The Sea Devil Questions and Vocabulary

1. Why doesn’t the man do fishing by night? How does this lead to the conflict with the ray? What is significant about the fact that he does not fish for a living?

The man fishes by night because he likes the loneliness, the hardship, and the man enjoyed being a hunter. He also fishes by night to feel different from doing his job and feel isolated. This leads to the conflict with the ray because when he was pulled overboard, nobody was able to see him or help him which gave him a higher possibility to die. People weren’t able to see him since he was so far away in the dark, which was even hard for the man to see the stingray, for it was too dark. The significance of how the man does not fish for a living is that the man knew that it was dangerous for him to be fishing in the dark by himself, but he still went fishing, all by himself in the dark. I think that the man went fishing by himself because he wanted to relieve his stress by staying by himself and hunting sea creatures.

2. Identify 3 examples of foreshadowing.

a) When the man was hauling in the mullets, while checking if there were any stingrays hiding in the mesh. This gives a hint that he was aware that stingrays were around and that they would be a part of the story. “He looked closely to make sure no stingray was hidden in the mesh, then raised the iron collar and shook the net out.” (pg.35)
b) When the man gives back the baby porpoise to its mother and saves it. This also gives us a hint that the porpoise would be included in the story as well as the stingrays since usually, when you do something good, something good will happen to you. “And the mother had swum alongside the boat and under the boat and around the boat, nudging the stout planking with her back, slapping it with her tail, until the man felt sorry for her and made the captain let the baby porpoise go.” (pg.33)
c) When the man goes out to go fishing at night in the dark, the story tell the reader that something is going to happen since most people fish during the daytime and not during the nighttime since it is harder to see fish and it it is more dangerous. Also, since it is during the nighttime, there won’t be many people who will be able to help the man when he gets into trouble. “In front of him, the bay stretched dark and silent, one of the countless lagoons that border the coast where Florida thrusts its great green thumb deep into the tropics” (pg.32)

3. Identify the following parts of the story’s plot: the complicating incident, a single crisis, the climax, the resolution, and the ending (what kind?).

The complicating incident in the story when the man decides to only let his net go when he sees two or more swirls. A single crisis of this story would be when the man got pulled into the water by the Sea Devil. Quickly, the man tries to untie the rope around his wrist but he can’t do it quick enough and the man gets dragged and thrashed around violently.The climax is when the man decides to use the barnacle on the stake to cut the rope around him and safely survives. The resolution of this story is when the man decides to free the mullet back into the ocean. Lastly, the type of ending of this story is a happy ending since the man is successful in surviving the Sea Devil.

4. One of the conflicts is between the civilized and primitive world (define these two words first). What is the purpose of the references made to the plane, the causeway, and the man’s wife at home?

The definition for civilized is when a something is considered to be advanced in a way; to be polite or well-mannered. The definition for primitive is relating to the character of an early stage in the evolutionary or historical development of something. I think that the purpose of the references made to the plane, the causeway, and the man’s wife at home, is that everything is man made. A plane, causeway, and houses their wife stays at, are all man made.

5. What does the man learn at the end of the story? Why does he release the mullet?

At the end of this story, I suppose that the man learns that catching sea creatures is ruining their lives and ending it for them, and that good deeds recompenses in a way. He also learned to not go fishing at night by himself. The man let go of the mullet because he had just been in the same position as the mullet with the Sea Devil. Also, he didn’t need the mullet since he wasn’t going to eat it, nor did he fish for a living.

6. Find 3 examples of descriptive language – this will lead into a discussion of figurative language.

a) “He liked the clean taste of salt when he gripped the edge of the net with his teeth as a cast netter must.” (pg.33)
b) “Down to the southward, the lights of a causeway made a yellow necklace across the sky.” (pg.34)
c) “A school of sardines surfaced suddenly, skittering along like drops of mercury.” (pg.36)

Vocabulary:

1. sullen (pg.32)
To be bad-tempered and sulky; gloomy.
2. weltering (pg.33)
To rise and fall or toss about in or with waves.
3. elemental (pg.33)
To have the power of force of nature.
4. sinewy (pg.33)
Tough and difficult to cut.
5. hoisted (pg.33)
To raise something by using ropes or strength.
6. phosphorescence (pg.34)
Luminescence that is caused by the absorption of radiations.
7. cordage (pg.34)
The ropes in the rigging of a ship/boat.
8. exhilaration (pg.34)
Feeling of great happiness and excitement.
9. atavistic (pg. 35)
A recurrence to a past style, manner, outlook, or activity.
10. centrifugal (pg. 35)
Moving away from a centre.
11. gauntly (pg. 35)
Barren/desolate
12. impeding (pg. 37)
To slow the movement, progress, or action of something.
13. tenaciously (pg.37)
Very determined to do something.
14. respite (pg. 38)
A period of temporary delay.
15. equilibrium (p. 38)
A state of balance, one force is not stronger than the other.
16. imminent (pg. 39)
Something that will happening soon.