Questions about Content:

1. How does JQA describe the people of Spain? What is the cause of their condition?

2. According to JQA, what is the relationship between the lords and peasants of Prussia?

3. What great qualities does JQA see in the city of St. Petersburg? What is its main negative quality?

Questions for Drawing Historical Connections:

4. Sketch the route from Holland to St. Petersburg. Be sure to cross both Cologne and Berlin.

5. At this time, who rules Russia? Describe its government.

6. Although German is spoken in many of the lands JQA crosses, a German nation would not exist for almost a century. Who ruled the many central European regions that would become Germany?

7. In some letters from Russia, JQA writes two dates in the heading. Why?

Questions for Thought, Discussion, and Writing:

8. Why was JQA so much more positive in his views of the French than he was about the cultures of central and eastern Europe?

9. Is early adolescence a time when prejudice and stereotypes are more common than later in life? Explain.

10. Based on both the letters and diary entries in this section and on your own experience, does a fourteen-year-old have the skills and knowledge to be an effective cultural ambassador? Explain the possible advantages and disadvantages of a young teen filling this role.

11. As an adult, JQA will speak out strongly against injustice and inequality. Are these passions evident in his youthful writings?