United States Academic Pentathlon Literature Resource Guide 2024-2025 PDF

United States Academic Pentathlon ® OUR CHANGING CLIMATE...

United States Academic Pentathlon ® OUR CHANGING CLIMATE Texas Pentathlon - TX, TX LITERATURE An Introduction to Environmental Literature Resource Guide 2 0 24 – 2 0 25 The vision of the United States Academic Decathlon® is to provide students the opportunity to excel academically through team competition. Toll Free: 866-511-USAD (8723) Direct: 712-326-9589 Fax: 712-366-3701 Email: [email protected] Website: www.usad.org This material may not be reproduced or transmitted, in whole or in part, by any means, including but not limited to photocopy, print, electronic, or internet display (public or private sites) or downloading, without prior written permission from USAD. Violators may be prosecuted. Copyright ® 2024 by United States Academic Decathlon®. All rights reserved.  Table of Contents INTRODUCTION.................. 7 Survival............................. 17 Plot Summaries and Analyses...... 17 SECTION 1: CRITICAL READING..... 8 Overview............................ 17 Introductory Quote................... 17 SECTION II: MELT BY ELE Analysis..............................17 FOUNTAIN..................... 14 Storm............................... 17 Melt and the Theme of “Climate Summary............................ 17 Analysis..............................18 Change”.......................... 14 Yutu 1............................... 18 Overview of Ele Fountain’s Life and Summary............................ 18 Work............................. 14 Texas Pentathlon - TX, TX Analysis..............................18 Historical and Cultural Contexts Bea 1................................ 19 for the Novel...................... 15 Summary............................ 19 Analysis..............................19 Climate Change in the Arctic.......... 15 Oil Drilling and Oil Spills in the Arctic... 15 Yutu 2............................... 19 Traditional Arctic Cultures............. 15 Summary............................ 19 Analysis..............................19 Key Characters.................... 15 Bea 2............................... 20 Yutu................................. 15 Summary............................ 20 Grandma (Miki)...................... 16 Analysis............................. 20 Beatrice (Bea)....................... 16 Yutu 3.............................. 20 Stella, Becky, Jessica, Lauren......... 16 Summary............................ 20 Mum................................ 16 Analysis............................. 20 Dad................................. 16 Bea 3............................... 21 Sami, Jack and Adam................. 16 Summary............................ 21 Will................................. 16 Analysis.............................. 21 Men at the airport.................... 16 Yutu 4............................... 21 Setting............................16 Summary............................ 21 Analysis............................. 22 Themes........................... 16 Bravery............................. 16 Bea 4............................... 22 Summary............................ 22 Bullying............................. 16 Analysis............................. 22 Climate Change...................... 17 Coming of age....................... 17 Yutu 5.............................. 22 Friendship........................... 17 Summary............................ 22 Analysis............................. 22 Social Responsibility................. 17 2024–2025 Literature Pentathlon Resource Guide 2 Bea 5............................... 22 Prey................................ 29 Summary............................ 22 Summary............................ 29 Analysis............................. 23 Analysis............................. 29 Ambush............................ 23 Dawn............................... 29 Summary............................ 23 Summary............................ 29 Analysis............................. 23 Analysis............................. 30 Surprise............................ 23 Melt................................ 30 Summary............................ 23 Summary............................ 30 Analysis............................. 23 Analysis............................. 30 Flight...............................24 Near............................... 30 Summary............................ 24 Summary............................ 30 Analysis............................. 24 Analysis............................. 30 Lost................................ 24 Parting............................. 30 Summary............................ 24 Summary............................ 30 Analysis............................. 24 Analysis............................. 30 Kit................................. 25 Home.............................. 30 Summary............................ 25 Summary............................ 30 Analysis............................. 25 Analysis.............................. 31 Search............................. 25 Midnight............................. 31 Summary............................ 25 Summary............................ 31 Texas Pentathlon - TX, TX Analysis............................. 25 Analysis.............................. 31 Race............................... 25 Puzzle.............................. 31 Summary............................ 25 Summary............................ 31 Analysis............................. 25 Analysis.............................. 31 Tired............................... 26 After............................... 32 Summary............................ 26 AW1................................ 32 Analysis............................. 26 Summary............................ 32 Home.............................. 26 Analysis............................. 32 Summary............................ 26 Summer............................ 32 Analysis............................. 26 Summary............................ 32 Soup............................... 27 Analysis............................. 32 Summary............................ 27 Analysis............................. 27 Literary Elements and Rhetorical Devices........................... 32 Share.............................. 27 Alliteration.......................... 33 Summary............................ 27 Analysis............................. 27 Allusion............................ 33 Contrast............................ 33 Fear................................ 27 Duel Narrative...................... 33 Summary............................ 27 Figurative Language................. 33 Analysis............................. 28 Metaphor............................ 33 Brave.............................. 28 Personification....................... 33 Summary............................ 28 Simile................................ 33 Analysis............................. 28 Idiom................................ 33 Freeze..............................28 Imagery............................ 33 Summary............................ 28 Foreshadowing...................... 33 Analysis............................. 29 Plot Structure....................... 33 2024–2025 Literature Pentathlon Resource Guide 3  Point of View........................ 34 Paragraphs 1-2......................55 Punctation.......................... 34 Summary............................ 55 Sound Devices...................... 34 Analysis............................. 55 Syntax..............................34 Paragraphs 3-12.....................55 Theme..............................34 Summary............................ 55 Tension.............................34 Analysis............................. 55 Tone................................ 34 Paragraphs 13-17.................... 55 Summary............................ 55 SECTION III: SHORTER WORKS.... 35 Analysis............................. 55 Introduction....................... 35 Paragraph 18........................ 55 Summary............................ 55 Short Stories...................... 35 Analysis............................. 55 SELECTED WORK: Jack London “To Paragraphs 19-22.................... 56 Build a Fire”....................... 35 Summary............................ 56 Analysis............................. 56 Introduction to Jack London....... 44 Paragraphs 23-27................... 56 Overview........................ 44 Summary............................ 56 Summary and Analysis........... 44 Analysis............................. 56 Paragraphs 1-5......................44 Paragraphs 28-30................... 56 Summary............................ 44 Summary............................ 56 Analysis............................. 44 Texas Pentathlon - TX, TX Analysis............................. 56 Paragraphs 6-10.....................46 Paragraphs 31-36.................... 56 Summary............................ 46 Summary............................ 56 Analysis............................. 46 Analysis............................. 56 Paragraphs 10-15.................... 46 Paragraphs 37-40................... 56 Summary............................ 46 Summary............................ 56 Analysis............................. 47 Analysis............................. 57 Paragraphs 16-20.................... 47 Paragraphs 41-42.................... 57 Summary............................ 47 Summary............................ 57 Analysis............................. 47 Analysis............................. 57 Paragraphs 21-25.................... 48 Paragraphs 43-49................... 57 Summary............................ 48 Summary............................ 57 Analysis............................. 48 Analysis............................. 57 Paragraphs 26-30................... 48 Paragraphs 50-52................... 57 Summary............................ 48 Summary............................ 57 Analysis............................. 48 Analysis............................. 57 Paragraphs 31-38.................... 48 Paragraphs 53-56................... 57 Summary............................ 48 Summary............................ 57 Analysis............................. 48 Analysis............................. 57 SELECTED WORK: Lydia Millet Paragraph 57....................... 57 “Woodland”....................... 49 Summary............................ 57 Analysis............................. 57 Introduction to Lydia Millet........ 54 Paragraphs 58-69................... 57 Overview........................ 54 Summary............................ 57 Summary and Analysis........... 54 Analysis............................. 57 2024–2025 Literature Pentathlon Resource Guide 4  Paragraphs 70-74................... 58 Lines 17-27.......................... 62 Summary............................ 58 Analysis............................. 58 SELECTED WORK: Craig Santos Perez Paragraphs 75-83................... 58 “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Glacier Summary............................ 58 (after Wallace Stevens)”........... 63 Analysis............................. 58 Introduction to Craig Santos SELECTED WORK: Brecht De Poortere Perez............................. 63 “The flavours we’ll lose”........... 58 Overview......................... 63 Introduction to Brecht Summary and Analysis........... 64 De Poortere...................... 59 I................................... 64 II...................................64 Overview........................ 59 III.................................. 64 Summary and Analysis........... 59 IV..................................64 Paragraph 1......................... 59 V...................................64 Summary............................ 59 VI..................................64 Analysis............................. 59 VII................................. 64 Paragraph 2......................... 59 VIII.................................64 Summary............................ 59 IX.................................. 64 Analysis............................. 59 X...................................64 XI.................................. 65 Texas Pentathlon - TX, TX Paragraph 3......................... 59 Summary............................ 59 XII................................. 65 Analysis............................. 59 XIII................................. 65 Poetry........................... 60 SELECTED WORK: Simon Armitage “Last Snowman”................. 65 SELECTED WORK: Jay Parini “Some Introduction to Simon Armitage... 65 Effects of Global Warming in Lackawanna County”............ 60 Overview........................ 65 Introduction to Jay Parini.......... 60 Summary and Analysis........... 66 Lines 1-15........................... 66 Overview........................ 60 Lines 16-27......................... 66 Summary and Analysis............ 61 Lines 1-6............................ 61 SECTION IV: SHORTER SELECTIONS: Lines 7-9............................ 61 NONFICTION................... 67 Lines 10-13.......................... 61 Introduction....................... 67 Lines 14-17.......................... 61 SELECTED WORK: Address at UN’s SELECTED WORK: Joy Harjo “Once the Climate Action Summit. Greta World Was Perfect”................61 Thunberg, 2019.................... 67 Introduction to Joy Harjo........... 61 Introduction to Greta Thunberg.... 68 Overview......................... 62 Overview........................ 68 Summary and Analysis............ 62 Summary and Analysis........... 69 Lines 1-7............................ 62 Lines 8-16.......................... 62 2024–2025 Literature Pentathlon Resource Guide 5 SELECTED WORK: Speech given at the Overview......................... 75 opening of the #COP26 World Leaders Summary and Analysis............ 75 Summit by David Attenborough, (00:04)............................. 75 2021.............................. 69 00:40............................... 75 01:11................................ 75 Introduction to David 01:45............................... 75 Attenborough..................... 71 02:58............................... 76 Overview......................... 71 03:55............................... 76 Summary and Analysis............ 72 SELECTED WORK: TED Talk, “What (00:01).............................. 72 seaweed and cow burps have to (00:48)............................. 72 do with climate change” by Ermias (02:24)............................. 72 (03:16).............................. 72 Kebreab, October 2021............. 76 (04:37)............................. 72 Introduction to Ermias Kebreab.... 78 (06:09).............................. 72 Overview......................... 79 SELECTED WORK: Interview with Summary and Analysis............ 79 Esau Sinnok, “Alaskan Village Votes To (00:09)............................. 79 Relocate Amid Climate Change Fears.” 01:03............................... 79 “All Things Considered”, NPR, 2016, 01:19................................ 79 Texas Pentathlon - TX, TX hosted by Ari Shapiro.............. 72 02:42............................... 79 04:30............................... 79 Introduction to Esau Sinnok........ 73 05:58............................... 79 Summary........................ 73 07:09............................... 79 07:45............................... 79 SELECTED WORK: TED Talk, “An engineer’s vision for tiny forests, NOTES......................... 80 everywhere” by Shubhendu Sharma, 2014.............................. 73 BIBLIOGRAPHY................. 83 Introduction to Shubhendu Sharma........................... 75 2024–2025 Literature Pentathlon Resource Guide 6  Introduction The guide begins with a series of strategies designed to help you read critically. These strategies are practiced with multiple choice questions – the format you will encounter for most of your tests in the Pentathlon. This year’s Academic Pentathlon theme – climate change – offers a variety of literature to work with. First, this guide will give you information about the novel, Melt, by Ele Fountain. The novel addresses the effects of climate change somewhere in the Arctic. While it is a work of fiction, the settings and specific events dealing with climate change mirror examples in Texas Pentathlon - TX, TX real life. For example, the story of Yutu’s village is like the interview you will listen to in the fourth section of this guide. The next section addresses shorter works of fiction relevant to the setting and themes in the novel. First, a classic short story about a man travelling alone in the Arctic, written by Jack London, matches the adventures experienced by Bea and Yutu, the teenagers in Melt. The next two works are short stories that belong to the genre of climate fiction, CliFi, and are set in the future after climate change has altered their environments. These pieces of CliFi suggest that humanity’s lack of awareness has contributed to this Snowman vs. Global Warming1 change. Additionally, four poems continue to explore humanity’s lack of awareness, but also offer some hope for the future. with recordings of the shorter works so you can listen to them as you read. If you have printed this guide, Finally, the last section of the guide includes two then follow along with the digital version to access speeches, an interview, and two TED talks. All these these resources. works contribute to our study of climate change and offer a range of voices. Whenever possible, links have We have a lot to look at this year, so let’s get started been provided to enhance your understanding, along and good luck to you with this year’s Academic Pentathlon competition! 2024–2025 Literature Pentathlon Resource Guide 7  Section I Critical Reading Critical reading is a familiar exercise to students, a particular person. Speeches have a wider audience an exercise that many of you have practiced since and a keen awareness of that audience; speeches the first grade. Critical reading forms a major part also have some rhetorical devices specific to the of many standardized tests, and if you have been genre, and you will be studying these devices in this taking Common Core or state-related tests, you have guide when reviewing the shorter works. Essays and encountered critical reading. Some parts of the United magazine articles are usually focused on one topic of States Academic Pentathlon® tests involve questions contemporary, local, or universal interest. based on information that you have been studying diligently. In the critical reading passage of the Other critical reading questions can be divided into Literature test you will encounter an unknown passage, two major types: reading for meaning and reading for giving youan element of surprise. From one point of analysis. The questions on reading for meaning are view, not having to rely on memory makes questions on based solely on understanding what the passage is Texas Pentathlon - TX, TX critical reading easier than the other questions because saying, and the questions on analysis are based on how the answer must always be somewhere in the passage, the writer says what they say. stated either directly or indirectly, and can only be In reading for meaning, the most frequently asked determined from careful reading. question is about the passage’s main idea. Determining Begin by asking yourself questions about the text. Who the main idea is an important reading skill. Ask wrote the passage? When was it written? In what social, yourself, what is a word or phrase I can use to tell historical, or literary environment was it written? By someone what this passage is about? A question on a asking these questions of the text, you can gain some main idea is sometimes presented as a question asking confidence with an unknown work and begin to think for an appropriate title for the passage and coming about the types of questions likely to be asked. up with that word or phrase will prepare you for that question. Consider the author and date. In each passage used on a test, the writer’s name is provided followed by the Closely related to a question on the main idea of a title of the work from which the passage was selected. passage is a question about the writer’s purpose. A It may include either the date it was published or the fictional passage will develop a character, describe a dates of the author’s life. Passages are chosen from setting, or advance the plot. As you read the passage, many kinds of texts—fiction, biography, letters, notice the details. Is it mostly about a character or a speeches, essays, newspaper columns, and magazine place? Does it seem to build in intensity? With non- articles—and may come from a variety of writers, fiction, the purpose will be related to what the writer is varying in gender, race, location, and time. A likely saying about the main idea. This might be to inform; question is one that asks readers to determine the it might be to persuade; it might be to entertain; or it literary form of the passage. The passage itself will might be any combination of all three. offer plenty of clues as to its genre, and the name of The easy part of the critical reading section is that the writer often offers clues as well. Excerpts from the answer to the question is always in the passage, fiction contain the elements one might expect to find and for most of the questions, students do not need to in fiction— descriptions of settings, characters, or bring previous knowledge of the subject to the task. actions. Letters have a sense of sharing thoughts with However, for some questions, students are expected 2024–2025 Literature Pentathlon Resource Guide 8 to have some previous knowledge of the vocabulary, Language is the tool the author uses to reveal attitude terms, and literary devices typically acquired in an and point of view. A discussion of language includes English class. You will also encounter the terms and the writer’s syntax and diction.How do the writer’s literary devices in our novel and shorter works study. choices influence the tone? In addition to recognizing the main idea of a Occasionally, a set of questions may include a passage, students will be required to demonstrate a grammar question. For example, students may be more specific understanding of the text. These types required to identify the part of speech of a particular of questions might ask you what the best way is to word, the antecedent of a certain pronoun, or the restate a piece of quoted text from the passage. To do modifier of a word. Being able to answer these this, you will need to have a clear understanding of questions demonstrates that the student understands the chosen text. A deeper level of understanding may the sentence structure and the writer’s meaning. be examined by asking students to make inferences With diction, or word choice, the reader must think based on the passage or to draw conclusions from about the specific types of words chosen. Are they evidence in the passage. simple, unusual, or outdated? Does the writer use slang or jargon? Is the passage filled with imagery? Does the In reading for analysis, you may be asked to writer use figurative language or allusions? Are there recognize the way the writer writes. This may abstract ideas linked to concrete images? Can you include how the writer organizes his or her material. recognize a symbol? Is the writing formal or informal? For example, does the text flow chronologically (in Do you see a pattern of words or images throughout time order)? Does it describe a place using spatial the passage? organization (the way things fit together)? Is it an Texas Pentathlon - TX, TX argument that is organized with specific points in Some questions on vocabulary in context deal with order of importance? Is it set up as a comparison a single word. The word is not usually an unfamiliar and contrast? If there is more than one paragraph word, but it is often a word with multiple meanings, in the excerpt, what is the relationship between the depending on the context or the date of the passage, as paragraphs? How does the writer transition from one some words have altered in meaning over the years. paragraph to the next? The sample of critical reading questions on the Other questions could be based on the writer’s following pages includes typical types of questions— attitude toward the subject, the tone assumed, and one on theme, another on historical context, one on the way language is used to achieve that tone. Of purpose, several on interpreting meaning, and two on course, the tone will vary according to the passage. In vocabulary in context. Students should learn how to informational nonfiction, the tone will be detached and use the process of elimination when the answer is not matter of fact (except when the writer is particularly immediately obvious. Questions on the content of the enthusiastic about the subject or has some other kind of passage, the main idea, and supporting ideas usually emotional involvement such as anger, disappointment, appear first and are in the order they are found in the sorrow, or nostalgia). He or she may even assume an passage. They are followed by questions applying to ironic tone by exaggerating, understating a situation, the whole passage, including broad questions about the or describing it as the opposite of what it is. With each writer’s tone and style. Students should be able to work of these methods of irony, two levels of meaning are their way through the passage, finding the answers as present—what is said and what is implied. An ironic they go. tone is usually used to criticize or to mock. The suggestions made in this section of the study A writer of fiction uses tone differently, depending on guide should provide a useful background for critical what point of view he or she assumes. If the author reading. Questions are likely to follow similar patterns chooses a first-person point of view and becomes one and knowing what to expect boosts confidence when of the characters, they assume a persona and develops dealing with unfamiliar material. a character through that character’s thoughts, actions, and speeches. 2024–2025 Literature Pentathlon Resource Guide 9 SAMPLE PASSAGE TO PREPARE FOR CRITICAL READING To prepare for the critical reading portion of the test, it may be helpful for students to look at a sample passage. Here is a passage used in an earlier test. The passage is an excerpt from the short story, “Dish Night” by Michael Martone.       Every Wednesday was Dish Night at the Wells Theatre. And it worked because she was there, week in and week out. She sat through the movie to get her white bone china. A saucer. A cup. The ushers stood on chairs by the doors and reached into the big wooden crates. There was straw all over the floor of the lobby and balls of newspaper from strange cities. I knew she was the girl for me. I’d walk her home. She’d hug the dish to her chest. The streetlights would be on and the moon behind the trees. She’d talk about collecting enough pieces for our family of eight. “Oh, it’s every day and I know it,” she’d say, holding it at arm’s length. “They’re so modern and simple and something we’ll have a long time after we forget about the movies.”       I forget just what happened then. She heard about Pearl Harbor at a Sunday matinee. They stopped the movie, and a man came out on stage. The blue stage lights flooded the gold curtain. It was dark in there, but outside it was bright and cold. They didn’t finish the show. Business would pick up then, and the Wells Theatre wouldn’t need a Dish Night to bring the people in. The one we had gone to the week before was the last one ever and we hadn’t known it. The gravy boat looked like a slipper. I went to the war, to Europe where she’d write to me on lined school paper and never failed to mention we were a few pieces shy of the full set. Texas Pentathlon - TX, TX       This would be the movie of my life, this walking home under the moon from a movie with a girl holding a dinner plate under her arm like a book. I believed this is what I was fighting for. Everywhere in Europe I saw broken pieces of crockery. In the farmhouses, the cafes. Along the roads were drifts of smashed china. On a beach, in the sand where I was crawling, I found a bit of it the sea washed in, all smooth with blue veins of a pattern.       I came home and washed the dishes every night, and she stacked them away, bowls nesting on bowls as if we were moving the next day.       The green field is covered with these tables. The sky is huge and spread with clouds. The pickup trucks and wagons are backed in close to each table so that people can sit on the lowered tailgates. On the tables are thousands of dishes. She walks ahead of me. Picks up a cup then sets it down again. A plate. She runs her finger around a rim. The green field rises slightly as we walk, all the places set at the tables. She hopes she will find someone else who saw the movies she saw on Dish Night. The theater was filled with people. I was there. We do this every Sunday after church. 2024–2025 Literature Pentathlon Resource Guide 10 “DISH NIGHT” BY MICHAEL MARTONE INSTRUCTIONS: On your answer sheet, mark the lettered space (a, b, c, d, or e) corresponding to the answer that BEST completes or answers each of the following test items. 1. What is the overall theme of the passage? a. Dishes are an important part of a functioning household. b. War has historically put a tremendous strain on families. c. Regular date nights are an essential part of a healthy relationship. d. Plans for the future do not always go as expected. e. People should not put so much value on material things. 2. What event was happening during the time of the passage? a. Civil War b. Korean War c. World War I d. World War II e. Vietnam War 3. For the characters in the passage, “Dish Night” was a a. chance for them to spend time together. b. plan for them to start a family. c. time for them to share their interest in dish collecting. Texas Pentathlon - TX, TX d. foundation of tradition in their relationship. e. chance for them to stay up to date about current events. 4. What is the significance of the line “[she] never failed to mention we were a few pieces shy of the full set”? a. Her dream of a family was not complete without him. b. She wanted him to bring home more dishes from Europe. c. Dish night had stopped because of shortage caused by the war. d. They never had the pieces she needed to complete her dish set. e. She broke the dishes that they got on dish nights. 5. When the boy sees “broken pieces of crockery” and “drifts of smashed china,” this is important because it means a. he is heartbroken over the loss of his beloved. b. the war caused a lot of destruction all across the world. c. good dishes were going to be a luxury after the war. d. the dream of starting a family is interrupted while he is away. e. he was scared that she was going to break the dishes. 6. Though the dream of having a family is not fully achieved at the end, the boy and girl continue to be hopeful and work towards it. What shows this? a. his return from the war b. her letters to him c. the thousands of dishes d. memories of dish night e. the sky spread with clouds 2024–2025 Literature Pentathlon Resource Guide 11 7. “[A]t a Sunday matinee” means the character arrived at the theatre during a. the last showing. b. the daytime. c. an exclusive showing. d. the nighttime. e. the first showing. 8. In context, the word “crockery” most means a. dishes. b. silverware. c. seashells. d. shell casings. e. torn paper. Answers and Explanations of Answers 1. (d) This type of question appears in most sets of critical reading questions and asks you to find the overall theme. (a) This answer explains the function of dishes; it does not have any deeper meaning. The answer (b) does address a potential theme of the story, but the passage is not only about the war. Answer choice (c) only looks at the positive side of “date nights” and never addresses the negative side. Answer choice (d) is the correct answer; the first part of the passage describes “Dish Night” and the narrator’s hope for a happy family with the girl. In reality, Pearl Harbor was bombed, and the narrator comes back from the war a changed man. Finally, (e) is incorrect; while the passage does focus on a material item (dishes), it is not really Texas Pentathlon - TX, TX about the “value” of the dishes. 2. (d) This type of question asks readers to recognize the historical context of the passage. There are several hints in the passage. First, in the second paragraph, the bombing of “Pearl Harbor” was the event that brought the United States into World War II. Next, in the third paragraph the narrator mentions “Europe” and “fighting.” These three contextual clues help the reader to realize that (a) and (b) cannot be the correct answers since the “Civil War” was fought in America, while the “Korean War” was fought in Korea. While answer choice (c), “WWI,” did take place in Europe, it had nothing to do with “Pearl Harbor,” which is why (d) is the correct answer. Answer choice (e) is wrong for the same reason that (a) and (b) don’t work—the “Vietnam War” took place in Vietnam. 3. (b) This type of question also appears in most sets of critical reading questions. It is asking you to understand the meaning of the title, in this case, “Dish Night.” While answer choice (a) sounds correct, as the narrator says, “Every Wednesday” and “I’d walk her home,” answer choice (b) is a much better answer. Towards the end of the first paragraph, the text “she’d talk about … our family of eight” signifies a plan for their future. Answer (c) is not correct, since the purpose of collecting the dishes was to build a set for a family and only the girl is collecting the dishes. This is also the reason that answer choice (d) does not work. Answer (e) is unlikely, since there is only a brief mention of one current event, the bombing of “Pearl Harbor.” 4. (a) This is a question about purpose. It asks the reader to interpret the metaphorical meaning of a line. (a) is the best answer because it explains how the girl expressed her feelings in letters to the narrator during the war. Answer choices (b), (c), (d), and (e) are not mentioned in the passage, making them unlikely. 5. (d) This is another question that asks the reader to interpret meaning. In this case, the images of “broken pieces of crockery” and “drifts of smashed china” symbolize the dreams of the narrator and his girlfriend. Choice (a) does not really work because he is married to her by the end of the passage. Choice (b) is very literal and could take place in any story about war. While choice (c) is a true statement, it does not address the words “broken” or “smashed.” Answer choice (d) is correct because the literal items, broken dishes, can be linked to the beginning of the passage and the collection of dishes, and they can also be connected symbolically to the “interruption” of their plans while the narrator is off at war in Europe. There is really no 2024–2025 Literature Pentathlon Resource Guide 12  evidence for answer choice (e). 6. (c) This question asks the reader to supply the evidence for the narrator’s hopeful feelings at the end of the excerpt. “Thousands of dishes” is the most correct answer since it multiplies the original “dish” from the beginning of the passage, showing a hopeful outcome. Answer choices (a), (b), and (d) are facts that cannot be interpreted symbolically, while answer (e) has a negative connotation with the “clouds.” 7. (b) This question deals with vocabulary in context. The word “matinee” means “daytime” and comes from the French word for morning, “matin.” (a) and (d) both show later times of the day, and the narrator states, “It was dark in there, but outside it was bright and cold,” showing that it was not nighttime. There are no indications that the show was a special (c) “exclusive” showing, nor that this was the (e) “first showing.” Thus, the best choice is (b). 8. (a) Here is another vocabulary in context question. Knowing that the title of the piece is “Dish Night,” makes (b) and (e) easy to eliminate. Seashells (c) would be a possibility if the word “crockery” appeared in the sentence that begins “On a beach ….” There is no mention of guns and artillery, so (d) is not a good answer. Finally, (a) “dishes” makes the most sense; if you read the two sentences immediately before the one that has “crockery,” the girl is “holding a dinner plate.” Texas Pentathlon - TX, TX 2024–2025 Literature Pentathlon Resource Guide 13  Section II Melt by Ele Fountain Texas Pentathlon - TX, TX An azimuthal projection showing the Arctic Ocean and the North Pole. The map also shows the 75th parallel north and 60th parallel north.2 MELT AND THE THEME OF “CLIMATE CHANGE” The title of this year’s novel, Melt, should immediately Ele Fountain have you making connections to the overall theme Photograph by Debra Hurford Brown, printed with permission of the author. of the competition – climate change. How does the word “melt” connect to what you know about climate OVERVIEW OF ELE FOUNTAIN’S change? Look at the cover; how does the image on the cover give you clues about theme and setting? We LIFE AND WORK never learn exactly where the novel takes place. We Ele Fountain lives in Hampshire, England with her know that it is in the Northern Hemisphere, and most husband, daughters and “lots of spiders and a stripy of the action takes place within the Arctic Circle. Why ginger cat that thinks he is a tiger.” 3 There is no do you think the author left the setting unnamed? information available on her age or childhood. She is currently completing a fellowship with the University The changes to the Arctic are central to Yutu’s story. of Reading. 4 Another aspect of climate change addressed in the book is how human activity impacts our world. As Before becoming a writer, Fountain worked in you read the book, think about Bea’s father’s work as a children’s publishing as an editor with twenty years geologist and what it has to do with climate change and of experience in the industry. 5 When she lived in her story. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for several years, she wrote her first novel, Boy 87, published in 2018. It was about the refugee crisis and won multiple awards. 6 In 2020, she published her second novel, Lost, a Guardian 2024–2025 Literature Pentathlon Resource Guide 14 children’s book of the year. 7 Melt, released in 2021, is the fragility of the sea ice. Pay attention to this as was shortlisted for several awards. In 2022, she you read. The story discusses the quality of the sea ice published Fake, a novel where “your only friends are in multiple places. In addition to the problems with virtual and big tech companies control access to food, the sea ice, the unpredictable weather in the Arctic is healthcare, and leisure.”8 This novel won two awards challenging and makes both drilling and cleaning up and was nominated for several others. Most recently, in after spills difficult. While there has not been an oil 2023, she published Wild, a story about Jack, who loves spill in the Arctic, the major spills in Prince William adventure and, like Melt, explores our relationship with Sound, Alaska, in 1989 (the Exxon Valdez) and the the natural world.9 Gulf of Mexico near Louisiana in 2010 (BP Deepwater Horizon) resulted in 11 million and 200 million HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL barrels of oil released into the sea.14 These spills offer a look at what could happen in the Arctic. Bea’s dad CONTEXTS FOR THE NOVEL is a geologist who works for an oil company, and he In the following few paragraphs, you will read about worries about the areas in the Arctic he is surveying. some of the historical and cultural contexts necessary This issue is a major conflict in the novel. to understanding Melt. You will find more information about these topics in other sections of this guide as Traditional Arctic Cultures well as in the other areas of this year’s competition. One focus of the book is the traditional culture of Yutu’s village. It is hard to tell which specific culture is Climate Change in the Arctic discussed since the author leaves it unnamed. However, The author sets the novel in an unnamed place in the a few clues exist. First, the berry and fat dessert Arctic. The average temperature of the Arctic has (akutaq), which is brought up a couple of times in the risen at a rate of almost three times the global average Texas Pentathlon - TX, TX novel, is from the Alaskan or Russian Yupik language.15 and is warming faster than any other area on Earth.10 The Yupik-speaking people are just one of the Arctic Climate change is affecting the environment in the groups who inhabit the northern regions. The word for Arctic, most visibly through the loss of the Arctic grandmother (anaanatsiaq) is from the Canadian Inuit sea ice.11 Summer sea ice is shrinking, and with the people.16 Both groups are a part of the larger group of changes in the ice, animals that rely on the cold have Arctic peoples known collectively as the Inuit. The had to adapt. You will read about seals and polar bears Inuit people are a group of indigenous peoples whose in Melt. As you read, think about how climate change homelands are spread across parts of Eastern Russia, has forced their adaptation and how Yutu’s people have Alaska, Arctic Canada, and Greenland. Their language adapted. Another sign of climate change has been the is common, but the dialects are different because of thawing of the permafrost. You will read about this the large area the people inhabit. While the Inuit face in Melt. According to the World Wildlife Fund, “Up many challenges to their way of life, including the loss to 50 percent of Arctic infrastructure could be at risk of their indigenous languages and traditional hunting of damage by 2050.”12 Infrastructure like homes and and gathering, for this competition, our focus will be on buildings will continue to disappear. How does this the impact of climate change.17 As you read the story, affect Yutu and his grandmother’s village? look for the traditional ways people lived their lives in Oil Drilling and Oil Spills in the Arctic the Arctic and what they are losing as climate change Oil companies have been drilling in the Arctic since impacts them. Russia discovered oil in Tazovskoye Field in 1962. Then, in 1968, oil was discovered in Prudhoe Bay, KEY CHARACTERS located on Alaska’s North Slope. Discoveries in In the following section, we will review most of the other Arctic regions continued through the 1980s. In characters in the novel. 2008, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) published the results of a study that found that the Yutu Arctic contains approximately 90 billion barrels of A fourteen-year-old boy living in a remote, unnamed oil and 13 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil Arctic village. His grandma has raised him since he reserves.13 One of the issues with drilling in the Arctic was seven years old in a traditional house made of driftwood. He is intelligent and prefers to study so he 2024–2025 Literature Pentathlon Resource Guide 15 can leave the village someday. At the same time, he Will wants to show that he understands the old ways and Will is a boy in Bea’s chemistry class who is nice to goes hunting alone. her. He realizes she is intelligent, and they are good lab partners together. Lauren has a crush on Will, creating Grandma (Miki) more tension between Bea and the girls. Grandma prefers to speak her native language even though she knows some English. She lives in the Men at the airport traditional way of her people and raised Yutu after his Two unnamed men at the airport in the community by parents died when he was seven years old. the Arctic Circle attack and capture Bea’s father and chase after Bea. They cause Bea to take off alone in Beatrice (Bea) her father’s four-seater airplane. Beatrice, referred to as “Bea” throughout the story, is a fourteen-year-old girl who has just started school in an SETTING unnamed place somewhere in the Northern Hemisphere. The story mainly takes place in two unnamed She has been to five different schools in five years since locations in the Northern Hemisphere. Eight her father moved constantly for work. She is smart countries, including the United States (Alaska), but doesn’t get along with most of the other students, often finding herself in trouble at school. She knows Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and languages other than English, knows how to fly an Nunavat), Denmark (Greenland), Iceland, Norway, airplane, and has an adventurous spirit. Sweden, Finland, and Russia are a part of the Arctic region.18 The first location is a remote Arctic village Stella, Becky, Jessica, Lauren where Yutu lives with his grandmother. This village These four girls bully Bea throughout the first part of is most likely above the Arctic circle and is located Texas Pentathlon - TX, TX the novel. Stella is the leader; she introduces Bea to near sea ice, suggesting that it could be in Alaska, the school, then begins to bully her. Stella is jealous of Canada, or Scandinavia (also known as Denmark, Bea’s friendship with Will. Sweden, Norway and Finland). The second is the town where Bea’s family has moved to. It is about Mum a four-hour flight below the Arctic Circle, and other Bea’s mother wants Bea to be happy. She tries to than it being in the same region as Yutu’s village, we connect with her daughter by doing things for her, don’t know much more. but she and Bea have a stereotypical teenage mother- daughter relationship for most of the novel. Bea does THEMES not agree with her mother most of the time and does Bravery not want her to try to understand her. The tension Both protagonists – Bea and Yutu – show bravery in between them is resolved by the end of the novel. many situations throughout the novel. Bravery is “the quality or state of having or showing mental or moral Dad strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty.” 19 As you Bea’s father works as a geologist and conducts surveys read, keep track of these situations and consider how of the land for oil companies. He knows how to pilot this quality defines Bea and Yutu. Also, think about an airplane and taught Bea how to fly. He wants to how this quality helps them grow as characters and work as a trail guide someday when they have enough individuals. money saved from his work. Bullying Sami, Jack, and Adam Bullying is a serious problem in schools across the These three boys are Yutu’s friends in the village. They world and threatens both the physical and emotional are depicted as disinterested in school and focused on safety of students. “Students who are bullied often feel video gaming. Sami lends Yutu his snowmobile and threatened and powerless.” 20 Bea is bullied by Stella covers for him when Yutu sneaks off to the cabin to go and her friends from the day she arrives at her new hunting. school. Please keep track of the different times and ways that people bully Bea and how it makes her feel. 2024–2025 Literature Pentathlon Resource Guide 16 How does bullying continue to bother Bea throughout PLOT SUMMARIES AND ANALYSES the story, even when she isn’t anywhere near the girls? NOTE: All page numbers in parentheses refer to the What changes will be made by the end of the novel to paperback edition of Melt. resolve this problem? Overview Climate Change The book tells the stories of two teenagers, Yutu and “The main theme of Melt is climate change and the Bea. First, the story introduces us to Yutu, who lives way in which human activity is affecting the world in a remote Arctic village with his grandmother. Their we live in.”21 How does climate change affect Yutu’s way of life is changing due to climate change, and village and his future? Look for and keep track of the Yutu must decide how to take care of himself and his impact of climate change on Yutu’s way of life. How grandmother in the face of these changes. The story does the company that employs Bea’s father contribute is a dual narrative, with Yutu telling his story from a to climate change? How does this affect his decisions first-person perspective. Next, we begin Bea’s story and Bea’s story? as she starts school in another new place. Bea’s story is the second narrative, also told through a first- Coming of age person perspective. A group of girls bully Bea as she Coming of age is the transition from childhood to struggles with making friends. A little over a third of adulthood. While many cultures define this by specific the way into the story, Bea and Yutu meet in the Arctic events, such as the Quinceanera in Mexico, or by wilderness. Why do you think Bea tells the rest of the reaching a specified age allowing privileges such as the story? right to vote at 18, it doesn’t have to be associated with these events only. Consider Yutu’s journey to prove Introductory Quote Texas Pentathlon - TX, TX himself; at what point does he show he has begun this “We borrow the earth from our children” - Chief Si’ahl transition? What about Bea? Follow both stories as they (9). begin this important transition in their teenage lives. Analysis Friendship Chief Si’ahl led the Duwamish and Squamish native Friendship is another important theme in the novel. people in Puget Sound, Washington. The Anglicization Yutu has a small circle of friends but doesn’t share of his name is “Seattle,” and the city, located in Seattle, their love of gaming. Bea doesn’t have friends and Washington is named for him.22 Chief Si’ahl (Seattle) finds herself alone most of the time. How does Bea and was widely known for the speech from which this Yutu’s friendship evolve in the story? How else does quote came. The quote has been attributed to many Bea begin to make friends with others? different people, including Chief Seattle.23 Social Responsibility Consider the meaning of the quote by Chief Si’ahl. Having social responsibility means being aware How does it fit with the theme of climate change? of one’s decisions and actions and how this impacts Why do you think the author started with this quote? others. Melt focuses on the impact of both individual As you read, think about how the quote reflects the two and corporate actions on climate change. Bea’s father’s main characters’ interactions with the land and their decision to be socially responsible sets in motion the elders’ interactions with the land. events that will bring Bea and Yutu together. Storm Survival Summary Both Yutu and Bea exhibit survival skills throughout The story opens with an unnamed group of people the story. First, how does Bea find ways to cope with riding snowmobiles in the middle of a storm. They are the bullies at her school? Next, what knowledge does looking for shelter, but they encounter obstacles. One Yutu have that helps him to survive alone in the of the men’s snowmobiles breaks down, and he must Arctic? How do they show their survival instincts get on the back of a woman’s snowmobile. The chapter when they rescue each other? ends with them seeking shelter and we are told that the weather is changing and centuries-old “knowledge 2024–2025 Literature Pentathlon Resource Guide 17 cannot keep up” (13). Analysis Sensory imagery develops an ominous feeling. In the opening sentence, a “low sound” (11) is personified as it “hums” (11). Similes are paired with sounds, increasing the tension. The people on snowmobiles “glide through the white, like ghosts in negative” (11). This image contrasts light and dark, setting up an external conflict of man versus nature. Later, another simile compares sound to “an angry wasp” (11). In the third paragraph, personification provides another sound, which is the “wind whistles” (11). When describing the destination, the contrast of light and dark deepens when portrayed as “protected from its An Aleut house, which is a hole in the earth covered with a [the wind’s] relentless power” (12). framework of driftwood and held up with whalebone. Located in Kasaan, Alaska, 1900.24 The final paragraph addresses the competition’s theme of climate change. Personification starts the final have a snowmobile. He wants to hunt for seal meat in paragraph, “Darkness is falling” (13), adding to the the traditional way, but she tells him he cannot go alone. ominous feeling and foreshadowing the challenges the At the end of the chapter, we learn that Yutu is fourteen protagonists will face later in the novel. The unnamed years old and has lived with his grandma for seven people are struggling, even though the “land is part of Texas Pentathlon - TX, TX years. He wants to follow the old ways, but she doesn’t them, [and] they breathe its rhythms...those rhythms believe that he is old enough to do it. have become unpredictable” (13). This paragraph sets up the larger external conflict of man versus nature – Analysis warning us that “the bonds which connect people and The first paragraph introduces the theme of nature are beginning to fray” (13). This uncertainty at friendship. Yutu and his friend Sami “roll over like the end of the introduction introduces the possibility of seals” (15) as they play in the snow. This simile uses a struggle that both main characters will face. comparison to seals since this is an Arctic village, and the boys would know what seals rolling around look Yutu 1 like. Additionally, the seals foreshadow one of Yutu’s Summary internal conflicts. Yutu wants to practice the old ways Yutu’s story begins with his friend Sami shoving him that his grandmother prefers by going on a traditional as they walk home from school. The shove is playful, seal hunt; however, he also wants to leave the old and the boys roll around in the snow before talking lifestyle of the village someday. He is a good student, about getting together for “Gaming” (15) the next day. and his grades may be his way out. He struggles Yutu says he might have to help his grandmother, but with the idea of disobeying his grandmother. These his friend teases him about doing schoolwork and struggles also highlight the theme of coming of age. being a “nerd” (16). The rest of the chapter introduces Yutu is fourteen and ready to show he is not the small Yutu’s anaanatsiaq, his grandma. They live in a child his grandma thinks he still is. Finally, there are traditional home made from driftwood. many details in this chapter about the old ways of life, Grandma is described as a very traditional woman from and the description of their house uses another simile an unnamed Arctic community. She sews sealskin, when Yutu compares the structure to “a rocky whale” lives in in the old ways, and only stopped using a (16). Again, Yutu uses an animal from the Arctic to seal-fat lamp when the doctor told her to. Even though explain his surroundings. A metaphor describes the she knows “English words” (18), Yutu tells us that she doorway as “Hobbit-height” (17), a literary allusion prefers “the language of our ancestors” (18). Yutu tells to the Hobbits, an imaginary race of short beings from her he would like to spend his school holiday going to J.R.R. Tolkien’s series, The Lord of the Rings. One the cabin up north with a dog sled because they don’t additional discussion of houses looks at how builders 2024–2025 Literature Pentathlon Resource Guide 18 combat climate change. The discussion on pages 16- to the girls, Bea highlights her instinct for survival 17 explains why the houses need to be built on raised in a new environment. Additionally, as with Yutu, pillars to not “melt the solid permafrost foundations” the author does not tell us where Bea is; however, she (16). Thawing of the permafrost is an important gives hints about where the setting is not. She asks indicator of climate change.25 her father about chips and crisps, and when she says “they call crisps chips here” it suggests they are not in Bea 1 the United Kingdom, but some other part of the world. Summary It could be anywhere, but probably up north, perhaps Bea’s story begins with her first day attending school Scandanavia, Alaska, or Canada since Bea also says, in a “new school, new town, new country,” (23) and “Even though it’s spring the weather is freezing” (27). we learn it is her fifth school in five years. She waits in the office and a girl who is supposed to be her Yutu 2 “buddy” (24) comes to take her to class. The girl Summary introduces herself as Stella, which she says, “means Yutu’s background is developed more in this chapter. star in Italian” (24). This prompts Bea to speak to He is on vacation from school, and his grandmother her in Italian, which Stella doesn’t understand. The wants him to participate in traditional activities such as teacher, Miss Stewart welcomes Bea to class and tells bone carving and drumming. She feeds him a spoonful her to take any free seat. The girl next to her tells her of berries mixed in fat – this snack is known as akutaq the seat belongs to someone else and that Bea will have (pronounced a-goo-duk”). The word is a Yupik word to move tomorrow. After the first two classes where that means to mix, but nonnative people in Alaska she follows Stella, Bea goes to lunch and sits with called this treat “Eskimo Ice Cream.” It was originally Stella, Becky, and a tall blonde girl. The girls whisper made as a survival food since the fat had energy, and Texas Pentathlon - TX, TX and stare at her. Bea is “exhausted” (27) from trying the berries provided essential vitamins. 26 Yutu leaves to talk to people and explaining why she has started the house and heads to the library to study since it is “school halfway through the term” (27). She decides to a warm place with the electricity he needs to use his stop following Stella and at the end of the day she lies laptop. Three hours later, he joins his friends to play a to her mother, saying the day was “Not bad” (28). At video game. He doesn’t return home until the sun has home, she introduces the reader to her cat, Hester, and set. Yutu’s grandma tells him that only fish is available then cries when her father asks her about her day. Dad for dinner, and there is no caribou or seal meat to eat. tells her he will take her flying this weekend and she They talk about the food sources and how they used smiles for the first time all day. Her father promises to be abundant in their bay but no longer. Yutu is that this will be the last move, and they make a “pinkie frustrated and sad for his grandmother, who is very promise” (30) which Bea tells us cannot be broken. upset. He makes her tea and thinks about the cabin. He makes up his mind to go to the cabin to hunt. Analysis While Yutu’s story began with friendship, Bea’s story Analysis opens with bullying. The girls immediately make fun The conversation between Grandma and Yutu of her and treat her as an outcast. They whisper and concerning food directly discusses climate change make buzzing noises, introducing a play on her name and its impact on their lives. The animals they once “Bea” with a bee motif to hurt her. We will continue hunted are now disappearing from their bay. Grandma to see how the girls treat Bea in the following chapters, blames it on “Sea Mother” (34) being angry, while so look for the use of the bee motif. Bea responds Yutu tells her “It’s too warm in our bay now. Climate to being bullied by speaking to the girls in other change is why they go to the one further up” (34). languages, like when she speaks Italian to Stella or They continue to argue about the past and tradition. explains that her name, Beatrice, “means joy in Latin” All of this contributes to Yutu’s conflict with tradition (26). She fights back by using her quick intelligence versus modernity. His studying at the beginning of to say things the girls don’t really understand. For the chapter also shows this conflict; he knows he example, she tells the girl who says she needs to sit must leave the village someday, but he doesn’t want to somewhere else the next day that she “look[s] a little hurt his grandma. The chapter ends with his conflict pale” hinting that she might be sick too. By responding summed up with a simile, “my thoughts are fizzing 2024–2025 Literature Pentathlon Resource Guide 19 like water in a frying pan” (36). This description to picture where they might be – Alaska, Canada, or shows his internal conflict through the image of water Scandinavia. Another piece of foreshadowing hints at hitting a hot frying pan where you can see the droplets the tension between Bea’s father’s job and his values jumping around. Yutu’s mind is conflicted, yet he about nature. Bea says, “I didn’t think the oil companies decides to defy his grandmother and go to the cabin – cared about wildernesses” (43), and he hesitates to alone, a sign of his coming of age. discuss it. Not only does it hint at a problem, but it also connects to the themes of social responsibility and Bea 2 climate change. Summary This chapter also develops Bea’s character and her Yutu 3 father’s character. She wakes up to her alarm and tells Summary Hester, the cat, to go away. She goes to the kitchen, Yutu asks his friend Sami if he can borrow his where her father prepares sandwiches, and they get snowmobile and camp stove. He is excited and ready to ready to leave for their flight. Her mother wishes them go to the cabin. Jack arrives, and the three discuss the well and warns them to watch the weather. They head video game they will be playing. The boys tease Yutu to the small airport and receive directions to a small, about gaming, and Yutu tells him he “read the booklet silver-grey plane that will be available whenever Bea’s that came with the game” (47). father wants to use it. Her father is a geologist and works for oil companies surveying the land. As they After returning to his grandma’s house, Yutu sits with soar into the air, they discuss her father’s work. Bea’s a bowl of seal soup while his grandma tells him a story dad allows her to fly the plane; he tells her she is a about when he was younger. He stood up to someone natural, and she tells us that she knows enough to get who was teasing a puppy even though he was afraid. She tells him that “standing up for things when you feel Texas Pentathlon - TX, TX her pilot’s license. He also mentions that she shouldn’t tell her mother that she flew the plane. they are right is not always easy” (50). Next, Grandma tells him that they didn’t always stay in this house; they Analysis moved with the seasons to be near the water, just like Bea names her cat after Lady Hester Stanhope, his ancestors did. This information makes Yutu even a famous British female adventurer who traveled more “desperate than ever to prove” (51) himself to in Europe and the Middle East in the early 1800s, his grandma. The chapter ends with Yutu lying to his something a well-bred woman did not do at that time.27 grandma about staying at Tom’s house. Bea’s choice of this name reflects her adventurous spirit and desire to be different. We can see this in the Analysis chapter when she shows her ability to fly an airplane The chapter develops the themes of friendship and – a skill that will be important later in the novel! Bea coming of age. Yutu has no money and must rely on says about flying that “it feels like freedom. There are his friend Sami to get what he needs to go to the cabin no roadsides and no boundaries” (44). Even though this and hunt. He is determined to do it, even though Sami is true about flying, it highlights the external conflict doesn’t see why he wants to go. He tells Sami, “Maybe between her and her mother as well. Furthermore, Grandma won’t worry about me so much if I show parent/child teenage conflict (in this case, mother/ her, I can look after myself”, (45) and this supports the daughter) between Bea and her mother is like Yutu theme of coming of age. Next, furthering the theme and his grandma in the previous chapter; they both feel of friendship, the good-natured teasing between Yutu treated like children. This conflict also connects to the and his friends about gaming shows that even though theme of coming of age. Yutu does not enjoy playing video games, he spends time learning how to be a part of his friends’ activities. Additionally, this chapter adds more setting clues – Bea comments on the snowy winters, and her father says, The second half of the chapter examines the “It won’t begin to thaw up there (to the North of where relationship between Yutu and his grandma. He wants they are flying) for another month at least” (42). He even to show her he is grown up but hides information from says they could reach the North Pole if they continued her. She tells him about when he was little, and the flying until breakfast the next day. These clues help us story is introduced with a soft, sibilant “s” sound, 2024–2025 Literature Pentathlon Resource Guide 20 “Steam rises up from the soup and snakes around Analysis her face” (49). The sibilant “s” creates a hissing Bea describes walking into school with a kinesthetic sound that matches the metaphor of the steam as a image, “I flow through the reception with the tide snake that rises to move around her face. The story is of students” (53). The metaphor, comparing Bea’s about Yutu’s bravery as a young boy and serves as a movement to a tide, sets up the conflict between Bea warning, too, foreshadowing the dangers he will face and the girls at school. Another kinesthetic image is when he goes off on his own to the cabin. He repeats created by Bea’s “stomach do[ing] a little flip” (54) the image of the steam with a different metaphor, and then personification as she feels a knot in her wishing his parents “might just rise out of the steam stomach, and it “annoys” (54) her. This image of her in front of me” (50), much like a snake rising from a stomach tied up in knots will show up many more basket when it is charmed. Yutu misses his parents times in the story. Next, the girls continue to bully her and needs their guidance, but the story helps him by using the bee motif with her name. They ask, “Did know they were always proud of him. Yutu wants his you have a buzz-y weekend?” (53) and tell her “that grandma to be equally proud of him, and he is anxious after a bee stings you it just drops down dead” (54). to prove himself by going hunting. Bea continues to stand up for herself, but their threats hurt her. The next day, the girls continue to bully Bea Bea 3 with references to bees. This time, they pour honey Summary in her locker, and it gets all over her and her books. Bea walks to school on Monday, and the girls tease The bullying continues in the classroom, and Bea her. She sits alone during lunch but, by the end of the pulls Lauren’s hair in anger. However, when she sees day, regrets not having her mother come to pick her the principal, she doesn’t get punished. The principal up. She goes home, and Dad is there. He tells Bea he understands the situation and works with Bea by Texas Pentathlon - TX, TX has to go away for a few days for work but says he’ll offering positive reinforcement to diffuse the situation. be home by the weekend. He promises to either take At home, suspense builds when Bea’s father tells her her flying or hiking when he returns. She stays up he can’t speak about his work. We are left wondering late researching hikes in the area and falls asleep. Bea why, and Bea says it is “Top secret” (61). Bea now wakes up late and must hurry to school. When she feels left out by her family instead of the girls at opens her locker, she discovers her geography textbook school. Like the principal, her mother also diffuses the is missing and everything is covered in honey. After situation and offers to take Bea to choose a new kitten. cleaning up, Bea heads into chemistry late. She sits at an empty table behind Lauren. Lauren and Becky Yutu 4 whisper mean things about her, and Bea reacts by Summary pulling Lauren’s hair when the teacher is out of the Yutu heads out on his hunt after waking up feeling room. Bea gets sent to the principal’s office after Becky positive and ready for the adventure. Grandma feeds volunteers to tell the teacher what happened. The him bannock bread and akutaq. Remember, akutaq principal surprises her by not punishing her; instead, is a traditional hunting food, but Grandma doesn’t she praises Bea for her knowledge of languages and know Yutu is going hunting today. He leaves and tells her she doesn’t want to see her in her office again goes to Sami’s house, waking him up by throwing a unless it is with “good news” (60). In the final part of snowball at his window. Sami gives him the keys to the the chapter, Bea’s father returns home. He tells her snowmobile, and he heads out. Yutu thinks about how he will be too busy to go anywhere this weekend and much he would have liked to have had a dog sled and then tells her he can’t talk about his work. Bea is upset team. Once reaching the cabin, he goes inside, eats, and spends some time with her cat, Hester, while her drinks some water, and leaves for his hunt. He tells us parents speak in low voices. When Bea returns to the that he understands the relationship between the land kitchen, her Mum offers to take her to a bookstore café and the sea ice. This is important knowledge. When that has kittens for adoption. Her mother tells her she the sun sets, Yutu is about “a hundred metres” from will let her pick out a book or a kitten. The chapter the shore and must return to the cabin. Unhappy he has ends with Bea wondering what type of kitten would not spotted any seals, he plans to get up early and try get along with Hester. again before going home. 2024–2025 Literature Pentathlon Resource Guide 21 Analysis when the girls take Bea’s chemistry book from her The opening visual image is bright and cheerful, as is locker. The chapter ends with a note of tension with the the sunrise. The sun is an important motif in the entire visual and kinesthetic image of “an icy wave [passing] chapter. First, “Sunrise casts a soft light” (65), waking through [Bea’s] stomach (74). Yutu and Bea’s stories up Yutu and filling him with a sense of possibility. suggest that their plans might not work as they hoped. Next, he tells us his grandma “rises with the sun” (65), reinforcing his connection to the ways of his Yutu 5 ancestors. Later, the “Sun sparkles across the lumpy Summary sea ice” (67). The alliteration of the soft “s” sound Yutu awakens in the cabin, at first unsure of where he emphasizes the beauty of the sun shining on the ice, is. He realizes he is in the cabin and eats a bit of seal almost welcoming Yutu on his journey. Later, when meat for breakfast, drinks some water, and then heads Yutu is out hunting, the feeling is more ominous. He out. There are clouds in the sky, but Yutu decides to go must use his arm to “shield [his] eyes from the sinking out anyway. He parks the snowmobile in some spruce sun” (69) as he looks for a seal. An hour later, “The trees and heads towards the sea ice. He thinks he sees sun glows orange in its final descent” (70); the day has a seal, but then snow begins to fall. He walks on the ice ended, and Yutu has seen no sign of seals. “Nothing” towards the seal and then looks around before realizing (70). The short syntax in this sentence paired with the that he has gotten onto a weak patch of ice and knows sinking sun, leaves Yutu in the dark and frustrated, he must turn back. The wind comes up and he moves very different from the beginning of his day. Still, he slowly back to the shore. He steps through the i