THROUGH THE TUNNEL
This is the name of the boy who is the protagonist of Doris Lessing's story.
Who is Jerry?
Halfway through a story, the protagonist achieves something they've been working toward. Instead of solving the problem, however, the achievement changes what the protagonist wants and sends the story in a new direction. What plot point is this?
What is the midpoint?
The Deepest Breath centers heavily on this extreme underwater activity.
What is freediving?
When a character behaves in a way that is surprising or different from what you expected, this signpost has occurred.
What is Contrasts & Contradictions?
The deeper a diver travels beneath the ocean's surface, the greater this becomes.
What is water pressure?
Jerry wants to prove that he can do this through the underwater tunnel, which represents a major physical and emotional challenge.
What is swimming through the underwater cave/tunnel?
A character has been struggling with a problem for several chapters. Then one seemingly small event makes it impossible for the character to simply continue life as normal. What plot point is this?
What is the catalyst?
One major idea explored throughout the documentary is the tension between pursuing an extraordinary goal and this natural human desire--in other words, what ensure this is kept balanced.
What is safety/survival?
When a character suddenly realizes or understands something important, look for this signpost.
What is an Aha Moment?
This is the practice of balancing pressure in the ears and other air spaces as a diver descends.
What is equalization?
Jerry's desire to separate himself from his mother and become more independent represents this major theme.
What is growing up/independence?
A story opens with a character already in trouble, but the narrator then explains what happened years earlier that caused the situation. This information is not the beginning of the plot's main action. What is it?
What is backstory?
The documentary demonstrates that achieving an ambitious goal requires more than physical ability; it also requires this quality repeatedly demonstrated by the people involved.
What are discipline, commitment, or perseverance?
When a character asks a difficult question about life, identity, or a difficult situation, this signpost may appear.
What is a Tough Question?
A scuba diver breathes compressed gas underwater. As the diver descends and pressure increases, the gas in the diver's body spaces does this.
What is compress?
Jerry's repeated attempts to hold his breath and swim through the tunnel demonstrate these character trait(s).
What are determination, persistence, or perseverance?
The protagonist has reached a point where doing nothing is no longer an option. Every available choice has serious consequences, and the protagonist must decide what to do before the final showdown. What plot point is this?
What is the crisis?
As a diver descends, this force increases, making the dive physically more demanding and requiring the diver to equalize...until this depth that is known as the freefall.
What is 30m?
If an image, object, phrase, or event keeps appearing repeatedly, this signpost tells readers to ask why it matters.
What is Again & Again?
If a scuba diver ascends too quickly, dissolved nitrogen can form bubbles in the body. This potentially serious condition is commonly called this.
What are "the bends" / decompression sickness?
These are the tools or practices Jerry uses in "Through the Tunnel" to be proactive about his upcoming challenge (name at least 2 of the answers)
What are swim googles, heavy rock, controlled breathing, impulse, or deadlines?
This german playwright and novel invented this 5-part triangular depiction of plot that model in a triangular fashion each plot point.
Who is (Gustav) Freytag?
This champion free diver had her son saved by Stephen; she happens to also be Alessia's role/model hero; she was the first woman in history to dive to a depth of 101 meters (331 feet) on a single breath and she was the first woman to successfully dive through the notoriously dangerous Blue Hole Arch in Dahab, Egypt.
Who is Natalia Molchanova?
A character suddenly remembers an important event from the past. This signpost can provide information that helps readers understand the character's present situation.
What is a Memory Moment?
This is the depth Austrian freediver holds for the record for the deepest freedive ever recorded, reaching an astonishing what after using a "No Limit" approach of comepetive freeding where the diver can use a weighted sled and a buoyancy for the ascent.
What is 253m (or 830ft)