by Armstrong Sperry
| Chapter Two: The Sea |
by Armstrong Sperry
| Chapter Two: The Sea |
Word Wizard
p. 21 dismal
sentence: Day broke out over a dark and dismal world.meaning:
p. 22 ascending
sentence: In ascending spirals the bird climbed higher and higher....meaning:
p. 22 desolation
sentence: Mafatu watched his albatross disappear and felt a desolation flood his heart.meaning:
p. 22 ominous
sentence: It was an ominous, oppressive world at this season of storm.meaning:
p. 23 parched
sentence: ... to let the cool liquid trickle down his parched throat; more refreshing than spring water.....meaning:
p. 23 solitary
sentence: ... or he might have vanished utterly, leaving his friends here in solitary space.meaning:
p. 24 instantaneous
sentence: An instantaneous crack of thunder shattered the world.meaning:
p. 26 tumult
sentence: Every nerve became dulled by tumult.meaning:
p. 28 luminous
sentence: Now the air was luminous with promise of another day.meaning:
p. 29 assurance
sentence: He caught the animal to him, while a new assurance, a new strength, flooded his being.meaning:
Discussion Director
What are the Ara Moana? (p. 21)
What did the author mean when he wrote, "This world of the sea wasruled by Nature's harsh law of survival." (p. 23)
What things did Mafatu notice after the huge wave crashed over hiscanoe? (p. 27)
Give an example of a time during which Mafatu showed courage.
Literary Luminary
Imagery -To make an imaginary world seem real, an authoroften makes use of words and phrases that appeal to the senses. Thesewords and phrases, called images. help a reader mentally experiencewhat the characters in the literary selection are actuallyexperiencing.
Metaphor - A metaphor is a figure of speech comparing twounlike things that have something in common. The comparison is madewithout the use of like or as. In the following example, the sun iscompared to a flower.
Simile - A comparison between two unlike things that havesomething in common is called a simile. A simile always uses thewords like or as to make a comparison.
Personification - Giving humanlike traits to non humanthings.
| Passage | What kind of figurative language is being used? |
| p. 23 The ocean current which held the canoe in its grip seemed to have quickened. | |
| p. 28 With the coming of this new day terror raised its head. | |
| p. 28 The sun burned into them like an inescapable eye. | |
| p. 29 Mafatu tried to fight it back, to deny its existence; but it gripped his heart with clammy fingers, tightened his throat. | |
| p. 30 Mafatu scanned the rim of the horizon; it looked as hard as the cut edge of a stone. | |
| p. 31 Hikueru, the only land he had ever seen, was as flat as his hand; but a great single peak crowned this strange island. | |
| p. 31 Then from far off cam the first muffled thunder of the reef: the boom of the surf high-bursting on the barrier coral. | |
| p. 31 Now across the swells came a sound like a chorus of ghostly fishermen weary with their day's toll: sea birds, always complaining, never at rest.... | |
| p. 33 ... while softer, yet rising above it was another sound - the voice of the reef itself, quieting with sundown, like the reassuring hush of a mother to her child. | |
| p. 34 A murmur of water reached his ears, as soft as a chuckle of pleasant laughter. |
Creative Connector
Have you ever experienced a strong storm like a hurricane orblizzard? Describe your experience. How does it compare to whatMafatu went through?
Artful Artist
Reread the passages about the hurricane (p. 26 - 27). Sketch whatyou imagine the scene looked like.
Related Research
Cannibalism and humansacrifice were found in primitive tribes of Polynesians andMelanesians. See a group of Melanesiahunters from the Dani tribe with their weapons. Also see theirwoodenidols, similar to those in our story. (fromhttp://www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/schwww/sch618/courage/Call_It_Courage.html).