Plot
What kind of ship does the narrator board?
a cargo ship
What kind of person is the narrarator?
He says that he prefers the company of the German moralist writers, whose flights of fancy he can detect and repudiate. He admits having a rigidly rational mindset, dedicated to the truth and impervious to superstition.
What does the crew of old men use to navigate their ship?
old mathematical instruments
What appears on the sixth day?
the black ship
What does the narrator predict that the captain ignores?
a Simoom will hit the ship
What does the narrarator do before he dies?
writes his story down and shoves it in a bottle
What doesn't come up on the sixth day?
the sun
What is an example of symbolism in the story?
Answers vary
In what direction does the wind blow the ships?
south
Who survives after the Simoom hits the ship?
the Swedish sailor and the narrator
What literary term do we use to describe a comparison such as: "as she rose up, like a demon in the sea"
a simile
How does the black ship sink?
a whirlpool
Where does the narrator begin his journey?
Java
What literary term do we use to describe comparing a non-living thing to a living thing?
"Although completely water-logged, yet, as her masts had gone by the board, she rose, after a minute, heavily from the sea, and, staggering awhile beneath the immense pressure of the tempest, finally righted."
personification
What is one item that was loaded on the first ship?
"...cotton-wool and oil, from the Lachadive islands. We had also on board coir, jaggeree, ghee, cocoanuts, and a few cases of opium."