Reading Guide

[Pages:34]Reading Guide

A Night to Remember

by Walter Lord



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INTRODUCTION

Published forty-three years after the 1912 sinking of the Titanic, Walter Lord's A Night to Remember is the definitive account of that fatal accident. With chilling details gathered from interviews with more than sixty survivors as well as from several other sources, Lord recounts the Titanic's collision with an iceberg, filling of the lifeboats, and rescue by the ship Carpathia. Following the experiences of passengers and the crew, readers relive the last moments of the "village" aboard the world's largest ocean liner.

Of the eleven books writer Walter Lord (1917?2002) penned, A Night to Remember is by far his most famous. On account of his expertise, he often lectured at meetings of The Titanic Historical Society, Inc. When director James Cameron began filming the 1997 movie Titanic, Lord was called in as a consultant.

As students read A Night to Remember, ask them to think about some of the book's important themes and messages. What lessons does the story of the Titanic have to offer current and future generations? In what ways do we experience the influence of the Titanic in our lives today?

USING THIS READING GUIDE

This reading guide presents lessons to support the teaching of Walter Lord's A Night To Remember. Organized by sections of grouped chapters, the lessons preview key vocabulary words and include close reading questions. The lessons identify a key passage in each section that help guide students through an exploration of the essential ideas and events in A Night to Remember. Key passages also serve as the jumping-off point from which students can engage in their own StudySyncTV-style group discussions.

Each section of the reading guide also includes a list of comparative texts--provided in A Night to Remember Novel Study Unit on StudySync--that accompany each section. For each comparative text, the reading guide includes important contextual notes and ideas for relating the text to A Night to Remember.

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

TEXT SECTIONS

6 FOREWORD AND CHAPTER 1: "Another Belfast Trip"

A Night to Remember begins with an eerie account of Futility: The Wreck of the Titan, a novel by Morgan Robertson. Written fourteen years before the sinking of the Titanic, Robertson tells the story of a huge ship called the Titan that hit an iceberg and sank, killing most of its passengers. After this ominous beginning, Lord moves on to describe the Titanic's collision with an iceberg. Lord also relates the reactions of both crew and passengers throughout the ship. Although a few men in the boiler room realize the extent of the damage, most on board assume the ship is fine and had simply run aground.

9 CHAPTER 2: "There's Talk of an Iceberg, Ma'am"

As the lower rooms in the Titanic flood, reactions to the collision vary. On the deck, passengers throw ice at each other while down below crew members work hard to pump the water from boiler room 5. Captain Smith meets with Thomas Andrews, the Managing Director of Harland & Wolff Shipyard, to determine the extent of the damage.

12 CHAPTER 3: "God Himself Could Not Sink This Ship"

Many aboard the Titanic shrug off the disaster, unconvinced it's as dire as crewmembers say. Herded by stewards, passengers put on warm clothing and head to the boat deck, clinging to whatever possessions they deem most important. Crew members struggle to find enough people to fill the first lifeboats. Unaware there's a shortage of lifeboats, the majority of people prefer to wait aboard the Titanic, certain the damage can be repaired.

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CHAPTERS 4 AND 5: "You Go and I'll Stay a While" and "I Believe She's Gone, Hardy"

As the ship continues to sink, passengers can no longer deny the severity of the situation. Couples and families are split as women and children are ushered aboard lifeboats. Many men chivalrously stay behind. Third-class passengers, stuck down below, fight their way to the boat deck in search of rescue.

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

18 CHAPTER 6: "That's the Way of It at This Kind of Time"

With the exception of four collapsible boats tangled in ropes, the lifeboats have left. The men and women still aboard the Titanic are told to fend for themselves. Some jump overboard and swim for the departing lifeboats. The band plays a hymn as the ship turns perpendicular and sinks into the ocean.

21 CHAPTER 7: "There Is Your Beautiful Nightdress Gone"

The sinking of the Titanic had a lasting impact on disaster preparedness. During future rescues, the lives of the rich were no longer prioritized over the lives of the poor; ships now were required to carry enough lifeboats for all passengers; and icebergs were deemed serious and potentially deadly threats.

24 CHAPTER 8: "It Reminds Me of a Bloomin' Picnic"

From their lifeboats, survivors listen to the screams of swimmers, hoping to be saved before they freeze to death. Although the lifeboats have space for more people, only one boat returns on a rescue mission. Then, the night goes silent. At dawn, a distant cannon goes off, and the passengers floating at sea know that they will finally be saved.

27 CHAPTERS 9 AND 10: "We're Going North Like Hell" and "Go Away--We Have Just Seen Our Husbands Drown"

Passengers aboard the Carpathia awaken to the bustle of stewards and the rocking of the engine jostling at maximum capacity. Their boat is headed north, toward the Titanic. By the time they arrive, the giant ocean liner has sunk. One by one passengers are brought aboard the Carpathia. In New York, newspapers report on the Titanic's troubles. With little information about how the ship sank, journalists invent stories. Crowds fill the White Star Line offices demanding answers. By the time the Carpathia arrives in the city, excitement has piqued. More than 40,000 spectators come to the docks to witness the survivors disembark.

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"Facts About the Titanic," "Acknowledgments," and "Passenger List"

In the final pages of A Night to Remember, Lord includes basic facts about the disaster and discusses his exhaustive reporting process. Unreliable memories, poor reporting, and wishful thinking are only some of the many obstacles he encountered while writing this book. On the other hand, his appreciation for the survivors, relatives of survivors, and passengers aboard the Carpathia is tremendous.

StudySync|A Night to Remember

FOREWORD AND CHAPTER 1: "Another Belfast Trip"

KEY PASSAGE | Chapter 1, Paragraphs 5-9

In this passage, Frederick Fleet, one of the ship's lookouts, spots the iceberg straight ahead. He follows protocol, ringing the warning bell three times and calling the bridge, but the voice that answers is courteous and detached. The system set in place to protect the ship from hitting ice does not seem to be working.

WHY IT'S KEY

Any reader of A Night to Remember knows what happens to the Titanic. The ship hits an iceberg and sinks. Nonetheless, Lord manages to create suspense, focusing on small details that contributed to the disaster. In many ways, the reader is put in the position of a detective, scanning the text for answers that explain why the disaster occurred and how the events took place.

Style: The person on the other end of the phone speaks with a "curiously detached courtesy." In ordinary circumstances, this description wouldn't stand out, but readers are alert for clues that help them understand a disaster of this magnitude. Lord's writing style is understated, and yet the details he chooses to include leave readers on the edge of their seats.

Foreshadowing: In a story where readers already know the outcome, foreshadowing might seem unnecessary, but Lord uses this technique to magnificent effect. Fleet spies something "even darker than the darkness." Although readers know that he's spotted the iceberg that will be the demise of the Titanic, this ominous phrase could also refer to the catastrophic events yet to come.

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StudySync|A Night to Remember

YOUR STUDYSYNC? TV

Discussion Prompt: Although A Night to Remember is based on serious research and reporting associated with top-notch journalism, Lord's writing style often mimics that of a novel. What elements of journalism and novels can you identify? What are the pros and cons of using the techniques of novel-writing--dialogue, scene description, and sensory details--when writing non-fiction? In your opinion, how well does Lord balance these two stylistic influences? CCSS: RI.8.1, RI.8.2, RI.8.6; SL.8.1.A, SL.8.1.C, SL.8.1.D

VOCABULARY

complacent com?pla?cent adjective Smug and self-satisfied After winning yet another award for her contributions, Jordan knew she was at risk of becoming complacent on the job.

futility fu?ti?li?ty noun Uselessness; the lack of justification, purpose, or resolution for an effort The futility of looking for her wallet in the dark led us to call off the search until tomorrow.

myriad myr?i?ad noun A large number; multitude When the night sky is cloudless, you can see a myriad of stars.

galley gal?ley noun The kitchen on a ship or airplane Below deck, the chef prepared lunch in the galley.

jolt jolt noun An abrupt bump; a violent jerk The bus went over a pothole and several sleeping passengers awoke with a jolt.

CLOSE READ

QUESTION 1: What characteristics do Morgan Robertson's fictional ocean liner Titan share with the Titanic? Sample Answer: Not only do the two boats strikingly similar, they also displaced nearly the same tonnage of water, were almost the same length, were capable of traveling between twenty-four and twenty-five knots, and carried 3000 passengers. Both the Titan and the Titanic were considered unsinkable but they each sank after hitting a large iceberg. CCSS: RI.8.1

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StudySync|A Night to Remember

QUESTION 2: How does Lord capture the reader's attention in the foreword? Sample Answer: The details about Morgan Robertson's novel Futility are a chilling way to begin A Night to Remember. By mentioning the story of a fictional ship, it reminds the reader the sinking of the Titanic was a real tragedy, one so sad that it seems almost unbelievable. CCSS: RI.8.1

QUESTION 3: How do various passengers interpret the "jolt"? Sample Answer: Steward James Johnson thinks the ship dropped a propeller, and Major Peuchen concludes that a heavy wave struck the ship, but James McGough knows the ship hit an iceberg because chunks of ice fell through the porthole into his cabin. CCSS: RI.8.1

QUESTION 4: What part of the ship does the iceberg damage? Sample Answer: The iceberg slices the starboard side of the ocean liner, and subsequently, the boiler rooms fill with water. CCSS: RI.8.1

QUESTION 5: How does the crew aboard the Californian react when they spot the Titanic? Sample Answer: The crew considers contacting the ship, but when they see the lights go out, they assume the captain is encouraging passengers to go to bed. They don't realize the ship has been hit. CCSS: RI.8.1

COMPARATIVE TEXTS

Text: Futility: The Wreck of the Titan by Morgan Robertson Compare to: Foreword of A Night to Remember Connection: Written in 1898, fourteen years before the Titanic sank, Robertson's novel, Futility: The Wreck of the Titan, tells an eerily similar story. When the Titan was built, the ship was designed to be the fastest and fanciest the world had yet seen. Like the Titanic, it was considered to be unsinkable, and so ordinary safety precautions, such as including enough lifeboats and life preservers for all passengers and crew, were overlooked. An iceberg was the only object deemed large enough to damage the Titan. Even so, the ship was scheduled to travel as fast as possible via the northern route, which had a greater number of icebergs, thus increasing the probability of collision.

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