Question

What important naturalist theme is reflected in this excerpt from Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat"? The birds sat comfortably in groups, and they were envied by some in the dinghy, for the wrath of the sea was no more to them than it was to a covey of prairie chickens a thousand miles inland. Often they came very close and stared at the men with black bead-like eyes. At these times they were uncanny and sinister in their unblinking scrutiny, and the men hooted angrily at them, telling them to be gone. . . . the captain gently and carefully waved the gull away. After it had been discouraged from the pursuit the captain breathed easier on account of his hair, and others breathed easier because the bird struck their minds at this time as being somehow gruesome and ominous.

What important naturalist theme is reflected in this excerpt from Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat"?

The birds sat comfortably in groups, and they were envied by some in the dinghy, for the wrath of the sea was no more to them than it was to a covey of prairie chickens a thousand miles inland. Often they came very close and stared at the men with black bead-like eyes. At these times they were uncanny and sinister in their unblinking scrutiny, and the men hooted angrily at them, telling them to be gone.

. . . the captain gently and carefully waved the gull away. After it had been discouraged from the pursuit the captain breathed easier on account of his hair, and others breathed easier because the bird struck their minds at this time as being somehow gruesome and ominous.

The seagulls are an omen of bad luck that create a feeling of dread in the crew.
The seagulls symbolize the subconscious fears and anxieties of the crew.
The seagulls are a sign that nature will not protect the crew from drowning.
The seagulls are indifferent, yet the crew believes they are mocking them.

Answer 1

The seagulls symbolize the subconscious fears and anxieties of the crew.

Step-by-step explanation:

The text shows a group of seagulls acting naturally. They are in their natural habitat looking for food and acting as a common seagull. they pose no danger to the sailors, but they see these animals as sinister and strange beings that bring bad omen to the crew. The way they interpret the arrival of the seagulls represents their subconscious externalizing the fears and frustrations they were feeling at that moment.

Answer 2

The seagulls were behaving as they would do even if the men were not there, their natural behavior is to look for food and the smell of foodt, trash and other things in the boat probably is what attracted them.

The way the men perceive them as evil or sinister is only because they are reflecting in this animal their own fears and anxieties about the situation tey are in.

The correct answer is B.)