A Mountain Journey
A Mountain Journey
1. What was Dave Conroy doing out in the wilderness? (motivation)
His motivation for going out into the forest was to support his family by trapping to support his family.
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 knows that the protagonist is in trouble when he fell into the frozen river.
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 that Conroy made were when he didn’t stop at the tree in the beginning, he continued going on instead. Also not waiting till March was not a coincidence for him, if he were to wait until March there would’ve been better temperatures. And the last one was he didn’t stop and dry himself off immediately. Some things he could’ve done were that first of all go In March for better weather, and he could’ve made smarter decisions when stopping and when he got into conflict with nature.
4. Determine the elements of plot in this story: exposition, complicating incident, 3 crises, climax, and the denouement.
The story’s exposition is that Dave Conroy who is exhausted and alone in the wilderness, attempting to find refuge to avoid death. The complicated incident is that he did not stop at the tree to build his camp. Three crises are occurring: he is falling on the ice, he is not drying himself off, and he is unable to open the matches. The story’s climax occurs when he lies down to rest, and its denouement occurs when Dave begins hallucinating and dies.
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 of this story is in the snowy alpine mountains, it is in February since it is 2 weeks before March, and the setting is also in a span of a week time. The setting affects the plot and theme of the story since it gives Conroy extra difficulties to face during the story. The basic theme of the story is that we should be patient in life since if you’re not there could be many consequences, so why face them when you could just wait?
6. Find one example of symbolic setting (concrete place that represents something abstract) and explain its meaning. Quote four images from the story that make effective comparisons (figurative language: simile, metaphor, and personification)
The cabin is a representation of a failing conclusion since Conroy really was going to look for the cabin but at the end, he sees that there is no Cabin laying around and that it has been burnt down.
7. Quote four images from the story that make effective comparisons (figurative language: simile, metaphor, and personification)
Metaphor – the cold was an old man’s finger feeling fatly through his clothes
Simile – …had sunk a foot in the new snow, white and soft as flour.
… “tea red strong as rum”
Personification – swayed as the wing sighed through them
Vocabulary
- Eternal
- Lasting or existing forever
- Immobility
- The state of not moving
- Opaque
- Not able to be seen through
- Reverberation
- Prolongation of a sound
- Momentum
- The quality of motion moving the body
- Cadaverous
- Very pale, thin, body
- Congregated
- Gather into a crowd or a mess
- Inundation
- An overwhelming abundance of people things
- Beggared
- A person, most likely a homeless one who lives of asking for money or food
- Filched
- Pilfer or steal
Tarek Diabmarzouk
October 6th, 2021