The Stolen Boat – Q&A and Analysis

About the poet

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) is one of the greatest romantic poets. His writing expresses his true feelings for nature and intense love for the simplicity of rustic life. He wrote ‘Lyrical Ballads’ in collaboration with S. T. Coleridge, and made a significant change that started the Romantic Movement in English Literature.

About the poem:

● This poem is an autobiographical and romantic poem that is taken from William Wordsworth’s The Prelude.

● It describes an incident by William Wordsworth when he took a boat without anyone’s permission as a boy.

● It depicts the theme of Nature, Man, and Society.

● It is written in free verse which follows iambic pentameter.

● It enriches the readers with a message that Nature is always there to play its role as a teacher, philosopher, and guide to teach humans if they commit anything wrong.

Word-Meaning:

♦Skiff-a small boat, ♦Shepherd-a person who takes care of sheep, ♦Willow tree-a tree grows near the water , and it has narrow leaves ♦Patterdale- a small village in the eastern part of the English Lake district, ♦rambled-walking enjoyably, ♦thither-there, ♦tether-tied by rope, ♦embark’d-started, ♦Shore-bank of the sea, ♦hoary-grey, ♦stately-majestic or impressive, ♦cadence-rhythmic pattern of sound, ♦troubled pleasure-joy was disturbed by guilty conscience, ♦either-each of the side, ♦horizon-skyline, ♦elfin-small, ♦Pinnace-a light boat, lustily-full of energy ,♦Cavern-cave, ♦suited one-skilled one, ♦uprose-rise to a higher position, ♦ridge-a range of mountains, ♦dipp’d-let something down, ♦craggy-steep with a lot of rough rocks,♦ heaving -moving in large movements up and down ♦Cliff-stiff surface of rock, ♦strode-walked, ♦voluntary-done willingly without getting paid ,♦struck-hit, ♦stature-height, ♦stole-roam, ♦mooring place-anchoring place, ♦Bark-masted ship, ♦spectacle-sight, ♦dim-not cleared or dull, ♦undetermin’d-undetected, ♦solitude-loneliness, ♦desertion-abandonment, ♦mighty-fearsome, ♦thou-you, ♦Spirit-non-physical part of the universe, ♦eternity-unending,♦ intertwine-twist together, ♦passions-strong emotions, ♦vulgar-mean,♦ enduring-lasting, ♦sanctifying-purifying,♦ grandeur-splendour and impressive

Substance

The young poet found a little boat tethered to a willow tree within a rocky cave on a summer evening. He stole the boat and took it on a joy ride across the lake. Everything seemed to be still, but his rowing of the boat was accompanied by the echoes of the mountain. He felt guilty for having stealthily taken the boat.

When the poet steadily kept moving away from the shore, the reflection of the stars and moon left a trail of light on the water’s surface. The boat sailed smoothly like a swan. The boy wanted to take the boat to a craggy rock. As he went near it, there seemed to rise behind the craggy rock a huge peak, black and menacing. As the boy grew closer to it, it seemed to grow bigger and bigger.

Being scared of this huge, black shape, the poet hurried back towards the cave he had stolen the boat from and returned home with a grave heart and a heavy conscience. But many days after he had seen that striking sight, and his mind was haunted by a vague and strange feeling.

The poet in the last stanza makes an invocation to ‘Wisdom and Spirit of the universe’ and realizes that it purified his soul and disciplined his mind through the sacred quality of pain and fear.

Multiple Choice Questions

Short Answer Type Questions

1. Why did Wordsworth call the boat ‘elfin pinnace?

Ans:- The boat was so small in size and light in weight that it seemed to be charming like a small fairy. So Wordsworth called the boat elfin pinnace.

2. What does the poet fix his view in the poem?

Ans:- The poet fixes his view on the cliff in the poem.

3. What was the usual home of the shepherd’s boat? How did Wordsworth discover it?

Ans:- The usual home of the shepherd’s boat was a rocky cave.

Wordsworth discovered it by unexpected chance.

4. What did trouble Wordsworth’s dreams?

Ans:- As Wordsworth took the boat without any permission from the boat owner, he felt guilty. His conscience

became heavy which made him visualize the spectacle of huge and mighty forms that troubled Wordsworth’s dreams.

5.”I left my Bark” – whom did the poet call Bark’? Where did he leave it?

Ans: The poet called the boat ‘Bark’.

He left it in its mooring place.

6. When did the poet feel troubled pleasure and Why?

Ans: When the poet moved with his boat in the water, he felt joy that was intermixed with fear and guilt. It was the time when the poet’s pleasure of rowing of boat was disturbed due to his feelings of guilt and fear, and the poet felt troubled pleasure.

Long Answer Type Questions

1. Where did the poet find the boat? How did he steal the boat? How did he enjoy the beauty of nature after stealing the boat?

Ans: On a summer evening, the young poet found a little boat tethered to a willow tree within a rocky cave where it was usually tied.
At first, the poet untied the chain of the boat and took it away from the shore without taking anyone’s permission. Later, he understood the way he stole the boat.After stealing the boat the poet’s pleasure was mingled with anxiety. When the boat moved on, there came echoing sounds from the mountains.

The boat left small circles of water gleaming idly under the light of the moon till all of them were mixed up and dissolved giving way to one single track of glittering light. But then, like a person who rows with a sense of pride in his skill to reach straight to a selected spot without any deviation, he fixed his gaze on the peak of an uneven mountain range that formed the farthest boundary on the distant horizon.

Above the poet there was nothing but the great sky and the stars that beautified the poet’s journey and his lovely boat seemed to have a fairy-like appearance.

2. Why did the poet become frightened to move on with his boat? What did he do after being frightened?

Ans: As the poet went near a craggy rock, there seemed to rise behind it a huge peak, black and menacing. As the boy grew closer to it, it seemed to grow bigger and bigger.

The more he rowed the boat, the bigger the peak seemed to become in front of him, and very soon it appeared to proceed with a measured step like a human being towards the poet. The form of this huge shape frightened the poet and stirred his conscience. Being afraid of the huge peak, he changed his course and moved on silently over the calm surface of the lake to be back to the shelter of the willow tree, and left the boat at the place where it was earlier tied.

3. How was the poet’s mind haunted by a strange spectacle?

Ans: After returning the stolen boat to its place the poet went back to his home in a serious and thoughtful mood through the grassy fields. But many days after he had seen a striking sight in which his mind was haunted by a vague and strange feeling.

He realized that in nature there were mysterious forms of life beyond the knowledge of man. His mind was clouded by a deep darkness and all previous knowledge was wiped out. He was without any impression of all previously known objects and pleasing sights like that of trees, sea, sky, or of colours of green fields.

Only huge powerful forms and shapes whose mode of life is different from that of a man haunted his mind during the day and also troubled the poet in his dreams at night.

4. What does the poet address wisdom and spirit in the poem “The Stolen Boat”?

Ans: In the poem “The Stolen Boat” the poet addresses ‘Wisdom and Spirit of the universe’. He calls it as eternal as human thought and says that it provides life and everlasting movement to all objects and forms.
It was not in vain that from his earliest days of infancy by day as well as by starlit night it took upon itself the task of shaping an intimate relationship between the human passions in his soul and high and everlasting things of nature and not the temporary and vulgar creations of man. Thus, this mode of interlinking refined elements of the poet’s feelings and thoughts.The poet realizes that it purifies our soul and disciplines our mind through the sacred quality of pain and fear that finally leads us to recognize the grandeur and loftiness in the human heartbeats.

5. Why did the poet call the boat ‘elfin Pinnace’? Why was Wordsworth’s pleasure troubled? What was troubling his dreams?

Ans: As the boat was so light and it seemed to be like a fairy, the poet called the boat ‘elfin Pinnace’.

As Wordsworth did a stealthy act by taking a shepherd’s boat without permission, he felt guilt which was intermixed with fear and joy. So Wordsworth’s pleasure of getting the boat was troubled.

Wordsworth’s heavy conscience and feelings of guilt which made a spectacle of huge and mighty forms were troubling his dreams.

Do as directed:

1. I dipp’d my oars into the silent lake. (Split into two Simple sentences)

Ans: There was a silent lake. I dipp’d my oars into it.

2.No Sooner had I sight of this small skiff, than I unloos’d her tether and embarked. (Transform into an assertive sentence)

Ans: After seeing this small skiff, I unloosened her tether and took off.

3. I fixed a steady view upon the top of that same craggy ridge. (Change into a complex sentence)

Ans: I fixed a steady view upon the top of that same ridge which was craggy.

4. It was an act of stealth and troubled pleasure. (Use participle)

Ans: It was an act of stealing and troubling pleasure.5. Through the silent water, I ______ my way. (Fill in the blank with the Present Perfect Tense of ‘steal’)

Ans: Through the silent water, I stole my way.

Exercise

1. Answer each of the following questions in one or two complete sentences : (a) What stealthy act did Wordsworth commit? (b)What made the poet turn back in the poem?(c)Where was the boat moored?(d) ‘With trembling oars, I turned’ — Mention the figure of speech used in the given line. (e) How does Wordsworth describe the lake?

(f)What role does Nature play in the poem ‘The Stolen Boat’?

(g)Where did the poet start his journey with the stolen boat?

(h)Why did the poet turn his boat with trembling hands in the poem ‘The Stolen Boat’?

(i)Why does Wordsworth compare the boat to a swan?

(j)Whom does the poet address in the last stanza of the poem?

2. Answer any two of the following questions in about 150 – 200 words :

(a) What spectacle unnerved Wordsworth? Comment on the effect that the spectacle had on the poet’s mind.

(b) Justify the title of the poem.

(c) Wordsworth defined poetry as emotion recollected in tranquillity. Justify this statement with close reference to the poem.

(d) How did Wordsworth describe the beauty of Nature as he rowed the stolen boat?

3. Rewrite the following sentences without changing their meanings:

(a) I was a Stranger. (Change into an interrogative sentence)

(b) The Cliff rose ______ me and the stars. (Fill in the blank with a preposition)

(c) After I had seen that spectacle, for many days, my brain worked with a dim and undetermined sense. (Split into simple sentences)

(d)I went alone into a Shepherd’s Boat. (Make it a complex sentence)

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