Leagues Disc Guide

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 1 of 21
Book Club Discussion Guide

Background Information
Jules Verne is an immensely important and prolific French writer. Along with H.G.
Wells (author of War of the Worlds and The Invisible Man), he is responsible for
the founding of science-fiction writing. Jules Verne was born on Feb 8 1828 in
Nantes, France. From childhood, he never wanted to be anything but a writer,
resisting his fathers attempts to set him on the practical path of lawyering.
His father was a successful lawyer, from a family of many lawyers and his
mother was from a military family. Jules was the oldest; he had one brother and
three sisters. In school he did very well in geography and wrote fiction and
poetry frequently. He moved to Paris to study law, and became engaged to his
cousin, Caroline Thompsonalthough, they never married. During this time
he befriended playwright Alexander Dumas (the author of The Three Musketeers
and The Count of Monte Cristo) and began writing plays.
This story opens in the year 1866. Everyone in Europe and America is talking
about a mysterious creature that has been sinking ships. Finally, the United
States government decides to commission the Abraham Lincoln to capture and
identify the creature. On board the ship are Pierre Aronnax, a renowned French
scientist along with his servant, Conseil, and Ned Land the king of harpooners.
The Abraham Lincoln is attacked by the creature. Aronnax, Conseil and Land go
overboard. The three men find themselves on top of the mysterious creature,
which is actually a submarine vessel. They are taken on board and the real
adventure begins.
Captain Nemo treats the men, especially Aronnax, very well. They are clothed
and fed and may wander around the vessel at their leisure. Aronnax is thrilled
by Nemos vast library. The men spend their time observing sea life through
observation windows. Aronnax studies and writes about everything he sees.
During their time on the Nautilus, the men experience many exciting
adventures. They hunt in underwater forests, visit an island with angry natives,
visit the lost city of Atlantis, and fish for giant pearls. However, there are also
many distressing events coupled with the erratic behavior of Captain Nemo.
Discussion Questions
What is natural history or natural philosophy? What would we call this

today?
Many describe Captain Nemo as one of the greatest villains in literature. Do

you see him as only a villain? Use incidents from the book to back up your
opinion.
One main character always acts as a man of intellect, while another is a man
of action. Which two characters do you believe fit these descriptions?
(Aronnax behaves as a man of intellect and Ned Land behaves as a man of
action.)
Some writers have seen Captain Nemo as a man who defies God. What do
you think? Explain your answer.
What is the meaning of Captain Nemo's final words, "Almighty God, enough!
Enough!"?
Every story has a mood. What would you say the mood of this story is?
Why do you think that is? [Answer: This story is primarily mysterious and
dark. The mystery results from the authors preoccupation with Captain
Nemos identity.
People today are very concerned about the environment. Do you see any
environmental concerns expressed in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea?
Have you read any other science fiction that had valid predictions for man's
future? What inventions first appeared in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and
other science fiction that later became realities? Are all the fantastic
inventions in this book predicted by Verne, or did some of them already
exist?
What was the most interesting episode in the book for you?
How long is a fathom? How did it get its name?
What does the term "heaving the log" mean? [Answer: it means trailing a
device attached to a line that measures the ship's speed.]
What is quicksilver? How is it used? What affects, either good and/or bad,
has it had on the environment?
In the beginning of chapter 8 of part one, electric lights are spoken of;
however, the lightbulb had not been invented yet at the time that 20,000
Leagues was written. What object could have been a prediction of the light
bulb? [Answer: The "half globe, unpolished" that was on the ceiling.]
What is esperanto? [Answer: a "world language" though not widely used as of yet]
What is the motto on the dinner service? What does it mean? Why do you
think it is appropriate? [Answer: mobilis in mobili; "moving in a moving thing";
since the submarine moves in a moving thing -- the ocean -- the motto is very apt.]
How is oxygen replenished in modern day submarines? How was it supposed

to be replenished on Nemo's submarine? How was it renewed in the first
submarines, such as the Monitor and the Merrimac?
What is a conchyliologist? [Answer: also known as a conchologist, it is a person

who studies shellfish and their shells.]
Jules Verne's work foretold of futuristic advances and the "march of
progress." But Jules was concerned about this future. Do you think that
humankind has used progress and technology for good or evil?
How has Jules Verne's book been of some of the events and scientific
inventions and advances of our century?
As a young boy Verne adored Daniel Defoe's Robinson Caruso. If you have
read this book, can you see similarities in this story and 20,000 Leagues?
Verne's unique combination of art and science made his work extremely
popular, even over a century later. Can you think of examples of art and
science together in this story?
Are there any authors of the twentieth century with whom you could
compare Jules Verne?
Many of Jules Verne's work were illustrated when they first appeared. Do you
have any illustrations of your favorite scenes to share?
In this book, and in many older books, you will see references to people that
would be frowned upon in our current times, and that are often offensive to
us. Some people refuse to read books that stereotype groups of people,
especially in condescending ways, such as the professor's descriptions of
native peoples as "savages". But it is important to understand, that even
though it is wrong to classify people like that, most people of the times didn't
know that it was wrong.
If Jules Verne was writing today, I believe he would have done differently. Do you
notice that Conseil and Ned are called by their first names as if children, but never is
the Professor called Pierre? And Conseil, a grown man, is called what? (answer, Boy"
because he is a servant. Hunting for sport is offensive to many people.) The collecting
of specimens as one would collect coins or stamps is very frowned upon now that many
of these species and habitats are endangered.
Why should we read or not read books like this? (ANSWER: If we decide not to
read books like this one, or like "Huckleberry Finn" or other books written in different
times, we will never understand the times themselves. This is the only way you can
learn what people actually thought and felt and believed in those times. )
If you had grown up in those days too, you would likely believe the same things, no
matter what you think now. If you refuse to read books because the language and
thoughts of the time are offensive to you, you must realize that YOU are choosing to be
close-minded and prejudiced. You can read books and understand them without
agreeing with them. It is unfair to judge an author writing in 1870 by the same
standards, because he hasn't been taught the same things. And it would be incorrect,
as well, because as you read you will see that Verne has his own message that might
not ever be heard if you can't forgive him for being born when he was.
Fun facts and Ideas that Relate to the Story:
Did you know . . . The official inventor of the periscope was not granted a patent on his
device. Why? An accurate description of the device already existed in Jules Verne's
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - a book written in 1869.
Did you know . . . that Jules Verne got seasick the first time he tried to travel, and so he
never went anywhere but France? He wrote from a boat he had moored off the coast,
but never went out to sea or really went anywhere, other than in his fantastic
imaginations .
"Twenty Thousand" in the title of the book does not refer to depth but to the distance
the Nautilus travels while under the sea over the course of its adventures in this book.
Survival in the water
You see this all the time in books, especially old books, and you will hear it
throughout your life. You will hear that if you fall in the water and you will have
to swim a long way to safety, you should take off your clothing because it is so
heavy with all the water soaked up in it.
We all know how heavy our clothes get when they are soaked, so it makes
sense to us. But it's wrong!
Things sink because they are more dense than water. But water is not more
dense than water! So the water that soaks into your clothes is not going to pull
you down any more than if you are naked.
The Kraken
Probably no legendary sea monster was as horrifying as
the Kraken. According to stories this huge, many armed,
creature could reach as high as the top of a sailing ship's
main mast. Krakens would attack a ship, wrap their arms
around the hull and capsize it. The crew would drown or
be eaten by the monster. What's amazing about the
Kraken stories is that, of all the sea monster tales we
have, we have the best evidence that these are real.
Early stories about Kraken, from Norway in the twelfth

century, refer to a creature the size of an island. Even in
1752, when the Bishop of Bergen, wrote his The Natural
History of Norway he described the Kraken as a "floating
island" one and a half miles across. "It seems these are
the creatures's arms, and, it is said, if they were to lay
hold of the largest man-of-war, they would pull it down to
the bottom." Later Kraken stories bring the creature down
to a smaller, but still monstrous, size.
The Kraken of legend is probably what we know today as the giant squid. While
a colossal octopus might also fit the description, the squid is thought to be
much more aggressive and more likely to come to the surface where it might be
seen by man. Though giant squids are considerably less then a mile and a half
across, they are large enough to wrestle with a sperm whale. On at least three
occasions in the 1930's they attacked a ship. While the squids got the worst of
these encounters when they slid into the ship's propellers, the fact that they
attacked at all shows that it is possible for these creatures to mistake a vessel
for a whale.
What if a large squid, say 100 ft long and weighing two or three tons, attacked a
small sailing ship? (Many early vessels, even those that crossed the Atlantic,
measured much less than 100 long) It might well have been able to turn it over.
Ships' Bells http://webpages.charter.net/stoneturtle3/20K/20Kpt1ch2-3.html

Ships used to use bells to signal time. They rang bells so sailors could tell when
their watch was over. Bells were rang every half hour of a 4-hour watch, like
this:
00:30 1 bell
01:00 2 bells
01:30 2 bells, pause, 1 bell
02:00 2 bells, pause, 2 bells
02:30 2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 1 bell
03:00 2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 2 bells
03:30 2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 1 bell
04:00 2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 2 bells
Try to figure out what time it is when the Professor talks about bells.
Steam Frigates
A frigate is a kind of ship, like a schooner or a brigantine. A frigate has 3 masts

and is quite a large ship. Click here to see good information about sailing
frigates. The Abraham Lincoln was a steam frigate, she used a steam engine to
turn a paddle wheel or a propeller (screw). But she had three masts too.
The early steamships had masts because the steam engines broke down often,
or they might run out of fuel, so they could raise sails any time they needed to
and keep going. It is very dangerous for a ship to be unable to move out in the
ocean. The crew can run out of fresh water and food quickly, and also the ship
needs to be maneuverable to avoid obstacles, storms, or enemies. Here is a
picture of a steam frigate.
1. Stern 2. Bow 3. Paddle Wheel 4. Foremast 5. Mainmast 6. Mizzenmast

7. Smoke stack 8. Bowsprit 9. Dolphin striker or Martingale Boom
When Ned Land is "in the Martingales" trying to harpoon the

monster, this is where he was. That certainly looks exciting!
Sextants
A sextant is a handheld navigational device that allowed seamen to determine
latitude and longitude. It was a bit more complicated than the compass and
required the use of tables and charts, so one had to be able to read to use it.
The whole idea is that you can find the angle between a star and the horizon.
Look at this diagram. B and the dark part of A are mirrors, and the arm (really
called a level) L can be moved, which moves mirror B. You look through the
telescope and line up carefully on the horizon straight in front of you. Then you
move the level until the image of the desired star, reflected from B to A to the
telescope, looks like it lines up right on the horizon too. Then you can read the
angular distance between the star and the horizon on the scale that the level
points to. This will tell you how high the star is in degrees.
The sun at noon is a great indicator of

latitude, on the equator it is high in the sky, but in the far north it never gets
very high. It was easy to figure out ways to calculate latitude from the position
of the sun or the north star.
DON'T EVEN THINK OF LOOKING AT THE SUN THROUGH A TELESCOPE
OR THROUGH ANYTHING ELSE UNLESS YOU HAVE AN EYEBALL YOU
DON'T NEED ANYMORE!
There is a very good description of TIDES and how they work

here:http://webpages.charter.net/stoneturtle3/20K/20Kpt1ch19-20.html
The Bends:
When the professor discusses the return route, he says "But this return to the
upper strata was not so sudden as to cause relief from the pressure too rapidly,
which might have produced serious disorder in our organization, and brought on
internal lesions, so fatal to divers. "
What he is talking about is decompression sickness, more commonly known as

the bends. This is a condition that can affect divers who go from higher
pressure depths (greater than 20 meters) up to the surface too quickly. You see,
the air in the scuba tanks is just that: Air. It is just compressed air from the
atmosphere, so it is mostly nitrogen. In high-pressure atmospheres, the body
deals with nitrogen differently than it does at regular pressure. In high-pressure,
the nitrogen will be liquified and it will be absorbed into the body's fatty tissues
instead of being exhaled with other waste gasses.
When the diver returns to normal pressures, the nitrogen will become a gas
again. If the diver surfaces slowly, the body can deal with the change. The
nitrogen reverts to gaseous state slowly and oozes out of the body safely. But if
the diver surfaces too rapidly, the nitrogen can turn to gas too fast, and form
bubbles too large to diffuse back through the tissues again.
Think about when you open a bottle of soda, all the little gas bubbles that were
liquid under pressure return to their gaseous state. These little nitrogen bubbles
can cause all kinds of trouble in a body. Symptoms can include blotchy rashes,
painful and immobile joints, dizziness, personality changes, unconsciousness,
and even death. Early divers named the condition "the bends" because they
couldn't bend their joints when affected.
Why don't diving animals like whales get the bends? Unlike human divers,
diving animals don't have a supply of air down there to breathe, so they are
holding their breath all that time instead of inhaling air. Also, many diving
animals actually exhale before diving. Their bodies are very suited for diving.
Their blood can carry more oxygen than that of a human, and their tissues can
store more oxygen.
The Suez Canal

The Suez canal opened in 1869, just after our submarine adventure takes place.
It cut through the Isthmus of Suez, running north and south, and is about 118
miles long.
Pearls
Pearls are very highly prized gems. Unlike other gemstones, which are found
within the Earth, pearls are made by certain mollusks. Some kind of foreign
material, such as sand, gets into the mollusk's shell and irritates its soft body.
The mollusk can't get rid of the material, so it surrounds it with the same stuff it
uses to line the inside of its shell.
Pearls are not considered to be true gems because they are very soft compared
to the true gemstones. They are only about one third of the hardness of
diamond. We think of them as being always white, but they can also be black,
brown, gray, rose, red, blue, green, purple, or yellow. Like snowflakes, no two
pearls are exactly alike. The spherical pearls we see most in jewelry are the
rarest and most valuable pearls.
Red Tides
Can you imagine the ocean turning red? Maybe you have heard of red tides
before, or maybe you have even seen one. They can occur in lakes and rivers
too. A red tide happens when gazillions of microscopic organisms get together
in the water. These microorganisms are there naturally at all times, but
sometimes the environment is just right for them to multiply drastically. They
turn the water brownish or redish. This discoloration can exist for just a few
square yards or exceed 1000 square miles!
Many red tides are harmless. It depends on the kind of organism that has
multiplied. But some red tides can kill fish and other sea animals. Other red
tides might not kill the sea life, but they might make shellfish poisonous to eat.
Harmful red tides are caused by organisms called dinoflagellates. There are
different kinds of dinoflagellates. Some of them produce a toxin that paralyzes
and kills fish. Others might kill fish by using up almost all the oxygen in the
water. To read a news report and to view a video about a harmful red tide in
Texas, click here.
Underwater Volcanoes
Volcanoes can happen underwater just as they happen on land. In fact, many
islands are created by the cone of a volcano eventually rising above sea level.
There is an underwater laboratory studying undersea volcanoes in the Pacific

ocean. It is called NeMO (haha that is so COOL!). That's short for New
Millennium Observatory. Click their logo to go visit their website. Spend a lot
of time in the Deepsea Gallery. They have videos, sound clips, and pictures.
Atlantis
Atlantis is one of those mysteries that people have debated for centuries, and
which they just can't agree on. Some people believe it was just a fictional story
that a famous philosopher, Plato, made up to illustrate a point. Others believe
that there is some truth in the story, that it describes a catastrophe which
destroyed the Minoan civilization and the island of Thera. Still others believe
that Atlantis really existed, just as Plato described it, and lies lost beneath the
waves somewhere just waiting for us to find it!
The Deep, Deep Ocean
The Nautilus dove to the bottom of the sea at 45 37' south latitude, and 37
53' west longitude. Check that point out on a physical map that shows the
mountains and valleys under the sea. They found that the depth there was
48,000 feet. Verne's book was written at a time before the ocean floor had
been mapped, and he made up that figure.
It's not a bad guess though. In fact, the deepest point in any ocean can be
found in the Challenger Deep, which is near the Mariannas Islands in the Pacific.
It's also called the Mariannas Trench. Can you find it? In 1960, the US Navy sent
a tiny submersible vehicle named the Trieste down there with 2 men in it. They
touched bottom at 35,813'. The water pressure there was about 16,000 pounds
per square inch, with almost 7 miles of water over their heads! Japan has
bounced sound waves off the bottom of the Challenger Deep, and the deepest
point they have found so far is 35,838'. If you cut Mount Everest off at sea level
and put it down in the Mariannas Trench, it would still have more than a mile of
water over it!
Whirlpools A whirlpool is water moving in a spiral motion, like water going

down your bathtub drain. They can also occur in rivers and even oceans. Here is
a picture of one in the ocean off of the coast France. I'm not sure how big it is
but it looks pretty large.
Usually whirlpools only exist under certain conditions and do not persist. There
is a famous and persistant whirlpool below Niagara Falls, where the river circles
around before heading downstream. You can take a cable car across it!
The Maelstrom is a very famous current that has been a menace to sailors for
hundreds of years. It sweeps back and forth between two islands of the Lofoten
group off the northwestern coast of Norway. Whenever the wind blows against it
between high and low tide, it forms immense whirlpools that can destroy small
ships. Visit this site to read more about it.
Like a lot of things, the power of the Maelstrom has been exaggerated through
the years, including in the book you just finished. It has become so famous that
the word "maelstrom" is now synonymous with "whirlpool", and it is also used to
describe any turmoil of widespread influence.
Science Fiction Inventions by Jules Verne
Invention Source Work (Publication Date)
Atmospheric Advertising - write it on the clouds In the Year 2889 (1889)
Columbiad - 900 foot cannon From the Earth to the Moon (1867)
Communicate with Extraterrestrials - first use of From the Earth to the Moon (1867)
concept
Diving Apparatus - scuba diving in the 19th century 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1875)
Electrify the Hull - repel boarders! 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1875)
Free Return Trajectory - first mention From the Earth to the Moon (1867)
Launching Facility - in Florida From the Earth to the Moon (1867)
Leyden Ball - grandfather of the taser 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1875)
Light Pressure Propulsion - first use of this idea From the Earth to the Moon (1867)
Live News - prediction of newscasts In the Year 2889 (1889)
Nautilus - Captain Nemo's ride 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1875)
Phonotelephote - earliest reference to videophone In the Year 2889 (1889)
Projectile-Vehicle - Verne's spacecraft From the Earth to the Moon (1867)
Recorded News - Tivo for radio in 1889 In the Year 2889 (1889)
Retro-Rockets - Verne invented them! From the Earth to the Moon (1867)
Spashdown - the original idea From the Earth to the Moon (1867)
Weightlessness - true science fiction discovery From the Earth to the Moon (1867)
Balderdash type vocabulary word suggestions:
Apparition A ghostly image; phantom; specter. A startling or remarkable sight.
Caricature A depiction, in a drawing or verbal description, that deliberately

exaggerates or distorts some features of the person or thing represented to produce a
comic or grotesque appearance
Cetacean Of or belonging to the group of aquatic mammals that includes whales,

porpoises, and dolphins
Hyperborean Indicating the far north or arctic region. Very cold; frigid.
Ichthyologist A scientist that studies fishes and other water-dwelling animals.
League A unit of length equal to about three miles or 4.8 kilometers.
Lloyd's Lloyd's of London, an insurance company that insures ships and cargoes,
among other things. Before about 1887, they only insured maritime ventures, so they
would be very interested if a monster was destroying ships!
Lucubrations Laborious study or work, especially late at night
Perforation A hole or series of small holes, especially such as is made to cause paper,
stamps, or the like to tear more easily
Prodigious Extremely large or great in size, amount, strength, extent, or the like;
enormous.
Scrupulous Adhering strictly to standards of ethics or morality.
Archiotherium I bet this is Archaeotherium, an extinct wild boar that lived in North
America about 35 million years ago. To learn more, click on the picture.
Babiroussa A wild pig of the east indies, the male of which has tusks that grow up
through the snout and curve backward toward the eyes.

Cheropotamus I dunno, i can't find it anywhere... Do you think verne was pulling our
leg? He's very careful about his scientific terms in other areas. Maybe this is an old-
fashioned term, or maybe it is spelled differently now. Maybe you can find it
somewhere!
Conjecture The making of a guess or inference, especially with little evidence.
Hyracotherium Better known as "eohippus" (which means "the dawn horse"), this
animal lived in the eocene period. It was about the size of a small dog, and is the oldest
known horse. Yep, the picture is clickable!
Oreodon A prehistoric mammal, but now we call it merycoidodon. Closely related to
sheep.
Phlegmatic Not given to shows of emotion or interest; slow to excite
Plausible Seeming to be truthful or reasonable; credible
Poop The superstructure on the stern of a ship (the stern is the back end). The deck on
the top of this structure; poop deck. It comes from the Latin puppis, which means the
stern.
Portmanteau A stiff, usually leather suitcase that opens into two hinged parts.
Revictualed Restocked with food.
Shoal An elevated ridge or area in the bottom of a body of water, especially one that is
uncovered at low tide; sandbar.
Soundings The act of measuring the depth of water.
Argus A giant with 100 eyes who was made guardian of Io and was later slain by
Hermes.
Audacity Courage or boldness, especially when somewhat overconfident, reckless, or

arrogant; daring.
Blunderbuss An early shoulder-gun having a short barrel, flared at the muzzle to
scattershot at close range.
Breech The back part of a gun barrel, especially the location of the loading mechanism
and chamber.
Cachalot A sperm whale.
Forecastle The section of the upper deck of a ship at the bow or in front of the
foremast; any seaman's quarters, located in the forward part of a ship.
Leviathan A biblical sea monster;
Narwhal An arctic aquatic mammal related to the dolphin, that has a spotted pelt and,
on the male, a long spirally twisted ivory tusk projecting from the upper jaw.
Palpitate To beat with excessive rapidity; throb.
Taciturn Habitually silent and uncommunicative.
Agglomeration A confused or jumbled mass.
Caudal Of, at, or near the tail or hind part of the body.
Fathom A unit of length equal to six feet, used to measure the depth of water or
mines.
Gradations A process of change taking place through gradual degrees or stages.
Gymnotus A genus of South American fresh-water fishes which includes the electric
eel. It has a greenish, eel-like body, and is possessed of electric power.
Indefatigably Not subject to fatigue; untiring.

Irradiation Emission of electromagnetic radiation
Manometer An instrument for measuring the pressure of liquids and gases.
Pholades Any one of numerous species of marine bivalve (with 2 hinged shell halves,
like a clam) mollusks of the genus Pholas, or family Pholadidae. They bore holes for
themselves in clay, peat, and soft rocks, by twisting their shells in the rock like a drill.
Some are bioluminescent. The holes in the rock in the picture were bored by Pholas,
and you can see one there still. By the way, the stone in this picture is chalk.
Port The left-hand side of a ship or aircraft when facing forward
Qui vive (French) who goes there?
Salpae A creature that joins with others of its kind to form colonies that behave like
one creature. This picture is of a colony of salp (not including the fish of course!). Just
so you know, that fish is about 6" long.
Sonorous Having, producing, or being a loud, deep, or full sound; resonant.
Stupefaction Complete, paralyzing amazement or utter confusion.
Trifling Treating as if of little importance, meaning, or value; slight; trivial:

Enigmatical Of or resembling an enigma; puzzling.
Facsimile An exact copy or duplicate, as of something printed or pictorial;

reproduction. FYI, the common word "fax" is short for facsimile. Did you know that?
Faraday Michael Faraday (1791-1867) An English physicist and chemist who

contributed greatly to our understanding of electromagnetism. He even has an
electrical unit named after him, a measure of electrical charge. But anyway, the
"language of Faraday" is English.
Helm Equipment used for steering a ship, esp. A wheel or tiller.
Hermetically Sealed Sealed to prevent the influx or escape of air; airtight.
Imperturbable Not easily excited or disturbed; calm.
Nonplussed In a condition of extreme perplexity or confusion.
Philology The study of the historical development of the sounds, words, and other
grammatical structures of a language or language group.
Phormium A plant, native to New Zealand, and used like hemp to make rope, fabric,
and baskets.
Quicksilver The chemical element mercury.
Beyond the pale Outside the bounds of morality, good behavior or judgment;
unacceptable
Cuirass A piece of close-fitting armor that protects the chest and back.
Echinoderm Any of various marine animals that have parts radiating symmetrically
from the center and hard, often spiny outer body walls, such as the starfishes and sea
urchins.
Effaced To withdraw (oneself) from others' notice
Fucus Any of various brown algae of the genus Fucus, which includes many of the
rockweeds.
Inestimable Unable to be counted or estimated; incalculable.
Recriminate To counter one accusation with another.
Reverie A state of daydreaming, reminiscing, or musing.
Saline Of, pertaining to, or containing salt.
Zoophytes Any of various invertebrate animals that resemble a plant, such as a coral
or sponge.
Bunsen pile A kind of battery.

E.N.E. East Northeast
Epoch A unit of geologic time that is a division of a period.
Excrescence An abnormal, disfiguring outgrowth such as that caused by a tumor.
Dynamics A branch of physics that studies how motion and the action of forces
affecting motion interrelate
Lenticular Shaped like a lens that is convex on both surfaces.
Leyden bottles A capacitor. It builds up and stores electricity. Want to make one?
MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS WITH AN ADULT, AND DON'T USE FLAMMABLE ADHESIVES
LIKE RUBBER CEMENT.
Manifest Clear and unmistakable to the eye or mind; plain; obvious.
Planisphere A maplike projection of all or part of a sphere on a plane surface.
Quintillion 1,000,000,000,000,000,000
Saloon A large social lounge on a passenger ship.
Surmullet Any of various brightly colored fishes of the family Mullidae of warm seas,
having two sensory barbels on the chin. Also called goatfish.
Terra firma Land that is firm or dry; solid earth.
Hydrophtyes A plant adapted to grow in water.
Impalpable Not subject to perception by touch; intangible.
Impotent Lacking strength, effectiveness, or capability.
Laminaries A polymer of glucose that is the principal storage product of brown algae.
Medusae The tentacled, usually bell-shaped, free-swimming stage in the life cycle of a
coelenterate, such as a jellyfish.
Repugnance Strong dislike or aversion.
Animalculae A microscopic or minute organism, such as an amoeba or a paramecium,

usually considered to be an animal
Corvettes A sailing warship, smaller than a frigate, usually armed with one tier of
guns.
Despot A ruler with absolute power. A person who wields power oppressively; a tyrant.
Hundredweight A unit of weight in the British Imperial system equal to 112 pounds.
Limpid Characterized by transparent clearness.
Annelides Any of various worms or wormlike animals of the phylum Annelida,

characterized by an elongated, cylindrical, segmented body and including the
earthworm and leech.
Byssus A mass of strong, silky filaments by which certain bivalve mollusks, such as
mussels, attach themselves to rocks and other fixed surfaces.
Carapace A hard bony or chitinous outer covering, such as the fused dorsal plates of a
turtle or the portion of the exoskeleton covering the head and thorax of a crustacean.
Cuirass A piece of armor for protecting the breast and back. Sometimes refers to only
the breastplate.
Epicure A person with refined taste especially in food and wine.
Expletive An exclamation or oath, especially one that is profane, vulgar, or obscene.
Idiosyncrasy A physiological or temperamental peculiarity.
Bustards Any of various large, long-legged Old World game birds of the family
Otididae that frequent dry, open, grassy plains.
Commodious Spacious; roomy.
Effulgence A brilliant radiance.
Viscous Having relatively high resistance to flow, like a thick gooey liquid.
Impunity Exemption from punishment, penalty, or harm.
Characters
Dr. Pierre Aronnax - the narrator, aged forty. He is a former medical doctor
turned scientist and lecturer at the Museum of Paris. He is unmarried and
childless.
Conseil - Aronnaxs domestic servant. He is thirty years old. He follows Aronnax
Ned Land - a Canadian traveling on the Abraham Lincoln. He is revered as the
king of harpooners. He is forty years old, large, quiet, and angry when
contradicted.
Captain Nemo - The commander of the Nautilus. He is a mysterious man.
Captain Anderson - the captain of the Scotia, the ship that sank and provoked
the United States to send the Abraham Lincoln in search of the Nautilus. The
root word ande means man; therefore, Anderson can be read as son of man.
Captain Farragut - the captain of the Abraham Lincoln. His name is taken from
a Union Civil War admiral, David G. Farragut. David Farragut is famous for his
statement: Damn the torpedoesfull speed ahead!!!
Themes
Man versus Nature - This major theme of the story is encapsulated both in
the conflict between Aronnax and Nemo as well as Nemo and himself. Aronnax,
the naturalist must decide between his own love of science and his fellow
man. Nemo, who has gained incredible power by defying nature, must reconcile
his power and his humanity.
Revenge - Captain Nemo repeatedly mentions that he is seeking revenge for

injustices he incurred while on land. Interestingly, the reader must consider that
while Nemos violence seems senseless and evil, he is not necessarily different
from a nation state. For example, Nemo has declared himself sovereign; he has
his own
laws; he claims he has a wealth that rivals France; and he has his own military.
Liberty - Liberty is another theme that pervades this novel. The world is
seeking to liberate itself of the creature, the Nautilus. Nemo seeks liberty
from society and from the land itself. Aronnax, Conseil and Land seek liberty
from Nemo. Yet no one is truly free.

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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 1 of 21

Book Club Discussion Guide

What is natural history or natural philosophy? What would we call this

Many describe Captain Nemo as one of the greatest villains in literature. Do

How long is a fathom? How did it get its name?

How is oxygen replenished in modern day submarines? How was it supposed

What is a conchyliologist? [Answer: also known as a conchologist, it is a person

Fun facts and Ideas that Relate to the Story:

Survival in the water

Early stories about Kraken, from Norway in the twelfth

Ships' Bells http://webpages.charter.net/stoneturtle3/20K/20Kpt1ch2-3.html

A frigate is a kind of ship, like a schooner or a brigantine. A frigate has 3 masts

1. Stern 2. Bow 3. Paddle Wheel 4. Foremast 5. Mainmast 6. Mizzenmast

When Ned Land is "in the Martingales" trying to harpoon the

The sun at noon is a great indicator of

There is a very good description of TIDES and how they work

What he is talking about is decompression sickness, more commonly known as

The Suez Canal

uses to line the inside of its shell.

There is an underwater laboratory studying undersea volcanoes in the Pacific

The Deep, Deep Ocean

Whirlpools A whirlpool is water moving in a spiral motion, like water going

Science Fiction Inventions by Jules Verne

Invention Source Work (Publication Date)

Atmospheric Advertising - write it on the clouds In the Year 2889 (1889)

Launching Facility - in Florida From the Earth to the Moon (1867)

Live News - prediction of newscasts In the Year 2889 (1889)

Phonotelephote - earliest reference to videophone In the Year 2889 (1889)

Projectile-Vehicle - Verne's spacecraft From the Earth to the Moon (1867)

Apparition A ghostly image; phantom; specter. A startling or remarkable sight.

Caricature A depiction, in a drawing or verbal description, that deliberately

Cetacean Of or belonging to the group of aquatic mammals that includes whales,

Ichthyologist A scientist that studies fishes and other water-dwelling animals.

League A unit of length equal to about three miles or 4.8 kilometers.

Lucubrations Laborious study or work, especially late at night

Scrupulous Adhering strictly to standards of ethics or morality.

through the snout and curve backward toward the eyes.

Conjecture The making of a guess or inference, especially with little evidence.

known horse. Yep, the picture is clickable!

Oreodon A prehistoric mammal, but now we call it merycoidodon. Closely related to

Phlegmatic Not given to shows of emotion or interest; slow to excite

Plausible Seeming to be truthful or reasonable; credible

Revictualed Restocked with food.

Soundings The act of measuring the depth of water.

Audacity Courage or boldness, especially when somewhat overconfident, reckless, or

Blunderbuss An early shoulder-gun having a short barrel, flared at the muzzle to

scattershot at close range.

Cachalot A sperm whale.

Leviathan A biblical sea monster;

Palpitate To beat with excessive rapidity; throb.

Taciturn Habitually silent and uncommunicative.

Agglomeration A confused or jumbled mass.

Gradations A process of change taking place through gradual degrees or stages.

Indefatigably Not subject to fatigue; untiring.

Irradiation Emission of electromagnetic radiation

Manometer An instrument for measuring the pressure of liquids and gases.

Port The left-hand side of a ship or aircraft when facing forward

Qui vive (French) who goes there?

so you know, that fish is about 6" long.

Sonorous Having, producing, or being a loud, deep, or full sound; resonant.

Stupefaction Complete, paralyzing amazement or utter confusion.

Trifling Treating as if of little importance, meaning, or value; slight; trivial: