Into+Thin+Air+Summative+Task+1


 * In this essay you are to investigate the possible reasons for the tragic events of May 10 1996 on Mt Everest and compare the Krakauer book with the feature film //Everest.//** [[image:8englishcms2/into-thin-air.jpg]]

==

THE ESSAY IS IN TWO PARTS:[[image:Movie poster.jpg align="right"]]

 * 1) ==An analysis of the reasons why the climb ended so disastrously==
 * 2) ==A comparison between the book and the film //Everest.//==

b. LIST possible reasons such as:

 * too many inexperienced climbers on the mountain
 * the unexpected storm
 * the fact that many were paying such a large amount of money to climb

PART TWO: A COMPARISON

 * //**COMPARE**// the book version of events with the film version (Everest).
 * //**IDENTIFY**// the main similarities and differences between the two.
 * //**EVALUATE**// each text - what did you like/dislike about each and why

WORDS: minimum 800
Use the Framework below to help you organise your ideas.


 * Introduction**
 * Explain when and where the events took place
 * Explain WHO were the main two teams of the tragedy
 * Give a very brief outline of the key things that happened
 * Write about how dangerous high altitude climbing can be
 * Explain that this essay will explore the possible causes of the tragic events


 * Paragraph 1**
 * Cause Number One**
 * The dangers of ANY high altitude climb
 * The lack of oxygen - leading to HACE (brain problems) and HAPE (lung problems)
 * the need to acclimatise
 * The skills involved in ice climbing and rock climbing and dealing with dangerous environment (steep slopes, crevasses)
 * The constant lack of sleep, illnesses, fatigue etc leading to poor decisions (eg Andy Harris)
 * Weather, snow, extreme cold and wind
 * Any other things you can think of


 * Paragraph 2[[image:1292073.jpg align="right"]]**
 * Cause Number Two**
 * The number of climbers on the mountain that year
 * The number of expeditions, some of which weren't thoroughly prepared (Eg the Tiawense)
 * The bottlenecks that occurred at various points in the climb
 * The dangers of having to rescue injured or sick climbers from other teams
 * Any other things you can think of


 * Paragraph 3**
 * Cause Number Three**
 * Other factors
 * The pressure for Guiding teams to take paying clients to the top of the mountain no matter what
 * The lack of radio support between guides
 * Not following predetermined 'rules' eg Turnaround times
 * The unexpected storm


 * Paragraph 4 - Conclusion of PART ONE**
 * Your opinion**
 * Which factors do you think were the main causes for the tragedy?
 * What should change to prevent this sort of event happening again on Mt Everest?


 * Paragraph 5 - COMPARISON**
 * Identify those elements of both texts (book and film) that were similar
 * Identify those elements of the both texts that were different (for instance, the portrayal of Scott Fisher in the film is quite different to in the book. He seems to be drugged out/drunk half the time in the film, and this is very different to Krakauer's portrayal.


 * Paragraph 6 - EVALUATION**
 * Comment on what aspects of each text you really liked eg the historical background in the book or the energy and visualisation of the film
 * Comment on which aspects of the texts you didn't like
 * Overall summary about the significance of this tragic event and why it has been documented so often in various forms. Why does it still hold a fascination for us?

National Achievement Standards for this Task

These are available from the Task Sheet that was emailed to you.