In this chapter, the author supplies answers to some of the questions raised in Chapter 1 and to fill in background information about the religion of the people of Waknuk in general, and specially what David's family believes in. Although, religion may not particularly interest you, it is very important for your understanding of the rest of the book, that you read this chapter carefully. Hopefully, the following questions will help you comprehend the text better.
In this chapter, we learn that the damage done by the nuclear holocaust is not totally irreversible. The word irreversible means "not capable of going either backward or forward." The word is a combination of the negative prefix ir-, and the Latin words revertere and reuersare, which mean, respectively, "to turn back" and "to turn around". Ten other words deriving from these Latin words are listed below. See if you can use them correctly in the sentences that follow.
adverse - advertise - invertebrates - reversed - reversible - reverted - version - versatility - vertically - vertigo
1. Joseph Strorm had an _______________ attitude towards any form of deviation. (unfavourable)
2. We do not learn if the _______________ living around Waknuk were effected by the radiation also. (animals that have no spinal column, or backbone)
3. In the Strorm family, David's _______________ of things counted for very little. (opinion)
4. According to father Strorm, Nicholson's Repentances were the God-given truth and could never be _______________. (overthrown or made void)
5. It seems as if the people of Waknuk had _______________ to many forms of superstition. (gone back)
6. A farmer in Waknuk had to possess great _______________ to be successful (quality of having a variety of skills)
7. For his birthday, David received a __________ _____ coat from his mother. (wearable with either side out)
8. As everyone knew each other, it wasn't necessary to _______________ in Waknuk. (call attention to one's business or service with a paid, printed notice)
9. The many slogans on the walls in David's house, could only be hung ________ _______. (lengthwise or upright)
10. When David looked down the steep banks of the gully, he suffered a moment of __________. (disordered state in which the individual or his surroundings seem to swirl dizzily)
For purposes of a good story, writers will often take a certain person's character trait and focus on it, even to the point of exaggeration. In the story, father Strorm is made excessively stern.
You are asked to think of someone who has a strong personality trait or eccentricity. For example, the person never goes anywhere without a basketball in hand, or likes to make speeches so much that he or she "speechifies" to everybody, or is a surfing nut... to the point of "practising" on a surfboard in the middle of the living room.
Build your character portrait gradually, step by step. Here are some suggestions for each step.
* Use a first-person point of view. Explain your relationship to the character.
* Describe the person you are portraying, explain the person's character trait, and give several examples, exaggerating a little more with each example.
* Show other people's reactions to it. Use dialogue to dramatize these reactions.
* Then put the character in a situation that highlights the trait and further exaggerates it.
* End by telling what finally happens to the character, and whether or not the person changes.
* After finishing, read over what you have written and ask yourself these question: Is my character realistic? Is his/her character trait believable, yet broad enough to be humorous? Is the conversation natural?