Question

after some manipulation, he managed to get the bunch between the heels of his mittened hands. in this fashion he carried it to his mouth. the ice crackled and snapped when by a violent effort he opened his mouth. he drew the lower jaw in, curled the upper lip out of the way, and scraped the bunch with his upper teeth in order to separate a match. he succeeded in getting one, which he dropped on his lap. he was no better off. he could not pick it up. then he devised a way. he picked it up in his teeth and scratched it on his leg. twenty times he scratched before he succeeded in lighting it. as it flamed, he held it with his teeth to the birch bark. but the burning brimstone went up his nostrils and into his lungs, causing him to cough spasmodically. the match fell into the snow and went out.

1. how does the author start to make the survival themes more desperate and urgent?

Explanation:

To analyze how the author intensifies the survival themes, we examine the narrative techniques:

1. Detailed Action Description: The author provides a step - by - step account of the character's struggles to light a match, such as "twenty times he scratched before he succeeded" and the physical hardships like the burning brimstone affecting his lungs. These detailed actions show the increasing difficulty and urgency of his survival attempts.
2. Escalating Obstacles: Initially, the character has trouble handling the match due to cold - numbed hands. Then, after getting a match, he drops it and faces more difficulties in picking it up and lighting it. Each new obstacle makes the situation more desperate.
3. Physical Consequences: The burning brimstone going into his nostrils and lungs, causing spasmodic coughing, and the match going out after all that effort, emphasizes the high stakes and the urgent need to survive, as even a small task like lighting a match becomes a life - threatening struggle.

Answer:

The author makes the survival themes more desperate and urgent by using detailed descriptions of the character's painstaking and repeated attempts to light a match (e.g., twenty attempts to scratch the match, physical distress from burning brimstone), escalating obstacles (difficulty handling the match, dropping it, and then struggling to relight it), and highlighting the physical consequences of his actions (coughing spasmodically, match going out), all of which emphasize the increasing desperation and urgency of his fight for survival.