Carry on Mr.Bowditch Chapter 6

1)Why wasn’t Nat happy about Mr.Walsh’s praise?

A: Nat was hoping that he could take a long time to learn book keeping so that he would look bad, and then Ropes and  Hodges wouldn’t want to keep him.

2)How did Lizza describe being indentured? What were the conditions of Nat’s indenture.

A: Lizza said that being indentured was like being in jail, because if you run away, then someone will come and take you back. In Nat’s Indenture, he had to stay at the room above Ropes and Hodges, and he had to work all day and he could only leave Ropes and Hodges for deliveries and if he got permission.

3)What sailing term did Ben Meeker use to describe Nat?

A: Ben said that Nat swallows the anchor.

4)What did Sam Smith say it meant to “sail by ash breeze”?

A: Sam Smith meant that a ‘real’ man goes with the flow and lets what happens, happen without protesting.

5) Why did Mr.Hodges give Nat a notebook?

A: Mr. Hodges gave Nat a notebook to fill with all of the things Ben Meeker told him.

6) How did the log work?

A: A log worked where you entered what someone had bought and how much they had paid for it.

Thought Questions:

1)Does indenturing sound like a fair bargain? Why or why not? Why do you think people no longer use this practice?

A: I don’t think that indenturing sounds like a good deal because basically you work for them for as long as they say and you can’t do anything that they don’t tell you to do. I think that if people tried to do that now days they wouldn’t be able to find people who would be willing to do that.

2)What was the primary difference between Ben Meeker’s and Sam Smith’s perspectives on difficult situations? Which one is the most similar to your own?

A: Ben is more protective and quieter I think, and Sam is more outspoken and louder.

3)Have you ever “sailed by ash breeze”? Explain. What does Nat’s response to Sam’s description tell you about his character?

A: I think that a lot of times, I’ve just gone with the flow. Nat’s response to Sam tells me that he can sometimes shake things off easily, but not all of the time.