The 1917 Explosion In Kristin Lewis The Shattered Sky

In the story “The shattered Sky”, the author, Kristin Lewis, helps the reader understand what it was like to live through the 1917 Explosion in Halifax Harbor. Lewis does this by grabbing the reader's attention and telling a particular story of someone who witnessed this tragic event. The author paints a picture which gives the reader a good understanding of what’s going on.

The 1917 Explosion in Halifax Harbor was one of the most powerful explosions in history. The author explains this very clearly in the text. First, you can tell that it was a very powerful explosion because of the title “The Shattered Sky”. Before the Explosion she expressed that, “the two towns were buzzing with activity” (Lewis, 6). This means the two towns were very normal and busy. Lewis also says, “soft smoked curled the chimneys as mothers served up steaming bowls of oatmeal. Children gathered their school books, and fathers pulled on their coats and headed off to work.” (Lewis, 6). In that quote, Lewis is painting a descriptive picture to show us what’s going on.

The author describes where Noble lives by saying this, “In the Northern Halifax neighborhood of Richmond, where Noble lived, horse-drawn wagons clattered down the streets.

Factories churned out flour, beer, metalworks, and other goods.” (Lewis, 6). She also says, “From his backyard, Noble had an amazing view of the narrows, the aptly named the narrowest section of Halifax Harbor.” (Lewis, 6). World War I was in total effect at this point. Lewis says, “World War I casts a shadow over Dartmouth and Halifax.” (Lewis, 7). “Newspapers brought more bad news from the front lines.” (Lewis, 7), the author

explains.

On December 6, on a regular morning, around 8:35 a.m., both “The Imo tore into the Mount-Blanc.” (Lewis, 7). This caused a huge explosion! Why? Well because as the author states, “There was something about the Mount-Blanc that only a handful of people beyond the crew: It was loaded with dangerous munitions. Powerful explosives - in fact, some of the most powerful at that existed at that time.” (Lewis, 7). What started the fire was the benzol, a flammable liquid. As the two ships collided, flames gained at a rapid rate. The author does a great job describing this by using powerful words. An example of that is in page 8 line 10-13, “Sparks flew. And then . . . WHOOSH! The benzol ignited.” (Lewis, 8). Around 9 a.m. the Mount-Blanc exploded. The author states, “Was one of the most power explosion in History.”

The aftermath of the horror was a long journey. The author says, “Mention the explosion to a local, he or she has a story of a relative who witnessed the event. The author paints a great picture to the reader of the terrible event.