About the Book s1

Kidnapped

About the book

Kidnapped tells the story of David Balfour, a young, protestant man of the Lowlands, who travels to Edinburgh in search of his inheritance. He travels to the house of Shaws, inhabited by his miser uncle, Ebenezer Balfour. His uncle is not a particularly favourable character and conspires to have David kidnapped and brought as a slave to the Carolinas. Whilst held captive aboard the ship, David has a fortunate encounter with Alan Breck Stewart, a Jacobite rebel. The two strike up an instant and loyal friendship.

When David is accused of conspiring to murder a member of the Campbell clan, he is saved by Alan, and the two set out on a journey to escape the clutches of the law and ultimately secure David’s inheritance.

About the author

Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh in 1850. His father was a lighthouse engineer, and Stevenson almost followed in his father’s footsteps by studying engineering, but at twenty one he decided to be a writer. He began with travel writing, but in 1882 Treasure Island was serialised, and Kidnapped followed four years later.

Stevenson suffered from health problems all his life, the exact natures of which have been subject to debate. He was advised by doctors to move to warmer climates, and moved to the American west before venturing even further west, into the Pacific. He eventually settled with his family in Samoa and was to remain there the rest of his life. He died in 1894, still at the height of his literary powers, leaving behind two unfinished novels.

How to use these resources

First of all, the important thing to say about these activities is that they don’t have to be done in the order they appear here, nor do you need to do them all! Pick and choose, and modify as you see fit.

In this resource, you’ll find activities to look at the characters David Balfour and Alan Breck, and activities to explore the themes of friendship and loyalty. Basic understanding

Learning objective: to learn where the different events of the novel take place

Location and travel is a big part of this text. Ask your learners to create a story synopsis map. They should point out all the places mentioned in the lowlands and highlands and match these with key moments of the text.

The scope of learning covered by this task can be extended – you could also ask pupils to include a quote which defines each key moment. You could provide them with some quotes to choose from. There are a number of quotes at the back of this resource which may help.

You can make your map look old and worn by following these tips: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXcCE7aj_qc

Robert Louis Stevenson’s life and work

Learning objective: Find out how Robert Louis Stevenson’s life influenced themes in his work

Encourage your students to briefly study Robert Louis Stevenson’s life and discuss whether any of his life experiences may have contributed to themes in the book. The websites below should help:

 National Library of Scotland: http://digital.nls.uk/rlstevenson/childs.html

 Robert Louis Stevenson website: http://www.robert-Louis-stevenson.org/life

 Short poem by RLS: http://www.lnstar.com/mall/literature/rls/LandofCounterpane.htm

To consolidate the ideas from pupils’ discussions, ask them to pick out events and interests in Robert Louis Stevenson’s life that may correspond to themes in the text, and take a note of them in the table in Appendix 1 at the end of this document.

Character Study: Alan Breck

Learning objectives:

 Become familiar with Breck’s characteristics  Become familiar with the Jacobite movement.

Alan Breck is a Jacobite and believes that the Stuart name should be restored to the throne. He is an impulsive, romantic and rebellious highlander. Fiercely loyal to his clan, religion, friends and his political convictions, he aids his clan in Appin by bringing their old chief money and recruiting soldiers for the King of France. He is skilled swordsman, is well educated and loveable rouge. He is not without fault however, a somewhat flawed hero – he brags, boasts and gambles all of David’s money away. His main role is to serve as a guide to the young, innocent and somewhat naive David Balfour. He compliments David’s innocence, pragmatic and rational psyche by offering intrigue, adventure, rebellion and feistiness.

 Ask pupils to briefly study the real life character of Ailean Breac Stiùbhart. Match/discuss any notable similarities, or if there are any literary fabrications or inaccuracies: http://www.battleofprestonpans1745.org/heritagetrust/documents/alanbreck.pdf or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Stewart_(Jacobite)

 You can use this video for brief summaries on Jacobite history: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ8c8d61sG0

 A comprehensive study pack on Jacobean times: http://www.historic- scotland.gov.uk/investigating-jacobite-risings.pdf

 Anti-Jacobean propaganda depicted clans as savage, brutal or uneducated and daft-like. (see:http://www.abdn.ac.uk/library/documents/SLA_PDF/SatiricalPrints.pdf) Ask pupils to find evidence in the text of how Alan Breck breaks these stereotypes. They can then create a ‘pro-Jacobean’ depiction of Alan Breck and his highland friends.

 Create a wanted poster for Alan Breck. This should include a description, characteristics, flaws and eye witness accounts of what he has said and done (include quotes if appropriate).

Character Study: David Balfour

David Balfour is the pragmatic and noble hero of the novel. A Lowlander and a protestant Whig, he is an excellent counterpart to Alan – the impulsive and romantic Jacobite. They have some similar traits. They both have strong principles and personal morals that they adhere to. David refuses to play cards with Cluny and Alan because he believes it is morally wrong and because, as he claims he ‘‘made promise to my father." David’s scruples make him admirable. It is, however, evident that David yearns for excitement and adventure. When he first arrives in Edinburgh he is eager to see the ships and sea, an indication that he has a desire for travel and adventure;

...Perhaps, in the bottom of my heart, I wished a nearer view of the sea and ships. You are to remember I had lived all my life in the inland hills, and just two days before had my first sight of the firth lying like a blue floor, and the sailed ships moving on the face of it, no bigger than toys.1 (p.18)

Throughout the text, there are many testimony’s on David’s character, nobleness and gentlemanly nature. Cluny, who does not like David’s decline of the offer to play cards, cannot help but recognise that his is ‘’too nice and covenanting, but for all that [he] has the spirit of a very pretty gentleman.” David also expresses a fair and just sentiment towards others, always seeing the good in them, claiming that ‘’No class of man is altogether bad, but each has its own faults and virtues.’’ David’s journey throughout the text is a rite of passage. By exposing himself to difficult ‘worldly’ experiences, David can over-throw his uncle and claim his inheritance.

 It is indicated that David’s friend, the Minister Campbell, searches for him when he is kidnapped. Ask your students to create a missing person poster for David. This should include personal attributes and testimonies (quotes) on his character.

The theme of loyalty

Learning objective: To develop understanding of the friendship between Alan Breck and David Balfour and the theme of loyalty.

Loyalty is the central theme of the text. The most loyal and dedicated relationship in the text is that between David and Alan. Even when their friendship is tested and David could freely and safely walk away from Alan, he chooses not to.

Alan is loyal to his religion, clan and to his king. David is loyal to his own scruples, his father’s honour and even to King George. Both characters are in search of their inheritance. David desires his birth right, and Alan desires his land to be ruled by a Stuart King. They are an unusual pairing but their differences allow two facets of Scottish politics, identity and religion of that time, to be expressed.

1 Louis Stevenson, Robert, Kidnapped, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013 Activity 1

 In any place where there is division, friendship can be dangerous. Examples include friendship between Jews and Germans during WWII (as depicted in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne) and Rangers and Celtic supporters (Theresa Breslin’s novel Divided City deals with this). Sally Gardner’s book Maggot Moon is another good illustration of this in a sci-fi world.

David refuses to abandon Alan even when it is dangerous for him to stay with him. Discuss with your pupils why friendship is important and why people are loyal to their friends. Ask them to come up with a list of reasons why David might have made this decision.

After this, ask pupils to imagine that they are David, and that they have decided to leave Alan. Ask them to make notes about how David might feel about this, and why he might have made this choice. Ask them to write a journal entry where David describes these thoughts and feelings.

Activity 2

 Ask your students to imagine they are Alan Breck. Ask them to write a letter to Bonnie Prince Charlie outlining the adventure that has happened and explaining that he has found an unlikely friendship with a Whig. This should include quotes on their friendship.

Activity 3

 Ask your students to imagine they are David Balfour and ask them to write a letter to Minister Campbell outlining the adventure that has happened and explaining that he has found an unlikely friendship with a Jacobite. This should include quotes on their friendship. Activity 4

 Ask pupils to create a slideshow with music and text as a response to the question, “What does friendship mean to me?” Ask them to draw on their reflections on the text, but also incorporating their own views and experiences. This can be a hugely powerful activity which facilitates deep learning: there is a wonderful example from Perth Academy here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly2vp2tLH8s

Highland and Lowland life

RLS was interested in the difference between Highland and Lowland life. Some critics say that he depicts Highlanders as passionate but often foolhardy, while Lowlanders are depicted as cautious and rational. However, this has often been dismissed as on overly simplistic view. You could ask pupils to discuss Alan and David, finding moments which either support the view or contradict it.

Quotes relating to friendship and loyalty

So it was, at least. Other folk keep a secret among two or three near friends, and somehow it leaks out; but among these clansmen, it is told to a whole countryside, and they will keep it for a century.

He came up to me with open arms. "Come to my arms!" he cried, and embraced and kissed me hard upon both cheeks. "David," said he, "I love you like a brother. And O, man," he cried in a kind of ecstasy, "am I no a bonny fighter?"

We made good company for each other. Alan, indeed, expressed himself most lovingly; and taking a knife from the table, cut me off one of the silver buttons from his coat.

"I am Alan's friend, and if I can be helpful to friends of his, I will not stumble at the risk."

"I will put my hand in the fire for Mr. Balfour," says Alan. "He is an honest and a mettle gentleman, and I would have ye bear in mind who says it. I bear a king's name..." “It was all daffing; it's all nonsense. Of course you'll have your money back again, and the double of it, if ye'll make so free with me. It would be a singular thing for me to keep it. It's not to be supposed that I would be any hindrance to gentlemen in your situation; that would be a singular thing!" cries he, and began to pull gold out of his pocket with a mighty red face.

But for me to turn to the friend who certainly loved me, and say to him: "You are in great danger, I am in but little; your friendship is a burden; go, take your risks and bear your hardships alone ——" no, that was impossible; and even to think of it privily to myself, made my cheeks to burn.

"I will only say this to ye, David," said Alan, very quietly, "that I have long been owing ye my life, and now I owe ye money. Ye should try to make that burden light for me."

“I never yet failed a friend, and it's not likely I'll begin with you. There are things between us that I can never forget, even if you can."

"'Deed, and I don't know" said Alan. "For just precisely what I thought I liked about ye, was that ye never quarrelled:—and now I like ye better!" (p.106)

Quotes relating to Alan Breck

[…]he had luck and much agility and unusual strength, that he should have thus saved himself from such a pass. And yet, when the captain brought him into the round-house, and I set eyes on him for the first time, he looked as cool as I did. (p.31)

He was smallish in stature, but well set and as nimble as a goat; his face was of a good open expression, but sunburnt very dark, and heavily freckled and pitted with the small-pox; his eyes were unusually light and had a kind of dancing madness in them, that was both engaging and alarming; and when he took off his great-coat, he laid a pair of fine silver-mounted pistols on the table, and I saw that he was belted with a great sword. His manners, besides, were elegant, and he pledged the captain handsomely. Altogether I thought of him, at the first sight, that here was a man I would rather call my friend than my enemy.

...then taking off his coat, began to visit his suit and brush away the stains, with such care and labour as I supposed to have been only usual with women. To be sure, he had no other; and, besides (as he said), it belonged to a king and so behoved to be royally looked after.

"Robin Oig," he said, when it was done, "ye are a great piper. I am not fit to blow in the same kingdom with ye. Body of me! ye have mair music in your sporran than I have in my head! And though it still sticks in my mind that I could maybe show ye another of it with the cold steel, I warn ye beforehand—it'll no be fair! It would go against my heart to haggle a man that can blow the pipes as you can!"

Neither one of us looked the other in the face, nor so long as he was in my view did I take one back glance at the friend I was leaving. But as I went on my way to the city, I felt so lost and lonesome, that I could have found it in my heart to sit down by the dyke, and cry and weep like any baby.

Quotes relating to David Balfour

“No class of man is altogether bad, but each has its own faults and virtues’’(p.26)

"Betwixt and between," said I, not to annoy him; for indeed I was as good a Whig as Mr. Campbell could make me.

Mr. Balfour," said he, "I think you are too nice and covenanting, but for all that you have the spirit of a very pretty gentleman.”

The thought of a separation ran always the stronger in my mind; and the more I approved of it, the more ashamed I grew of my approval. It would be a fine, handsome, generous thing, indeed, for Alan to turn round and say to me: "Go, I am in the most danger, and my company only increases yours." But for me to turn to the friend who certainly loved me, and say to him: "You are in great danger, I am in but little; your friendship is a burden; go, take your risks and bear your hardships alone——" no, that was impossible; and even to think of it privily to myself, made my cheeks to burn.

"Deed, and I don't know" said Alan. "For just precisely what I thought I liked about ye, was that ye never quarrelled:—and now I like ye better!"

“You took me for a country Johnnie Raw, with no more mother-wit or courage than a porridge- stick. I took you for a good man, or no worse than others at the least. It seems we were both wrong. What cause you have to fear me, to cheat me, and to attempt my life..." Appendix 1

Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped themes Evidence from the text life He read stories about Scottish Scottish politics, history and "So,” said the gentleman in the history and Religion religion fine coat, "are ye of the honest party?"2 "Why, sir," replied the captain, "I am a true-blue Protestant, and I thank God for it...But, for all that," says he, "I can be sorry to see another man with his back to the wall."

2 Meaning, was he a Jacobite? Each side, in these sort of arguments, took the name of honesty for its own.