Chapter Twenty-eight

Why do you think the crew chose to follow Otter when they would not follow Foxfire earlier in the story?  Why do you think Kilroy did not try to stop them?

Chapter Twenty-seven

Now that Otter has decided to stay on the mountain, do you think he'll be able to find Foxfire's bones?  Do you think Father can make it all the way home to China in his condition?  Please explain your reasons for thinking what you do.

Chapter Twenty-six

Where do you think Foxfire had gone?  Why did he leave the spot where Otter left him?

Blogging Schedule for Dragon's Gate

Please complete your readings and postings by the following dates:

Chapter 26: Saturday, February 13

Chapter 27: Monday, February 15

Chapter 28: Wednesday, February 17

Chapters 29 & 30: Friday, February  19

Chapter Twenty-five

Toward the end of their arduous climb, Otter and Foxfire seemed to reach a new understanding or appreciation of each other.  What is that understanding or appreciation and how do you think it came about?

Chapter Twenty-four

Of the three characters climbing the mountainside, which ones (if any) do you think will make it back to camp alive and why?

Chapter Twenty-four

What do you think compelled Sean to defy his father and suddenly decide to go with Otter and Firefox?

Chapter Twenty-one

Amidst his anger, Otter feels "Bitter, alone, lost"  Do you see any hope for him at this point?  Please elaborate and explain your thinking.

Chapter Twenty

Can you infer from his comments how Sean felt about the incidents in this chapter?

Chapter Nineteen

Please revisit page 168.  Do you think Otter is being too hard on Foxfire, or is he being fair?  Please explain your position.

Chapter Nineteen

Please revisit page 165.  Whom and what does Foxfire blame for what happened in the tunnel?

Chapter Eighteen

"A few meters on, we saw a large circle of soft, silvery light.  I knew it was only the mouth of the tunnel; but right then it looked more like the gates to Heaven." (p. 162)

Why do you think Otter felt this way?

Chapter Eighteen

What evidence can you find in the text that the relationships between the members of Otter's crew have changed?

Chapter Sixteen

I wonder if the relationships among the members of Otter's crew might change after the events of this chapter.  What do you think?  Why?

Here's a daguerreotype of Abraham Lincoln from 1846...

Chapter Fifteen

Please do a bit of research and report back on your understanding of a daguerreotype (p. 139).

Chapter Fifteen

How can you explain the two seemingly different ways Sean's father acted -- during the fight, and then in the cabin after the fight -- toward him?

What is your understanding of the relationship between Sean and his father?

Chapter Fourteen

When Otter thought, "It didn't matter where we were from, or who we had once been.  On the mountain, he and I were in a secret conspiracy against the world" on pages 131-132, what do you think he meant?

Chapter Fourteen

Near the end of this chapter, what do we learn about relationships and how some people are connected to each other?  To fully understand this, think about Kilroy's position.