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1I-Reading (Geraldo's Journal) Oak

Geraldo's journal describes his fearful voyage as part of Christopher Columbus's expedition to find a western passage to Asia. Geraldo had doubts about the journey from the beginning but joined the crew. Several mishaps occurred early in the voyage, increasing Geraldo's fear. When the crew began voicing concerns about sailing endlessly without seeing land, their direction was changed in hopes of finding land and avoiding sailing off the edge of the world. Sightings of driftwood and birds raised hopes until land was spotted, proving Geraldo's fears wrong.

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147 views2 pages

1I-Reading (Geraldo's Journal) Oak

Geraldo's journal describes his fearful voyage as part of Christopher Columbus's expedition to find a western passage to Asia. Geraldo had doubts about the journey from the beginning but joined the crew. Several mishaps occurred early in the voyage, increasing Geraldo's fear. When the crew began voicing concerns about sailing endlessly without seeing land, their direction was changed in hopes of finding land and avoiding sailing off the edge of the world. Sightings of driftwood and birds raised hopes until land was spotted, proving Geraldo's fears wrong.

Uploaded by

Mark Or Oak Tree The I Am Guest The Best
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Reading

Geraldo’s Journal

Our voyage has begun. I wish now that I had not signed on to this ship for this
dreadful journey. All seemed well when we were loading our supplies and making
the usual preparations. But now, a month later, I fear a curse has fallen over this
ship. Only three days after we left, our mast was damaged. The Santa María and
the Niña helped us get to port for repairs. The Pinta was seaworthy again after a
few weeks. Now, we sail into the west day after day. The men whisper among
themselves. They tell tales of terrible monsters who are waiting to devour our ship
when we arrive at the edge of the ocean. I am fearful of these savage sea creatures,
and just as fearful of the never-ending sea and the man who seems to believe we
can find land where no land exists.

Our situation worsens, but there may be a small hope of saving ourselves. For days
now, the crew has grown more and more vocal about how long we have sailed
without seeing anything but water, stretching in all directions. Finally, some of the
older sailors went to Captain Perez with their fears. He spoke directly to the Lord
Admiral himself. Afterward, our three ships changed direction to the southwest. I
pray that this shift in direction will keep us from sailing off the edge of the world. A
rumor has it that we will try this heading for a few days only, and then turn back. I
may never go to sea again, should I be fortunate enough to find my way safely
home.

A miracle has occurred. Señor Garcia saw a large piece of driftwood yesterday
afternoon. Amid great excitement, Captain Perez examined it. He said that since the
wood was not smooth, it could not have been in the water for long. Then, early this
morning, the lookout on the Santa María spotted some birds. The crew did their
work feverishly, scanning the horizon at every other moment. Finally, we heard our
own lookout’s cry, the one we had waited for every day. “Land! Land! There it was,
green and hazy on the horizon under a bank of low clouds. Not monsters, but land!

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Match.

1. dreadful a. in an unnaturally excited or active way

2. devour b. terrible

3. mast c. someone watching for danger and warning others

4.port d. a tall pole on a boat or ship that supports its sails

5.seaworthy e. destroy completely

6.lookout f. (of a boat) in a good enough condition to sail on the sea

7. feverishly g. harbour

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

B E D G F C A

Answer the questions.

1. This is a fictitious journal, but it describes a historic voyage. Choose three


words or phrases to describe Geraldo, the fictitious seaman who is the
“author” of the journal.
Frightened, depressed, ashamed.
2. What are two of Geraldo’s concerns on his sea voyage?
He was concerned he would be lost forever and feared the sea monsters.
3. Why were the birds and the driftwood so heartening to the crew?
Because they were lost. So, the birds and the driftwood give them
encouragement.
4. How do the men interact on the ship during the voyage?
They talked in whispers about terrifying sea tales throughout the journey.
5. Imagine that Geraldo goes back home after the adventure that is ahead of
him. Do you think he will go back to sea again, as he wrote, or not? Give
reasons for your answer.
No, I don’t think he will go back again because he said that he doesn’t want
to go to the sea again.

Page 2 of 2

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