The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook

Analyze the portrayal of cultural exchanges between Captain Cook’s crew and the Indigenous people they encounter. How does Sides use these interactions to comment on the broader impacts of European exploration and imperialism?

Discuss the character of James Cook as presented in The Wide Wide Sea. How does Sides balance Cook’s achievements as an explorer with his moral and ethical failings? Provide examples from the text to support your analysis.

Examine the theme of myth versus reality in the book. How do the Indigenous peoples’ perceptions of Cook and his crew as gods contrast with the harsh realities of their encounters? What does this say about the nature of first contact?