A+Mountain+Journey

=A Mountain Journey - Literary Devices=


 * Protagonist:** Dave Conroy
 * What type of character is the Protagonist?** Dave Conroy is a fur-trapper caught in the woods, looking for a way out. He is persistent in finding the way back to his comrades. Through all of his hardships, Dave believes he will get out. Unfortunately, he makes poor decisions which prohibit him from fulfilling his dream of escaping from the forest. Only once it is too late does Dave realize his lack of intelligence which causes his situation to go from bad to worse.
 * Antagonist:** Dave Conroy, the environment.
 * Describe the setting:** The setting of "A Mountain Journey" is the alpine woods. This story likely takes place before the invention of certain modern technology. One can conclude this, because he has no way to contact the outside world, through a cell phone for example, and is travelling on foot rather than vehicular transport. From the beginning of the story, the mood is desperate and fearful. The protagonist's actions throughout the story support this, such as when Dave chooses to rest; the choice that slows his body to the point of demise.
 * Type of Conflict:** Person vs. Self, Person vs. Environment
 * Describe the main conflict:** The main conflict is between Dave and himself. When the time comes for decisions to be made, Dave know the right one, but convinces himself to go against right and choose wrong. Such is the case when Dave has just fallen through the river and is freezing his hands and feet. Dave knows he should stay the night and warm by the fire, but chooses against this when the thought of reaching the cabin crosses his mind. The whole story is about the conflict between what he knows he //should// do, and what Dave //does// do.
 * Describe the Climax of the Story:** The climax in "A Mountain Journey" is when Dave chooses to rest. After many long days of skiing, disappointment, and cold, Dave makes the fatal judgement to rest for a moment. His choice to stop moving stops his heart from pumping blood, and it slows due to the cold. One by one, his organs shut down all while Dave was asleep. Dave sleeps and wakes as he is dying from the cold. He sees a hallucination of a cottage in the distance with an open door. The cottage is not there in reality. The cottage symbolized what fate Dave could have had if he had just kept moving. It showed Dave safety, warmth, and comfort; none of which he had in his final moments. In those last few moments of his life, he makes the realization that every poor choice he made along his "mountain journey" lead him closer and closer to his fate. By this point, it is too late for Dave to make the change he has discovered, and slips away into death.
 * How does the Protagonist change over the course of the story?** Dave changes very little throughout the majority of this story. Only when he is staring in the face of death does he recognize his stupidity over the course of his crossing. When Dave discovers this, he is too close to peril to make the change that might have brought him back home. The environmental conflcit prevents Dave from being able to physically continue on home after is revelation.
 * Describe the relationship between the title and the theme:** The title of "A Mountain Journey" relates to the theme of discovery in this story. The journey Dave Conroy embarks on is not only environmental, but a journey of self-discovery. In the duration of the story, Dave must conquer the natural and inner struggles he encounters at every turn. At the end of Dave's "mountain journey", he has failed to overcome the struggles of the environment and those within himself. Through his hike, Dave discovers his true tendencies to ignore his own "gut-feelings". This idiocy he finds was likely a part of him his entire life, but came to the surface when faced with a very difficult situation.
 * How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme?** The conflict of person vs. self illustrates the theme of discovery through Dave's internal struggle. When Dave has conflict with himself, he discovers his true nature. The journey that Dave is on, as said prior, is also one withing himself. At the end of his "journey" Dave comes to the realization of the tug-of-war within himself and illustrates the theme to the reader.
 * How does the climax help to illustrate the theme?** The climax illustrates the theme of discovery, because it is the turning point of when Dave is able to become aware of his idiocy through discovery. He can finally come to the conclusion, but it is too late to put his discovery into action.
 * Give examples of each of the following literary terms in the story (use quotes):**
 * Simile:** pg. 91, par. 2 "...snow white and soft as flour." The author compares snow to flour by using the senses of sight and touch to describe the colour and feel of the snow.
 * Metaphor:** pg. 91, par. 1 "...cold was an old man's fingers..." This metaphor creates the image of an old man with long, creepy fingers bringing cold to the clothing of Dave Conroy.
 * Personification:** pg. 91, par. 1 "...breath had hung stubby icicles." Dave Conroy's breath cannot physically hang icicles from his moustache. By using personification, the author can show how his breath was freezing to create ice which hung from his face.
 * Symbol:** pg. 98, par. 2 "...a white cottage...with...and open door." The cottage Dave Conroy speaks of is not real, but in his mind. The imaginary cottage is a symbol for coming home, a break from the cold, and being welcome again.
 * Foreshadowing (give both elements):**
 * Irony:** pg. 93, par. 4. Dave Conroy falls into the ice-covered river which was supposed to help hime get to warmth and safety quickly. Instead, the fall slows down Dave's progress and ultimately contributes to his lack of judgement and death.
 * Imagery:** pg. 93, par. 3. "...like the tracing of a pen upon the snow." The curving ski path is compared to the stroke of a pen. This phrase creates the image of a pen gliding and leaving tracks in the snow like Dave's skis.
 * Describe the relationships between the class theme and the story:** Choices and discovery have much in common. The choices the protagonist makes will lead to discovery. Such is the case in "A Mountain Journey". In order to make a discovery, one must make good or bad choices to guide or encourage them to discover. Dave is on the edge of life and death when he discovers, all beacuse of the choices he made to bring him to a crucial turning point. This will often happen in real life for people like you and I. For instance, when one is arguing and they do not realize that they have said too much until the other person in the arguement makes a drastic move by leaving or stating what was said after it is too late to be resolved peacefully.

Excellent! Completion 5/5 Effort 5/5 Content 5/5 TOTAL 15/15