Chapter 3 Solutions — Two Stories about Flying

The young seagull was afraid to fly because the great expanse of the sea stretched far down beneath his ledge — "it was such a long way down — miles down". He felt certain that his wings "would never support him", so every time he ran to the brink and tried to flap his wings, fear overcame him and he ran back to his hole.

Not all young birds are equally afraid; some are naturally more timid than others. The seagull's own brothers and little sister — whose wings were even shorter than his — had already flown away the day before, which shows that he was the most timid of the family.

Yes, a human baby also finds its first steps a challenge. Like the seagull, a baby must overcome fear and learn to trust its own body before it can walk, and it too needs the encouragement of its parents.

The risk was flying his old Dakota straight into the huge storm clouds that stood "like black mountains" across the sky, instead of turning back to Paris.

He could not fly up and over the clouds, and he did not have enough fuel to fly around them to the north or south. Going into the storm meant risking his life.

He took the risk because he wanted to get home — he was longing to reach England, to be with his family, and to have a good big English breakfast — so he chose to fly into the storm rather than go back.

No, in correct pronunciation 'dyin'' (dying) does not really rhyme with 'lion'.

However, the poet drops the 'g' and spells it 'dyin'' so that, if we say it in a drawling or non-standard way — pronouncing 'lion' as 'lie-in' and 'dyin'' as 'die-in' — the two words can be made to rhyme. This deliberate mispronunciation adds to the humour of the poem.