English Literature
Based on what you have read so far, what do you think is the author’s purpose for writing this story?
The story is about the designated survivors from a terror incident which killed many people, but some survived. A girl by the name Azucena is one of the survivors. One purpose of writing this story is to illustrate challenges faced by rescuers and the doctors trying to save people who survive from a horror incidence such as earthquakes, accidents and in this case mountain ice eruption. Another purpose of writing this story is to enlighten the reader about the danger of rocks eruptions which can contribute to the death of people, animals, and also the destruction of many land properties. The people should take hid from the geologists’ warnings over climatic condition or eruption of the mountain. This is because the people who died in this incidence were warned about its occurrence ahead, but they could not obey and went ahead with their daily tasks. The author says that the geologists went to the set up where the incidence occurred, and they could sense an odor smell from the people who had died, and some vultures were feeding on the dead bodies.
Why do you think the people of the town ignored the warnings?
The people in the town ignored the geologists warning about the heating of the volcanoes which could lead to the eruption because they were ignorant and needed to carry on with their daily activities. However, during that fateful night on Wednesday in November, the ice broke up, and water rolled in between the clay and the stones descending towards the villages whereby many people were covered beneath the soil and lost their life’s. Many people ended up being covered by the mud, and the author says that he and his friend Rolf Carle’ witnessed thousand of human beings buried by the solution of water and soil over the television. The author uses the word ”soup’ to symbolize the mud solution.
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Why do you think Rolf would need protection “from his own emotions”?
I think Rolf needed protection form his own emotion so that he can be able to save the drained girl in the mud. Thus, he needed to be away from the writer to gain more courage as the author says that when they are together, Rolf said he was not a courageous person. He and the author are in love, and her presence could make him more emotional. But being fur from the author helped him to gain more courage which protects him from emotional feelings and thus making it possible to participate in the event. He was also participating in public activities and mostly using the microphone to address all the people who were present at the incident. He needs protection from his own emotion to be at ease and to gain confidence as he talks to the people where necessary.
Use context clues to write a meaning for equanimity.
It means being composed even when Rolf is in danger. It seemed as if nothing could shake his fortitude or deter his curiosity.
At this point, can you guess what the theme of this story might be? Explain your answer.
I guess the theme of this story is on designated survivors. This is because a girl by the name Azucena is being rescued as one of the survivors after the eruption of the mountains which ended up killing many people by covering them with rocks and sand. Many people died but this little girl survived, and Rolf left his girlfriend inside the house making coffee and ran towards the event to save the girl.
So far, what details might lead you to think that one of the author’s purposes for writing is to have the reader feel sympathy for Azucena’s predicament?
I think one of the author’s purposes to write the story is for the reader to be sympathetic to Azucena due to the way she described her when everyone was trying to save her. The author says that she could scream and it seems like she was stuck inside the mad and her shoulders could not project for her to be pulled. She also stresses on how her bothers could be holding onto her legs and pulling her downwards making it harder for her to come out. This can be touching to the reader especially when the little girl Azucena was surrounded by dead bodies including her relatives whom she loves. However, because the girl could not be easily rescued, she was abandoned as other people were crying for help. This can be so touching.
Why do you think Rolf was trying to distract Azucena?
So that the girl can lose concentration on where she is stuck as he tries to find means to rescue her. The distraction was in for of asking her question like what her name was making her calm down.
What do you think it means that “time had stagnated and reality had been irreparably distorted”?
It means that time had elapsed and all transportation means were not available for Rolf to transport the little girl Azucena to the hospital to be drained with water and be radioed. This means he had to wait until the next morning. It was hard to reverse the time for Rolf to accomplish his goal of completely rescuing the girl and making sure that her heath is fine. However, doctors arrived in time to save the girl, and she was surrounded by mud all over.
What are some ways Rolf tries to rescue Azucena?
He tried to pump her and removing mud from her body. He also helped Azucena to sip coffee which relieved her from the cold making her feel better. He was also trying to distract the little girl with questions at the same time finding means to pull her out of the mud by creating space and removing mud in circles.
The word bear has multiple meanings. When the word is a noun, it refers to a large
animal, but in this sentence, a bear is a verb. What do you think the word means here?
It means the act of not tolerating to do something and the author says that she could not bear staying at home and had to go to a national television center.
What purpose might the author have in writing this paragraph?
The author wrote this paragraph to indicate his love for Rolf. She described how she wanted to stay close to him and doing activities together. She says she enjoyed watching television together indicating her love for him. The author could cry for being away from Rolf.
What does Rolf realize about himself as a result of talking to Azucena?
That he cares about the girl and would wish to support her through her welfare. He realized that he has a big heart.
The root of embodying is embody, which means “express, personify, or give concrete form too.” What does it mean that Azucena had been given the responsibility of embodying the horror of what had happened?
It means that Azucena could not forget about the horror incident and kept remembering about the incidence despite the love Rolf and the author showed her. She could not let go the horror that easily.
What are the problems facing the rescuers and doctors?
The survivors were also stuck in the mud making it hard for the doctors to assist them. The other challenge is on the injuries whereby if not handled carefully rescuing could lead to more damages caused on the victims’ bodies.
What different techniques, or methods, has Rolf used to keep Azucena distracted and calm?
He used questionnaire method. Rolf asked Azucena “What is your name?” This illustrates the use of questionnaire methodology to distract her form the fateful event so that he can pull her form the mud.
Why does the narrator think that Rolf is finally able to talk about his past traumas?
Because he is got relived and time has helped him to heal emotionally making it easy for her to talk about the past.
What theme do you think the writer is touching on with the phrase “to flee from himself”? Think about what Rolf is going through as a universal experience that many people go through during their lives.
It was hard for Rolf to escape from the horror incident and he had to face the predicament. The author is saying that Rolf was finding means to escape the experience, but he could not flee away and had to face the visceral terror as a young boy.
Summarize what Rolf has come to understand about himself in this section.
Rolf came to understand that he was a courageous man who took the risk for the sake of others. He cried for himself for having hurt so much. He embraced his lost sister Katharina and helped her settle and have food in their father’s home. He is loving as he embraces his sister and her hair was on his cheek and holding her hands. This indicates that he understands his passion and affection for his sister. He also understands that he is hospitable as he welcomed her sister and they cooked food and eat together. He realized that he is a conqueror who was ready to go for training to fight the monsters invading the land.
Aromas come from the Latin word aroma, meaning “sweet odor.” How do the
descriptions in this sentence illustrate what Rolf is thinking?
He is thinking of cooking delicious food which is made of garlic, soup, bread and other combination. He is excited about finding his sister again and wants to cook in style and something sweet for him and her sister to share together.
What does the president do in response to the disaster?
He assured Rolf of providing them with a pump to save the survivors
How do you think the narrator, from just watching the television screen, was able to tell that Rolf’s “defenses had crumbled” and to tell “the precise moment at which Rolf gave up the fight”?
By following up on the National television whereby she could watch every bid of the incidence. This way she was able to be keen on occasions and could observe all the occurrences including the crumbling of the defense and Rolf giving up the fight.
