Samurai William

Study Guide

This set of questions is based on topics and themes in the Milton book. You will be expected to write a 20-25 minute in-class essay on a question based on one of these questions or a combination of them. I will give you a choice of 2-3 questions and you will have to write on one of them. The rest of the period will be used to discuss the book and the career and significance of William Adams.

1) Describe the way that the English and the Dutch organized expeditions of exploration and trade such as the one that took William Adams to Japan. What were they seeking?

2) Describe the difficulties and dangers facing Europeans who sailed to Japan and China in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, especially the English and the Dutch.

3) Four European nations had reached Japan by the early seventeenth century. Who were they and what were their respective situations in Japan? How did they get along with the Japanese and how did they get along with each other?

4) Compare and contrast the general behaviors and mores of the Europeans and the Japanese in 1600.

5) Compare and contrast the three Englishmen William Adams, John Saris, and Richard Cocks. What were their characters, both strengths and weaknesses? What were their successes and failures?

6) The subtitle of Samurai William is "The Englishman who opened Japan." Do you agree or disagree that the subtitle is an accurate description of the events? Support your answer with evidence from your reading of the book.

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