Title: Writing Friday #6: Through the Tunnel Annotations

Up to this point in our new book we have read only one story, Through the Tunnel. We have annotated four pages of it pages 2-5. On the first page I annotated, page 2, I annotated a part of the story where the mom and Jerry are acting funny towards each other because Jerry wants to go to the rocks and be independent, but he worries about his mom, and his mom wants Jerry to have fun, but she is worried about Jerry. Eventually they get the point through to each other that jerry is going to the rocks, but it happened very, very awkwardly. The next page I annotated was page three, and in it the first thing I annotated was when Jerry first went to the rocks. He made it seem like it was the most joyous, exciting, amazing event ever. It was pretty new to him to be alone, so it probably was. He also says that he “craved” to fit in with the bigger, older, native boys was filling his whole body. On the next page I annotated when he kind-of got accepted into the group of native boys. He says that he was happy, and later into the page he says that he felt accepted. That is what I annotated on page four. On the final page I annotated, page five, the first thing I annotated was when the local boys dove in and swum under the hole in the rock. When Jerry could not do it, the local boys swam of and he felt disappointed, and let down, and like a failure. He also describes his disappointment as “hot shame.” The final thing I annotated on the page was when Jerry thought that all the boys were drowning underwater (he would learn on the next page that they were all safe going through the tunnel). On page six I annotated a part were the native boys are leaving to get away from Jerry, and this made Jerry cry. After this he accepted this, and he immediately went to his mom to ask her to by swimming goggles for him. After that page the first thing I annotated when he first got the goggles. He says “It was as if he had eyes of a different kind-fish eyes that showed everything clear and delicate and wavering in the bright water. The rest of that page he is looking for the hole the local boys went through. Instantaneously on the next page (page 8) he finds the hole in the rock and I annotated that. Later in the page he realized that he would have to learn to control his breathing. The day after that (and the next page, nine) for hours he learns to control his breathing. He begins to make this a “personal goal” and he is focused on this and to him this is the most important thing on the rest of the vacation. On the same page (nine) I also annotate that his mother makes him stay with her the next day because his nose blead badly after his first day of “training.” He describes this as a torment and a waste of a day which shows how committed he is on learning to hold his breathe underwater and going through the hole. On page ten I annotated a part where he is proud of himself because he can hold his breathe for “two minutes” and I also annotate a part where he says “he would do it if it killed him” referring to swimming through the hole. The final thing I annotated on the page was when he is scared of maybe he might get dizzy in the tunnel and drown or pass out. After considering the positive and he negatives he still found himself on the rock wanting to go through that tunnel. On page eleven he begins the journey through the tunnel. During it he describes the tunnel and what it does as that the water pushes his back against the sharp roof which pained his back, and the last thing I annotated on that page was when a sharp pain dizzies him during the journey. On page twelve I annotated parts where he was still in the tunnel and his lungs are beginning to hurt. When he was in desperation he finally sees light through a crack. He was at the end of what he thought he could do and he said “he felt like he was dying.” That was what I annotated on page twelve. On the second to last page, page thirteen, I annotated a part of the story were he is out and drifting up to the surface. He is underwater gasping like a fish and finally reaches the surface. He sees the rock and thinks he cannot make it but he does and grasps it with his hands. His eyes and nose are bleeding heavily and blood fills his goggles. Finally after long pants he knows he is okay. On the last page of the story he comes back to the house and he tells his mother he can stay underwater for three minutes (he accomplishes his goal). The final sentence of the story was this, “It was no longer of the least importance to go back to the bay.” Hence he learns his lesson that the bay was dangerous, ha almost died there so he has no reasons to go back there for the rest of his life.