1)
Title – The title of poem The Inchcape Rock (1802) is
very apt because it paved way to a conflict between good and evil. The Inchcape
Rock is the center of the story which is written in poetic form.
2)
About the Poet - Robert Southey (1774 to 1843) was born
in Bristol England. He was a son of a draper (Clothe Wholesaler) and educated
at Oxford. He was an English poet, a prolific letter writer, essay writer,
historian and biographer. He was a Poet Laureate of England from 1813 to 1843
(for 30 years). The Inchcape Rock is a lyrical ballad written in 1802 and it is
about the Inchcape Rock Legend, a reef which is situated in the North Sea,
close to the coastal region of Angus in Scotland near the river Tay. The
Inchcape Rock is known for its bad name as notorious for shipwreck. The title
of the poem based on it and the kindness act of a monk.
3)
About the Poem - The Inchcape Rock is based on the
story of the 14th Century attempt by the Abbot of Aberbrothok who was head of
the monastery placed a bell on the Inchcape rock to give warning to sailors
about the impending danger. During rough seas, the sailors could not see the
rock clearly and ships faced accident there. But now because of buoy bell
whenever, the bell rang the sailors used to thank the Abbot for saving their
lives. His act of kindness got fame among the all sailors. On the contarary,
Sir Ralph, the pirate, got jealous at the Abbot of Aberbrothok’s fame for
putting a bell on the perilous Inchcape Rock. Once he cut the bell to defame
the Abbot. On return journey from Scotland in the absence of the bell they move
clueless in the sea and his boat and all sailors’ crash against the rock to
death.
4)
Theme - The poem based on the most common theme of
literature is the conflict between good and evil. It carries predictable ideas
like - As you sow so shall you reap. Crime gets its own punishment. Evil digs a
pit for others but falls into the same. In this poem Sir Ralph the Rover
represents evil forces and the Monk Abbot of Aberbrothok represents for the
Good forces. In the fit of anger Ralph the Rover cut the bell and pushed
himself to death. He was victimized by his own bad deeds. The poem outlines the
theme of the humanity between two persons. It was our deeds of lives which
telling us who we are in reality and what are the effects? Thus the basic theme
of the poem is that those who do bad things will ultimately be punished
accordingly. The poem demonstrates the law that crime gets its own punishment.
5)
Poetic Devices - The Inchcape Rock is written in the
form of a ballad interwoven with a number of poetical devices alliteration,
metaphor, personification, onomatopoeia and repetition. As the poem was written
in 18th century, it endows with rich symbol, imagery and archaism. The poem
comprises a lot of images which mesmerize and captivate the readers. E.g. - The
sun shining gay, the waves flowed over the Inchcape Rock, sea birds screamed
etc. The use of archaic word creates 18th century era about the water world,
sailors, their voyages and pirates. The poem is also ironical. It is ironic
that the Ralph suffered the same fate as he had prepared for others by the
bells removal.
6)
Language and Style - A ballad is traditionally sung
by a traveling musician. Here, each stanza of the first line rhymes with the
second and the third with the fourth. The poem is in a narrative tone that
lyrical ballad tells a story. The poet has used expressive narrative techniques
to enhance the effect of the poem. The Inchcape Rock gives a fine verbal image
of the calm atmosphere of the sea, act of hanging bell, hazy night etc. These
scenes of the ballad moves from one incident to another very easily. It
provides a vivid picture into the reader’s minds.
7)
Message values, morals – The poem gives us a message that
those who do wrong thing will meet with due punishment. It shows how jealousy
is an incurable defect of human character and conveys a moral lesson- ‘As you
sow, so shall you reap.’ Thus the moral of the poem is ‘he who digs a pit for
others, falls into it.’
8) Why I like the poem - I like the poem for two reasons, first for its teaching principle that crime gets its own punishment. And the other, it is written in lyrical ballad form which gives joy, happiness thrill and life time important lesson ‘Tit for tat’
2) fish
3) algae
5) waves
6) coast
8) seashore
9) species
11) aquatic
12) ship
14) sand
15) reef
17) rock
18) iceberg
20) islands
21) coral beaches
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