Using our context clues, the theory of a central fire most likely means:

that the center of the earth was made of fire

The guide that the professor and Henry are given is described as being phlegmatic.
Why is this a good character trait for him to have, based on your knowledge of the
professor?
The guide will remain calm even if the project seems unusual.
Characterization
There are several types of characterization. Characterization is essentially the process
by which the writer reveals the character. This can be done directly, or indirectly.
Sometimes the writer just comes out and says, "He behaves in a warm and gentle
manner". This would be considered direct characterization. If the writer wrote, "He
looked kindly at the dog before giving it his leftovers", we would still have the same
image of the character without an explicit explanation. Let's look at the following
passages from the text and see if you can pick out what components of these passages
are characterization and whether or not it is direct or indirect.
Humor in Science Fiction
Although science fiction is very serious, "sciency" stuff, you can often find a great deal
of humor within the writing. Any of you who have read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
have seen this first hand. We see Jules Verne take a stab at it through his use of
dramatic irony. See if you can identify which passage below is using humor.
If a person is shown as sweating, gulping, taking deep breaths or nervously tugging at
their clothes, which vocabulary word is being depicted?
discomfiture
allusion
a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural,
literary or political importance
Choose the correct word: The rocks on the volcanic island were _____ in nature.
igneous
Setting Through Travel
In order for the characters to get to the portal described by Arne Skassumen, they must
first get to Iceland. The descriptions used in Chapter 5 give us some idea of how the
areas are located.
discomfiture
having a feeling of uneasiness or embarrassment
Now most persons in this category supply themselves with information, as peddlers do
with goods, for the benefit of others, and lay up stores in order to diffuse them abroad
for the benefit of society in general.

Using context clues what is the best meaning of "diffuse"?

to spread out over a wide number of people
Choose the correct word: The wind blew ________ so that I couldn't get the umbrella
set up correctly.
incessantly
Would the passage about Harry be considered direct or indirect characterization?
"I began seriously to reflect. The prospect of going without food and sleep was not a
promising one, so I determined to do my best to solve the mystery."
Inderect
Paradox in Hans
In chapter 8, we meet Hans, who is to be their guide throughout Iceland. The
description of him is interesting in that he is described in totally contradictory terms. In
fact, it seems quite impossible for him to exist the way that he is being described. This is
a great example of paradox. How is it possible for someone to be both naive and
intelligent?

"His eyes, which started rather prominently from a very large head, the face belonging
to which was simple and naive, appeared very quick and intelligent."

Somehow though, he is both of these. Upon a close reflection, we see that Henry says
his overall face appears to be naive, while his eyes are quick and intelligent, so it is in
fact a potentially true statement.
We see through the next section, Henry describes Hans in a paradoxical manner as
well.

"This native of Iceland was active and supple in appearance, though he scarcely moved
his arms, being in fact one of those men who despise the habit of gesticulation common
to southern people."
Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution are all components of
_____.
plot structure
Perception of Iceland
Throughout chapters 6 and 7 we see Henry reflecting on his perception of Iceland. It
isn't particularly positive as we can see from the following passage.
"It was not an easy matter to lose oneself in the two streets of Reykjavik; I had,
therefore, no need to ask my way."
What do we learn from this passage? From a characterization standpoint, we can see
that Henry is a bit sarcastic. We also see that the town of Reykjavik is quite small since
it only has two streets. None of this is necessarily negative, though, because if you
enjoy small towns, this might sound perfect to you! How do we know that Harry thinks it
is not a good thing?
idioms
a group of words that means something different than the individual words; a common
saying
"Bother the dinner!" cried my uncle.
But as I was hungry, I sallied forth to the dining room, where I took up my usual
quarters.

Using context clues, what is the best meaning of "sallied"?

slinked towards
What might Verne be saying about Harry if he has been "defeated" by the professor's
scientific arguments?
Harry is not very intellectual.
Actions as characterization
Another way an author can develop a character is by showing how they react to certain
situations. In chapter 3, Harry discovers a secret that he does not want to tell his uncle.
He is convinced that it would cause his uncle to commit a grave mistake which would
endanger both of their lives. Harry describes himself as stating, "I was almost beside
myself with rage and fury". What does this reaction show about Harry? He is deeply
upset about something. He thinks his uncle is going to put them in danger, so this
seems somewhat rational. Of course, the thing that he is upset about is his own
discovery, which no one else knows about yet. His moving directly into "rage and fury"
makes this an unusual reaction. This tells us a bit about his personality as well.
Which of the following sets of words contribute to the sense of paradox in the passage
above?
active and supple: scarcely moved his arms
What could the last sentence of chapter 15, "This was a matter for serious
consideration," be considered?
foreshadowing
Chapter 13 plot stricture
A typical plot structure is divided into 5 parts. These include the Exposition, the rising
action, the climax, the falling action and the resolution or, if you want to be fancy, the
denouement. This part of the story would be considered the rising action. We know,
from the exposition, that the ultimate goal is for them to get to the center of the earth by
following this "guide" of sorts. Although each chapter essentially has its own type of plot
structure, the book as a whole is also based on a similar plot structure.
What contributed to the formation of the majority of Iceland?
lava
Which word is an example of a statement that seems like it can't possibly be true, but
upon close inspection, it actually is true?
paradox
Driving Harry to the Edge
Harry has vowed not to tell his uncle about his discovery because he does not want to
endanger his own life. Of course, in the end of chapter 3, we see that Harry has in fact
told his uncle the secret to the cryptograph because they are packing up to head to
Iceland.
Which of the following passages is utilizing humor.
The honest sailor took advantage of the Professor's enthusiasm to double the fare.
What is an effective strategy that a good reader could use to determine implied meaning
in a passage?
look for context clues
peddlers
people who sell things, often door to door
Using context clues, what does "innate" mean?
natural
Which of the following is NOT an allusion found in Journey to the Center of the Earth ?
Captain Ahab
characterization
the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character
Cryptograph:
a secret code or secret message
An allusion is when the author makes a reference to something the reader is supposed
to be somewhat familiar with as a means of making the meaning of their text more fully
developed. Read the passage below and identify the allusion within the passage.

Hans advanced as calmly as if he had been walking over Salisbury Plain; sometimes he
would disappear behind huge blocks of stone and we momentarily lost sight of him.

What is the allusion

Salisbury Plain
Let's take a look at how they are developing the rising action throughout the story. Part
of it contributes to the continuing theme of the entire novel. (That's the scientific aspect
of the book.) Part of the rising action just serves the purpose of moving the story
forward. Let's take a look at this section here that occurs while they are lowering
themselves into the volcano. The narrator makes a point about how he was unable to
focus on the geological transformation occurring in the rocks as they descended,
although his uncle was able to focus on it. At one point, Professor Hardwigg states:

"I at once regret the old and now forever exploded theory of a central fire. At all events,
we shall soon know the truth."
Let's do a close reading on this one. What is the context of this statement? Professor
Hardwigg is referring to the composition of the interior of the volcano. So when he talks
about an exploded theory, what might he mean? Probably the destruction or disproving
of an idea that someone has about something and, more specifically, the way
something works. This is definitely something that comes up several times throughout
the novel, so we can put this idea into our added concepts about theme.

In order to understand what he might be talking about and how some of the supporting
ideas contribute to the theme, it is important that we understand what the theory of
central fire might actually be.
Chapter 8 closes with a line from Virgil, who was a famous poet who died while in the
midst of one of his most famous works, Aeneid . Virgil is someone that we are all
supposed to be familiar with. What literary term is this?
allusion
One of the next actions that he exhibits is in the following passage:
"I snatched up book and parchment, and was about to cast them into the fire, when the
door opened and my uncle entered."
impulsive
Importance of Time in Context
When you are reading any new piece of literature, it is important to consider the time
when it was written. This applies to non-fiction and fiction and even poetry. The reason
it matters is because it gives you context for the writing. This means you will be able to
understand it better. Imagine if your friend came up to you and said, "Dude! She said
yes!" If it is a good friend, you probably know who "she" is and you probably know what
she said "yes" to. If you don't know that person very well, you are probably very
confused. In a sense, this is similar with authors from the past as well. Think about this
example:
cryptography
the art of writing or solving codes
Who is really in charge here?
So far, the professor has seemed like he is really in charge of everyone around him. He
is certainly in charge of Henry and bosses him around in all sorts of ways. When they
are traveling to the volcanic area, however, we see that he is not in fact as "in charge"
as he'd like to be. Henry is shocked to see the horse carry the professor down their
path, for as many miles as they need to go without the professor yelling at the horse in
any way. This is interesting because the professor is always yelling. We see however,
that when the professor reaches the fjord, he attempts to make the horse enter the
water, but the horse stubbornly refuses to do so. It turns out that the horse is smarter
than the professor in this particular case, which is a great example of situational irony.
Another type of irony exists when the audience knows something is about to happen,
but the character do not. This type of irony is dramatic irony. For example, if the
audience knew the tide was dangerous the audience would have known why the horse
was being so obstinate. However, the Professor would not have had this knowledge
until later.
Which of the following is NOT an allusion made so far in this book?
George Washington
Theory and Foreshadowing
Within chapter 15, we see that the professor is determined to disprove the theory of
central fire. Even though things don't seem to add up, they continue to document
everything and they are continually testing their experiences with the theories that they
know. They are constantly taking notes in their books, and making geological
observations as demonstrated by this passage:

"Magnificent, glorious!" I cried in a moment of involuntary enthusiasm, "What a

spectacle, Uncle! Do you not admire these variegated shades of lava, which run through
a whole series of colors, from reddish brown to pale yellow—by the most insensible
degrees? And these crystals, they appear like luminous globes."
How do We Know where We are in the Plot Structure?

Sometimes, when we are reading, it is difficult to know where we might be in the

storyline. One way that we can do this is to look at some of the clues thrown about by
the author. As things get closer to the climax, you'll discover that details matter more
and more. The further away from the climax we might be, the less importance each
detail carries. One hint we have in this story shows up in this passage from chapter 13.

Nevertheless, and despite all the manifold difficulties of the descent, along slopes with
which our guide was wholly unacquainted, we made considerable progress without
accident.
In this passage, we see that they had many difficulties, but the fact that they are glossed
over helps us to know that we aren't quite close to the climax yet. This is all still
introduction to help us become comfortable with the tone of the piece.

Another passage from chapter 13 is: "In this way we passed our first night in the interior
of the crater."
The use of the word "first" also helps us to see that we aren't quite at the climax.
Chapter 11
In this chapter, Harry and the professor finally make it to the "village" where Sneffels
exists. We see a bit about the time period and the perception that might exist
concerning clergymen at that time period.
One statement made by the professor is: "'The Rector,' repeated the worthy Professor;
'it appears, my dear Harry, that this worthy man is the Rector, and is not above doing
his own work.'" This quote would imply that his behavior might be unexpected. We see
this point further driven home by Harry's reaction later. He claims that they "deal with a
blacksmith, a fisherman, a hunter, a carpenter, anything but a clergyman." He later says
that the poor priests receive a most ridiculously inadequate salary, "hence the necessity
of working to live."
Read the following two passages to see the example of situational irony.

At length the sturdy little pony, spreading out his legs, in a stiff and ludicrous attitude,
got out from under the Professor's legs, and left him standing with both feet on a
separate stone, like the Colossus of Rhodes.
...
"Why did you not say so before," cried my uncle; "why not start at once?"
Of course, having read the chapter, we know that essentially, the pony was telling him
that there was another way to get across the river and it wasn't on the back of the pony.
This could be considered situational irony because we can see that the professor may
not be quite as smart as the creatures he is surrounded by. This may lead to an
interesting reading down the road.
Yet another form of dramatic irony may come in the allusion to Virgil made here: "This
proposition startled me. Latin was my favorite study, and it seemed sacrilege to believe
this gibberish to belong to the country of Virgil."
Virgil was the author of the Aeneid, which is one of the most famous oral poems in
history. This statement by Harry presents his feelings about Iceland, once again. The
idea that Virgil would be associated with someone who "supposedly" discovered the
center of the earth seems ridiculous to Harry. Of course we, as readers, know that this
guy was on to something, otherwise there wouldn't be a book entitled Journey to the
Center of the Earth. This contributes to the dramatic irony as well.
What one reason is NOT contributing to why Harry doesn't want his uncle to know the
truth about the message?
He wants to be the first person to make this great discovery.
Another type of Context
In order to get some more practice at looking at the context to figure things out, let's
look at some vocabulary and try to figure out what it means based on context clues.
execrable
extremely bad or unpleasant
benighted
in a state of intellectual or moral ignorance, typically because there isn't opportunity to
be educated
Allusions
Another component to understanding what the author might mean is understanding
what the author is referring to in writing. When we are reading something that was
written long before we were alive, often the author will mention someone or something
that we are supposed to be familiar with. If something was written today, an author
might refer to Lady Gaga or The Beatles, and most people would know who that was.
However, in another 100 years, people may not have any idea who those people are.
As readers, it is our responsibility to understand the references that are being made to
some extent.
Where is the portal to the center of the Earth according to Arne Saknussem?
A volcano in Iceland
Imagery: Throughout chapter 10, we have a great deal of imagery. The landscape of
Iceland is described in fantastic detail and the reader can really get an idea of what the
area must look like.
Let's look at a passage that might help you with your next task.
We followed him, for to accompany him was impossible. A long, narrow, gloomy
passage led into the interior of this habitation, made from beams roughly squared by the
ax. This passage gave ingress to every room. The chambers were four in number— the
kitchen , the workshop, where the weaving was carried on, the general sleeping
chamber of the family, and the best room, to which strangers were especially invited.
My uncle, whose lofty stature had not been taken into consideration when the house
was built, contrived to knock his head against the beams of the roof.
"We followed him, for to accompany him was impossible. A long, narrow, gloomy
passage led into the interior of this habitation, made from beams roughly squared by the
ax. This passage gave ingress to every room. The chambers were four in number— the
kitchen , the workshop, where the weaving was carried on, the general sleeping
chamber of the family, and the best room, to which strangers were especially invited.
My uncle, whose lofty stature had not been taken into consideration when the house
was built, contrived to knock his head against the beams of the roof."

What type of image is being presented here? The beams are not done with any sort of
machine at all, so they look a little rough. There is one main passage which leads into
all of the other rooms. There were four rooms total including a kitchen, a weaving
workshop, a family sleeping room and a "best room" for strangers. Also, we see that the
house is pretty short because the Professor hits his head on the roof. Can you imagine
what this house might look like? Probably quite a bit different from your house.
Characterization
Let's take a look at that choice of words that the author just used. Why would he say it
was a necessity to work to live. Isn't that expected? What is his definition of "work?" In
the next paragraph down, we see that the uncle is disappointed that he is not dealing
with a "worthy and learned scholar" but instead a "dull ill-mannered peasant." What is
implied about the type of people clergymen should be? Also, does the author consider
this to be work? I would venture to say that he only considers manual labor to be work
since the clergy man is having to carry out physical tasks such as fishing, shoeing
horses, etc. What do you think Jules Verne would say about "workers" today?
Did you know?
Looking at word choice like this is called discourse analysis.
Harry becomes fearful and dejected at the prospect of an imminent eruption, and he
presents his argument to the professor. However, as the author writes, Harry is
"defeated" by the professor's scientific arguments, but he still has hope. This is an
interesting form of character development and word choice. It might be considered
character development because Harry feels very passionately about many things, but
once the professor starts to present things scientifically, he immediately gives up. It
shows that, for as vocal as he can be, he isn't that strong in his convictions or he lacks
the intellect to argue with the professor.
A final passage that helps us to see that we are still in the rising action stage of the
entire novel is the following passage:

"Why," said the Professor hotly, "one would say you were already beginning to be
afraid. How will you get on presently? Do you know, that as yet, we have not penetrated
one inch into the bowels of the earth."
All of this passage indicates that there is quite a bit more to come.
Chapter 12: Creation of Iceland
In this chapter, they ascend the volcano they intend to go into. The way is extremely
long and treacherous as well. We see this particular section of the story through Harry's
thoughts or point of view.
Even though Harry's not happy about being there, he is so interested in the mineralogy
and geological history that he stops worrying about his fear.
Why can't Gretchen go on the trip?
because she is a woman
innate
natural or something one is born with
As he is pondering the creation of Iceland, he suddenly becomes joyful. Let's look at the
passage and see if you can figure out why that might be.
This extraordinary and curious island must have made its appearance from out of the
great world of waters at a comparatively recent date. Like the coral islands of the
Pacific, it may, for aught we know, be still rising by slow and imperceptible degrees.If
this really be the case, its origin can be attributed to only one cause-that of the
continued action of subterranean fires.This was a happy thought.
setting
the time, place and mood of a story