Novel: We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea
All about the Author
Arthur Michell Ransome
Arthur Ransome was born in January 18, 1884 in England.
He was an English author and journalist.
He is best known for writing the Swallows and Amazons series of children’s books about the school- holiday adventures of children.
From young, his father encouraged in him a love for the water and of yachts with their frequent trips to the Lake District area. Thus, he developed a fascination for the English Lake District and many of his books involve sailing, fishing or
camping.
In 1935, Arthur bought a seven-ton cutter soon after the move from Evgenia to Suffolk.
He named the seven-ton cutter as Nancy Blackett and his experiences aboard the Nancy prompted the writing of his next book, We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea.
Arthur Ransome won the inaugural Carnegie Medal from the Library
Association, which is recognising Pigeon Post in the Swallows and Amazons series as the year’s best children’s book.
His books have also been published in several languages and made into plays or performed in theatres.
In June 1967, Arthur Ransome died.
Understanding the Novel
Synopsis In We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea, the Walker children – John, Susan, Titty and Roger go to Pin Mill with their mother, Mrs. Walker, to meet their father, Commander Walker. There, they meet a young sailor called Jim Brading. Jim invites the children to sail aboard the Goblin for two days.
Mrs. Walker allows them to do that but wants them promise that they will not leave the harbour.
So, they set off on their trip in the Goblin. However, Jim doesn’t anticipate the fact that he will run out of petrol, so he leaves the children in his small yacht to get some petrol. The children wait for a long time but Jim does not return. Unluckily, an unexpected bank of fog drifts over the river, and the tide begins to rise. John attempt to put out more chain, but he loses the anchor. So, the yacht drifts further out, beyond the Beach End, into the North Sea, right into a storm.
The elder siblings, John and Susan are debating their next step. And finally they decide to stay out the sea because it is the safest course. . The storm is so bad that John is almost swept overboard. The following morning, John tries to persuade Susan to continue to the nearest port rather than
sailing back to Harwich. During the adventurous trip, they also rescue a kitten on a packing case.
Luckily, they see a pilot boat and ask the Dutch pilot to help them enter the harbour. They arrive safely at Flushing just as Mr. Walker is about to leave on a ferry bound for Harwich. He joins his children on the Goblin to sail back to Pin Mill. They reunite with their mother and Jim.
Plot Summary Exposition
John, Susan, Titty and Roger follow their mother, Mrs. Walker to Pin Mill to meet their father, Commander Walker. At there, they meet with a young sailor, Jim Brading. Jim invites them to sail aboard the Goblin for two days.
Mrs. Walker allows them to go but wants them to promise that they will not leave the harbour and will come back in time to meet their father. The children agree and set off the trip in the Goblin.
Rising Action
With the wind behind them, they get into Harwich harbour and moor off to Shotley Pier to make a call to their mother. However, the ship runs out of petrol so Jim leaves in a dinghy to get a can of petrol. The children wait as agreed but Jim does not return. Unluckily, an unexpected bank of fog drifts over the river, and the tide begins to rise.
Climax
John attempts to put out more chain, but he loses the anchor. So, the yacht drifts further out, beyond the Beach End, into the North Sea, right into a storm. The elder siblings, John and Susan are debating about their next step.
And finally, John decides to hoist the sails and go further out to sea because it is safer. So, the Goblin sails east into the North Sea. They get through a stormy night and Susan finally gets over her sickness and manages the helm.
John is almost swept overboard but he succeeds in doing what he wants to do. They face a violent storm on their own among treacherous shoals.
Falling Action
At dawn, the weather is clear and the sea is calm. So, they steer the yacht across the North Sea to the nearest port. Along the way, they rescue a kitten floating on a packing case. When they approach the Southern Netherlands, they see a pilot boat and ask a Dutch pilot to help them get to the harbour.
Finally, they arrive safely at Flushing at the same time as their father is leaving on a ferry to Harwich. Commander Walker joins his children in the Goblin and sail back to Pin Mill.
Resolution
Commander Walker and his children reach Harwich safely. They reunited with their mother and Jim. Jim tells the children that he had been
unconscious in hospital for two days, suffering for concussion after being involved in a collision with a motor bus. Commander Walker also tells his wife that the children did not mean to go to sea.
Setting and Time
▪ Time
The story takes place in August over a period of 5 days.
▪ Place
The North Sea Flushing, Holland Harwich
Themes Family love and support
The Walker family shows strong family love and support when facing challenging situations like the storms on the sea. John takes on his responsibility as the brother to take care of his younger siblings when they are in danger.
Teamwork
The children are aware that they need to work together to make their way safely home. They take up their own responsibilities when they are caught in the dangerous situation.
Sense of responsibility and strength
John and Susan who are the eldest among the children show their sense of responsibility and take care of the younger siblings well.
They indirectly give each other strength to face the challenging situation on the sea.
Knowledge
John remembers all the things that he had learned from Jim and uses that knowledge when he is suddenly thrown into a dangerous
situation.
Importance of keeping promise
Susan is very anxious not to go out to the sea because of her promise to her mother. Even at sea, she still worries about breaking her
promise to mother. She even scolds her brother, John for not turning back and breaking the promise.
Moral Values We must love and support our family.
We should cooperate with our friends or family to face the challenging situation.
We must be confident and always believe in ourselves.
We must always be prepared to gain knowledge whenever the opportunities arise.
We should take up our responsibilities to overcome the challenging situation.
Point of View It is written in the third person point of view.
Tone and Mood
• TONE: expressive and anxious
The readers may feel the anxiety of the characters as they battle their way through the storm
• MOOD: appealing and caring
The characters show strong cooperation and consider each other’s fear and feelings
Language and Style
Simple language and easy to understand
There are dialogues between the characters and this makes the story come alive.
Graphology plays an important part in creating tension and suspense in the atmosphere.
Colour (visual) and– black buoy, red mainsail, white yacht, etc.
There is a lot of words describe sounds and provides clear images in readers’ mind. For example, “Beu...eueueueueu” of the Cork lightship or the “bang, bang, bang” of another boat.
Characters and Characteristics
Characters Characteristics and Textual Evidence John Walker Knowledgeable
He observes and learns the ropes of handling the Goblin from Jim.
Intelligent
He is able to remember the things that he and Jim talked about and uses that information to navigate the treacherous waters.
Brave and courageous
He takes the risk to makes the sail smaller during the terrible storm at the sea
Responsible
He takes over as captain of the Goblin when they drift out to sea Capable
He manages to handle the tiller well.
Decisive
He makes a decision to sail on and not turn back in the fog Helpful
He offers to help Jim put his things away Careless
He loses the chain as it slips into the water.
Susan Walker Considerate
She asks Mother not to wake up Jim who fell asleep on the table Emotional
She shouts at Jim when the Goblin is adrift Responsible
She reminds her Father to send telegram to her Mother and insists that the telegram must be sent
Caring
She prepares meals for others while they were on the yacht Worries easily
She worries when she thinks John has hurt himself Careful
She warns John about hitting a black buoy
Jim Brading Friendly
Invites the Walker children to sail in the Goblin Well-mannered
He apologises for falling asleep on the table Responsible
-Promises to get the children back to Pin Mill in time to meet Commander Walker. (p 8)
-Promises Mrs. Walker not to take the children beyond the harbor. (p 11) Polite
He apologizes for having fallen asleep at the table. (p 7,9) Brave
He sailed on the Goblin alone until meeting up with his uncle Careless
He forgets to check on the petrol and the petrol runs out Roger
Walker
Titty Walker
Observant
He notices that there is a cat on the box floating in the water
Intelligent He suggests playing the whistle in the cabin to trick the Dutch pilot into thinking there are adults on board
Practical
He is the one who suggests sending a telegram to his Mother once his Father aboard the Goblin
Caring
She insists that they must save the kitten as soon as she saw it Responsible
She takes care of Sinbad well Curious
She asks Jim about what will happen if the engine does not start Imaginative
She names the cat Sinbad like Sinbad the sailor in the story Mrs Walker Loving
She allows her children to go sailing with Jim Brading knowing that they will enjoy it
Friendly
She invites Jim to have supper when she hears Jim has not taken any meal for the whole trip
Firm
She allows the children to go provided they come back in time to meet their father
Careful
She finds out more about Jim Brading before allowing her children to go sailing with him
Considerate
She wants to tell Mrs. Powell that they will not be back for lunch before she joins them all for lunch on the Goblin
Responsible
She wants to find out where Jim is taking the children sailing and asks him to show her on a chart
Commander Walker
Considerate
He does not want to shock Mrs. Walker about the children sailing in the stormy weather on the sea, thus he redirects the telegram to her through his friend.
Calm
He does not seem surprised at all to find his four children on a yacht in a Dutch Harbour
Understanding
He gives his children time to explain their situation after they had a good meal
Capable
He knows when to use the engine to sail against the tide Loving
The children are happy that he is with them on the Goblin Pilot in
Flushing
Friendly
Speaks in a friendly way to John Helpful
He does not ask for any payment for leading the yacht to Flushing harbour Respectful
He admires John’s feat of crossing the North Sea