Subject: English

Class 8

Poem : The Inchcape Rock by Robert Southey

Textbook Questions

1. Answer the following questions:

a) What do we know about the Inchcape Rock from the poem?

The Inchcape Rock, is a reef in the North Sea, about 18 km off the east coast of Angus, Scotland.
The Inchcape Rock is known for its infamy as the causation for shipwrecks. The poem by Robert
Southey revolves around the famous folktale of an Abbot, a monk who placed a bell on the reef to
issue warning to seamen and seafarers about the impending danger during storms. This bell worked
as a warning bell for the mariners, as whenever there happened to be a storm, the bell swayed and
floated along with the buoy producing a sound and the mariners became aware of the presence of a
dangerous rock, which would have otherwise been hidden by the swell of sea waves.

b) What is the mood in the first five stanzas? How is it different from the mood created in stanza
six of the poem?
In the first five stanzas the mood of the poem is calm and suggests no impending risk to anyone
venturing into the sea. Everyone was happy and everything was going on smoothly. In the first five
stanzas, the poet describes the sea in neutral terms to allay our fears (and those of the sailors,) about
the danger, so that the effect of the disaster is all the more dramatic in the stanzas that follow. This
good mood prevails as a consequence of the bell that the good Abbot of Aberbrothok had placed on
the Inchcape Rock, ensuring no more shipwrecks or loss of lives. In the sixth stanza the mood
changes to anxiety when Ralph the pirate is introduced. His observation of the Bell from his ship’s
deck adds a sense of doom as he is a man of evil intentions.

c) What was the wicked deed done by Ralph? Why did he do so?
The wicked deed done by Ralph was that he cut off the Bell which issued warnings to seamen and
seafarers about the impending danger of the dangerous Inchcape Rock during storms. He did this
because he was jealous of the Abbot and did not want people to bless him and also because he
wanted to plunder ships after they began sinking on striking the rock.

d) Compare the character of Ralph the Rover with that of the Abbot of Aberbrothok.
The Abbot of Aberbrothok was a very kind and good man who always wanted to help others in
need. He tied the bell on the perilous Inchcape rock to alert the passing ships and save them from
imminent danger. This was an act for which he received much admiration and blessings from the
sailors as well as from the common people. In short, he achieved a permanent place in the heart of
people by his virtuous deed.
In contrast, Sir Ralph was cruel, jealous and a reckless pirate who did not work for the good of
others. He used to loot wealth from the ships that fatally crashed against the Inchcape Rock. But
when the Abbot of Aberbrothok placed a warning bell, he cut off the bell to defame the good Abbot
and put the other helpless sailors into trouble. However, he got caught in his own malicious trap
when his ship struck against the Inchcape Rock and sank in the sea along with him.

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Subject: English
Class 8

2. Answer the following with reference to context:

a) Sir Ralph the Rover tore his hair,
He curst himself in his despair;
The waves rush in on every side,
The ship is sinking beneath the tide.

i) Why was the Rover in despair?

The Rover was in despair as his ship had been struck by the treacherous Inchcape Rock and was
sinking. He knew his end was near and hence was desperate.

ii) Why was the ship sinking?

The ship had been hit by the treacherous Inchcape Rock and hence was sinking.

iii) How was Ralph the Rover responsible for his fate?
Ralph the Rover, a wicked pirate, maliciously destroyed the bell mounted on the buoy by the Abbot.
This bell rang to warn sailors of the perilous Inchcape Rock and marked its location that was hidden
by the high tide thus preventing shipwreck. Ralph the Rover got caught in his own malicious trap
when his ship struck against the Inchcape Rock and sank in the sea along with him.

b) “Canst hear,” said one, “the breakers roar?

For methinks we should be near the shore.”
“Now, where we are I cannot tell,
But I wish we could hear the Inchcape Bell.”

i) What does the phrase – ‘the breakers roar’ tell you about the weather?
The weather is stormy causing the waves to crash violently against the shore.

ii) Who is speaking in the stanza? Where were they sailing to?
This line is said by one of the sailors on the ship. They are sailing back to Scotland with the
plundered loot and are near the Inchcape Rock.

iii) What did they wish for and why?

In the stormy dark night with no land in sight, the sailors wished to hear the bell near the Inchcape
Rock ringing which would help them navigate safely to the shore.

WORKBOOK QUESTIONS:

4. Describe the dying moments of Ralph.

Sir Ralph tore his hair and cursed himself when he realized that his ship had struck the Inchcape
Rock and his boat was sinking. On realizing that he would soon die his feelings were that of
frustration and despair. He cursed himself for cutting the Inchcape Bell, because if he had not done
so his ship would not have hit the Rock. In his dying moments the Rover now began to hear the
dreadful sound of the Inchcape Bell. He compared the sound of the Bell to that of the Devil ringing
his knell and realised that he was the victim of his own wicked design.

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Subject: English
Class 8

Q IV. How is the theme, the evil that one plots for others, recoils on oneself’, carried out at the end of
the poem?
In the poem, Ralph the Rover, a wicked pirate maliciously destroyed the bell mounted on the buoy
by the Abbot .This bell rang to warn sailors of the perilous Inchcape Rock and marked its location
that was hidden by the high tide thus preventing shipwreck. After committing this evil deed Ralph
continued on his journey but on his return was unable to locate the Inchcape Rock in the storm,
causing his own boat to crash against the rock and sink. The pirate not only lost his plundered
wealth but also his life. The poem clearly shows that no evil goes unpunished. The pirate cruelly
plotted against the Abbot and destroyed the only marker for impending danger to ships passing by
on this route and this act recoiled on him as his ship was struck by the rock and he had to pay with
his own life.