Rhyme and Repetition. Writers of song lyrics use many of the same devices that poets use, such as rhyme and repetition. Rhyme is the repetition of sounds at the ends of words. Repetition is more than one use of a sound, word, or group of words. Identify where rhyme and repetition are used in these lyrics.
Mood. Mood, or atmosphere, is the feeling or emotion the writer creates in a literary work. By working carefully with descriptive language, a writer can evoke in the reader an emotional response such as fear, discomfort, longing, or anticipation. How would you describe the mood in “The Springhill Disaster”?
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• Geography Connection. Springhill is a town in northern Nova Scotia, Canada. Coal was first mined commercially in Springhill in 1872. One of the mines is 4,000 feet deep and is considered the deepest in Canada. Like many deep mines, those of Springhill have been plagued by disaster. In 1891, 125 people died in a mining accident. In another accident in 1956, 39 people died. In 1958, part of the mine collapsed and buried miners alive; 76 people died but some were rescued. The 1956 and 1958 accidents prompted the closing of mining facilities in Springhill, where light industry now fuels the economy. The song you are about to read was written after the accident of 1958.
• History Connection. People have mined the earth for minerals, stone, and metal for thousands of years. Coal mining became an important industry in the Middle Ages (400s–1500s). By the end of the Middle Ages, surface deposits of coal were used up. Miners dug shafts—deep vertical openings—into the earth. Until recently, miners went underground to dig and chop the coal with pickaxes. People, mules, and horses dragged the coal back up to the surface.
• Science Connection. In deep mines, groundwater must be continually drained. Pockets of dangerous flammable gas can explode or poison miners without warning. Because of the pressure of gravity, the underground tunnels of deep mines can collapse if not properly engineered.
In what situation would you be most frightened: atop a very tall building, in a small tight space, or lost in the pitch-black dark? Why?
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