Background information in the exposition is the answer
I think it means to have hard boat shells meaning hard sides as in something that is hard and wont brake and will last in strong storms for a period of time.
Once upon a time. I had never felt so embarrassed in my life
The phrase "making of a man" refers to the process by which a man becomes successful or prosperous, while the phrase "made man" refers to actually being successful.
The phrase "making of a man" is used when Henry discusses Harris’s "humble feeding house." He says, "I was the making of Harris. The fact had gone all abroad that the foreign crank who carried million-pound bills in his vest pocket was the patron saint of the place.” When people find out that Henry, already known for having a million-pound bank note, breakfasts at Harris’s eating house, the restaurant’s popularity skyrockets. Earlier, Harris’s eating house had been "poor, struggling," but it became "celebrated, and overcrowded with customers" after London society hears that Henry eats there.
The phrase "made man" is used when Henry is caricatured in Punch. He says, "Punch caricatured me! Yes, I was a made man now; my place was established. I might be joked about still, but reverently, not hilariously, not rudely; I could be smiled at, but not laughed at." Because he was mimicked so publicly, Henry becomes famous, and his good reputation is solidified.
Alexis’s purpose in writing the letter is to persuade the principal that the volunteer program should not be required.
In the letter, Alexis begins stating his concern for the school board’s decision of requiring the volunteer program, and in sentence 2, he presents the thesis statement. After this, he gives a number of <em>arguments</em> to support the idea that the decision should be reconsidered. In this way, Alexis’s main purpose is to persuade the principal to change this determination.
