“Into the Abyss” Cornell Notes Adventure Consultants Guided Expedition Mountain Madness Guided Expeditions Rob Hall leader and head guide Scott Fischer leader and head guide Mike Groom guide Anatoli “Toli” Boukreev guide Andy “Harold” Harris guide Neal Beidleman guide Lopsang Jangbu Sherpa climbing sirdar (leader) Doug Hansen client Tashi Tshering Sherpa climbing Sherpa Yasuko Namba client Ngawang Dorje Sherpa climbing Sherpa Jon Krakauer client, author Dr. Seaborn Beck Weathers client Sandy Hill Pittman client Dr. Stuart Hutchinson client Charlotte Fox client Tim Madsen client Frank Fischbeck client Klev Schoening client Lou Kasischke client Lene Gammelgaard client Dr. John Taske client Martin Adams client Key Points/Questions Notes about Style and Content Chapter 1 Krakauer begins his story as the mountaineers are both literally and How does Krakauer structure events in the book to build figuratively on top of the world, having reached the summit of Mount suspense? Everest. He then describes the aftermath of the descent as he describes how eight people would die after trekking through an unexpected storm. Foreshadowing the disaster, he explains how as the group took pictures on top of the mountain none of them suspected what would happen next. Chapter 15 This omission of what happens next leaves the reader in suspense. How does Krakauer use different accounts to build suspense? The author uses various accounts to slowly build the story about what happened to the eight people who died and how a number of unfortunate coincidences played a part in their demise. Krakauer himself raises questions about why the leaders pushed their clients and abandoned their safety plan to return to camp if they didn’t reach the summit by 2 p.m. He explains how Fischer did not reveal that he suffered from a parasite, which may have left him weak. At each stage of the chronological account, Krakauer inserts interviews he conducted later that Grade 12: Hero explain what various members of the group were thinking. For example, How does the passage from Krakauer recounts how he asked Hutchinson why he didn’t ask any other page 222 build the theme of climbers in the camp to go on a rescue mission. real-life heroes facing “the belly of the whale”? Despite his exhaustion and being unable to gather anyone to help him, Boukreev resolves to face the storm alone, to go out again and again in search of the missing people to plunge into the belly of the whale.. The intensity of the challenge becomes apparent when Boukreev finally finds the mountaineers; they are utterly helpless and Namba appears dead. Exit Ticket How does Krakauer’s use of language and structure help build suspense and build the theme of real-life heroes facing “the belly of the whale”? In Into Thin Air author Krakauer uses various accounts and interviews conducted after the incident to build suspense as he illustrates how mountaineers risked their own lives to face a snow storm so ferocious it is compared to a hurricane. Krakauer begins his story as the mountaineers are both literally and figuratively on top of the world, having reached the summit of Mount Everest. He then describes the aftermath of the descent as he describes how eight people would die after trekking through an unexpected storm. Foreshadowing the disaster, he explains how as the group took pictures on top of the mountain none of them suspected what would happen next. In Chapter 15, Krakauer uses interviews he conducted later to reveal different points of view about the events of that day. For example, Krakauer recounts how he later asked Hutchinson why he didn’t ask any other climbers in the camp to go on a rescue mission. Like Hutchinson, Boukreev also makes a rescue attempt. Despite his exhaustion and being unable to gather anyone to help him, Boukreev resolves to face the storm alone, to go out again in search of the missing people, to plunge into the belly of the whale.. The intensity of the challenge becomes apparent when Boukreev finally finds the mountaineers; they are utterly helpless and Namba appears dead. Grade 12: Hero .