A Sailor's Story
The term "before the mast" refers to the quarters of the common sailors — in the forecastle, in the front of the ship. His writing evidences his later sympathy with the lower classes; he later became a prominent anti-slavery activist and helped found the Free Soil Party.
Dana did not set out to write Two Years Before the Mast as a sea adventure, but to highlight how poorly common sailors were treated on ships. It quickly became a best seller.
Read more about this topic: Two Years Before The Mast
Famous quotes containing the words sailor and/or story:
“Captain Bligh: Mr. Byam, you’re up late.
Byam: It’s very warm below, sir.
Captain Bligh: I hadn’t noticed it. A true sailor can sleep in an oven, if need be, or in a keg of ice.”
—Talbot Jennings (1896–1985)
“From the beginning, the placement of [Clarence] Thomas on the high court was seen as a political end justifying almost any means. The full story of his confirmation raises questions not only about who lied and why, but, more important, about what happens when politics becomes total war and the truth—and those who tell it—are merely unfortunate sacrifices on the way to winning.”
—Jane Mayer, U.S. journalist, and Jill Abramson b. 1954, U.S. journalist. Strange Justice, p. 8, Houghton Mifflin (1994)