A Mountain Journey Questions and Vocabulary

Questions

1. What was Dave Conroy doing out in the wilderness? (motivation)

Dave Conroy was in the wilderness because he was trapping animals for fur and hunting them.

2. At what point does the reader know the protagonist is in serious trouble and not likely to make it to MacMoran’s cabin? (plot)

The reader starts to realize this when reading this quote “MacMoran would take him in, feed him, make a fire for him to sit beside.” This explains that MacMoran will end up finding him before he actually gets there. Another quote that showed this is when he talks about his fingers “They were cold and white and unresponsive as a dead man’s” When reading this the reader clues into the fact that he may not have a chance of survival.

3. What three critical mistakes did Conroy make? What are some of the things he could have done to prevent himself from freezing? (plot)

The three critical mistakes Conroy made were not stopping after falling into the river, giving himself overconfidence when trying to make it to the cabin and not realizing he had hypothermia. If he originally stopped after falling into the river he would be fine as of now. Additionally, if he didn’t have as much overconfidence as he had he would have been beneath the tree, dry and rested instead of dying. Lastly, when he didn’t realize he had hypothermia was the biggest mistake because that is what killed him.

4. Determine the elements of plot in this story: exposition, complicating incident, 3 crises, climax and the denouement.

Exposition:

This is when we are introduced to the protagonist named Dave Conroy. He is on a trapping trip and he tries to reach the Hoodoo cabin where he plans on spending the night.

Complicating Incident:

The complicating incident in this story is when instead of stopping to go beneath a shelter of a spruce tree he decided to continue and look for a bed and a hot meal.

3 Crises

The three crises in this story are when he skis over top of a patch of ice and ends up falling into the river, when he chooses to not light the fire to dry himself off and that he has gotten hypothermia from how cold he is

Climax

When Dave realizes he is actually freezing and tries to come up with a plan in his head.

Denounment

When Dave accepts his fate and ends up laying down in the snow and freezes to death.

5. Describe the setting – how does the setting affect the plot and the theme of the story? What is the theme – write a theme statement for this story.

The setting in this short story is within a rural Northern Alberta in a mountain. This story is also set in winter when it is extremely hard for people to get around in the harsh weather.

Theme:

Having to much pride can have its consequences.

6. Find one example of a symbolic setting (a concrete place that represents something abstract) and explain its meaning.

An example of a symbolic setting in this story is the cabin. This cabin represents a place where Conroy wanted to reach and a place where he wanted to have his final moments.

7. Quote four images from the story that make effective comparisons (figurative language: simile, metaphor, and personification)

Personification: “creaking snow” (pg 1)

Simile: “his skis had sunk a foot in the new snow, white and soft as flour.” (pg 1)

Personification: “The cold was nibbling at him, at his nose.” (pg 4)

Metaphor: “His shadow became a burden, something he pulled beside him in the snow” (pg 4)

Vocabulary

Eternal: everlasting or forever, without an end

Immobility: not moving, motionless

Opaque: non-transparent, dark, not being able to see through

Reverberation: prolongation of a sound

Momentum: the quantity of motion of a moving object

Cadaverous: pale, thin or bony

Congregated: to come together or to assemble

Inundation: an overwhelming abundance of people or things

Beggared: reduced to poverty

Filched: to steal something in a casual way