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The South Pole

Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne · Episode 5 of 7

Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea was written by Jules Verne and first published in 1869–1870 as a serialized novel. This episode, the fifth of seven, follows Professor Aronnax, harpooner Ned Land, and servant Conseil as unwilling passengers aboard Captain Nemo's submarine Nautilus. Verne was a pioneer of science fiction, and this work remains one of the great adventure novels of the nineteenth century, blending speculative technology with vivid undersea exploration. The novel reflects its era in oceanographic knowledge, maritime terminology, and attitudes toward nature and exploration; a few period terms have been modernised. This episode is worth reading because it dramatizes both the exhilaration of discovery—Nemo plants his flag at the South Pole decades before any real explorer—and the terror of entrapment, as the crew faces suffocation and crushing beneath the Antarctic ice. The episode examines the line between scientific ambition and recklessness, and between legitimate violence and cruelty.

Band

Silver · First-year university levelTypical starting range: adult

Length

long · about 2089 words in 5 sections · 1 picture

Source

Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea, Jules Verne

First published

see the About page in the reader

Regions

Canada · United States

Included formats

• · Web reader and PDF
• · EPUB for e-readers
• · Home-print sheet
• · Folded booklet
• · Binder edition (8.5 × 11)
• · Worksheet
• · Quick Check (10 questions) with answer key
• · Read-aloud script
• · Teacher’s Edition (members)

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