Questions
1. Dave Conroy is a trapper and he was on a six-week trapping session, but that is only a scratch on the surface. In some cases, we can see that Dave is on the trip for another reason because in a way he is on a journey to prove to himself that e can overcome nature, this is proven by the number of times in which Dave Conroy disregards the mercilessness of the cold, like when he refuses to start a camp even after falling into the cold river.
2. When Dave falls realizes that the cabin has burnt down, and he couldn’t open his lighter because they were frozen.
3. The three main critical mistakes that lead Dave to his demise is when he doesn’t stop at the first tree because rest would’ve given him the ability to rest, not set up camp and changing clothes after falling into the river which could have prevented his hands from freezing when he tried to open his lighter and not trapping in March so the weather and cold wasn’t as severe, this would’ve made his journey easier because there would be no constant fear of freezing.. All of this could’ve been avoided if he listened to his gut and set up camp.
4. The exposition to the short story, “A Mountain Journey,” by Howard O’ Hagan, is about Dave Conroy who is alone in the forest tired and trying to find shelter to prevent his demise. The first complicating incident is when he refuses to camp out and rest under the tree which could have prevented himself from making such poor decision. The first rising action is when Dave is coming down the hill on his skis and he falls into the river, the reason this is important is because cold water mixed with cold water can lead to freezing. The second rising action is when Dave finds out that the cabin has burnt down, and he can’t start a fire because his hands are frozen. The third and last rising action is when Dave makes one last effort on making it to another cabin 18 miles away, he drops his pack of furs on the ground and pushes onward. The climax is when Dave falls over into the snow and starts to hallucinate. The denouement is when Dave start to slowly fade away.
5. The setting is in Northern Alberta in a rural mountain, this means that it is hard for Dave to come in contact of anybody that can help him, this is also in Winter, so the weather is extremely harsh and cold. This makes the mood very tense and gives the reader a sense of mercilessness. The cold is like an animal, take your attention off it and it’ll strike.
6. The cabin is a representation of false hope because throughout the story, Dave refuses to camp out because of this promise of a warm cabin at the end of the five miles and wen e is finally there, he realizes it has been burnt down.
Vocabulary
1. Eternal: Long lasting; forever
2. Immobility: Unable to move
3. Opaque: Can’t see through; solid
4. Reverberation: A resonating sound
5. Momentum: The force that pushes you even after you stop
6. Cadaverous: Pale
7. Congregated: group
8. Inundation: overwhelming
9. Beggared: poor/weak
10.Filched: dig or fishing something out