What are the differences between a short story and a novel?
What is the difference between a novel and a novella?
Have you heard of Robinson Crusoe?
Robinson Crusoe is a character in Daniel Defoe’s novel, ‘The Life and Adventures of Robinson
Crusoe’, published in the year 1919.
Read the following extract from Robinson Crusoe’s diary.
Watch the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIEfRR9KvJM
impression (n) - an idea or opinion of what something or someone is like
utterly(adv)-completely or extremely:
alone (adj)-without other people
middle (n)-the central point, position, or part:
plunge(v)-(cause someone or something to) move or fall suddenly and often a long way forward, down, or into something:
abyss(n)-a very deep hole that seems to have no bottom
bob(v)-to move up and down quickly and gently, especially on the surface of water:
crates(n)-a box made of wood, plastic, or metal, especially one divided into parts to hold bottles:
stupidly(adv)-in a way that is silly or unwise, or shows little intelligence:
contemplate (v)-to spend time considering a possible future action, or to consider one particular thing for a long time in a serious and quiet way:
cargo(n)-the goods carried by a ship, aircraft, or other large vehicle:
scattered(adj)-covering a wide area:
evidence(n)-one or more reasons for believing that something is or is not true:
dawned on -to begin to be understood or realized by (someone) for the first time
afloat(adj) -floating on water
indefinitely(adv)-for a period of time with no fixed end:
reassuring(adj)-making you feel less worried
predicament(n)-an unpleasant situation that is difficult to get out of:
life raft(n)-a type of boat that is carried on a large ship and is used in emergencies, for example when the ship is sinking, to take people to safety
crest(n)- the top or highest part of something such as a wave or a hill:
instant(n)-happening immediately, without any delay:
grab(v)- to take hold of something or someone suddenly and roughly:
rigging(n)- the ropes that support and control a ship's sails
momentarily(adv)-for a very short time
pant(v)-to breathe quickly and loudly through your mouth, usually because you have been doing something very energetic:
whipped-to hit a person with a whip, esp. for punishment, or to hit an animal with a whip in order to control it or make it move more quickly:
1 My first impression was that I was utterly
alone in the middle of the ocean. The ship
plunged into an abyss and disappeared. I
had no idea what was happening. I took
hold of one of the bobbing crates and
stupidly began to contemplate the sea. It
was a perfectly clear day. Except for the
choppy waves produced by the wind and
the cargo scattered across the surface
there was no evidence of a shipwreck.
Soon I began to hear shouts nearby.
Through the sharp whistling of the wind,
I recognised the voice of Julio Amador
Caraballo, the tall, well-built officer who
was yelling at someone, 'Fatso, hold there.'
2 It was as if in that instant I had
awakened from a moment's deep sleep.
It dawned on me that I wasn't alone in
the sea. There, only a few meters away,
my mates were shouting to one another
and trying to stay afloat. Quickly, I began
to think. I couldn't swim in just any
direction. I knew we were about fifty miles
from Cartagena, but I was not yet
frightened. For a moment I thought I
could hold on to the crate indefinitely,
until help arrived. It was reassuring to
know that all around me other sailors were
in the same predicament. That was when
I saw the raft.
There were two life rafts about seven
meters apart. They appeared unexpectedly
on the crest of a wave, near where my
mates were calling out. It seemed odd that
none of them could reach the life rafts.
In an instant, one of the rafts disappeared
from view. I couldn't decide, I found
myself swimming towards the one I could
see, which was moving farther away from
me. I swam for about three minutes. I lost
sight of the raft momentarily, but I was
careful not to lose my bearings. Suddenly,
a rough wave pushed the rafts alongside
me - it was huge, white, and empty. I
struggled to grab the rigging and jump
aboard. I made it on the third try. Once
on the raft, panting, whipped by the wind,
immobilized and freezing, I found it hard
to sit up. Then I saw three of my mates
near the raft, trying to reach it.
4 I recognized them immediately. Castillo had a firm grip around Caraballo's neck.Caraballo, who had been on watch when the accident occurred, was wearing his life jacket. He yelled: ‘Hold on tight, Castillo.’ They floated amid the scattered cargo, about ten meters away.
On the otherside was Luis Rengifo, trying to stay above water with his headphones aloft in his right hand. He had stripped off his shirt so that he could swim better, but he had lost his life jacket. Even if I hadn't seen him, I would have recognised his cry, ‘Fatso, Paddle over here.’
5 I quickly grabbed the oars and tried to get closer to the men. Caraballo, with Castillo clinging to his neck, neared the raft. Much farther away, looking small and desolate, was the fourth of my mates:Ramon Herrera, who was waving at me while he held on to a crate.
6.If I had had to decide, I wouldn’t have known which of my mates to go after first. But when I saw Herrera, the happy young man from Arjona, who had been with me only a few moments before, I
began to paddle furiously. But the life raft was almost two meters long. It was very heavy in that lurching sea, and I had to row against the wind. I don't think I managed to advance more than a meter.
Desperate, I looked around once more and saw that Herrera had disappeared. Only Rengifo was swimming confidently towards the raft. I was sure he would make it. I had heard him snoring below my bunk, and I was convinced that his serenity was stronger than the sea.
7.In contrast, Caraballo was struggling with Castillo, so that Castillo wouldn't let go of his neck. They were less than three meters away. I figured that if they got just a little closer, I could hold out an oar for them to grab. But at that moment a gigantic wave lifted the raft, and from the top of the huge crest I could see the mast of the small ship, heading away from me. When I came down again, Caraballo had vanished, with Castillo hanging on to his neck.Alone, two meters away,Rengifo was still swimming calmly towards the raft.
8 I don't know why I did this absurd thing: knowing I couldn't move forward, I put the oar in the water as though trying to prevent the raft from moving, trying to anchor it in place. Rengifo, exhausted, paused a moment, then raised his arm as he had when he held his headphones aloft, and shouted again: ‘Fatso, Row over here!’
9.The wind was blowing from his direction. I yelled that I couldn't row against the wind, that he should make another try, but I felt he hadn't heard me.The crates of cargo had disappeared and the life raft danced from side to side,battered by the waves. In an instant I was five meters away from Rengifo and had lost sight of him. But he appeared in another spot, still not panicking, ducking underwater to prevent the waves from sweeping him away. I stood up, holding out the oar, hoping Rengifo could get close enough to reach it. But then I could see he was tiring, losing heart. He called to me again, sinking: ‘Fatso! Fatso!’
10 I tried to row, but... it was as hopeless as the first time. I made a last try so that Rengifo could reach the oar, but the raised hand, which a few minutes earlier had been trying to keep the headphones from sinking, sank forever, less than two meters from the oar.
11 I don't know how long I stayed like that,balancing in the life raft, holding out the oar. I kept searching the water, hoping that someone would surface soon. But the sea was clear and the wind, getting stronger, blew against my shirt like the howl of a dog. The cargo had disappeared. The mast, growing more distinct, proved that the small ship hadn't sunk, as I had first thought. I felt calm. I thought that one of my mates had managed to reach the other life raft.
12.There was no reason they shouldn't have reached it. The rafts weren't provisioned- in fact, none of the life rafts of the small ship was outfitted. But there were six of them, apart from the rowboats and the whalers. It was reasonable to believe that some of my mates had reached the other life rafts, as I had reached mine, and perhaps the destroyer was searching for us.
Very soon I was aware of the sun. A midday sun, hot and metallic. Stupefied, not fully recovered, I looked at my watch. It was noon on the dot.
13.The last time Rengifo had asked me the time, on the small ship, it was 11.30. I had checked the time again and the disaster had not yet occurred. When I looked at my watch on the life raft, it was exactly noon. It had taken only ten minutes for everything to happen-for me to reach the life raft, and try to rescue my shipmates, and stand motionless in the raft, searching the empty sea, listening to the sharp howl of the wind. I thought it would take them at least two or three hours to rescue me.
14.Two or three hours, I calculated. It seemed an extraordinarily long time to be alone at sea. But I tried to resign myself to it. I had no food or water, and by three in the afternoon I would surely have a searing thirst. The sun burned my head and my skin, which was dry and hardened by salt. Since I had lost my cap, I splashed water on my head, and I just sat on the side of the raft, waiting to be rescued.
It was only then that I felt the pain in my right knee. The thick, blue drill fabric of my trouser leg was wet, so I had a hard time rolling it up. But when I did, I was startled: I saw a deep, half-moon-shaped wound on the lower part of my knee. I didn't know if I had gashed it on the side of the ship, or if it had happened when I hit the water, for I didn't notice it until I was seated in the life raft. Though the wound burned a little, it had stopped bleeding and was completely dry, because of the salt water, I imagine.
15.Uncertain as to what to do, I decided to make an inventory of my belongings. I wanted to figure out what I could count on in my solitude at sea. First of all, I could rely on my watch, which kept perfect time, and which I couldn't stop glancing at every two or three minutes. In addition, I had my gold ring, which I'd bought in Cartagena the year before, and a chain with a medal of the Virgin of Carmen on it, also purchased in Cartagena, from another sailor for thirty- five pesos. In my pockets I had nothing but the keys to my locker on the small ship and three business cards I had been given at a store in Mobile one day in January when I had gone out shopping. Since I had nothing to do, I read the cards over and over to distract myself until I was rescued.
https://hssliveguru.com/kerala-syllabus-8th-standard-english-solutions-unit-2-chapter-1/
