Between a Rock and a Hard Place Flashcards
“This one is maybe eleven or twelve feet high…”
Examining surroundings showing calmness and lack of haste.
Structurally placed in the beginning for comparison on how tension increases progressively through the course of the passage.
“Time dilates, as if I’m dreaming, and my reaction decelerates. In slow motion: the rock smashes my left hand against the south wall.”
Simile about Ralston processing the situation at hand.
Violent verbs to insinuate the gore and horror of the incident.
structurally instant change of tone, no longer descriptive listings of surrounding and is narrowing his focus to one object- the boulder. Also change in terms of sentences from lengthy to short as he is surprised, shocked and is registering the dilemma he is currently undergoing.
Personification to reflect on his unstable mental state and attempt at coping with the circumstances
“My disbelief paralyzes me temporarily as I stare at the sight of my arm vanishing into an implausibly small gap between the fallen boulder and the canyon wall.”
Imagery.
Emotive language.
“Standing on that, I brace my thighs under the boulder and thrust upward repeatedly, grunting, ‘Come on…move!’ Nothing.”
Structurally is the peak of tension as he ends with a cliffhanger and reflects on his dire situation with his efforts to better his state although amounting to nothing. Utilizes a single word sentence to close the paragraph for further tension.
‘Between a Rock and a Hard Place’
The title is a double entendre consisting of a metaphor signifying he is stuck in a dire situation and in need of help and also connoting the literal specification of the incident.
