The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

At the end of the journey, each of you along with his/her group will present on one of the topics below:
One: setting and historical background
Two: plot and conflict
Three: theme
Four: characterization
Five: conflict and gender roles

Check the number on the letter you received at school to know which task you are responsible for. To prepare for these tasks, 

- you will have to follow the steps indicated in the PROCESS page. 
- You will also find a list of links to websites with a description of what each site offers. That's not all! 
- If you want to succeed in your journey, you have to keep in mind that you should rely on yourself and use your imagination.  That way you take ideas from the resources, but you don't copy, and at the end, your project will reflect how creative you have been! 

Below are a couple of pre-reading resources on Avi, the author, and on plagiarism.

Good luck!

Task One:
Read about the life of seamen in the 19th century and the different kinds of ships available. Make sure you know how a ship such as the Seahawk is divided and what equipment it has. Read about the various roles seamen had on a ship and the specific protocols followed at that time such as the trial for example. Using pictures or acted scenes, text or recorded voice, create a slideshow or a movie to share with your classmates the kind of setting Charlotte had to live in during her voyage.

Task Two: 
Charlotte�s father had asked her to keep a diary of her voyage. Little did he know that the journey would be far from conventional. Imagine you are in Charlotte�s place. Go through the events taking place in the trip across the Atlantic and divide them into 10 major incidents.Draw a map showing the American and the European continent on each side and the Atlantic Ocean in between where you indicate the 10 stages of the voyage. Then write 10 journal entries using the first-person point of view. Make sure you include in each entry what happened, whom you met, what you saw, and what your feelings and impressions were in the process. Here is an example: �Mr. Grummage, who works for my father, accompanied me to the Seahawk. The two families I was supposed to meet were not there. I�m not sure what to do. I�ll be the only woman on the ship! There�s no doubt this will be the worst time of my life. I met.... I think I should run away. I feel awful...�

Task Three:
Charlotte Doyle experienced a gradual change during her voyage. Every day brought a revelation to her and she learnt something new. Following the steps indicated in the process, take note of every point in the book where Charlotte learns a valuable lesson. Accordingly, divide the book into parts based on every new lesson learned. Give each part a new title and indicate the theme / the lesson learned in one sentence such as �Appearances are deceiving.� Then on a poster, attach the new titles and themes to drawings that represent the scene that taught Charlotte that lesson.

Task Four: 
Charlotte Doyle boards the Seahawk as a young �lady� with refined manners. However, later she turns into a crew member with reliable skills. As Zacharia tells her... "It's not many a lass ... who boards a ship as passenger and eases into port as captain" (207). After having studied the changes that Charlotte Doyle goes through throughout her voyage � following the steps indicated in the PROCESS page � prepare a two-part collage¹ portraying the changing character of Miss Doyle. On one side, expose the lady, and on the other side, reveal the sailor. Use any appropriate material be it pictures from magazines or the Internet or real objects. You could also add words. You could even include pictures you have drawn that illustrate your impressions of Charlotte�s changing attitudes and values. 

Task Five: 
When Charlotte Doyle returns home, she shocks her parents with her disheveled appearance and rough manners. Although her father reads about her adventures, he refuses to even discuss them with her. Her parents� shock and refusal relate to the way the role of women is defined in the 1800s � the 19th century is referred to as the Victorian Age � and also to the all-time generation gap that separates parents� vision from that of their kids. After reading about how women were expected to behave in the Victorian Age and after studying the reasons that must have prompted the parents not to discuss their daughter�s adventures with her � follow the steps indicated in the PROCESS page � stage a skit² where you bring together Charlotte�s parents and parents from the 21st century � they could be your parents � in an attempt to show the difference between the two, pacify³ their worries, and highlight the value of Doyle�s character.

1. collage: an artistic composition of materials and objects pasted over a surface  
2. skit: a theatrical sketch
3. pacify: ease the anger or agitation of