[8] Mr. Midshipman Hornblower (close reading)

Mr. Midshipman Horblower is a gripping novel by C.S. Forester set in the Napoleonic Wars. The book begins the adventures of Horblower, a young man who is an officer in the British Royal Navy. In Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, Horblower gains his sea-legs and gains several promotions, the first of many as he climbs his way up the ladder of rank to finally becoming a Rear Admiral, one of the most prestigious and highest ranks in the Navy. The opening of the book I think is particularly interesting as Forester sets the scene and mood for the rest of the books, and introduces us to Horblower for the first time.

            The first time we meet Horblower, he is described as looking like a “bag of trash, clumped in the stern of the rowboat.” This line describes him, sitting in the front of the rowboat ferrying him to the ship he is assigned to on a stormy night. It also holds a symbol, of a “bag of trash,” something that is not found at sea and doesn’t belong, is going out to sea in the rowboat. When we come aboard the ship, he reports to one of the higher ranking officers and goes below, and has an unpleasant meeting with the men who are of his rank. To add to this, he is seasick, which goes back to the symbol of the bag of trash which does not belong. He has to assimilate to his new environment. These opening pages set the mood for the rest of the first book.

            Slightly later in the beginning of the story, we meet the captain. An older man, he symbolizes the old and efficient Royal Navy, and its higher ranking officers. Hornblower, having gained a classical education during his childhood, is asked by the captain if he can “quote Cicero.” Horblower quickly assures the captain that he can, something which amuses the captain. He says that he needs to be able to “climb a ratline [a rope used by sailors to move around upon the sails],” not be able to “quote Cicero.” This is another issue with Hornblower, with him struggling to not come off as acting smarter than his superiors, even if he is smarter than them. This section sets the scene for the rest of the chapter.

            Later on in the chapter, Hornblower shows his bravery and paves the way for the next chapter. An officer who is of the same rank insults him while inside a bar, and so Hornblower decides to have a duel. He agrees to have an even chance, where one pistol is loaded and the other is not, and so one with definitely die. However, the captain intervenes, and the duel is cancelled. However, he has proven his bravery through this incident, which would have had a 1 in 2 chance of his death. Because of this, a higher ranking captain decides that he wants Hornblower on his ship, and so Hornblower is promoted. This is the first of many promotions which he will gain over the series, and it shows us how brave he is.

            In conclusion, the novel Mr. Midshipman Hornblower by C.S. Forester has a great beginning. It introduces us to Hornblower, sets the scene, and creates the mood for the rest of the books. Through Forester’s brilliant craft, we learn a tremendous amount about Hornblower and the British Royal Navy at that time. Mr. Midshipman Hornblower is one of the best novels I have read, and the beginning is one of the best parts of the series.

[7] Fox by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks - Complex Picture Books

            The moving picture book Fox by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks describes the perils of two animals who have lost something. One of them, Dog, who has lost one eye, eagerly helps Magpie, who has burnt her wing and thus lost her ability to fly. Magpie is at first resistant, but eventually she allows Dog to be her companion. Every day, Dog runs so fast with Magpie on his back that she can imagine that she is flying again. However, a fox comes and persuades Magpie to ride on his back, saying he can run faster than Dog and that she will thus be able to better imagine that she is flying. However, the fox abandons her in the desert with the intention of showing Magpie and Dog what it feels like to be as lonely as he is. Throughout this book, the authors use masterful word choices, to deepen the emotional impact of the story.

            In the beginning of the story, the authors set the scene in a mood of loss. Using words like “charred forest,” and “hot ash,” the authors create a burnt and despairing mood, suggesting that there was recently a forest fire, and that was how Magpie’s wing was burned. The authors follow this up with a feeling of grief, using words like "melting into blackness," and "nothing." This beginning sets the scene for the rest of the book.

            In the middle of the book, there is a hopeful feeling, when a new creature is created. "I will be your missing eye, and you will be my wings," says Magpie to Dog. She feels that under Dog’s caring hand she will continue to recover from the shock of her terrible injury. This development also shows that rehabilitation is possible for someone who has lost something, and it contributes to the mood of new possibilities. Another line that even more shows the creation of something new is this one: “I see a strange new creature,” Magpie says while looking in the river, and Dog replies, “That is us.” This shows that the two have become much closer thanks to Dog's efforts and have become a "new creature." This joining of Dog and Magpie strengthens Magpie's resolve and hope for her new life in spite of her injury.

            Later in the book, Fox comes into the story. Immediately we are placed on alert to his movements, as the book says "he [the fox] flickers through the trees like a tongue of fire." The authors bring back the theme of fire, and we remember the beginning of the book and the fact that Magpie was burned. As Fox appears, he is described as having "haunted eyes" and Magpie says, "'He belongs nowhere . . . He loves no one.'" However, Dog is too trusting of Fox, and soon Magpie, at Fox's constant coaxing, decides to try riding on Fox's back instead of Dog's, and she says, "'At last I am flying! Really flying!'" when she rides on Fox's back, who is much faster than Dog. As the book says, "Fox runs so fast that his feet scarcely touch the ground." However, soon Fox shakes Magpie off his back and leaves her in the desert. He says, "'Now you and Dog will know what it is like to be truly alone.'" This makes us remember Magpie's feeling of despair at the beginning, when she had felt herself "melting into blackness." Instead of resorting to anger like Fox does, though, as the book says, "Slowly, jiggety hop, she begins the long journey home." Magpie chooses that instead of allowing herself to die, she will go back to Dog, for fearing that he will wake up alone.

            Fox by Margaret Wind and Ron Brooks is a powerful story of loss, which has many layers to it. Through the evocative word choice of the authors, they weave a moving story which holds important lessons. This story teaches us that even though someone may appear as unhurt, they may be wounded on the inside, and bitter as a result. It teaches us that we should not allow loneliness to consume us, but should walk, in the words of the novel, "Slowly, jiggety hop," and begin the long journey back to our loved ones.

[6] Reading Response on Admiral Hornblower In The West Indies (Favorite Book of 2013)

            During the year of 2013, I read a tremendous number of books, many of them fantastic and riveting. However, I think that the one that stands out from the rest for me is Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies, a novel by C.S. Forester set in the early 1800s, just after the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Hornblower’s adventure begins with his ship pulling into New Orleans on the way for a state dinner with the governor of the area. From the beginning, Forester takes us on an unrelenting journey of adventure. At a state dinner the first night Hornblower is in New Orleans, he meets a Frenchman who is attempting to sneak 500 retired French soldiers with rifles and uniforms out of the U.S., with the ultimate goal of freeing Napoleon from his jail cell and conquering France. Hornblower is immediately tasked with catching the French soldiers, and after chasing their ship through the Caribbean and finally stopping them just before they reach the Atlantic, Hornblower is quickly assigned to capture a slave ship. After a long chase and eventual capture of the ship, Hornblower wearily goes into port with his small flagship, only to go to a state dinner and be captured by pirates who demand an official pardon for Hornblower’s release. He narrowly escapes the pirates through deceitful tactics, and the end of the book finds him resting at his house in England. Through his weaving of extremely dramatic events, C.S. Forester shows amazing skill and craft. This novel stands out from his other novels, and is a fantastic read.

            Throughout the book, C.S. Forester skillfully places Hornblower in situations which reflect upon the preceding novels. This shows the development of Hornblower’s character, which has changed a tremendous amount as he has risen from a junior officer to the highest rank in the Navy. Hornblower witnesses from an Admiral’s point of view the types of struggles he had to undergo while he was rising through the ranks. One example of this is when Hornblower is on board the flagship of his entire fleet, and the captain is desperately trying to chase down a much faster slave ship. The slave ship or “slaver” as they were called in the British navy, narrowly escapes the captain’s first attempt to capture it. Hornblower remembers his days as a captain and the high stakes he faced, for he knows that if the captain does not capture the slaver when it comes out of port, he will be relieved of his command and have to survive on half pay. He also remembers his past when one of the midshipmen, a junior officer, onboard his ship is seasick and is ridiculed by the crew. The same happened to Hornblower when he joined the navy, and he feels compassion for the seasick sailor. In C.S. Forester’s words, “Hornblower looked down upon the deck, and remembered his ponderous seasick days as a midshipman.” Through these remembrances, C.S. Forester shows us Hornblower’s development as a character.

            C.S. Forester also uses masterful craft to describe Hornblower’s adventures. He utilizes a tremendous amount of detail while describing the ships, and allows us to vividly envision them throughout the book. C.S. Forester describes Hornblower’s flagship in a storm, “With the pitch and the roll as Clorinda shouldered against the sea the shadows of the weather rigging swooped back and forth over the deck; when she took a roll to windward, towards the nearly level morning sun, the shadows of the ratlines of the mizzen shrouds flicked across his eyes.” This gives us the feeling of what it is like to be on Hornblower’s ship, and does so in fantastic language. C.S. Forester also goes into rich detail to describe the people Hornblower meets in his travels. Describing the British diplomat who escorted him to the state dinner in New Orleans, C.S. Forester says, “Mr. Sharpe – surely there was never a name that accorded so ill with its possessor’s figure, for he was a fat man, a mountain of puffy flesh.” Such descriptions create vivid scenes in the book, a quality that makes it stand out.

            In all, C.S. Forester’s Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies was certainly the best book I read over the 2013 year. The novel showed what it was like to be a high-ranking British naval official in the 1800s, and mixed action with an interesting story. Combined with C.S. Forester’s fantastic writing, it made for a tremendous read, and has made me want to read more books about this era.