The Role of the author and initial Characteriation

  1. To me the quote: “The dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.” means that people who live their dreams are dangerous because the things that they do are things that we only dream of.
  2. Based on the opening pages of Touching the Void my initial impression of Joe Simpson (author) are that he is a man who can find comfort and safety in extreme situations. An example of this is when he says “ We were in the middle of the Cordillera Huayhuash, in the Peruvian Andes, separated from the nearest village by 28 miles of rough walking, and surrounded by the most spectacular ring of ice mountains I had ever seen, and the only indication of this from within our tent was the regular roaring of avalanches falling of Cerro Sarapo. I felt a homely affection and a warm security of the tent..”
  3. Firstly we can tell that Joe and Simon have a strong bond because Joe mentions that there would be few other people that he could have coped with for so long. They also seem to be able to joke with each other. Although they are very evenly matched Joe also seems to look up to Simon
  4. Richard was described by Joe as an avid adventurer and explorer, someone who drifted in the wind as such; going wherever the world took him. As far as it’s revealed in the text joe doesn’t think much of Richard as he offers nothing to him however he seems contempt to keep him around to look after the gear and camp.
  5. The distance from civilization is significant because if something were to happen to one of the climbers it would be hard to walk out, the prase is a distinct foreshadowing of something waiting to happen.
  6. Throughout the book, Joe seems to chant one phrase or another in his mind as it is a way for him to focus on the task at hand without being distracted by uncomfortable sensations like hunger, cold and pain. It also probably makes him think and focus on his goals such as reaching the summit.

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