Module 4 Lessons
2. Facing Challenges
Lesson 48
Facing Challenges
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You may often be faced with difficult situations that compel you to make important choices. The choices could involve your deepest values in conflict with your strongest emotions. Such difficult choices are called dilemmas. A dilemma is a difficult situation involving a choice between two alternatives that are equally undesirable. The way in which you go about making choices and the nature of the choices themselves reveals who and what you really are.
Some of your favourite poems are likely ones that explore dilemmas. A poem can vividly recreate what it feels like to be in a dilemma.
Mr. Haas: Can you give me an example of a dilemma that you might face?
Brandon: Say you believe very strongly that it's wrong to cheat on tests or to steal. One day, you see your best friend cheating or shoplifting. You have to decide what you're going to do about it.
Chelsea: Well, a lot of people wouldn't tell on their best friend.
Mr. Haas: They may not, but by making that choice, what would they have learned about themselves?
Dominic: That friendship is more important than honesty.
Mr. Haas: Exactly. Their previous belief is no longer as strong. In a way, they too have become dishonest by looking the other way.
Journal Entry
The boy in the next poem is faced with a dilemma. Read "Cooks Brook" by Al Pittman on page 134 of Sightlines 10, and think about what you would do in a similar situation.
1. What did you think of this poem? Explain which elements of the poem you could personally connect to.
2. Did you have any difficulty reading this poem? If so, why?
3. How would you describe the language used in the poem? Take into consideration the entire poem. Were there any parts that you would consider more "poetic" than others?
4. What lines in the poem suggest its theme or deeper meaning? Using your own words, express the theme of the poem.
Now read the following class discussion about the poem.
Mr. Haas: In what ways did you personally connect to the poem "Cooks Brook"?
Chelsea: I thought the name was familiar. So I checked the author's biography in Sightlines 10 and learned that Cooks Brook is in Newfoundland. I've actually been there. I didn't go to the ledge talked about in the poem, but I was close.
Lin: I really connected. Once, at a pool with a high diving tower, all my friends went up and jumped off. They coaxed me to the top, but when I looked down, I froze. I crawled to the steps and down. They all laughed and teased me. That was the last time I ever went to that pool.
Dominic: At first I was confused by the lack of punctuation in this poem, but then I caught on and it wasn't a problem.
Mr. Haas: Why would the poet choose to leave out punctuation and most capitalization?
Brandon: Maybe to catch the feeling of a moment that happens so quickly, there isn't time for pauses.
Lin: Yes, the actual moment passes quickly, but the feeling seems to last forever—it's almost like slow motion. At least that's what I felt.
Dominic: I like the difference between appearance and reality. The diver appears brave and fearless, but inside there is fear and self-doubt.
Brandon: At the end, the diver acts like there was nothing to it, but the last three lines tell us the reality. The diver is terrified and probably has frequent nightmares about the situation.
Lin: The last three lines are very poetic. The rest of the poem reads like everyday prose, but the last three lines are different.
Chelsea: I noticed some alliteration, like "daringly defied the demons" and "climb the cliff."
Mr. Haas: What is this poem trying to say? What strong feelings are being shared?
Chelsea: These lines say it all to me: "it would be better to die / skull smashed open in the water / than it would be to climb / backwards down to the beach." Some people would rather die than be embarrassed in front of their friends. It's kind of true, but a little exaggerated.
Mr. Haas: Remember, effective poetry will often exaggerate to heighten emotion.
Brandon: But people do talk like that—I was so embarrassed, I could have died. It's an exaggeration, and everybody realizes it.
Dominic: The last three lines of the poem are very important. They suggest that people who appear brave for accepting a dare may actually be quite terrified. It's all a front.
Narrative Poetry
The next poem you'll read is a long narrative. Don't be discouraged by its length. Students find this poem to be immediately engaging. It tells a good story with a thought-provoking ending.
Because it's a narrative poem, you'll be able to use what you know about the elements of fiction to help you appreciate and understand the poem.
Before you start reading the poem, prepare yourself in the following ways:
• Look at the illustrations that accompany the poem. They're found on pages 119, 120, and 122 of Sightlines 10. What thoughts and emotions occur to you as you view the pictures?
• Read the author's biography on page 392 of Sightlines 10. Did you find any information that might be helpful in understanding or appreciating the poem?
• Some students find this poem difficult because of the vocabulary. Remember to add words to your vocabulary log in the Assignment Booklet.
Here is a list of words from the poem, not associated with mountain climbing, that you may need to look up. You could include some or all of them in your log:
• astride • flagged • splayed • baulked • gore • sprawling • buoying • lobbed • unmarred • fetid • spectral • upbraided
For your convenience, the following mountain-climbing words from the poem are defined and alphabetized for you. Keep this list handy as you read the poem.
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Find the narrative poem "David" by Earle Birney on page 118 of Sightlines 10 or open the file in Module 4
You should already have viewed the three pictures that accompany the poem and reviewed and researched the vocabulary words that were listed previously.
You're now ready to read the poem. You'll note that the poem is relatively long, but don't let this intimidate you. In the pages that follow, you'll be instructed to read a certain number of lines at a time and then answer questions. Follow the directions closely, and imagine that you're in a classroom setting with Mr. Haas and his students.
Read the first two sections of the poem only. Read them several times, and look up any words that you're unfamiliar with.
5. What do you think is the main purpose of Section II? What strong impressions do you get from reading the descriptions?
Now read Sections III, IV, and V on pages 119 and 120. After you've read these three sections, read the following class discussion. The teacher will be asking questions. Try answering each question yourself, and then compare your response to the responses of the other students.
Mr. Haas: What happens in Section III of the poem?
Dominic: They got caught in a rainsquall and nearly died. The rain turned to ice, and they didn't dare move for fear of losing their grip. They had to hold on for dear life for hours until the sun melted the ice.
Lin: The narrator also develops a stronger bond with David because David taught him how to survive such situations—by telling stories and repeating songs and naming rock strata.
Chelsea: David saw a spire that he ended up calling the Finger. This might be important later on, or why mention it? Maybe they'll try to climb it.
Brandon: I think that the most important thing that happened is they found the bones of a mountain goat that had fallen.
Mr. Haas: Why do you think the discovery of these bones is significant?
Brandon: I'd be nervous if I found the bones of a mountain goat. Goats are fantastic climbers. If a goat can fall, what are people doing up there?
Mr. Haas: Anything important to note in Section IV?
Lin: More mountain climbing and a stronger bond developing between the narrator and David.
Chelsea: More descriptions of how harsh and cruel the environment can be.
Mr. Haas: Give some examples of these descriptions.
Chelsea: "The long ascent of the lonely valley."
Dominic: "Scarred by lightning" and "ghostly trilobites."
Mr. Haas: The author doesn't want us to forget that mountains are unforgiving. What should we take note of in Section V?
Brandon: David is a bit of a show-off, quite proud of his ability to climb outthrusts. He's described as "grinning" after he dances through the air and kicks his way to the crest. A proud man, I would say.
Lin: "Pride cometh before a fall."
Mr. Haas: Perhaps. Anything else?
Dominic: I didn't like that David killed the hurt robin.
Mr. Haas: Why did he kill the robin? By answering this, you'll arrive at David's philosophy of life.
Chelsea: He says he killed it because the robin could never fly again. David seems to feel that quality of life is important. The narrator wants to tame the bird, but David implies that it's not enough to be alive—you have to be able to fly, to do great things. Tamed and earthbound is no life for a robin, according to David.
Now read Sections VI, VII, and VIII of "David" on pages 121 to 123 of Sightlines 10.
Mr. Haas: Section VI has a unique description of nature. What does it say?
Brandon: That nature can be generous and good. They caught five trout, they noticed the woods alive with deer, and they ate hatfuls of raspberries.
Mr. Haas: Excellent! What happens in Section VII? Were you surprised?
Chelsea: They tried climbing the Finger, ignoring all signs that they shouldn't. They failed the first time but had to try it again. They couldn't sleep. At night, they could still see the Finger, almost as if it was daring them to come.
Lin: David fell at the end of Section VII—but it was the narrator's fault. David saved the narrator's life but fell as a result. I was kind of surprised, but I was expecting something bad to happen so it wasn't a complete surprise.
Dominic: I like the way Section VII ended without telling us what happened to David. It created suspense. I couldn't wait to read on.
Mr. Haas: What did happen next in Section VIII?
Dominic: The narrator made his way down to where David was. He used the word splayed to describe David's legs. That's the same word he used to describe the goat ribs in Section III.
Mr. Haas: Do you think this was intentional? If so, why?
Chelsea: It makes a connection between the goat and David. They were both expert climbers, but they both fell.
Mr. Haas: This confirms that the goat in Section III foreshadowed the fall of David.
Finally, read Section IX of the poem on pages 123 and 124 of Sightlines 10.
Mr. Haas: Why does the narrator agree to push David off the ledge?
Lin: He didn't want to do it. He wanted David to hang on till he brought back help. But they both knew that help wouldn't arrive in time. So maybe he pushed David over because he wanted to spare David from suffering.
Brandon: David said he'd do the same for the narrator if the situation were reversed. Maybe the narrator figured that a true friend would do this. I'm glad I've never been in a similar dilemma.
Mr. Haas: Excellent. You correctly identified the narrator's situation as a dilemma.
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Now it's your turn to try answering some of the questions on your own.
6. Describe the narrator's dilemma. What two unpleasant choices did he face?
7. In Section IX, the narrator states that it somehow made him feel better to know that he himself was hurt. Why would he feel this way?
8. The last section contains a number of unpleasant images. Locate at least three of them, and state the effect created by these images.
9. What do you think is meant by the last line of the poem?
Journal Entry
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Now that you've studied the poem, listen to Hardee Lineham read "David"1 aloud on your audio CD. What do you think of Lineham's voice? Is he a good reader? Explain. Did listening to the poem help you to better appreciate or understand it? What does the background sound of the wind add to your listening experience? In this lesson, you looked closely at two poems about challenges. You considered how to respond personally to a poem and you "participated" in a class discussion. In the next lesson, you'll explore several poems that focus on people. 1 Earle Birney, David, in The Collected Poems of Earle Birney (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Ltd. The Canadian Publishers, 1975). Reproduced with the permission of the estate of Earle Birney and Pearson Education Canada. |
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Suggested Answers
1. Responses will vary. Most students have been in situations similar to the one described in the poem. This should enable you to identify with the speaker and the dilemma.
2. Responses will vary. Most students have little or no difficulty reading this poem—once they catch on that there is no punctuation.
3. The poem reads a lot like prose. To test this, rewrite the first three verses of the poem as prose. Much of the language is straightforward and literal. This changes dramatically in the last three lines of the poem. Here we find figurative language and alliteration.
4. Responses will vary. Here are the lines that one student identified for the theme or deeper meaning of the poem.
- knowing full well
- it would be better to die
- skull smashed open in the water
- than it would be to climb
- backwards down to the beach
as though it was every day of the week
you daringly defied the demons
who lived so terribly
in the haunted hours of your sleep
Another student expressed the theme of the poem this way: “People would prefer to take huge risks rather than publicly admit they are afraid.”
5. Section II of the poem “David” describes the beauty, serenity, and challenge of being on the mountain. The strong impression created, however, is that of the coldness and harshness of the environment. There are many descriptions that serve to foreshadow future events. Some of the harsh words and phrases are these:
- cold pines thrust
- peak was upthrust like a fist
- frozen ocean of rock
- alien prairie
- dusty scree
- give of shale
- darkening firs
- sudden whirring of water that knifed down
- mist in the shadows
6. Earlier in the poem, the narrator and David found an injured robin. At that time, the narrator expressed a desire to save the hurt bird and tame it. This suggests that he believes life continues to have value even if the same quality of life cannot be maintained. The narrator also feels strongly about his friend David and would be willing to do what his friend desperately wanted. The narrator’s dilemma is this: should he be true to his belief that all life has value, or should he save his friend from pain, suffering, possibly slow death, or life in a wheelchair?
7. Responses will vary. In a way, the narrator wants to feel pain because he continues to feel guilt for causing the death of his friend. His friend suffered, and now the narrator wants to suffer. The pain perhaps also enables him to focus on other things besides what happened to David.
8. Responses will vary. Here are some unpleasant images identified by one student:
- wind-devilled peak
- chimney’s empty horror
- grave-cold maw
- sun-cankered snowbridge
- fanged and blinding seracs
- reek of the bog
- purple glimmer of toadstools obscene in the twilight
- feet squelched a bug and horror rose again in my nostrils
These images create an accumulated effect of horror and disgust. The author purposefully creates this effect to reflect what the narrator is feeling.
9. When the narrator states that the day on the ledge was the last day of his youth, he is acknowledging that he has lost his innocence. He has entered the world of adult experiences. Life is no longer as carefree and simple as it was before. He will have to live with the pain and the memory of David’s death for the rest of his life. There is also the suggestion in the last line of the poem that the narrator might never climb another mountain.
Lesson Glossary
alliteration - the use of words that begin with the same consonant sound
dilemma - a difficult situation involving a choice between two alternatives that are equally undesirable