Day 6

Billy Budd Lesson Plan

Discussion of Thought Questions

  1. 1

    What is the effect of the narrator's digression to several days after Billy's death? Why is the stillness of his body so important?

    Few parts of Billy Budd feel as incoherent as this odd time jump in chapter 26. The conversation between the surgeon and the purser does not advance the plot and it ends abruptly. However, readers might argue that the conversation shows us how Billy's death continued to affect the ship's crew. They might also argue that this section should have been removed while editing the manuscript.

  2. 2

    Do you think that the crew was going to mutiny during Billy's funeral? Why or why not?

    For the officers, the crew's murmuring was cause for concern....

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