A Royal Navy boatswain (pronounced bo-sun) in about 1820, from the National Maritime Museum. The expression on his face was probably not much different from lieutenant Jack Larmour’s, when Polly stole the boatswain’s tune. Admiral Thomas Cochrane was one of Britain’s most daring and most controversial naval commanders, who served with distinction in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and played a decisive role in winning the independence of Chile, Peru and Brazil. He also made the squabbling Greek revolutionaries agree on a united government in 1827.
ON board most ships there is a pet animal of some kind. Ours was a parrot, which was Jack Larmour’s aversion, from the exactness with which the bird had learned to imitate the calls of the boatswain’s whistle. Sometimes the parrot would pipe an order so correctly as to throw the ship into momentary confusion, and the first lieutenant into a volley of imprecations, consigning Poll to a warmer latitude than his native tropical forests.
One day a party of ladies paid us a visit aboard, and several had been hoisted on deck by the usual means of a ‘whip’ on the mainyard.* The chair had descended for another ‘whip,’ but scarcely had its fair freight been lifted out of the boat alongside, than the unlucky parrot piped ‘Let go!’* The order being instantly obeyed, the unfortunate lady, instead of being comfortably seated on deck, was soused overhead in the sea!* Luckily for Poll, Jack Larmour was on shore at the time, or this unseasonable assumption of the boatswain’s functions might have ended tragically.
Abridged
Abridged from ‘The Autobiography of a Seaman’ Vol. 1 (1861), by Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald (1755-1860).
A whip or gantline is a simple rope and pulley, normally used for lifting cargo on and off the ship. The mainyard is a horizontal spar of the mainmast, from which the mainsail hangs down.
Note that the parrot did not actually say ‘Let go’ in so many words, but piped a command to loose the whip as if on a boatswain’s whistle.
Soused means thoroughly soaked, or plunged into liquid, especially into brine (salty water) for pickling.
Questions for Critics
1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?
2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?
3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?
Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.
Précis
The ‘Hind’ had a pet parrot, which could imitate all the boatswain’s piped commands. One day, a Norwegian party toured the ship, and as one lady was being lifted up onto the deck the parrot piped ‘Let go’. Instinctively, the crew complied, dropping her into the sea. Happily, the lieutenant was on hand to rescue her. (56 / 60 words)
The ‘Hind’ had a pet parrot, which could imitate all the boatswain’s piped commands. One day, a Norwegian party toured the ship, and as one lady was being lifted up onto the deck the parrot piped ‘Let go’. Instinctively, the crew complied, dropping her into the sea. Happily, the lieutenant was on hand to rescue her.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: although, because, besides, may, not, or, whether, who.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 His. Hoist. Tragic.
2 Uncle. Usual. Voyage.
3 Lady. Place. Simplicity.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Adjectives Find in Think and Speak
For each word below, compose sentences to show that it may be used as an adjective. Adjectives provide extra information about a noun, e.g. a black cat, a round table, the early bird etc..
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Equal. 2 Farther. 3 Warm. 4 Modern. 5 Unlucky. 6 Native. 7 Near. 8 Usual. 9 Several.
Variations: 1.show whether your adjective can also be used as e.g. a noun, verb or adverb. 2.show whether your adjective can be used in comparisons (e.g. good/better/best). 3.show whether your adjective can be used in attributive position (e.g. a dangerous corner) and also in predicate position (this corner is dangerous).
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
rdng (5+1)
eroding. radioing. raiding. reading. riding.
redoing.
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