This video was listed as a resource on the site http://www.pearsonfoundation.org/penniesforpeacetoolkit/downloads/PfP_4-8_CurriculumResourceGuide.pdf for discussion of the book Three Cups of Tea. This is a great introdcution to the story and helps the reader to visualize the setting and characters. After watching the video and reading Chapters 1-3 in Three Cups of Tea, please respond to 2 of the 5 questions listed below.
Question 1: Is "Failure" an appropriate title for Chapter 1? Discuss/Explain
Question 2: The frist line of the story begins, "Greg Mortenson was lost." The word "lost" can have both a literal and a figurative meaning. State what you think the author meant by this sentence.
Question 3: What role does the setting - the high altitudes and the treacherous terrain of the Himilayas - play in the initial events of the story?
Question 4: What does Mortenson drink for noursihment? How is this significant to the story?
Question 5: What does Mortenson discover about the qaulity of life in Korphe, specifically in regard to healthcare and education? In what ways is the quality of life in Korphe better or worse than your own?
Not only was Greg M. lost in the mountains, he was really "lost" personally. He really didn't have much direction or purpose. The events that followed his being "lost in the Himilayas" really set the foundation of his "finding himself" or giving his life a real purpose
ReplyDeleteI think "Failure" is an appropriate title for Chapter 1 in some respect because Greg failed to reach the summit of K2, but in many ways, this "failure" lead to greater "successes" Had Greg not "failed" at his initial goal, he never would have met the people of Korphe and been able to help them build a school to educate thier children.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2
ReplyDeleteThe author very easily could have used lost in either a literal or figurative sense. He was definitely lost in the literal sense in that he had wandered away from his group coming down off K2. However in a figurative sense was also lost because he did not seem to have a clear sense of direction in his life other than living to climb mountains.
Greg was directionally lost in relation to his awareness of where he was and should be on the mountain. He could have also been socially lost as it relates to his awareness of the conditions in this part of Pakistan and the extreme needs of the residents.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 4
ReplyDeleteGreg drinks paiya cha, a hot green tea made with salt, baking soda, goat's milk, and an aged sour butter churned from yak's milk. Greg thinks it is horrible tasting and smelling, but takes a mug from Mouzafer anyway because he knows he needs it. It is not until he is in dire need that he takes in this nourishment, just like he doesn't really take in the culture of the Balti people until he is in dire straits. The drink could be a symbol for the spiritual/social/cultural nourishment that the Balti people, especially the family of Haji Ali, provide to Greg.
Question 4
ReplyDeleteGreg's drink for nourishment is called Paiyu cha. Ingredients include: green tea, salt, baking soda, goat's milk, aged sour butter churned from yak's milk. He talks about how he avoided drinking it every time he was offered however after he was lost and found by his guide he was appreciative for the hot tea.