Shipwreck

How do each of the new crew members adjust to living on The Phoenix? Consider a scale of who seems the most and least prepared to learn and adapt.

What is the goal of the CNC program? Find a real-world comparison, like the Wilderness Therapy Programs. How do those participants and their stories relate to the CNC participants?

Trust is an important component of the book. List and explore two situations that required physical trust. List and explore two situations that required emotional trust. How and when did these situations intersect, and what can be learned from them?

When floating on the raft, the crew seems near to death. Discuss the symbolism of their various hallucinations and how they relate to aspects of their personalities. What do their hallucinations say about what they value?

Does J.J. truly think he knows how to navigate the storm better than the captain? Explore how suspicion is a key part of J.J.’s character and how this might tie into his upbringing. Give specific examples to support your claim.

Explain how one character embodies the theme of teamwork. Who is the most willing to first work as a team, and who seems the most resistant? Consider the entire crew.

Compare and contrast the characters of Luke and Mr. Radford and how they each react to pivotal events of survival.

Will started drinking sea water and tried to convince Luke that J.J.’s theory of a staged CNC production was correct. Discuss delusion as a means of self-preservation, both when someone is physically sick from the elements and in denial about a traumatic event.