Shipwrecked ! - from The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe
by Daniel Defoe (Roots)
Comprehension
Read and answer
1. Choose the word form the brackets that can replace the words in bold in each sentence.
a. We started off on our voyage in good weather, although it was very hot. (journey/escape)
b. We changed our course and drove out of the hurricane but the next day a second terrible storm attacked us. (progress/path)
c. At last I was hurled towards the shore and fell down exhausted on the sand. (thrown/pushed)
d. During the next few months I busied myself in making a house with a strong stockade round it. (barrier/gate)
e. In a few days it became quite tame, and after that it never left my side. (wild/friendly)
2. How did Robinson Crusoe manage to reach the deserted island? How did he feel when he finally reached the shore?
= Crusoe was a good swimmer. He battled in that stormy sea for an hour and a half. As he caught sight of the coast a huge wave would lift him up and carried him out to the sea again. Again and again he tried to reach the shore; again and again he was thrown away by the raging seas. At last he was hurled towards the shore and fell down exhausted on the sand.
The night was dark without a star in the sky. He felt that it would be dangerous to lie on the sand. He crawled away from the sea as fast he could and came to some bushes and trees. He didn't what wild animals there would be in the forest so he climbed up one of the trees and made himself comfortable between two great branches. There he slept the night as well as he could.
3. What did Crusoe do when he saw his ship a quarter mile from the island's shore?
= When Crusoe was his ship a quarter mile from the island's shore, he came down the tree and found a stream where he drank some of the cool fresh water. He laid down and slept again. The sun was high in the sky when he woke up. He resolved to go out to the ship and to try and bring back some things which would be useful to me on the island.
Reference to context
4. "I plunged into the sea and made for the ship. At last after a hard swim I managed to reach it, and discover a rope hanging over the side."
a. What does it mean to 'make for' something?
= To 'make for' something means to approach something.
b. What did Crusoe find on his ship?
= Crusoe found broken masts and torn sails and pieces of rope all over the ship. He went down into the cabins and found an axe. He found some seamen's boxes filled with bread, rice and cheese. He also found some clothes.
c. Were Crusoe's efforts of plunging into the sea to reach his ship worth it?
= Crusoe's efforts of plunging into the sea to reach his ship definitely worthed it. He made a raft with the broken masts and ropes. He took the clothes, food and the other things to the shore with the help of the raft. These things were needed to survive in that unknown land.
5. "From there I could see that I was on an island. I was a prisoner, without a friend in the world! There was no one living on the island but wild beasts."
a. Who is Crusoe talking to here?
= Crusoe is talking to himself here.
b. What does he mean by 'from there'?
= He means the little hill he climbed on the next morning by 'from there'.
c. What makes Crusoe call himself a prisoner? What does this tell us about his state of mind?
= Crusoe calls himself a prisoner as he was in an unknown island with no trace of other human being.
Mentally he was very much dejected and sad.
6. "What use are you to me?" I asked. "Everyone in the world desires you but me."
a. Who is 'you' in these lines?
= In these lines, 'you' is the gold and silver coins he had found in the wooden boxes.
b. Why does everyone in the world desire it?
= Everyone in the world desires it because gold and silver can bring everything one wants to get.
c. How do you think Crusoe feels at this point?
= I think Crusoe feels very upset as there is no use of those gold and silver coins in that deserted island.
Reflect and answer
7. What does the author want us to learn from Crusoe's experiences on the island?
= The author wants us to learn a very important lesson of life from Crusoe's experience on the island. This is the lesson of hope - not to give up in any situation of life. This is the lesson to fight back. This is the lesson to make the heaven out of hell. The fight against the wave, to rescue the food and clothes, to tame the baby goat, to make a house and all the other necessary items - inspire us to counterattack in odd situation of life.
8. "My life on the island was a happy one; I had a good house, plenty to eat and plenty of work to do." Do you believe Crusoe when he says this? Do you agree that his life seems happy? Why or why not?
= I do not believe Crusoe when he says this. To some extent I agree that his life seems happy but not totally. He is a hero - a fighter. He made all unfavourable situations favourable. He only says this to cheer his courage up to survive in that isolated island. As we can see that he is thinking about his home at the end of the story.
9. What do you notice about Daniel Defoe's style of writing? Why do you think he chose to write this way?
= Daniel Defoe wrote this story in a very easy language and the plot is full of suspense. The reader reads this story with ease and enjoy this flow of incident. We are always anxious to know what will happen in the next moment.
I think Defoe choose this style to make his writings appealing universally. This style is good to read and enjoy by all the segment of readers of our society.
About the Author
Daniel Defoe (1660 - 1731), born in London, was an English writer and journalist, most celebrated for his novels Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders. Defoe began his career as a merchant, and later wrote many political pieces as a journalist and gained popularity. Around the age of 59, he published Robinson Crusoe, his first fiction novel, which became a bestseller. He produced more than 300 works in his lifetime, including fantasy novels. His stories have been adapted into many movies and plays over the years.