The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder

Why would someone want to join the British navy in the 1700s? What are the advantages and disadvantages of a career in the navy during this time?

What are three ways that racism and colonialism impacted what happened with the Wager’s crew and how they perceived their experiences? How did colonialism and racism impact events surrounding the Wager and the accounts emerging from them?

Why did John Bulkeley keep his journal? What was its importance? How did it affect the court martial?

Imagine you are one of the survivors trapped on Wager Island. Using details from The Wager, write a brief entry in your own journal of events.

Was there any way that the community on Wager Island could have survived, perhaps even becoming the foundation of a lasting town? Why or why not?

Why were stories and accounts of what happened on Wager Island so important? How does what David Grann describes in The Wager illustrate the power of stories and media narratives in general?

Are there any parallels between modern events and how the survivors of the Wager and British authorities tried to control the narrative of the shipwreck and the mutiny? Elaborate on the similarities between the events described in The Wager and these modern events.

Does the narrative suggest that Bulkeley’s crew should have been convicted of mutiny and/or that David Cheap should have been punished for murder? Why or why not? Use evidence from the text to support your argument.