Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“A Nautilus of Your Own”

In this activity, students will demonstrate their understanding of the symbolic value of the Nautilus by designing and reflecting on a self-contained world of their own.

The Nautilus is Nemo’s own personal world, a technological marvel he has designed to reflect his own values; he rules over this world unchallenged. In this activity, design your own “Nautilus”—an ideal personal environment over which you have complete control. Then, reflect on the ways in which the meaning and symbolism of your own environment compares with that of the Nautilus.

Plan: Imagine what kind of world would suit your own personality and values. Would it move or be stationary? How large would it be? Would it contain other people? What other elements must it contain and what characteristics would be required?

Illustrate: Create an illustration of your personal world. Make sure that your viewer can  understand what type of world this is and how it reflects your own personality and values; labels and captions may be used.

Reflect: Write a 2-paragraph reflection that explains your rationale for this environment and how it compares in meaning and symbolic value to the Nautilus in Verne’s original text. Provide evidence from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea supporting your interpretation of the Nautilus’s meaning.

Teaching Suggestion: Methods and time involvement in creating the illustration can be tailored to suit the resources available to your students. As students complete the reflection step of this activity, they will need to consult the text for evidence regarding what the Nautilus represents. They may be tempted to simply use the two environments—the Nautilus and their own created environment—to compare their own personalities with Nemo’s. You might caution them in advance that they are being asked about the meaning of the two environments beyond their value as characterization devices; they should focus on messages about life and the world conveyed by these two environments.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students with visual impairments may not be able to complete this activity as written. A reasonable alternative would include writing descriptions of personal environments rather than creating illustrations. Students with aphantasia may need to consult images online in order to complete their illustrations; they and any students with conditions impacting fine motor coordination might compose their illustrations from online images, clip art, or other helpful tools. Students who benefit from strategies with reading fluency, attention, or organization may find it helpful to compile points of evidence during class discussion to use in the “Reflect” section of the assignment.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. One of the underwater miracles that Nemo shows Aronnax is a giant pearl.

• How does the symbolic value of this pearl help to characterize Captain Nemo? (topic sentence)
• Explain the symbolic meaning of the pearl and support your interpretation with at least 3 pieces of evidence from the text. Discuss and analyze how the pearl’s meaning supports or underscores some aspect of Nemo’s characterization.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how the symbol of the pearl and its relationship to Nemo’s characterization help to convey one or more of the novel’s thematic concerns with Nature Versus Technology; Liberty Versus Imprisonment; Innovation, Exploration, and Discovery; Friendship; and The Perils of Vengeance.

2. Nemo’s motto is “Mobilis in Mobili.”

• What is the motto’s larger, non-literal meaning? (topic sentence)
• Discuss at least 3 examples of plot detail, characterization, or language that support your interpretation of the motto’s meaning.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how the motto’s meaning relates to the novel’s thematic interest in either Liberty Versus Imprisonment or Innovation, Exploration, and Discovery.

3. The relationships among Aronnax, Conseil, and Ned help to drive plot and establish characterization, but they also convey larger messages about Friendship.

• What is one message about friendship conveyed by the relationships among these men? (topic sentence)
• Support your interpretation with at least 3 pieces of textual evidence. Evaluate the effectiveness of utilizing the men’s varied characters to convey this message.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, comment on how the novel’s stance on friendship helps to support its larger meaning.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. What is the symbolic significance of the giant squid? How is the squid representative of the larger setting of the ocean? Write a 3- or 5-paragraph  essay connecting the symbolic meaning of the squid to the novel’s larger setting. Show how this connection helps to develop the novel’s thematic interest in Nature Versus Technology. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the text, making sure to cite any quoted material.

2. Certainly, Aronnax, Conseil, and Ned spend time as Nemo’s captives aboard the Nautilus—but in another sense, is Nemo also a captive? What are the different meanings of Liberty Versus Imprisonment that are relevant to this novel? How is this thematic motif related to the novel’s thematic motif of The Perils of Vengeance? Write a 3- or 5-paragraph  essay analyzing the relationship between these two thematic motifs. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the text, making sure to cite any quoted material.

3. How would you evaluate the “science” of this example of science fiction? What did Verne get right about future technology and the science of the ocean? What did he get wrong? Does his accuracy matter to a reader’s enjoyment of the text? Write a brief structured essay evaluating how the scientific accuracy of the novel impacts a reader’s enjoyment of the novel as an example of science fiction. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the text, making sure to cite any quoted material.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which is the most accurate characterization of Aronnax?

A) Independent, introverted, quiet

B) Brave, impulsive, athletic

C) Curious, adventurous, intelligent

D) Gregarious, compassionate, intuitive

2. Which of Conseil’s characteristics sometimes bothers Aronnax?

A) His blind loyalty

B) His agreeableness

C) His mechanical abilities

D) His polite formality

3. What do Farragut and Nemo have in common?

A) Obsessive searching

B) Hidden ambition

C) Hatred for rules

D) Artistic leanings

4. Despite his general dislike for humankind, toward whom does Nemo show sympathy?

A) The unjustly accused

B) The oppressed

C) Women

D) Children

5. Which character is best described as “bold and passionate”?

A) Conseil

B) Aronnax

C) Ned

D) Farragut

6. Which ideas most clearly describes how nature is represented in the novel?

A) Generous, whimsical, nurturing

B) Dangerous, beautiful, tempting

C) Indifferent, challenging, alienating

D) Implacable, mysterious, powerful

7. Which image most clearly represents both the power and danger of technology?

A) The underwater hunting

B) The diving apparatus

C) The Abraham Lincoln

D) The Nautilus

8. Which statement best describes Nemo’s attitude toward marine life?

A) He will protect the plants and animals of the ocean at any cost.

B) He considers marine creatures his to do with as he pleases.

C) He is angered by the impact of overfishing and pollution on the sea.

D) He is inspired by and tries to mimic the habits of sea animals.

9. Which phrase best describes the direction in which Aronnax’s opinion of Nemo changes?

A) From admiration to aversion

B) From fear to fascination

C) From apathy to alienation

D) From dislike to devotion

10. Which element most clearly symbolizes Nemo’s desire for revenge?

A) The pearl diver

B) The giant squid

C) The maelstrom

D) The iceberg

11. What idea do Nemo’s rules about confining Aronnax and the others to their cabins, Nemo’s attitude toward the ocean, and Ned’s commentary about seeing the ocean underneath the Antarctic ice all work to support?

A) Nemo is a hypocrite.

B) Nemo is egocentric.

C) Nemo is playing God.

D) Nemo is a kind of colonist.

12. Which event foreshadows the increasing obstacles the Nautilus faces in the novel’s second half?

A) The attack by the sea spider

B) The wreck of the Florida

C) The collision with the Abraham Lincoln

D) The ship’s passage through the Vanikoro islands

13. Which character most clearly functions as a foil to Aronnax?

A) Ned

B) Conseil

C) Farragut

D) Nemo

14. For most of the novel, how do tone and mood contrast one another?

A) The tone is unsettled; the mood is comic.

B) The tone is awestruck; the mood is ominous.

C) The tone is desperate; the mood is serene.

D) The tone is sarcastic; the mood is mysterious.

15. Which details of Ned’s characterization have a symbolic meaning as well as a literal one?

A) His perfect vision and his nationality

B) His nationality and his skill with a harpoon

C) His skill with a harpoon and his beliefs about hunting

D) His beliefs about hunting and his perfect vision

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What apparent paradox in Nemo’s character is illustrated when he plants his flag on the South Pole?

2. What is the symbolic significance of Ned’s last name?