We stood imperially on the summit of this wondrous peak. We had
conquered the mighty North face of the Eiger, the most treacherous
ascent in the Alps. Daniel Anker and I sat astonished on the summit
grinning insanely at each other, unable to fathom words to describe
our exultation.
We watched the sky in awe as clouds rolled by. Just then, Daniel, who
was naturally anxious about practically everything, spotted a group of
storm clouds approaching menacingly towards our position.
"Stop being so worried, its just some minor storm clouds, they'll
pass," I said trying to comfort him. He was a fantastic climber and
companion, but easily traumatised. The clouds did look slightly
perilous, and my slight trepidation bubbled to my usually ice cold
exterior.
"You look kind of scared" Daniel replied.
I ignored him. I felt a tension that hung in the atmosphere. There was
a fizzing, crackling feel in the air around us as we pulled on the
hemp ropes and our jackets rustled in the electric atmosphere. I
looked deep into Daniel's eyes. He was horrified at the helplessness
of our situation. We were at the mercy of nature. My worst fears had
been realised. A storm was upon us.
Just then there was a colossal explosion of thunder. We stared in mute
amazement as ostentatious lightning, the colour of burnished gold,
burst in white-bright flashes flaming against the crenellated ridge.
Thunder, colliding in sheets of monstrous sound, rattled the air and
practically deafened us. We just sat, timorous almost to the point of
death. The wind rose to a shrieking, venomous pitch in its furious
battle with mountain. The air stank of scorched stone ...
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our feet as we winced and slipped on the sliver-thin shards of raw
glass. Boulders blasted skywards by bolts of flame tumbled against the
searing light. The crashing roar of thunder, pounded relentlessly
against our ear drums and the smell of scorched rock flooded our
noses. It seemed the tempest would never end and we sat huddled for
almost an age.
Suddenly, everything went dead. The storm passes into the horizon
bickering and snapping angrily. It seemed the storm was livid at not
defeating us. A tranquil rain fell about us. The storm was over. The
setting sun painted the emptied clouds with glowing pastels. The
beauty of this site enthralled us. Against all the odds, we had
conquered this amazing piece of nature's handiwork. Daniel and I had
broken all our physical and mental barriers, and beaten the Eiger.
In literature, symbolism is used to give meaning to certain things throughout a story that are different than their literal sense. Symbolism also gives the writer freedom to add a deeper meaning to their work. The storm that took place in Kate Chopin’s story, The Storm, is used to symbolize getting Alcee and Calixta back together, the passion between the two of them, and to keep Bobinot and Bibi from returning to the gallery to find Alcee and Calixta.
Imagine the horrors that accompany a great hurricane. Visualize the wind, rain, and waves. Hear the piercing screams through crashing waves, crushing buildings, and trees falling. Picture the great devastation. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 was caused by abdominal weather conditions, and led to great destruction. Many lives were lost, and colossal rebuilding of the city had to take place. New city laws and plans were adopted from the hurricane.
In Kate Chopin’s “The Storm”, sin happens to make a bond stronger than before. The story illustrates a couple who seems to be similar to the nature surrounding them. Both Calixta and Bobinôt happen to be going through a stormy period in their marriage. Although they are going through this turbulent period, Bobinôt’s actions display his imperfect but unconditional love for his wife. Bobinôt may not be the husband Calixta dreams of but throughout the story he illustrates that it does not matter what happens, the storm will pass and he will love her no matter what.
Kate Chopin’s “The Storm”, is a story filled with metaphorical references between a thunderstorm of rain and a thunderstorm of passion. Calixta, Bobinot, and Bibi led, what one would assume to be, a rather normal life. While Bobinot and Bibi are in town shopping they notice a storm approaching, and “Bobinot, who was accustomed to converse on terms of perfect equality with his little son, called the child’s attention to certain sombre clouds that were rolling with sinister intention from the west, accompanied by a sullen, threatening roar.” However, a moment a Mother Nature’s fury unleashed a wealth of passion between Calixta and her former beau Alcee Laballiere.
“The Storm” may be interpreted as a condemnation of societal constraints upon feminine sexuality. As Calixta “unfastened her white sacque at the throat” she was taking off chains of oppression of her sexuality. When Calixta “nervously began to gather up from the floor the lengths of a cotton sheet which she had been sewing” she is putting her duties away for pleasure and is finally going to fulfill her birthright for passionate sex. In “The Storm” Calixta is a shameless married woman who “lifted her pretty chin in the air and laughed aloud” after committing an adulteress act. Kate Chopin had a unique style of writing for her time.
WHITE HURRICANE November gales are a curse on the Great Lakes. In 1835, a storm was said to have "swept the lakes clear of sail." Lake Erie was blasted by 60 mph winds on November 22 and 23, 1874. On Nov. 25, 1905 a November gale sank or stranded more than 16 ships. On Nov 11, 1940 (Armistice Day Storm) a storm wrecked 12 vessels.
When a tornado forms or passes over a water surface, it is termed a waterspout. Like tornadoes, they may assume many shapes and often occur in series or families. Measurements of their forward speeds are scarce, but estimates vary from a few kilometers an hour to as high as 64 to 80 kilometers per hour. Contrary to popular opinion, a waterspout does not "suck up" water to great heights; though it may lift the water level a few meters. The main visible cloud consists mostly of freshwater clouds produced by condensation of water vapor; however, a sheath of spray often rotates around the lower portion of the vortex tube. Thousands of vacationers and several scientists witnessed one of the largest and most famous waterspouts, observed near Massachusetts on Aug. 19, 1896. Its height was estimated to be 1,095 meters and its width 256 meters at the crest, 43 meters at center, and 73 meters at the base. The spray surrounding the vortex tube near the water surface was about 200 meters wide and 120 meters high. The spout lasted 35 minutes, disappearing and reappearing three times. Most waterspouts are smaller, with much shorter lives. This exceptional spout is an example of one that apparently was spawned by thunderstorm-squall conditions, similar to those that produce tornadoes over land. There are few authentic cases of large ships ever being destroyed by a spout, although spouts are a dangerous hazard to small vessels. A few intense waterspouts have caused deaths when they moved inland over populated areas.
Planet Earth is under attack by the very entities charged with its protection. Human beings are systematically destroying the planet and are deaf to its, so far, relatively subtle warnings. When temperatures rise by just a fraction of a degree, or yearly precipitation amounts increase by just an inch or two, these changes can be imperceptible. However, when these small changes accumulate after a period of years they can result in natural disasters that are uncommon to certain geographic areas. Ocean temperatures have steadily been on the rise for years. These changing temperatures have the potential to irrevocably change weather patterns for the entire world. In August of 2011, Hurricane Irene gave much of the east coast of the United States a taste of what changes in global weather patterns can do. The hurricane showed many communities how vastly underprepared, and unequipped they are to deal with such a storm, and it served as a wake up call to the human race, to take better care of the planet. A case study of these realizations can be viewed through the prism of severe weather related events at the Humane Society of Ocean City.
In his piece “The Storm” Elijah Paschelke reflects upon his 7 months in solitary confinement. He states that he “will never see the world the way I did before,” and then continues “I will never not see it the way I did before.” This statement suggests that he used to not notice the world around him, hence “not seeing”. He vows that he will never live the way that he did before because his time in prison has made him more appreciative of the smaller things in life.
Kate Chopin is famous for stories that have characters with a lack of ethics, and her 1898 tale “The Storm is no exception. The closing statement “So the storm passed and everyone was happy.” (Chopin, 282), is a clear statement of that lack of ethics. This line is spoken after the adulterous Alcee has told his wife to stay away for longer if she would like. From an ethical standpoint, the final line in the story is false. As Adultery is unethical, there is no founding in morality for the last line of the story to be true. Three immoral actions in the story are the action of infidelity, the letter Alcee sent to his wife encouraging her to stay away longer, and the fact that Bibi and Charlotte have no knowledge of the sinful events that took place in the story.
Kate Chopin wrote the short story “The Storm” one of her most bold stories and did not even intention to publish it (Cutter 191). The two main characters in the story are Calixta and Alcee. They both used to be attracted to one another in previous years, but now they are both married to someone else. After Alcee arrives to Calixta’s house looking for shelter they are driven into a passionate moment. In the story “The Storm” the storm has a significant meaning; without it the affair of Calixta and Alcee performed would not have been as powerful as it was between them. “The Storm” has a great deal of symbolism throughout the story: the clouds, the use of color white, the storm relative to the affair, the after effects of the affair, Calixta, Bibi the son, and the husband Bobinot.
A shrill cry echoed in the mist. I ducked, looking for a sign of movement. The heavy fog and cold storm provided nothing but a blanket, smothering all sight and creating a humid atmosphere. The freezing air continued to whip at my face, relentless and powerful. Our boat, stuck in the boggy water. Again a cry called. Somewhere out there was someone, or something.
The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger is an account of an immense storm and its destructive path through the North Atlantic. In late October of 1991, crews of several different fishing ships left their port for their final haul. Little did they know that they would soon cross paths with one of the greatest storms ever recorded. This particular storm would create huge swells, high winds, and hard rain. The system, was said to be a “perfect storm” because all of the elements were just right to create the worst imaginable storm ever seen, “… a hundred-year event,” claimed some meteorologists. These types of storms are caused when: “Warm air is less dense than cool air; it rises off the surface of the ocean, cools in the upper atmosphere, and then dumps its moisture before rushing back to earth. Huge cumulus clouds develop over the zones of rising air, with thunder, lightning, and terrifically strong rain. As long as there's a supply of warm water, the thunderstorm sustains itself, converting moisture into sheeting rain and downdraft winds. Other thunderclouds might line up along the leading edge of a cold front into a "squall line," a towering convective engine that stretches from horizon to horizon.” (The Perfect Storm Foundation)
Suddenly, an oily breeze blew in a faint rumbling sound. Slowly, the roars that started dim and faint grew louder and more gigantic. I slumped down staring to the skies helplessly trying to cling to the mud with a weak grasp. The wind swiftly howled ferociously. I felt the sound coming from my eyes.Responsively, I tilted my head to the side away from the wind. My face pinched in anguish feeling the p...
There once was a man who dreamed he was at the end of his life. He saw his life as if it were a walk along a beach with Jesus. As he looked back over his life he saw two sets of footprints in the sand along most of the way -- one set belonging to him, the other to Jesus. He noticed, though, that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints in the sand. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.