Chapter 9

Journal activity: Write about a time when you realized that your initial impressions of a person were incorrect. Why did you form your original opinion? Why did your feelings change? Did you regret not understanding the person sooner?

Setting a Purpose:
Read to find out why Charlotte’s views of herself and others on the ship change dramatically.

Skill - Internal and External Conflict
A conflict is the opposition of persons or forces. In a novel, the plot, or sequence of events, is always driven by one or more conflicts. An external conflict describes a character’s confrontation with an outside force, such as another character, a physical obstacle, nature, or society. An internal
conflict takes place within a character and may involve, for example, the character’s struggle with a difficult decision, with guilt, or with fear. In this section, Charlotte Doyle experiences both types of conflict. As you read, identify her conflicts.

Skill - Allusion
In literature, an allusion is a reference to a famous historical, mythological, biblical, or literary person or event. In the Bible, the prophet Jonah was swallowed by a whale but because of his faith, he was coughed up whole many days later. In Chapter Six Charlotte felt that she—like Jonah—was in the belly of a whale and in Chapter Eight Charlotte said that the crew's favorite Bible reading was the story of Jonah. Why did this particular story have such a hold on the imaginations of Charlotte and the crew?

Vocabulary to preview - fierce, perpetual, affirm, dire, scrutiny

Predictions and SOS

Follow-up Discussion Questions:
1. If you were Charlotte would you have told the captain what you saw?  Why or why not?
2. What situations call for safety first, rather than friendship?