The Storm
SummaryA young boy, Alec is sailing home to America. The ship is also carrying a beautiful black untamed stallion. One night, a massive storm strikes and the ship is damaged. Just as Alec is about to get on to a lifeboat, he remembers the stallion and runs back to help it. He sets the stallion free
and it gallops past him, across the railings and into the sea.
In the process, Alec too is thrown into the waves. When Alec resurfaces, he sees that the ship is completely destroyed and finds the stallion swimming close by. He grabs the stallion’s rope and ties it around his waist. After hours, they
come across an island. When the horse’s hooves hit land, Alec struggles to undo the knot which has swelled in the water. Just in time, he remembers the pocket knife that his uncle had given him and uses it to set himself free.
This is an exciting adventure about a boy’s experience of a storm at sea. The descriptive language makes the story come alive as we read it. Young readers will look up to Alec in admiration as he manages to show presence of mind in various situations thus saving his life as well as that
of the horse.
Understanding the Text
A. 1. Alec could not turn his eyes away—he could not believe such a perfect animal existed.
2. But Alec knew that it would not be wise to get any closer and so, placed the sugar on the sill.
3. The storm began to subside a little and Alec felt new hope.
4. His startled eyes took in the scene about him. The Drake, struck by lightning, seemed almost cut in half!
5. If the stallion was alive, he was going to set him free and give him a chance to fight for life.
6. If he was to die, he would rather die with the mighty stallion than alone.
B.
1. Alec was happy that the horse didn’t turn away because he loved horses and had wanted to make friends with the Black since he first saw him. As this was the first time that the horse hadn’t turned away, Alec felt that the horse was finally accepting his presence.
2. Alec hurt himself when he fell down as the ship shook from battling the waves. When he regained consciousness, he realized that the ship’s engines were dead and that the situation had become very serious—people were in a state of panic, screaming and shouting while trying to get into lifeboats.
3. Alec had to wait for the next boat because the lifeboat was full by the time his turn to enter it came. If he had gotten on this boat, he might not have survived as none of the lifeboats appeared to have gone past the storm (not a single lifeboat was visible when Alec came up to the surface of the water which means that all of them had sunk in the storm). Moreover, the stallion would have likely died in the ship since nobody else had thought about him.
4. Alec was setting out to free the stallion so he could have a chance to survive. His actions are significant because he was the only person—a mere child at that—on the ship who had attempted to help the stallion. This tells us that Alec is thoughtful, considerate and brave.
5. The two instances that tell us that Alec is quick-thinking are as follows. One is where he grabs onto
the rope attached to the stallion’s halter while they are both in the ocean. Another is when he can’t untie the rope—and remembers his pocketknife, quickly choosing to use that instead.
6.
a. It suggests that the horse is intelligent and perceptive. He treats people with kindness when they treat him with kindness.
b. The horse has probably been mistreated thus far. If his previous owners had been harsh with him, it makes sense that he would not want anyone to come near him.
c. Alec had treated the horse with respect consistently. Not only did he bring him sugar cubes and then back off when the stallion did not seem to want him to come any closer, but he also went to save the horse during the storm. That is why the horse behaved differently with him.
A. 1. Alec could not turn his eyes away—he could not believe such a perfect animal existed.
2. But Alec knew that it would not be wise to get any closer and so, placed the sugar on the sill.
3. The storm began to subside a little and Alec felt new hope.
4. His startled eyes took in the scene about him. The Drake, struck by lightning, seemed almost cut in half!
5. If the stallion was alive, he was going to set him free and give him a chance to fight for life.
6. If he was to die, he would rather die with the mighty stallion than alone.
B.
1. Alec was happy that the horse didn’t turn away because he loved horses and had wanted to make friends with the Black since he first saw him. As this was the first time that the horse hadn’t turned away, Alec felt that the horse was finally accepting his presence.
2. Alec hurt himself when he fell down as the ship shook from battling the waves. When he regained consciousness, he realized that the ship’s engines were dead and that the situation had become very serious—people were in a state of panic, screaming and shouting while trying to get into lifeboats.
3. Alec had to wait for the next boat because the lifeboat was full by the time his turn to enter it came. If he had gotten on this boat, he might not have survived as none of the lifeboats appeared to have gone past the storm (not a single lifeboat was visible when Alec came up to the surface of the water which means that all of them had sunk in the storm). Moreover, the stallion would have likely died in the ship since nobody else had thought about him.
4. Alec was setting out to free the stallion so he could have a chance to survive. His actions are significant because he was the only person—a mere child at that—on the ship who had attempted to help the stallion. This tells us that Alec is thoughtful, considerate and brave.
5. The two instances that tell us that Alec is quick-thinking are as follows. One is where he grabs onto
the rope attached to the stallion’s halter while they are both in the ocean. Another is when he can’t untie the rope—and remembers his pocketknife, quickly choosing to use that instead.
6.
a. It suggests that the horse is intelligent and perceptive. He treats people with kindness when they treat him with kindness.
b. The horse has probably been mistreated thus far. If his previous owners had been harsh with him, it makes sense that he would not want anyone to come near him.
c. Alec had treated the horse with respect consistently. Not only did he bring him sugar cubes and then back off when the stallion did not seem to want him to come any closer, but he also went to save the horse during the storm. That is why the horse behaved differently with him.
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