Book Club: Discussion Questions

The novel begins with four letters written by Robert Walton, who was sailing North, in search for a faster route. In these letters, Walton explains to his sister, Mrs. Saville, of the lonely life upon the ship and how he has no true friends. Mrs. Saville, who is following their father’s orders, reinsures her brother of the evil at sea, but Walton only wanted fame and glory. Walton is sailing through the Artic when his ship is surrounded by ice; one day among the ice, his men saw a man of a gigantic stature being led by a sled of dogs. The next morning, the sailors were on the deck when from afar they saw another dog drawn sled. Upon its approach, Walton noticed its guide was emancipated and convinced him to come aboard. All of the sailors where

He never gave up hope and continued to find his way back home. He also shows loyalty to the god by not cursing them for all the harmful events that occur during his journey

Both Olaudah Equiano and Robinson Crusoe confronted many misfortunes throughout their lives, Crusoe through adversity as a voyager and Equiano through life as a slave. However, they correspondingly persevere through those hardships and evolve into resilient men. Through Equiano and Crusoe’s conversion to Christianity their adventure sailing they are able to discover and develop their identities.

If you were thrown overboard a ship and had to survive in the freezing water of the Atlantic Ocean, how would you do it? How would you survive that? Anyone to ask me that question would receive a strained, “I don’t know?”, accompanied by an odd look. What person goes through that and lives? In The Speck of the Sea by Paul Tough, he details for us the experience of John Aldridge; a middle-age fisherman from Montauk who with only the clothes on his back and his brain survived for hours in the salty Atlantic. The telling of his experience is an exciting story that really shines a light on the human spirit, specifically on our willpower and resourcefulness.

Captain Smith always had a thirst for adventure. Even as a young boy, he tried to sell his school supplies and his satchel to go to sea. But his father stopped

*Who is the narrator of this story? What special insight does that provide the reader? What would you understand differently if the narrator had been another character?

Questions to Think About - The following questions should be answered in your journals. The purpose of these questions is to help you understand the meaning of what you are reading. Read the questions before you begin to read and think about them while you are reading.

The Mariner’s lifelong penance is to relay his story and message throughout the lands to the various individuals he holds a calling towards. The Mariner can only relieve his frequents bouts of extreme agony and guilt from his past by narrating his story and lesson to others, bidding them not to make the same mistake he did. Initially, the listener is reluctant to hear the Mariner’s tale, eager to get to the wedding that is about to begin. However, the listener is somehow drawn to the Mariner and yields to his tale. He becomes enchanted, and by the tale’s end, the listener is left, shocked, speechless, and in awe. He gains a new perspective of the world, and the poem ends with the words, “He [the listener] went like one that hath been stunned / And is of sense forlorn; / A sadder and a wiser man, / He rose the morrow morn.”

The author tells the story in such a way to resemble a captain’s logbook on a seafaring vessel. Each new section begins in italics, which makes the reader believe that they are reading Drake’s personal log. As a person reads this book, they are made to feel like they are reviewing a captain’s log of their journey.

His experience with educated people and become literacy make him hard to endure the harshness of his masters and hirers. His grandmother, taking care of Captain Anthony from born to death, being found to

Great leaders have the ability to influence and motivate people through difficult situations simply by remaining calm and in control. This is demonstrated by the captain who continues to direct his men and keep them on task by keeping a low and calm voice, not showing any fear or pain he may be experiencing (Crane 4). The constant rowing that the oiler and the correspondent must do to make certain that they make it to the shore takes a toll on both men, making them weary and miserable. Both men share the duties of rowing their small craft trading positions when one can no longer continue rowing (Crane 11). When the men are not toiling physically their only rest is taken in the bottom of the boat in the pooled, cold, water; they are so exhausted that the sleep was deep despite the cold conditions (Crane 11). Continuing to push forward in spite of pain, fatigue and discomfort the four men in the lifeboat were able to reach

The main argument of the book ‘The Sea-Wolf’ is about opposing behaviors of human being depicted by the role of nature in revealing the inner self of a person. In this regard, London uses two of his main characters to demonstrate the distinct opposing sides of human beings. The first part is about Humphrey, who is a young Dutch struggling with his demons and difficulties in the sea as he hope to change his life and those of fellow crews . Humphrey is initially weak, rich and naïve, and with straight morals . Humphrey believes on fairness, compassion, and all through the story despite being close to the evil Larsen he refuses to follow his footsteps .

The short story “The Boat” by Alistair MacLeod is narrated by a man who comes from a fishing family. His mother’s side of the family has forever lived and worked by the sea and continues this tradition. The narrator’s father always wanted to be an academic, but worked on the boat to support his family. Through this passage it is evident that the parents’ characters clash in many aspects of their lives and are in constant conflict. MacLeod demonstrates this through the use of repetition, the contrast in other unrelated ideas, and through information that is withheld.

*”Boys,”* he said, *”one of our shipmates, one of YOUR messmates is overboard, and in need of help. No doubt he is at this current moment straining his eyes to see a boat lowered, and it would strengthen his heart and resolve to see such a thing happen. He can see the ship has turned around and that gives him hope, let’s not leave him to struggle alone. Look at that sea, know the risks that you will encounter and then step forward. Who will go with me to pick him

Both the ‘Odyssey’ and ‘1001 Nights’ feature male protagonists who traverse the seas, and the concepts and themes of men seafaring is common throughout most canonical texts. For example, the allusion of Odysseus’ difficult journey is made when a minor male character in Apuleius’ ‘The Golden Ass’ describes his seafaring adventures as being ‘positively Ulyssian’ (‘Ulyssian’ thus being a reference the Roman naming of Odysseus) (pg 29). Furthermore, both texts share themes, such as: seafaring, the supernatural, trials and tribulations, tradition, belief systems, and the geographical setting and pride in the protagonist’s home city play a key role to the overarching plots of the texts in the sense of the protagonist’s endurance and motivation to both leave and return home. Likewise, the supernatural is used to further the plot of both texts.