The Open Boat

ring on the tough stuff - theres not just one right
answer.
X
1. Why does the oiler die? Is it because he's the best of the four, or
because he's the worst? Or does he die for no reason at all? What
evidence do you have for your answer?
2. If the universe and the sea are indifferent, why does the narrator so
frequently describe it as if it has a will, or even a consciousness (for
example, 1.10, 6.11, 7.17, etc.)?
3. Remember that poem about the French soldier whom the correspondent
finds so moving? Well, fast-forward a few months. The correspondent is
back home safely, and comfortably lying on the couch. He is reminded of
the poem again. How do you think he feels about it now? Does he still
empathize with the soldier, or is that feeling gone?
4. What character do you admire most in the story? The oiler? The shark?
The guy on the beach with the halo? What are the qualities you find most
admirable?
5. Imagine a reunion between the three survivors one year later. How do
you think they have been changed by this experience? What about five
years later, or ten years? Is there a difference?
6. A shark shows up in the middle of night, but unlike in, say, Moby-Dick or
The Old Man and the Sea, it doesn't really do anything. Why is it in the
story? What do you think it represents?
7. Do you imagine that any other survivors made it off the sinking ship and
onto lifeboats? Try to imagine what might have gone down in another of
the lifeboats.
Quiz https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/2579468.html
Stephen Crane, "The Open Boat" (1897)
Discussion Questions:
1.) Why is only the Oiler given a name (Billie)? Why are the others only referred
to generally?
2.) Why is it that only the Oiler dies and not anyone else?
3.) What is the view of nature presented in this story?
4.) What is the view of the men presented in this story?
5.) How do the men in the open boat relate to each other?
6.) What "patterns" or "repetitions" do you find in the story? How are these
important to understanding the story?
7.) Where does the narrator seem to "intrude" into the story? Is this distracting?
Is it effective?
8.) What do you think about the ending to the story (after we find out that Billie
the Oiler dies)? Is it truthful, or is the narrator being ironic?
9.) Why did Crane use the structure he did -- the seven sections with Roman
numerals?
Pathways to Interpretation:
1. Consider the biographical context and connections

2. Consider the historical context and connections
3. Consider the "literary periods" and similar works.
4. Use the "elements of fiction."
5. Look for "patterns."
6. Always Ask Questions!
7. Click here for a short "catalog" of approaches.
Patterns in "The Open Boat" -- (note: the page numbers are for the NAAL
6th ed.)
1.) Uses of and references to COLORS:
2.) References to NATURE:
903
909 -- also "fate"
esp. 914 -- 3rd paragraph of section VI
esp. 917 -- top of page
3.) References to ANIMALS:
904 -- the boat

905 -- the gulls
908 -- the boat
909 -- the mouse (!)
912 -- branded (!)
913 -- babes
914 -- the shark
916 -- the shark
4.) The RELATIONSHIP of the Men:

905
907 -- the "best experience"
5.) Repetition of ROWING passage:
906
910
912
6.) Repetition of DROWNING passage:
909
912
914 -- adds idea of injustice
917
918
7.) Use of the name BILLIE for the Oiler:
911 -- Willie?
912 -- Billie
913 -- Billie x2
916 -- Billie x4
917 -- Billie
He's the only one with / given a name (by Crane)
He's the only one who drowns
WHY?
8.) Hints or Clues or Foreshadowing about the Oiler:
197 -- the Oiler is practical, pragmatic, grounded

200 -- none of them were prepared for the shipwreck
200 -- the Oiler is even more tired -- a very "off hand" comment, no?
206 -- the Oiler overdoes it
9.) References to DEATH or DEAD SLEEP:
910
913
916
919 x2
Other Notes and Questions:
10.) The ENDING -- are they really "interpreters"?
904 -- they know very little; they are restricted

906 -- they can't see their progress
908 -- they celebrate too early
909 -- Narrator: they know nothing! they talk without knowledge!
915 -- does he understand about the soldier of the Legion at Algiers?
919 -- the ending: haughty? arrogant? they are sadly mistaken?
11.) Do the men in "The Open Boat" overcome nature, or are they spared by
nature?
12.) Viewed from above / outside -- p. 904
13.) Approximates average experience? -- p. 904 -- NO!
14.) Use of the phrase "Willy Nilly" -- p. 904
AUDIO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8935QYVkKU
Questions: https://www.enotes.com/topics/open-boat
http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-openboat/#gsc.tab=0
https://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/stephen-cranes-open-boat#sect-thelesson
SEVERAL QUESTIONS http://mrsgarcia-

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ring on the tough stuff - theres not just one right

Stephen Crane, "The Open Boat" (1897)

3.) What is the view of nature presented in this story?

4.) What is the view of the men presented in this story?

1. Consider the biographical context and connections

1.) Uses of and references to COLORS:

2.) References to NATURE:

3.) References to ANIMALS:

904 -- the boat

4.) The RELATIONSHIP of the Men:

5.) Repetition of ROWING passage:

6.) Repetition of DROWNING passage:

7.) Use of the name BILLIE for the Oiler:

8.) Hints or Clues or Foreshadowing about the Oiler:

197 -- the Oiler is practical, pragmatic, grounded

9.) References to DEATH or DEAD SLEEP:

Other Notes and Questions:

10.) The ENDING -- are they really "interpreters"?

904 -- they know very little; they are restricted

12.) Viewed from above / outside -- p. 904

13.) Approximates average experience? -- p. 904 -- NO!

14.) Use of the phrase "Willy Nilly" -- p. 904

SEVERAL QUESTIONS http://mrsgarcia-

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