Reading for Information
from
Deep Survival
Nonfiction Book
What’s the Connection?
RI 1 Cite textual evidence to
support analysis of what the text
says explicitly. RI 2 Provide an
objective summary of the text.
RI 4 Determine the meaning of
words as they are used in a text.
In “To Build a Fire” you read about a man who is unable to save
himself in a desperate situation. But what exactly does he do wrong?
Could his fate have been different? In the following selection you’ll
learn what real people in desperate situations have done to save
their lives.
Standards Focus: Use Text Features
Text features are design elements that highlight the organization of
information and key ideas in a text. Like numbered steps in a recipe,
they make a text easy to follow. For example, in the selection from
Deep Survival, the following text features point out its key ideas:
• The title usually reveals the main topic of the piece.
• Numbers make the order of sequential information obvious or
establish order of importance.
• Subheadings—boldfaced headings in the text—signal the start of
new topics or sections and tell what they will be about.
• Text in parentheses explains whatever came just before it.
As you read the selection, use these features for help in finding and
recording key ideas in the order the writer presents them. Record
the writer’s subheadings on a chart like the one shown, but then use
the examples he gives as a basis for summarizing the key ideas—
restating them in your own words.
1. Subheading:
Key Idea:
Perceive, believe
2. Subheading:
Review: Summarize
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unit 1: plot, setting, and mood
Key Idea:
Comparing Texts
a
by LAURE
by
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AU
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EN
NC
CE GO
GON
NZ
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AL
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a
USE TEXT
FEATURES
Speculate about the
meaning of the title.
What topic do you
predict the writer will
discuss?
Lauren Elder, sole survivor of a plane crash
I
10
’ve been reading accident reports of various kinds for thirty or
more years. Call me callous, but to me they’re like silent comedy
movies. People do the strangest things and get themselves into
the most amazing predicaments. You want to go wake up Tolstoy and
Dostoevsky and say: Hey, you think your characters are crazy. . . .
In reading about cases in which people survived seemingly
impossible circumstances, however, I found an eerie uniformity.
Decades and sometimes even centuries apart, separated by culture,
geography, race, language, and tradition, they all went through the
same patterns of thought and behavior. I eventually distilled those
observations down to twelve points that seemed to stand out
RI 4
Language Coach
Root Words Look at this
selection’s title. The word
survival includes the
root -viv-, which means
“to live.” What are some
other words that include
this root? What do those
words mean?
deep survival
99
concerning how survivors think and behave in the clutch of mortal danger.
Some are the same as the steps for staying out of trouble. Here’s what
survivors do:
b
USE TEXT
FEATURES
Scan the boldfaced
subheadings to get an
overview of the points
Gonzales makes. How
would you characterize
these points about
survival? How many
are there?
20
30
1. Perceive, believe (look, see, believe). b Even in the initial crisis,
survivors’ perceptions and cognitive functions keep working. They notice the
details and may even find some humorous or beautiful. If there is any denial,
it is counterbalanced by a solid belief in the clear evidence of their senses.
They immediately begin to recognize, acknowledge, and even accept the
reality of their situation. “I’ve broken my leg, that’s it. I’m dead,” as Joe
Simpson [who survived a mountain-climbing accident in Peru] put it. They
may initially blame forces outside themselves, too; but very quickly they
dismiss that tactic and recognize that everything, good and bad, emanates
from within. They see opportunity, even good, in their situation. They move
through denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance very rapidly.
They “go inside.” Bear in mind, though, that many people, such as Debbie
Kiley [who survived being lost at sea for five days without water], may have
to struggle for a time before they get there.
2. Stay calm (use humor, use fear to focus). In the initial crisis,
survivors are making use of fear, not being ruled by it. Their fear often feels
like and turns into anger, and that motivates them and makes them sharper.
They understand at a deep level about being cool and are ever on guard
against the mutiny of too much emotion. They keep their sense of humor
and therefore keep calm.
3. Think/analyze/plan (get organized; set up small,
manageable tasks). Survivors quickly organize, set up routines, and
institute discipline. In successful group survival situations, a leader emerges
often from the least likely candidate. They push away thoughts that their
situation is hopeless. A rational voice emerges and is often actually heard,
Joe Simpson, survivor of a mountain-climbing accident
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unit 1: plot, setting, and mood
Comparing Texts
40
50
which takes control of the situation. Survivors perceive that experience as
being split into two people and they “obey” the rational one. It begins with
the paradox of seeing reality—how hopeless it would seem to an outside
observer—but acting with the expectation of success.
4. Take correct, decisive action (be bold and cautious while
carrying out tasks). Survivors are able to transform thought into action.
They are willing to take risks to save themselves and others. They are able to
break down very large jobs into small, manageable tasks. They set attainable
goals and develop short-term plans to reach them. They are meticulous about
doing those tasks well. They deal with what is within their power from
moment to moment, hour to hour, day to day. They leave the rest behind.
5. Celebrate your successes (take joy in completing tasks).
Survivors take great joy from even their smallest successes. That is an
important step in creating an ongoing feeling of motivation and preventing
the descent into hopelessness. It also provides relief from the unspeakable
stress of a true survival situation.
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6. Count your blessings (be grateful—you’re alive). This is how
survivors become rescuers instead of victims. There is always someone else
they are helping more than themselves, even if that someone is not present.
One survivor I spoke to, Yossi Ghinsberg, who was lost for weeks in the
Bolivian jungle, hallucinated about a beautiful companion. . . . Everything
he did, he did for her.
7. Play (sing, play mind games, recite poetry, count anything,
do mathematical problems in your head). c Since the brain and its
wiring appear to be the determining factor in survival, this is an argument for
expanding and refining it. The more you have learned and experienced of art,
music, poetry, literature, philosophy, mathematics, and so on, the more
resources you will have to fall back on. Just as survivors use patterns and
rhythm to move forward in the survival voyage, they use the deeper activities
of intellect to stimulate, calm, and entertain the mind. Counting becomes
important, too, and reciting poetry or even a mantra can calm the frantic
mind. Movement becomes dance. One survivor who had to walk a long way
counted his steps, one hundred at a time, and dedicated each hundred to
another person he cared about. . . . Survivors often cling to talismans. They
search for meaning and the more you know already, the deeper the meaning.
They engage the crisis almost as a game. They discover the flow of the expert
performer, in whom emotion and thought balance each other in producing
action. “Careful, careful,” they say. But they act joyfully and decisively.
Playing also leads to invention, and invention may lead to a new technique,
strategy, or a piece of equipment that could save you.
c
USE TEXT
FEATURES
Notice how
the material in
parentheses helps
you understand
point 7, Play. Read
the rest of the section.
Then explain in your
own words how
survivors “play.”
deep survival
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8. See the beauty (remember: it’s a vision quest). Survivors
are attuned to the wonder of the world. The appreciation of beauty, the
feeling of awe, opens the senses. When you see something beautiful, your
pupils actually dilate. This appreciation not only relieves stress and creates
strong motivation, but it allows you to take in new information more
effectively.
9. Believe that you will succeed (develop a deep conviction
that you’ll live). All of the practices just described lead to this point:
Survivors consolidate their personalities and fix their determination. Survivors
admonish themselves to make no more mistakes, to be very careful, and to
90 do their very best. They become convinced that they will prevail if they do
those things.
d
SUMMARIZE
A summary is a
retelling of the main
ideas and details of
a text in your own
words. In a sentence,
summarize point 10,
Surrender.
e
USE TEXT
FEATURES
Why do you think
Gonzales placed this
point last?
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10. Surrender (let go of your fear of dying; “put away the
pain”). Survivors manage pain well. Lauren Elder, who walked out of the
Sierra Nevada after surviving a plane crash, wrote that she “stored away the
information: My arm is broken.” That sort of thinking is what John Leach
calls “resignation without giving up. It is survival by surrender.” Joe Simpson
recognized that he would probably die. But it had ceased to bother him,
and so he went ahead and crawled off the mountain anyway. d
11. Do whatever is necessary (be determined; have the will
100 and the skill). Survivors have meta-knowledge: They know their abilities
and do not over- or underestimate them. They believe that anything is
possible and act accordingly. Play leads to invention, which leads to trying
something that might have seemed impossible. When the plane in which
Lauren Elder was flying hit the top of a ridge above 12,000 feet, it would have
seemed impossible that she could get off alive. She did it anyway, including
having to down-climb vertical rock faces with a broken arm. Survivors don’t
expect or even hope to be rescued. They are coldly rational about using the
world, obtaining what they need, doing what they have to do.
12. Never give up (let nothing break your spirit). e There is
110 always one more thing that you can do. Survivors are not easily frustrated.
They are not discouraged by setbacks. They accept that the environment
(or the business climate or their health) is constantly changing. They pick
themselves up and start the entire process over again, breaking it down into
manageable bits. Survivors always have a clear reason for going on. They
keep their spirits up by developing an alternate world made up of rich
memories to which they can escape. They mine their memory for whatever
will keep them occupied. They come to embrace the world in which they find
themselves and see opportunity in adversity. In the aftermath, survivors learn
from and are grateful for the experiences they’ve had.
unit 1: plot, setting, and mood
Comparing Texts
After Reading
Comprehension
1. Recall What kinds of accidents happened to the people in Deep Survival?
2. Paraphrase What does it mean to “Perceive, believe”?
Text Analysis
3. Analyze Text Features Review the subheadings you jotted down as you read
this selection. What is similar about the way in which they are stated? Why
might Gonzales have chosen to phrase them this way?
RI 1 Cite textual evidence to
support analysis of what the text
says explicitly. RI 2 Provide an
objective summary of the text.
W 2 Write explanatory texts to
examine and convey complex
ideas, concepts, and information
clearly and accurately.
4. Make Generalizations What general attitude do survivors seem to have?
5. Apply In what ways can you apply the 12 points to crises other than those
involving physical survival in the outdoors?
Read for Information: Evaluate
writing prompt
Use Gonzales’s principles for survival to evaluate the performance of the man in
“To Build a Fire.” How does he demonstrate effective survival behavior? What
does he fail to do that survivors tend to do?
To answer this prompt you will need to do the following:
1. Create a checklist of effective survival behaviors based on the 12 principles
in Deep Survival.
2. Reread “To Build a Fire,” rating the man’s survival skills based on
your checklist.
3. Explain what you’ve discovered in a short paragraph. Then support
your evaluation with evidence from the story and your checklist.
Evaluation on
Specific Points
Yes No
1.
2.
Summary
Evaluation with Evidence
3.
4.
5.
reading for information
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Reading for Information
Diagram
Just as important as the ability to understand literary and expository
selections is the ability to understand visual messages. The following
diagram is from a survival manual. Consider how the image and the
words work together to convey meaning. The questions to the right
will help you.
RI 7 Analyze various accounts of a
subject told in different mediums.
1. EVALUATE
If you were in a survival
situation, do you think
you could start a fire using
only this diagram?
2 . CONNECT
In the survival situation
you think you would
personally be most likely
to encounter, would
building a fire be your first
priority? If so, why? If not,
what else would be?
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unit 1: plot, setting, and mood
Comparing Texts: Assessment Practice
Assessment Practice: Short Constructed Response
literary text: “to build a fire”
If you are able to analyze the literary elements in the stories you read, you will better
appreciate literature. To strengthen your literary analysis skills, read the short constructed
response question at left below and pay attention to the strategies suggested at right.
In “To Build a Fire,” how does the main
character’s opinion change regarding the
advice given by the old-timer on Sulfur
Creek? Support your answer with evidence
from the story.
strategies in action
1. Note that this question requires you to
explain the man’s opinion before the change as
well as explain his opinion after the change.
2. Look for evidence that supports your
answer. Evidence from the text can take the
form of a direct quotation, a paraphrase,
or a synopsis with specific details.
3. Make sure that any assertion you make is
directly supported by evidence.
nonfiction text: “deep survival”
Assessments often expect you to make thoughtful judgments about expository texts.
Practice this important skill by answering the short constructed response question below.
Having read “Deep Survival,” do you believe
you are now better prepared to survive a lifethreatening disaster? Support your answer
with evidence from the texts.
strategies in action
1. Reread the text, noting places where the
content confirms or contradicts your own
knowledge and experience.
2. Make a judgment based on connections
between the selection and your own life.
3. Include evidence for each connection you make.
comparing literary and nonfiction texts
You are likely to be tested on your ability to compare and contrast literary and nonfiction
texts. Practice this valuable skill by applying the following short constructed response
question to “To Build a Fire” and “Deep Survival.”
If the man in “To Build a Fire” had read
“Deep Survival,” might he have lived
through his ordeal? Support your answer
with evidence from both texts.
strategies in action
1. Reread passages from both texts that you
feel are key to answering the question.
2. The question asks you to make a prediction.
Your answer should be based on evidence
from both texts and your own experiences
and knowledge of human behavior.
to build a fire / deep survival / “ how to build a fire without matches ”
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