1. Young Penn bitterly disappoints his father. In turn, Admiral Penn takes stem measures against his son, at one point disowning him and at another letting him cool off all winter in the Tower of London. Is young Penn a good son? Is Admiral Penn a good father?

2. Admiral Penn has ambitions for young Penn to become an important statesman. Is he wrong to try to determine his son's future? How much say should parents have about their children's ambitions?

3. Ironically, by becoming a Quaker and disappointing his father, Penn eventually fulfills his father's hopes. That is, he founds Pennsylvania, helps bring religious freedom to Britain, and influences the U.S. Constitution. Do you think his father would have been satisfied?

4. Would Penn have been a better father himself if he had spent less time fighting for religious freedom and founding Pennsylvania? What do you...