Cho Oyu & Hurricane: Reading Adventure & Quiz

There was not a cloud in the sky. But we could not always see the sky; it was hidden by thick flurries of snow. A hurricane of a force I had never experienced scourged the snow-covered mountainside. The temperature was thirty to thirty-five degrees below zero. The most horrible part of it was the cloudless blue sky.

I crouched down beside Pasang in the snow. We could not stand up. The wind would have thrown us down or lifted us from the ground.

The other tent was also wrecked. The huddled bodies of Ang Nyima and Adjiba were moulded by the flattened canvas. We gave them a prod. They were still alive and crept out to join us. The four of us cowered together beside the flattened tents and stared into the vortex. We could only speak in shouts.

'Never known a storm like this,' Pasang shouted. 'All die.' He repeated it again and again.

I agreed with him. We should all die. Adjiba and Ang Nyima said nothing. They sat huddled and dumb, their faces a bluish grey, marked by death – no, dead already. Their dark eyes were fixed on mine, asking no questions, hinting no reproach. They were gates to another world, at whose frontier we had now arrived.

"There was not a cloud in the sky": This opening sentence is surprising and creates irony. We expect a terrible storm to have dark clouds, but the sky is clear and blue. This makes the blizzard seem even more unnatural and frightening.
"scourged the snow-covered mountainside": The word 'scourged' means rubbed forcefully, like a whip. It creates a violent image of the wind punishing the mountain. This is personification — giving the storm human-like aggression.
"The most horrible part of it was the cloudless blue sky": This is a powerful contrast (also called juxtaposition). A blue sky normally means good weather, but here it makes the storm more terrifying because there is no warning and no shelter from clouds.
"cowered together": The word 'cowered' means to crouch down in fear. It shows the men are completely powerless against the storm. Even experienced climbers and Sherpas are reduced to helpless, frightened figures.
"their faces a bluish grey, marked by death – no, dead already": Tichy corrects himself mid-sentence. First he says 'marked by death' (close to dying), then changes to 'dead already'. This self-correction shows his horror building in real time as he looks at his companions.
"They were gates to another world, at whose frontier we had now arrived": This is a metaphor. Their eyes are compared to 'gates' to the afterlife. The word 'frontier' means a border or boundary — they are on the edge between life and death.

Flurries: Sudden bursts of snow blown around by the wind.
Scourged: Rubbed or struck forcefully, as if being whipped.
Crouched: Bent the body down low, close to the ground.
Huddled: Crowded closely together, often for warmth or comfort.
Cowered: Crouched down in fear, trying to make yourself small.
Vortex: A spinning, whirling centre of wind or water.
Reproach: Blame or criticism for something you have done wrong.
Frontier: A border or boundary between two places or states.

1. The passage opens with 'There was not a cloud in the sky.' Why is this detail surprising and effective?

2. Which three details from the passage best show how extreme the weather conditions are?

3. How does the writer build up tension throughout the passage?

4. What does the metaphor 'They were gates to another world' mean?

5. Why does Pasang repeat 'All die' again and again?

Under low black clouds
the wind was all
speedy feet, all horns and breath,
all bangs, howls, rattles,
in every hen house,
church hall and school.

Roaring, screaming, returning,
it made forced entry, shoved walls,
made rifts, brought roofs down,
hitting rooms to sticks apart.

It wrung soft banana trees,
broke tough trunks of palms.
It pounded vines of yams,
left fields battered up.

Invisible with such ecstasy –
with no intervention of sun or man –
everywhere kept changing branches.

Zinc sheets are kites.
Leaves are panic swarms.
Fowls are fixed with feathers turned.
Goats, dogs, pigs,
all are people together.

Then growling it slunk away
from muddy, mossy trail and boats
in hedges: and cows, ratbats, trees,
fish, all dead in the road.

"the wind was all speedy feet, all horns and breath": This is personification — giving the wind human or animal qualities. It has 'feet' (it runs), 'horns' (it charges like a bull), and 'breath' (it is alive). The wind becomes a living, attacking creature.
"Roaring, screaming, returning": Three powerful present participles (words ending in -ing) in a row, creating a breathless, non-stop rhythm. The hurricane does not pause. 'Returning' is especially frightening — it comes back for more.
"Zinc sheets are kites": This is a metaphor. Heavy metal roofing sheets are being tossed through the air as easily as paper kites. This shows the immense power of the wind.
"Leaves are panic swarms": Another metaphor. The leaves are compared to swarms of insects flying in panic. The word 'panic' is personification too — leaves cannot feel panic, but this gives them a sense of fear and chaos.
"Fowls are fixed with feathers turned": The chickens are frozen still (fixed) with their feathers blown inside out. This is a vivid visual image showing the birds are paralysed with terror and the wind is so strong it reverses their feathers.
"Then growling it slunk away": 'Growling' and 'slunk' are words we use for animals — this is personification. The hurricane is compared to a wild animal that has finished attacking and now creeps away, like a predator leaving a scene of destruction.
"all dead in the road": The poem ends with a devastating final image. After all the energy and noise, there is only death and silence. The short, blunt phrase has a powerful impact.

Rifts: Cracks or gaps, here meaning the wind tore openings in walls and roofs.
Ecstasy: In this poem, it means wild, uncontrollable energy (not the usual meaning of happiness).
Intervention: The act of stepping in to stop or change something. 'No intervention of sun or man' means nothing could stop the hurricane.
Slunk: Past tense of 'slink' — to move away quietly and sneakily, like a guilty animal.
Wrung: Twisted and squeezed with force, as you might wring out a wet cloth.
Battered: Beaten and damaged repeatedly.

1. What technique is used in 'Leaves are panic swarms'?

2. What does 'Fowls are fixed with feathers turned' mean?

3. What technique is used in 'Then growling it slunk away', and what effect does it create?

4. Thinking about BOTH texts: which passage shows the power of the weather more effectively?

5. In the Hurricane poem, the poet switches from past tense ('it made forced entry') to present tense ('Zinc sheets are kites'). Why?

Reading: Cho Oyu & Hurricane

Vocabulary & Phrases Quiz

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