In stark contrast to the unnamed captain and Leggatt, the former chief mate of the Sephora, Captain Archbold and the unnamed chief mate of the unnamed ship are similarly paralleled, but not at all similar in character. Compose a thoughtful essay which examines these two characters in relation to the whole of the story. What function, in terms of the story's plot, do the incompetent men serve? How are they alike to one another in this functionality? What is significant about their parallelism? How is this demonstrated in the text?

Essay Topic 2

When the captain is on deck giving orders for the first time to move the boat forward, he remarks about the sensations of a man who is feeling a ship move under his command for the very first time. He then remarks, "I was not wholly alone with my command; for there was that stranger in my cabin. Or rather, I was not completely and wholly with her. Part of me was absent. That mental feeling of being in two places at once affected me physically as if the mood of secrecy had penetrated my very soul." What does this comment mean? What sentiments is the author trying to portray?

Essay Topic 3

There are many ways that the captain could react to discovering Legatt. Compare some of the possible, even typical, responses you would expect from a ship's captain to the way that the captain did handle the situation. What reasons does the author give the reader for the captain's actions/reactions?

(see the answer keys)

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