the sky the Rover and his men could not see the land and wished if they could hear Inchcape bell. And within short time they were troubled.

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

- 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 coursed himself for cutting off the bell.

(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.

(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

Kind -hearted

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

- 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 Ralph the Rover got jealous at the Abbot of Aberbrothok’s fame for putting a bell on the dangerous Inchcape Rock and saving the passing ships and a lot of lives in bad weather. Out of his jealously 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.

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

- Sir Ralph was only extraordinarily happy when he’s planning some wicked action; his chief purpose in life seems to bring suffering and sorrow on all he meets. When Sir Ralph knew that due to Inchcape bell most of the ships were saved and they praised Abbot of Aberbrothok, Sir Ralph thought that if he cuts the bell means that he will cut the fame of abbot’s and nobody will suspect him. 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 close repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words
2.No stir in the air no stir in the sea.	Repetition	In this line the words no, stir, in & the repeated. So, this figure of speech based on construction.
3. On a buoy in the storm it floated and swung.	Inversion	Element order is changed for poetic impact Correct order is – It floated and swung on a buoy in the storm.
4. Down sank the bell with a gurgling sound.	Onomatopoeia	In this line the word gurgling brings out the sound. So, this figure of speech based on sound.
5. The devil below was ringing his knell.	Metaphor	In this line devil ringing is indirectly compared with the rover’s death. So, this figure of speech based on ‘Resemblance.’
6. The ship was as still as she could be.	Personification	In this line the inanimate object ‘ship’ is personified. So, this figure of speech based on ‘Imagination.’
7. On the deck the Rover takes his stand.	Inversion	Element order is changed for poetic impact Correct order is – The Rover takes his stand on the deck.
8. Oh Christ !	Apostrophe	In this example Christ has been directly addressed. So, this figure of speech based on imagination.