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Prompt 3: Strangers

 Grenville starts the short section Strangers by describing the horrid, dirty conditions on the Alexander, the ship that departed from London to the British colony New South Wales in Australia. This serves to show the immense poverty that William Thornhill and his family are experiencing during this time period where poverty is normalized. I believe that this opening section acts as an introduction to readers of what will happen in the book. In other words, it acts as a hook to readers to get them invested in the book. It forces the reader to question why Thornhill and his family are on a ship headed to Australia. Did they make this decision? Was the family obligated to leave London? Thornhill is unable to sleep in the tight quarters of the boat while the rest of his family can. He thinks about the comfort of his home in London and the plans he and Sal had to continue their lives in London. He appears unsettled at the thought of starting a new life in Australia. Thornhill believes that starting a life in New South Wales will be another challenge he and his family will have to face. I am interested to see how the Thornhills approach their new lives in Australia. Will it be a fresh start for the family? Is Thornhill's thinking correct that it will be more of a challenge?

Comments

  1. Noah English 11H BlogJanuary 16, 2023 at 7:36 PM

    Another recurring theme that I thik connects here is William's control over life: he was born into poverty, a religious outcast, he lost his boat and livelihood. It seems like everything continuously goes wrong, but I cannot tell of the author begins the book in this way to show that William is again forced to leave, or is he finally in a position where he can take control over his life in this new environment.

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    Replies
    1. Critical Thinkers and WritersJanuary 17, 2023 at 4:04 PM

      I like the way you phrase this, Noah, and hope we come back to discuss it.

      Delete

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