jesse's edit
Daniel Rooke quotes
‘What comforted Rooke.. was the knowledge that as an individual he did not matter. Whatever he was, he was part of a whole, one insignificant note with the great fugue of being’ (p. 14)
‘No one knew him here: Daniel Rooke, so clever he was stupid’ (p.21)
Tagaran quotes
‘Forthright, fearless, sure of herself’(p. 148)
‘Tagaran was… herself, unique in every particle’ (p.209)
Rooke and Tagaran quotes
‘Everything had been suspended while he and Tagaran floated in some corner of the cosmos in which the impossible could unfold’ (p. 209)
‘There was no word for what he had learned with Tagaran. He could not attach a name to what he felt for her. But she had shown him… the man he could be.’ (p.281)
Talbot Silk
‘Silk was disliked by no one: he was cordial amusing and easy always in the right place with just the right words’ (p. 22)
‘He… was a storyteller who could turn the most commonplace event into something entertaining’ (p.22)
Rooke and Silk
‘ How different Silk was from himself, Rooke thought. Silk could imagine no use for words other than reaching an audience.’ (p.204)
Knowledge and learning
‘She was not stupid, only clever enough to recognise the limits of what she understood’ (p.40)
‘After such a leap of learning, the world would no longer be the same’ (p.154)
Duty and Obligation
‘It was easy to raise his right hand and swear that he would serve and obey. It was nothing but words’ (p.27)
Part 1 - Section 1 (pg3-25)
Daniel starts school at Portsmouth Naval academy
Show Rooke’s inner workings and how he is different
Rooke’s main concerns are with science, knowledge and morals. Not relationships with others
Part 1 - Section 2 (pg16-26)
Rooke meets astronomer Dr Vickery, joins the marines, meets Silk, goes to Antigua
Silk is a leader, charming
Rooke firsts sees ‘black faces’ (slaves)
Shows Rooke lacks sexual interest (shows his inner workings)
Part 1 - Section 3 (pg27-36)
Rooke sees a man get hung for disobeying, fights on Resolution
Distressed by combat
Rooke and Silk get closer
Rooke is injured and sent home
Rooke understands duty and obligation, negotiates personal morals
Part 2 - Section 1 (pg45-56)
Rooke goes aboard Sirius as an astronomer, Silk begins writing his narrative
Rooke feels a sense of purpose and belonging
Meets Gardiner
His role on Sirius foreshadows the role he will play in documenting indigenous language
Part 2 - Section 3 (pg67-81)
Rooke attempts to engage with natives
Part 2 - Section 4 (pg82-87)
Rooke is willing to interact with an inexperienced lieutenant, showing his character
Rooke goes to lengths to avoid social interaction with his peers
This social reluctance shows the significance of his easy relationship with Tagaran
Rooke understand that he has genuine interest for native and Silk just wants to create a book
Part 2 - Section 5 (pg88-104)
Brudgen is introduced
Rooke makes his skills values while avoiding interaction, motif, of turning his social reticence and academic ability to his advantage
part 2- Section 6 (pg105-13)
Goverer announces planned 2nd settlement
Gardiner tells Rooke of being forced to help capture two natives
Rooke questions what he would’ve done in same situation
Part 2- Section 7 (pg114-23)
Rooke travels to 2nd settlement to see Boinbar and Warungin
Natives escape
Rooke lies to Silk about Gardiner’s confession
Part 2- Section 8 (pg124-31)
Rooke fails to search for comet
Tensions between settler and natives increase
Gardiner helps Rooke recalculate
Part 3- section 1 (pg135-9)
Natives come in to the settlement
Part 3- section 2 (pp140-56)
Group of natives visit Rooke
Rooke makes a connection with one of the young girls (Tagaran)
Part 3- section 3(pg157-66)
Tagaran and Rooke begin to share their languages
Part 3- section 6 (pg192-99)
Public flogging appals Warungin
Rooke rethinks his understanding of justice
Part 3- section 8 (pg211-18)
Tagaran and other girls tell Rooke they were beaten by some white men
Part 3- section 9 (pg219-34)
Tagaran begs Rooke to teach her how the musket works
They argue and she leaves
Part 4- section 1 (pg237-49)
Brugdem is attacked by natives
Governor orders a ‘puntive expendition’
Rooke tries to refuse to participate
Part 4- Section 2 (pg250-7)
Rooke sabotages a mission by warning Tagaran
Part 4- Section 4(pg271-87)
Rooke discovers intent to behead natives
At night he swims alone in the sea then leaves the party: he faces up to Major Wyatt and the govener at the settlement
Part 5- section 1(pg291-302)
46 years later Rooke is dying in Antigua; he recalls his final morning in NSW and farewell to Tagaran