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Hatchet
Trailblazers · 4th–6th
He was not the same. The plane passing changed him, the disappointment cut him down and made him new. He was not the same and would never be again like he had been.
Read the passage aloud. Why might the writer open and close with almost the same words?
Narration Tell the chapter back: the wolves, how long Brian has been there, the days after the plane passed, his early mistakes, and the first fish.
1. Brian feels afraid when the wolf looks down at him, then nods and smiles. What changes between those two moments?Character
2. Something Brian cannot explain stops him at the lake before he hears anything. Where might a warning like that come from?Inference
3. Paulsen tells us about Brian's worst days only after the wolves have gone. Why might he put them in that order?Author's choice
4. Brian says the hope of rescue is gone, yet he is full of "tough hope." What kind of hope is that, and is it enough?Theme
5. The chapter opens with Brian at the lake, where he "was the water." What does that sentence tell us about how he feels?Tone
Make a Connection Tell about a time you got better at something by making mistakes first.
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the disappointment cut him down and made him new
The plane passing changed him
walked effortlessly up the hill
he exulted in it
water refracts, bends light
an arrow fashioned by his own hands
the punky wood would smolder for many hours
It was infuriating.
It had been a feast day
1. Brian has no string and no feathers for his arrows. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how he solves each problem.
2. Brian holds his first fish against the sky. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what that catch means to him.
3. Brian smiles as he remembers his mistakes with the bow. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what each mistake taught him.