The Ship is a supernatural sea story about Thomas, a young sailor keeping watch from the crow’s nest in the middle of the night. When he notices a mysterious ship approaching across the ocean, he is fascinated by its enormous size and beauty. But as the vessel draws closer, Thomas begins to notice something deeply disturbing — the strange ship looks exactly like his own.
This complete English lesson plan uses the story to develop students’ reading comprehension, vocabulary, speaking, discussion and writing skills.
The lesson includes the complete short story, introductory questions, reading comprehension activities, essential vocabulary, vocabulary practice, synonyms and antonyms, words and meanings, gap-fill and true-or-false exercises, discussion questions, a role play, a class debate and a creative writing activity. Full answer sections are also included for the teacher.
1. Look at the title “The Ship.” What kind of story do you think this might be?
2. Have you ever been on a ship or a large boat? What was the experience like?
3. What do you think would be difficult about working on a sailing ship hundreds of years ago?
4. Why would a lookout be important on a ship travelling at night?
5. Do you enjoy stories that leave some mysteries unexplained? Why or why not?
The Ship
Thomas tried to get into a more comfortable position in the crow’s nest.
He was too big for this now. They should have hired a younger boy for the job by now.
And anyway, he was nearly sixteen. He should be helping the deck hands at least. Not stuck up here in the middle of the night on lookout.
He was wretched cold.
Thomas pulled the thin blanket tighter around his body and tucked his chin low into his chest.
Even at his age, he could already see the light changing in the sky. Far in the distance, there was a slight change in the colour of the horizon. No longer jet black with stars dotted across the entire mass of it.
Dawn was coming.
In a couple of hours, the sun would be up and his shift would be over. Then he could go down and get some grub.
Sleep some.
Blake wouldn’t let him sleep too long though. He would give him four hours or so, then come down, heave him out of his hammock and tell him the decks needed to be scrubbed.
Thomas tried to turn his body, but it was impossible. The crow’s nest was just too small for him now.
A thick iron bolt protruded from the wooden side of the crow’s nest and dug painfully into his ribs. Thomas jerked his body away.
His eyes turned towards the far horizon.
There was something there.
A cloud.
At least, he thought it was a cloud.
The rules were that he was to report anything out of the ordinary. But in the past he had rung the bell only to be told by the men who came up to have a look that he was wasting their time.
“Dragons, great narwhales, mermaids or storms,” Blake had told him. “That’s all we want to know about from the likes of you.”
Then he had tapped Thomas around the back of his head and the other men had laughed.
Thomas squinted into the distance.
Looked like a cloud all right.
A big blooming cloud, like it was rising out of the depths of the very ocean itself.
But just a cloud nonetheless.
No need to get hasty about these things.
All he needed to do was sit there and wait for sun up.
Then eat and sleep.
His eyes settled on a cluster of stars straight ahead of him and he played the game that all sailors indulged in.
Making the stars tell your fortune. Seeing what lay ahead in young Thomas’s life.
The stars looked like one of those things they had seen back in the Orient.
What was it called now?
A hellyphant.
Great big thing with a long snake for a nose and huge great horns either side of its face.
Not angry though.
Placid as any cow he had seen back home.
Thomas had reached out and touched it and the great animal had wrapped its snake-nose around his body and hugged him.
Thomas wanted to see one of those hellyphants again.
He couldn’t wait to get back home and tell all the tales of his travels and the things he had seen.
Some unsightly, godforsaken things.
But some were real treasures. Beautiful sights to behold for such a young man’s eyes.
Thomas saw movement to his right.
He looked again.
The cloud was bigger.
And now it looked more solid.
Thomas pulled himself to his feet and, holding onto the mast, tried to make out what it was.
A storm cloud?
Didn’t look like one. Usually they were darker and you could almost feel the storm approaching.
This was no storm cloud.
Thomas pulled up the scope to get a better view.
The scope had a crack in the glass which put everything skew-whiff. Things didn’t look the way they were supposed to look, but it was better than nothing.
Thomas closed his left eye and tried to focus on the great shape ahead of him.
Slowly, it became clearer.
A ship.
Thomas lowered the scope.
Then raised it again.
Definitely a ship.
And not just any old ship neither.
This one was a real beauty.
It was majestic and seemed to glide with great grace across the top of the water.
Quite sure this was no pirate ship. No black flag to be seen.
But also, the ship looked too well made for that.
One of the King’s ships could be.
A ship like that could only be from England.
Blake had told Thomas loud and clear.
You see any ship in the middle of the night, you ring that bell!
Thomas knew he was supposed to do exactly that.
But some strange spell had come over him.
All he wanted to do was watch this beautiful vessel approaching.
It was the most beautiful ship he had ever seen.
And in his young life, Thomas had seen his fair share of ships of all shapes and sizes.
He pulled the scope down and could now make out the vessel with his naked eyes.
It was big.
Much bigger than the rusty old boat he was standing on.
This thing was huge.
Must be one of the King’s vessels. A ship that size could not belong to anyone else.
Thomas stood in the crow’s nest and stared as the ship approached.
He didn’t call out.
Didn’t make a sound to anyone below.
He had no clear idea how much time had passed, but now the ship was much closer.
And Thomas began to realise something was wrong.
He had thought the ship was perhaps twice the size of his own.
But it wasn’t.
It was much bigger than that.
Five times?
Ten?
Thomas stared at it, unable to make sense of what his eyes were telling him.
The ship continued to grow.
Its sails rose high into the night sky.
That was what he had mistaken for a cloud.
The sails.
Great white sheets, impossibly large, moving through the darkness.
Thomas looked down at his own ship and then back at the approaching vessel.
Twenty times.
It must be twenty times bigger.
Maybe more.
Thomas had never seen anything like it.
No man had.
There could not be a ship that size.
There simply could not.
And yet there it was.
Moving silently across the sea towards them.
Thomas felt the first small trace of fear in his stomach.
He raised the scope again.
The enormous ship filled the cracked glass.
He moved the scope slowly across its bow.
There was something about it.
Something familiar.
Thomas lowered the scope.
He looked down at his own deck.
Then back at the ship.
His eyes narrowed.
No.
That couldn’t be.
He raised the scope again.
There was a figurehead at the bow of the enormous vessel.
A woman with long hair, her arms stretched out towards the sea.
Thomas knew that woman.
He had spent enough time hanging over the side of his own ship cleaning the hull beneath her.
He looked down.
There she was.
Small and battered, but the same.
Thomas’s mouth went dry.
He looked back at the enormous ship.
The masts.
The sails.
The stern.
Even the patched sail near the rear mast.
It was all the same.
Thomas shook his head.
“No,” he whispered.
He pushed the scope against his eye.
There was writing along the side of the enormous hull.
The letters were still difficult to read through the cracked glass.
Thomas adjusted the scope.
One letter.
Then another.
He read the name.
His hands began to shake.
Thomas lowered the scope and looked down at the deck beneath him.
Painted on the side of their ship was the same name.
The Good Hope.
Thomas looked back.
The Good Hope.
The same ship.
But twenty times the size.
Something moved on the enormous deck.
Thomas quickly raised the scope.
A man.
He was walking towards the bow.
Even from this distance Thomas could see that he was enormous.
A giant.
Thomas followed him through the scope.
There was something strange about the way the man walked. His left shoulder was slightly lower than his right and one leg seemed to drag behind the other.
Thomas knew a man who walked like that.
Blake.
He lowered the scope.
“No. Can’t be.”
He looked down.
The deck below him was quiet.
Blake would be asleep in his hammock.
Thomas looked back through the scope.
The enormous Blake stopped at the bow.
Another man appeared behind him.
Then another.
Thomas knew them.
Every one.
Harris.
Old Bill.
Morgan.
Evans.
The men he ate with.
The men who shouted at him.
The men who laughed when Blake tapped him around the back of his head.
They were all there.
Thomas’s heart began to pound.
Then a thought entered his mind.
A thought he wished had not come.
If they were all there…
Where was he?
Thomas slowly raised the scope.
Up the enormous mast.
Past ropes as thick as ancient trees.
Past sails as big as fields.
Higher.
Higher still.
Until he reached the crow’s nest.
There was someone standing inside it.
Thomas stopped breathing.
A boy.
The boy had a thin blanket wrapped around his shoulders.
Thomas could see his hair.
His clothes.
His face.
The boy was holding a scope to one eye.
Looking directly at him.
Thomas lowered his scope.
Far above the enormous deck, the giant boy lowered his.
Thomas raised his right hand.
The boy raised his right hand.
Thomas lowered it.
The boy lowered his.
Thomas stared.
He raised the scope again.
The other boy did the same.
Thomas moved his head to the left.
The other Thomas moved his head to the left.
He moved to the right.
The other Thomas followed.
For a moment, Thomas felt something almost like relief.
A reflection.
That was all.
Some trick of the sea.
Some strange reflection in the night air.
Thomas stood perfectly still.
The enormous Thomas stood perfectly still too.
Then the enormous Thomas smiled.
Thomas did not.
The scope slipped from Thomas’s hand and struck the wooden side of the crow’s nest.
He stumbled backwards.
The giant Thomas was still smiling.
Thomas reached for the bell.
He grabbed the rope and pulled it as hard as he could.
The bell rang out across the sleeping ship.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Below, men began shouting.
A door flew open.
“What is it?”
“Who’s ringing that blooming bell?”
Thomas kept pulling.
Blake stumbled onto the deck, pulling on his coat.
“What is it now, boy?”
Thomas couldn’t speak.
He pointed.
Blake looked towards the horizon.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he took the scope from one of the men beside him and raised it to his eye.
Thomas watched him.
Blake’s face changed.
All the anger disappeared.
He lowered the scope.
“Sweet Lord above.”
The other men were looking now.
Some shouted.
Some said nothing at all.
One man dropped to his knees.
Another began praying.
The enormous ship was so close now that it seemed to fill the world.
Its great hull rose out of the ocean like a cliff.
The men stared up at it.
Then Harris screamed.
He pointed towards the enormous deck.
“That’s me up there!”
The men began shouting over one another.
Thomas looked back towards the giant crow’s nest.
The other Thomas was no longer smiling.
He had turned away.
He was reaching for something.
The bell.
Thomas stared.
The giant Thomas took hold of the rope.
And pulled.
Nothing happened.
Thomas waited.
Then the sound came.
BOOOOOM.
It rolled across the ocean like thunder.
The mast beneath Thomas shook.
The ropes trembled.
Men covered their ears.
BOOOOOM.
The sea itself seemed to vibrate.
Thomas gripped the edge of the crow’s nest.
Below, Blake was screaming.
“Turn her! Turn her now!”
Men ran in every direction.
Ropes were pulled.
Orders were shouted.
The wheel spun.
Slowly, painfully, The Good Hope began to turn.
Thomas looked at the enormous ship.
For one brief moment he thought they might escape it.
Then the giant ship began to turn too.
Exactly as they had.
Blake saw it.
Everyone saw it.
“Faster!” he screamed.
But there was nowhere to go.
The enormous ship was coming directly towards them.
Its bow towered above the sea.
Higher than any building Thomas had ever seen.
Higher than the church tower back home.
Higher than anything that had any right to be floating upon the ocean.
Men screamed.
Some ran below deck.
Others simply stood and stared.
Thomas did neither.
He remained in the crow’s nest.
Watching.
The giant ship was almost upon them now.
Thomas tilted his head back.
High above him, surrounded by enormous sails and ropes, was the other crow’s nest.
The giant Thomas stood inside it.
He was looking down.
Directly at Thomas.
The enormous boy smiled again.
Then he slowly raised one hand.
And waved.
Reading Comprehension Questions
1. Who is the main character?
2. Where is he and what is he doing?
3. Why does Thomas think they should hire a younger boy?
4. How old is Thomas?
5. What job does Thomas think he should be doing instead?
6. Why does Thomas pull the blanket tighter around himself?
7. What change can Thomas see on the horizon?
8. What time of day is approaching?
9. What does Thomas want to do when his shift is over?
10. What new character is introduced at this point in the story?
11. How much sleep does Thomas expect Blake to allow him?
12. What work will Thomas have to do after sleeping?
13. Why is it difficult for Thomas to move around in the crow’s nest?
14. What hurts Thomas in the crow’s nest?
15. What does Thomas think he can see on the horizon?
16. What is Thomas supposed to do if he sees anything unusual?
17. Why is Thomas reluctant to report what he has seen?
18. What kinds of things has Blake told Thomas to report?
19. How have the other sailors reacted when Thomas raised false alarms in the past?
20. What does Thomas decide the object on the horizon probably is?
21. Why does Thomas decide not to ring the bell?
22. What does Thomas plan to do when the sun comes up?
23. What game does Thomas play while looking at the stars?
24. What does the cluster of stars remind Thomas of?
25. What animal does Thomas mean when he calls it a “hellyphant”?
26. Why might Thomas not know the correct name of the animal?
27. How does Thomas describe the animal’s nose and horns?
28. What happened when Thomas touched the animal?
29. How does Thomas feel about the animal?
30. What is Thomas looking forward to doing when he returns home?
31. Has everything Thomas has seen on his travels been pleasant?
32. What change does Thomas notice in the cloud?
33. Why does Thomas decide it probably isn’t a storm cloud?
34. What does Thomas mean when he refers to his “scope”?
35. What is wrong with the scope?
36. How does the crack affect what Thomas can see through it?
37. What does Thomas finally realise the shape is?
38. What is Thomas’s first impression of the ship?
39. Why does Thomas think it is not a pirate ship?
40. Where does Thomas think the ship might have come from?
41. Who does Thomas think the ship might belong to?
42. What has Blake instructed Thomas to do if he sees a ship during the night?
43. Why does Thomas not immediately ring the bell?
44. What is unusual about Thomas’s reaction to the approaching ship?
45. Has Thomas seen many ships before?
46. What does it mean that Thomas could see the vessel with his “naked eyes”?
47. How does the approaching ship compare in size with Thomas’s ship?
48. Why does Thomas continue to think it belongs to the King?
49. Does Thomas warn anyone below deck?
50. When does Thomas begin to realise that something is wrong?
51. How large did Thomas originally think the ship was?
52. Why is Thomas unable to believe what he is seeing?
53. What did Thomas originally mistake for a cloud?
54. How are the sails of the enormous ship described?
55. Approximately how much larger does Thomas eventually think the ship is compared to his own?
56. Why does Thomas find the size of the ship impossible to believe?
57. How is the enormous ship moving across the sea?
58. What emotion does Thomas begin to feel?
59. What does Thomas notice as he examines the ship more closely?
60. Why does Thomas look from the enormous ship to his own deck?
61. What is on the bow of the enormous vessel?
62. Why is the figurehead significant to Thomas?
63. How does Thomas recognise the figurehead?
64. What other details of the enormous ship look familiar?
65. What does Thomas try to read through the scope?
66. Why is it difficult for him to read the letters?
67. What is the name of Thomas’s ship?
68. What name is written on the enormous ship?
69. What does Thomas finally realise about the enormous vessel?
70. What does Thomas see moving on the enormous deck?
71. How can Thomas tell that the man is a giant?
72. What is unusual about the man’s walk?
73. Who does Thomas realise the giant man is?
74. Where should the real Blake be at that moment?
75. Why does Thomas say, “No. Can’t be”?
76. What does Thomas realise about the other men who appear on the enormous deck?
77. Which members of the crew does Thomas recognise?
78. What question suddenly enters Thomas’s mind?
79. Where does Thomas look for his own counterpart?
80. How are the ropes and sails of the enormous ship described?
81. Who is standing in the enormous crow’s nest?
82. What is the boy wearing around his shoulders?
83. What is the boy holding?
84. Who does Thomas realise the boy is?
85. What happens when Thomas lowers his scope?
86. What happens when Thomas raises and lowers his hand?
87. Why does Thomas move his head from side to side?
88. What explanation does Thomas initially find for what he is seeing?
89. Why does this explanation make Thomas feel some relief?
90. What does Thomas do to test his theory?
91. What does the enormous Thomas do that proves he is not simply a reflection?
92. How does Thomas react when the enormous Thomas smiles?
93. What does Thomas do to alert the crew?
94. How many times does Thomas ring the bell?
95. How do the men below react?
96. What does Thomas do when Blake asks him what is wrong?
97. What happens to Blake’s expression when he looks through the scope?
98. What does Blake’s reaction tell us about what he sees?
99. How do the sailors react when they see the enormous ship?
100. How close is the enormous ship now?
101. What does its hull look like to the men?
102. What does Harris see on the enormous deck?
103. What is the giant Thomas reaching for?
104. Why does nothing happen immediately when the giant Thomas pulls the bell rope?
105. What happens after Thomas waits?
106. How powerful is the sound of the enormous bell?
107. How do the sailors react to the sound?
108. What does Blake mean when he shouts, “Turn her!”?
109. What do the crew do to try to escape?
110. Does The Good Hope manage to change direction?
111. What does the enormous ship do when The Good Hope turns?
112. Why does their attempt to escape appear hopeless?
113. How does Thomas compare the height of the enormous ship with things he knows?
114. How do the sailors react as the ship comes towards them?
115. What does Thomas do instead of running below deck?
116. Where is the giant Thomas standing?
117. Who is the giant Thomas looking at?
118. What does the giant Thomas do at the very end of the story?
119. What do you think the giant Thomas’s final wave might mean?
Essential Vocabulary
crow’s nest | deck hand | lookout |
wretched | horizon | dawn |
grub | hammock | protrude |
rib | ordinary | narwhal |
squint | blooming | hasty |
fortune | Orient | placid |
unsightly | godforsaken | behold |
mast | scope | skew-whiff |
majestic | glide | vessel |
naked eye | trace | bow |
figurehead | hull | stern |
patched | drag | counterpart |
reflection | stumble | alert |
pray | vibrate | grip |
tower | tilt | directly |
Vocabulary Practice Exercise
Follow the steps below to help you learn and remember new words and phrases more effectively:
1. Write each new word or phrase in your vocabulary notebook.
2. Look up the meaning of each word in your dictionary. Write a clear and simple definition next to the word.
3. Create your own sentence using the word or phrase correctly. Try to make the sentence meaningful and connected to your own life or experiences.
Examples
Crow’s nest – a platform high on a ship’s mast used as a lookout point.
Example sentence: The sailor climbed into the crow’s nest to watch for land.
Majestic – very impressive, beautiful or grand.
Example sentence: The majestic old ship entered the harbour with all its sails raised.
Why do this?
Doing this regularly will help you improve all areas of your English — reading, writing, speaking, and listening. By writing definitions and making your own examples, you are actively using the language, which helps it stick in your memory.
Discussion Questions
1. Why do you think Thomas is unhappy about still working in the crow’s nest?
2. Why does Blake’s earlier treatment of Thomas make him hesitate to ring the bell?
3. What does Thomas’s memory of the ‘hellyphant’ tell us about his age and experience?
4. Why is Thomas so fascinated by the approaching ship at first?
5. At what point does the beautiful ship become frightening? Why?
6. Why do you think the enormous ship is an exact copy of The Good Hope?
7. What is especially disturbing about seeing giant versions of the crew?
8. Why does Thomas initially want to believe the other Thomas is only a reflection?
9. Why is the giant Thomas’s smile more frightening than if he simply copied Thomas?
10. What do the sailors’ different reactions tell us about fear?
11. Do you think the enormous ship is supernatural, or could there be another explanation?
12. Could the giant ship represent Thomas’s future, fate or death? Why or why not?
13. Why do you think the story never explains where the enormous ship comes from?
14. Does an unexplained ending make a story more interesting or more frustrating?
15. What do you think happens immediately after the final wave?
16. If you were Thomas, would you have rung the bell as soon as you saw the ship? Why?
17. How important is the setting at night to the atmosphere of the story?
18. Which image or moment in the story do you find the most unsettling?
19. Would the story work as well if the strange ship were the same size as The Good Hope?
20. What do you think the title ‘The Ship’ means after you have finished the story?
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