A+Mountain+Journey

 Short Stories - Literary Devises Title: A Mountain Journey

Point of View: 3rd person (from someone else's perspective).

Protagonist: Dave Conroy, a trapper. What type of character is the Protagonist? Dave is round, and dynamic.

Antagonist: The winter cold, nature.

Describe the setting Winter in the northern hemisphere, some time during early the industrial era. A more specific location can be determined. Also, discuss the mood of the story.

Type of Conflict: Man vs. Nature.

Describe the main conflict: Dave Conroy, a lone trapper, is in a race against time, trying to find shelter before he freezes in the icy winter forest.

Describe the Climax of the Story: The climax of the story is when Conroy falls into the frozen river. If this is the climax then the majority of the story is conclusion. Does this make sense to you?

How does the Protagonist change over the course of the story? The Protagonist changes near the end of the story when he falls asleep in the snow, and then wakes up and becomes delusional before freezing to death. What change or discovery does he make in that moment?

Describe the relationship between the title and the theme. The title is “A Mountain Journey”, and the story takes place in a mountain forest. What is the metaphor?

How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme? In a sense, Conroy is in conflict with the mountain forest. What is the theme and how is it connected to the main conflict?

How does the climax help to illustrate the theme? The climax illustrates the theme because the snow covering the burned cabin is part of nature. You still have not made a statement of theme.

Give examples of each of the the following literary terms in the story (use quotes):

Simile: “He glanced a moment over his shoulder at the curved beauty of his ski trail on the hill above, curved and smooth and thin, like the tracing of a pen upon the snow.”

Metaphor: "He tucked his ski poles under his arms, leaned upon them, sinking their discs into the creaking snow, and while he rested there panting, the cold was an old man's fingers feeling craftily through his clothes."

The old man's fingers are a metaphor for the unpleasant feeling of extreme cold.

Personification: "Dave Conroy, whose breath had hung stubby icicles on his mustache, paused upon the very summit of the pass."

This is an example of personification because Dave's breath is not a living thing, and therefore can not preform actions.

Symbol: "Across the valley he saw a cottage he had never seen before-a white cottage,low-roofed, with green treses beside it and an open door."

The cottage represents shelter, and the open door represents salvation.

Foreshadowing (give both elements): Both elements? Don't really understand this question.

Something that happens early in the story that suggests later events.

Irony: "Since he had passed that way, fire had gutted the cabin. A few log ends remained above ground. It was as though the cabin had subsided into snow that rose like a slow inundation to cover it."

This is an example of irony because the cabin burnt down in the middle of winter, and fire is the very thing Conroy needs to survive. Good!

Imagery:

Describe the relationships between the class theme and the story.

Completion: 3/5 Effort: 3/5 Content 2.5/5 total: 8.5/15


 * Paragraph**

1. Intro 2. 2nd most important trait (Enduring) 3. 3rd most important trait (Strong) 4. 1st most important trait (Determined) 5. Conclusion

In the story "A Mountain Journey", Dave Conroy, a lone fur trapper, is alone in the Canadian north, struggling to make his way back to civilization. With over 50 pounds of equipment and fur to carry, he ventures through the cold, snowy forests and attempts to find shelter.

During the story, the author gives Conroy many traits. One of his most obvious is his ability to endure great hardship. Throughout the story, Conroy encounters many difficulties which put both mental and physical strain on him; yet he does not ever break down. Although it can be argued that Conroy does break down when he rests on the snow and eventually freezes to death, it could also be argued that death, for Conroy, was unavoidable. Not matter how great your endurance and overall physical strength is, falling into a frozen river in the middle of the Canadian winter, alone, with your only shelter for miles around gone, would lead to your death. It is a great feat to even last as long as Conroy did.

A second trait that Conroy has, is Strength, both physical and mental.The following extract for the story shows this:

"On his shoulders he had lifted upwards with him at every step his pack of food for another five days on the trail, his blankets, his axe, and fifty pounds of fur for the market..."

Finally, Conroy's third, and possibly most important trait, is determination. Throughout the story, Conroy is constantly determined to survive. When he falls into the frozen river, he keeps going. When he finds the cabin burnt down, he attempts to walk to the next one 18 miles down the river. This shows that Conroy is foolish in his attempts for survival, but determined and brave nonetheless.