Narrative Poem and Ballad. A narrative poem is any verse that tells a story. A ballad is a simple poem that tells a story. Most ballads have four-line stanzas, and the second and fourth lines usually rhyme. As you read “The Wreck of the Hesperus,” think about how the poem is telling a story. Stanza. A stanza is a group of lines in a poem. Stanzas are usually separated by spaces from other stanzas. Look at the first stanza of the poem. Which lines rhyme? Use the graphic organizer at left to help. | 
• American History connection. In December 1839, 20 bodies from the schooner Hesperus washed ashore. One of the bodies was tied to the mast of the ship. The schooner was destroyed on the rocks of Norman’s Reef, or Norman’s Woe, off Gloucester, Massachusetts. Longfellow wrote in his journal about his horror upon hearing of this disaster, and a few days later wrote the poem. • Commercial fishing has played a major role in the history of Gloucester, which was first settled in 1623. As a monument to the many lives lost at sea, Gloucester erected the Fisherman’s Memorial, a statue of a fisherman at the wheel of a ship with the inscription, “They that go down to the sea in ships.” • Math and Science Connection. Sailing ships need wind to move, but very strong winds can be dangerous. Sir Francis Beaufort devised a scale, based on ocean conditions, to classify winds. In the Beaufort Scale there are 13 force levels. At Force 0, the ocean is calm with a mirrorlike surface. The forces rise gradually in intensity. At Force 12, hurricane-force winds blow above an extremely turbulent sea. Force 12 winds begin at 74 miles per hour; gusts can reach 220 miles per hour. Winds are fiercest near the eye, or center, of the storm. Hurricanes often cause damage because of the force of their winds, torrential rains, and storm surges along the coast. Storm surges are walls of water that can be sucked up to 25 feet high in the eye of the storm. Write the following stanza. Place an X next to each of the two lines that rhyme. Do the same for other stanzas in the poem. It was the schooner Hesperus,
That sailed the wintry sea;
And the skipper had taken his little daughter,
To bear him company. 
Have you ever seen a shipwreck or a smashed-up automobile? What did viewing such destruction make you think about?
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