OLYMPICS: SKELETON Skeleton Plunges Face-First Back Into the Winter Games

That may be, but whenever he tells the Olympic athletes in other sports what he is there for, they say much the same thing: ‘’Oh. You guys are crazy.’’ ... This sport is just fast and mean and a little bit insane, and if you mess up, if you are clumsy and brush the wall, there is pain and often blood. Soule used to wrap parts of his body in duct tape— the ice on the walls tended to eat his sweater off his arm.

ORIGINAL CHOICE: Soule used to wrap parts of his body in duct tape— the ice on the walls tended to eat his sweater off his arm.

ALTERNATIVE SYNONYM: Soule used to wrap parts of his body in duct tape— the ice on the walls tended to tear his sweater off his arm.

LITERAL MEANING: EAT = chew, gobble, food slowly disappears bite by bite

IMPRESSION/CONNOTATION: NEGATIVE = scary, intense, dangerous

EFFECT/IMPACT: Conveyed the intense ripping, shredding, and thinning of protection bit by bit.

MEANING: EVALUATE AUTHOR WORD CONNOTATION: CHOICE EFFECT:

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expecta- tions, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

ORIGINAL CHOICE: You are already naked.

ALTERNATIVE SYNONYM: You have nothing to lose.

LITERAL MEANING: NAKED = bare, stripped, uncovered, exposed

IMPRESSION/CONNOTATION: open, revealed, unrestricted, free

EFFECT/IMPACT: Conveyed that pride, success, failure, & embarrassment are all “clothing” to be removed. The desires and passions of your heart are all that matter.

There is also one very famous children’s book missing from the list: Margaret Wise Brown’s “Goodnight Moon.” You re- member: the great green room, with the telephone, balloon and the painting of the cow jumping over the moon and the soothing words: “Goodnight stars, Goodnight air, Goodnight noises everywhere.” The book’s absence from the most-read list is so glaring the library felt a need to explain why it was missing.

ORIGINAL CHOICE: The book’s absence from the most-read list is so glaring the library felt a need to explain why it was missing.

ALTERNATIVE SYNONYM: The book’s absence from the most-read list requires an explanation as to why it was missing.

LITERAL MEANING: GLARING = bright, shining, intense, illuminate

IMPRESSION/CONNOTATION: NEGATIVE = obvious, harmful, glare, harsh stare

EFFECT/IMPACT: Conveyed that the absence of the book title was deliberate, intentional, and calculated. This was not an accident.

Once she started offering reviews, Moore’s disapproval was enough to ruin a book.... The book got some good reviews after it came out, but at the New York Public Library, it was judged harshly. Moore was by then retired from the library but her influence did not go away in the slightest, as she still attended every meeting. For years, the library refused to add the book to its collection.

ORIGINAL CHOICE: Once she started offering reviews, Moore’s disapproval was enough to ruin a book.

ALTERNATIVE SYNONYM: Moore’s disapproval was enough to keep a book from being successful.

LITERAL MEANING: RUIN = shambles, crumble, destruct, wreck, demolish

IMPRESSION/CONNOTATION: NEGATIVE = devastate, destroy, eliminate, annihilate, death

EFFECT/IMPACT: Conveyed that she could destroy a book’s reputation and cause its elimination from circulation.

Eddie was a carpet fitter, and he hated it. For A lump the size of— the size of a packet of ciga- he called Mrs. Vanbrugh from the dining room to ten years he had spent his days sitting, squatting, rettes. inspect his work. kneeling, or crawling on floors, in houses, offices, “Blast!” said Eddie angrily. “I’ve done it again! “Yes, dear, very nice,” said the lady, peering shops, factories, and restaurants. Ten years of his life, I’ve left the cigarettes under the blasted carpet!” around the room briefly. “You’ll be sending me a cutting and fitting carpets for other people to walk He had done this once before, and taking up bill, then?” on, without even seeing them. When his work was and refitting the carpet had taken him two hours. “Yes madam, as soon as I report to the of- done, no one ever appreciated it. No one ever said, Eddie was determined that he was not going to fice tomorrow that the job is done.” Eddie picked “Oh, that’s a beautiful job, the carpet fits so neatly.” spend another two hours in this house. He decid- up his tools and began to walk out to the van. They just walked all over it. Eddie was sick of it. ed to get rid of the lump another way. It would Mrs. Vanbrugh accompanied him. She seemed a He was especially sick of it on this hot, humid mean wasting a good packet of cigarettes, nearly little worried about something. day in August, as he worked to put the finishing full, but anything was better than taking up the “Young man,” she began, as he climbed touches to today’s job. He was just cutting and fix- whole carpet and fitting it again. He turned to his into the cab of his van, laying his toolbox on ing the last edge on a huge red carpet which he toolbox for a large hammer. the passenger seat beside him, “while you were had fitted in the living room of Mrs. Vanbrugh’s Holding the hammer, Eddie approached working today, you didn’t by any chance see any house. Rich Mrs. Vanbrugh, who changed her car- the lump in the carpet. He didn’t want to damage sign of Armand, did you? Armand is my parakeet. pets every year and always bought the best. Rich the carpet itself, so he took a block of wood and A beautiful bird, just beautiful, such colors in his Mrs. Vanbrugh, who had never even given him a placed it on top of the lump. Then he began to feathers ... I let him out of his cage, you see, this cup of tea all day and who made him go outside beat the block of wood as hard as he could. He morning, and he’s disappeared. He likes to walk when he wanted to smoke. Ah well, it was four kept beating, hoping Mrs. Vanbrugh wouldn’t around the house, and he’s so good, he usually o’clock, and he had nearly finished. At least he hear the noise and come to see what he was do- just comes back to his cage after an hour or so would be able to get home early today. He began ing. It would be difficult to explain why he was and gets right in. Only today he didn’t come back. to day dream about the weekend, about the Sat- hammering the middle of her beautiful new car- He’s never done such a thing before, it’s most pe- urday football game he always played for the local pet. culiar ...” team, where he was known as “Ed the Head” for his After three or four minutes, the lump was “No, madam, I haven’t seen him anywhere,” skill in heading goals from corner kicks. Eddie sat beginning to flatten out. Eddie imagined the said Eddie, as he reached to start the van. back and sighed. The job was done, and it was time cigarette box breaking up, and the crushed cig- And saw his packet of Marlboro cigarettes for a last cigarette. He began tapping the pockets arettes spreading out under the carpet. Soon, he on the dashboard, where he had left it at lunch- of his overalls, looking for the new packet of Marl- judged that the lump was almost invisible. Clear- time... boro he had bought that morning. They were not ing up his tools, he began to move the furniture And remembered the lump in the carpet ... there. back into the living room, and he was careful And realized what the lump was ... It was as he swung around to look in his to place one of the coffee tables over the place And remembered the hammering ... toolbox for the cigarettes that Eddie saw the where the lump had been, just to make sure that And began to feel rather sick ... lump. Right in the middle of the brand new bright no one would see the spot where his cigarettes red carpet, there was a lump. A very visible lump. had been lost. Finally, the job was finished, and

https://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/courses/elc/studyzone/410/reading/fitter.htm ORIGINAL CHOICE ALTERNATIVE SYNONYM LITERAL MEANING IMPRESSION, CONNOTATION EFFECT, IMPACT

They just walked all over it.

Rich Mrs. Vanbrugh, who had never even given him a cup of tea all day and who made him go outside when he wanted to smoke.

Then he began to beat the block of wood as hard as he could.

“Yes madam, as soon as I report to the office tomorrow that the job is done.”

Soule used to Soule used to wrap EAT = NEGATIVE = Conveyed the intense wrap parts of parts of his body in chew scary ripping, shredding, and his body in duct duct tape— the ice gobble intense thinnning of protection on the walls tended to food slowly disappears dangerous tape— the ice on tear his sweater off his bite by bite bit by bit. the walls tended arm. to eat his sweater off his arm.

You are already You have nothing. NAKED = POSITIVE = Conveyed that pride, naked. bare open success, failure, & stripped revealed embarrassment are all uncovered unrestricted exposed free “clothing” to be removed. The desires and passions of your heart are all that matter.

The book’s The book’s absence GLARING = NEGATIVE = Conveyed that the absence from from the most-read bright obvious abscence of the book the most-read list list requires an shining harmful title was deliberate, explanation as to why intense glare = harsh stare is so glaring the it was missing. illuminate intentional, and library felt a need calculated. This was not to explain why it an accident. was missing.

Once she Moore’s disapproval RUIN = NEGATIVE = Conveyed that she started offering was enough to keep shambles devestate could destroy a book’s reviews, Moore’s a book from being crumble destroy reputation and cause successful. destruct eliminate disapproval was wreck annihilate its elimination from enough to ruin demolish death circulation. a book.