Self-study and classroom lessons based on newspaper feature stories

This column is for self-study or classroom use and gives guided help with reading the wide variety of writing styles and topics that appear as feature articles in the Bangkok Post. The lessons include background information, skill-building practice and vocabulary explanations.

May 11, 2004

A rocky experience

INTRODUCTION

If you’ve ever done something exhilarating, you’ve probably wanted to tell everyone about it afterwards. It’s unusual to want to keep anything like that to yourself!

One of the great things about being a feature journalist is that you occasionally get to do exciting things and are then able to tell thousands of people about it by writing an article for a newspaper or magazine. Last week, Peerawat Jariyasombat had a go at rock-climbing on Railay beach in Krabi and his experience in our feature today makes some pretty interesting reading.

Of course, a bland explanation of what happens would be quite boring – people prefer to read about personal experiences. To most of us, the idea of rock-climbing conjures up images of danger, excitement and courage, so it is up to Peerawat to make sure we understand how he feels when he takes part in his climb. To do this, he uses a lot of ‘emotive’ words. These are words that express emotion of some kind such as, for example, ‘fear’, ‘love’ or ‘exhilaration’. See how many emotive words you can spot throughout Peerawat’s feature.

In order to create excitement for the reader, it is important to include a sense of drama. Can you see how ‘tension’ is created at the beginning? From the way Peerawat describes the moment in the first paragraph, we understand that he is in real danger and that makes us feel a bit tense when we read it. Although tension is often associated with negative feelings, it is also what makes us want to know what happens next when watching a movie or reading a book. Tension usually describes that tight feeling you get inside when you are worried for a character or you expect something unpleasant to happen.
Your own drama

Once you have read the article on rock-climbing, why not try to write a similar account about an exciting or dangerous experience you have had recently. Remember to try and create tension and use emotive words to describe your feelings. However, don’t overdo this or your piece may end up sounding over-dramatic or silly. Make people want to read what happens next.

OUR STORY FROM THE BANGKOK POST

Rock-climbing on Railay beach
Overcoming fear and conquering new heights

PEERAWAT JARIYASOMBAT
My exhausted fingers warned me that they couldn’t hold on any longer. I badly needed a better grip, and immediately too, to secure myself. Above me to the right I saw a half chance, but it’s just out of my reach and it’s then that I realise I was left with no choice.

I placed my right foot on a dent in the rock and with the fingers of my left hand gripping a crack in the rock, I tried to propel myself up the cliff with all the strength I could muster.

If you are a first time cliff climber, like I was that day, you would not forget the feeling. It’s one of uncertainty. When you are climbing a difficult route, chances are that you might make a mistake and fall off the cliff. You are using all your power to move inches at a time up the cliff and fear grips your heart. That is the thrill of rock-climbing: the fear of failure keeps driving you until you get to the top.

Fortunately, in my case, the sense of fear did pump some adrenaline into the system and I was able to grip the rock more firmly and bail out of harm’s way.

Rock-climbing at Railay beach in Krabi province is always a thrilling experience. That is why it is packed with veteran as well as amateur climbers from morning to dusk.

The ABC cliff on Railay is where beginners converge and after taking the basic training they can choose the route - ranging from easy to difficult - they wish to take or test themselves against.

“The difficulty level of routes on Railay ranges from 4 to 8C,” said Surasak Morakod, 26, my instructor from King Climber, a tour company. “There are over 700 routes around here. The routes we are going to try today rank between 5 to 6 on the difficulty scale.”

Surasak took to climbing only a couple years ago. He had muscular arms and told me that now he was trying to get to level 7 which was very difficult and challenging. That got me wondering how difficult the 9A route, the most challenging, would be.

“It is not a matter of height or angle of the cliff. The difficulty level depends on the availability of pockets (grips) on the route.”

My colleague during the climb that day was an American, Robyn Lyan. She was using the top-rope method, with Surasak there to instruct how to perform the delicate manoeuvrings. Also, there were other groups of climbers making for a lively crowd.

All around me the air was filled with the sound of instructors shouting advice to students. I saw Robyn reach the top of the cliff and admire the full sweep of the azure sea before belaying down with assistance from her instructor Surasak. After her, it was my turn.

I had got to the top after negotiating a difficult part of the route - a flat rock surface. I stood there hesitating, taking deep long breaths to calm down the pounding in my heart. My hands were shaking too. I was a nervous wreck. That's when I remembered Surasak's advice: “When fear takes over, your hands will grasp the rock more tightly and body muscles become tight.”

I had to get out of this state of mind. Slowly, my instincts to survive took control and I made it down safely. On the way I tried to assess my feelings: it was a mix of exhaustion, thrill, fear, and the will to succeed. Well, I had done it.

SOME VOCABULARY HELP

exhilarating
exciting and enjoyable
bland
with little excitement or interest

secure
make firm, not likely to move or fall

dent
to make a hollow place in a hard surface

propel
to move, drive or push something forward

muster
gather

adrenaline
hormone that raises blood pressure and strength

bail
release

veteran
person with lots of experience of something

amateur
person who takes part in a sport or activity as a hobby rather than as a job

converge
to move towards a place from different directions

manoeuvrings
skilful ways of achieving your aims

azure
sky blue

belay
to make a person safe while climbing by attaching a rope to the person and to a rock

negotiate
to successfully get over a difficult part

• This lesson was prepared by Neil Stoneham,
an experienced secondary school teacher and trained journalist.

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