Read the poem.
excerpt from "The Inchcape Rock"
by Robert Southey
The buoy of the Inchcape Bell was seen,
A darker spot on the ocean green;
Sir Ralph the Rover walked his deck
And he fixed his eye on the darker speck.
He felt the cheering power of spring,—
It made him whistle, it made him sing;
His heart was mirthful to excess,
But the Rover’s mirth was wickedness.
His eye was on the Inchcape float.
Quoth he, “My men, put out the boat
And row me to the Inchcape Rock,
And I’ll plague the Abbot of Aberbrothok.”
The boat is lowered, the boatmen row,
And to the Inchcape Rock they go;
Sir Ralph bent over from the boat,
And he cut the bell from the Inchcape float.
Down sank the bell with a gurgling sound;
The bubbles rose and burst around.
Quoth Sir Ralph, “The next who comes to the Rock
Won’t bless the Abbot of Aberbrothok.”
Which theme does this excerpt best support?
Question 6 options:
Wickedness is its own punishment
Mirth can mask a wicked spirit.
Punishment eventually follows those who do bad deeds.
Deep down, people are basically good.