Education

Vocabulary Words
Vagaries
Fulminated
Visage
Primordial
Nomadic
Helter-skelter
Vagabond
Pseudonym
Metabolized
Exultation

Words included in Sentence and with Definition:

“In addition to the financial strain of exchanging a steady paycheck for the vagaries of self-employment….”
     an unpredictable or erratic action, occurrence, course, or instance

“…others fulminated that he was a reckless idiot, a wacko, a narcissist who perished out of arrogance and stupidity…”
     to explode with a loud noise; detonate

“…while above their heads Ross Perot’s sneering visage flickers across a silent television screen.”
     the face, usually with reference to shape, features, expression, etc.; countenance

“The dominant primordial beast was strong in Buck…”
     constituting a beginning; giving origin to something derived or developed; original

“Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon”
     any wanderer; itinerant

“…adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will appear to be crazy.”
     in headlong and disorderly haste

“Astoundingly, the eighty-one-year-old man took the brash twenty-four-year-old vagabond’s advice to heart.”
     wandering from place to place without any settled home; nomadic

“(this is not his real name, at his request I have given him a pseudonym)…”
     a fictitious name used by an author to conceal his or her identity; pen name

“…he had metabolized most of his body fat and was having difficulty staying warm during the long, cold nights.”
      physical and chemical processes in an organism by which its material substance is produced, maintained, and destroyed, and by which energy is made available.

“The solitude and total freedom of the wilderness  created a perfect setting for either melancholy or exultation.”
     lively or triumphant joy, as over success or victory.




Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why did Christopher McCandless leave for Alaska?
2. Who last seen Chris McCandless living?
3. Alexander Super tramp is what?
4. Which word is best to describe McCandless?
5. How does his family react to him missing?
6. What does Chris do with his savings account money?
7. What does Chris die from?
8. Which season caused major issues for Chris?
9. What happens to the moose Chris kills?
10. How was Chris's remains discovered?

Exam Key:1. To escape from civilization.
2. Jim Gallien.
3. Chris's fake name.
4. Stubborn.
5. The become neurotic and concerned.
6. Donates it to a charity.
7. Eating a poisonous plant.
8. Winter.
9. The meat goes bad and he cannot use it.
10. By two hunters that visited the bus.

Business

             Jon Krakauer’s novel, Into the Wild, has been notified as a work of staggering genius. Though Krakauer begins his novel with the death of Christopher McCandless, his eye for detail continues to capture the audience under his titillating narrative. His ability to achieve a somewhat complacent tone in thrilling circumstances is due to his effective rhetorical strategies.
            There is no question Jon Krakauer is a talented author. He has had books up for renowned, noble nominations and some even on the New York Times bestsellers list for two years. His skills have reached an all-time high as he splashes rhetoric strategies on the pages of Into the Wild. Certain devices stood out to me. For example, as Chris’s mother explains, “It was terrible not knowing-not knowing anything at all,” the technique of short repetition is to emphasize the emotion. There is a similar technique used in other cases in the novel where there is a pause or hesitation in the writing; again used for emotional emphasis.
            Later in the novel when Krakauer begins to speak about Chris and his childhood, some metaphors were used. A particular favorite of mine was Chris’s teacher telling his parents, “Chris marches to a different drummer.” This metaphor gave the audience a perspective of how he was as a child and helped correlate how he progressed as an adult. A simile was used to describe Chris’s cleanliness as a young adult, “He kept it as orderly and spotless as a military barracks,” this simile gives the audience a characteristic of Chris. It is important to become adapt or coincide with the character, allow them to grow on the readers.
            Chris’s swift emancipation from civilization was considered by many to be obstructive and encumbered his family and friends. However, Jon Krakauer’s kinship stems from some allusions and he justifies that McCandless is not the first to sift through society. Forgive me, I cannot remember the names of the previous travelers, but there have been other young and middle aged men who left civilization for personal preference. This rhetoric strategy used is an allusion, a reference to a famous person. And most of these men that leave are considered famous, though several of people agree that they do not deserve the media attention.
            Krakauer’s strategic placement and organized structure have achieved an overall well-tone and thrilling novel. The metaphors, similes, and allusions are not always beneficial to McCandless’s character, and I think it makes the book that much more sophisticated, charming, and authentic. Critics rave about Into the Wild, and McCandless will forever be remembered due to the achievements of Jon Krakeaur’s novel.

Living

       The sketch above is one I created myself. I thought it applied to the book as a symbol of pursue your goals; like the expression, "reach for the stars." Christopher McCandless was an idealistic young man. He had goals of vanishing from society to pursue a life of ultimate freedom and purity. This hand holding the sun expresses people have the ability to do things larger than life, so to speak. Some people say, "Get your head out of the clouds," I think that should be embraced; It's okay to wonder, to explore, to have a creative imagination. Continue to work for your goals, whatever they may be, and when you get there, grasp on to that gleaming light of faith, and never let go.

Editorial

U.S. & World

Headline News

Jon Krakauer
Author of Into the Wild

a.       Purpose
       Jon Krakauer published an article in Outside Magazine that gave a brief synopsis of Christopher McCandless’s destination and death. After this article was published, Krakaeur’s fascination with McCandless continued; also, people sent mail to Krakauer expressing that McCandless was selfish and “that he was undeserving of the media attention”. In order to give a better insight on McCandless’s actions, Krakauer published Into the Wild, which explained the boy’s choice for leaving, his home life, his travels, the people he met, and previous expeditions similar to his. Krakauer justifies the reasoning Chris McCandless left in depth with a content tone. Krakauer has the ability to put every ounce of passion into his characters, but as he narrates, he is calm and content.

b.      Research
       Krakauer mentions in this novel that he did a year’s worth of research, and “retracting the convoluted path that led to his death.” Jon Krakauer became extremely close with the McCandless family and mentions in Acknowledgements that there is no possible way this novel could have been read without their help. They gave him unlimited access to his papers, letters, and photographs and talked with him in “great lengths.”  He also mentions the family never made an attempt to control what was put in the book despite some of the painful, graphic material.

c.       Language
       I find that Jon Krakauer’s use of language is strategic and achieves clarity. Every sentence has a purpose and his language is relatable and easy to follow but sophisticated and scholarly. For example, the following is a stray sentence I noticed, “Or maybe not; we can do no more than speculate about what he intended to do after he walked out of the bush. There is no question, however, that he intended to walk out.” Krakauer’s thoughts in this novel are consistently structured and strategic. His language advances throughout the novel and is always used appropriately.

d.      Important Quotes
       “I'm going to paraphrase Thoreau here... rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness... give me truth.”
              -I chose this because Thoreau was one of Chris’s favorite authors. He quotes him a lot in his writings. Thoreau’s past pertains to Chris’s present; Thoreau lived by himself in the wilderness for two years about one mile away from civilization. Though Chris traveled much further, they have quite similar situations.
       “You don't need to worry about me. I have a college education. I'm not destitute. I'm living like this by choice...”
              -This quote reveals that McCandless realizes what people think of him. He understands his idealism is unconventional, but he chooses to do so anyway. This reflects on his personality as a whole.
       “So many people live within unhappy circumstances & yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of SECURITY, CONFORMITY and CONSERVATISM, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind. But in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit of a man than a secure future....”
              -This is my favorite quote. I think it gives a definite insight on how Chris thinks. I also believe that it displays his intelligence as well as his idealistic thoughts.
       “McCandless went into the wilderness not primarily to ponder nature or world at large but, rather, to explore the inner country of his own soul”
              -There are many speculations on why McCandless went into the wilderness. After reading the novel, it is clear he went for himself. Of course he did not go for a nature hike to look at trees, he went to cleanse himself.
       “He quit playing partly because he didn't like being told what to do...”
              -This reflects on Chris even as a young child, he was stubborn and did not like the idea of limitations, which relates to his departure for Alaska.

e.       Universal Ideas
       Greed: This is a major theme in the book. It is to my understanding McCandless and Krakauer both share the same opinion about greed. It is everywhere, and we are amongst the greediest and most unappreciative people in the world. Not every person is greedy, however, in some point in time greed consumes us. It is an inevitable act given the circumstances.
       Superficial Items: McCandless was obsessed with diverging from items such as money, cars, schooling, etc. Not that he didn’t appreciate the wealth he was given; he just believed they were not necessities, they were luxuries. Based on how Krakauer expresses this in the novel, I would think he agrees. They were priceless compared to what nature provides. And universally today, basic survival skills would be a struggle to an average person without technology.
       Freedom: America, like many other countries, has guidelines. I believe guidelines and limitations are necessary for the growing population. However, McCandless realized these limitations and rebelled for ultimate freedom in nature. That was his goal, freedom.
       Culture: McCandless actually tried to step back into reality after part of his expedition was over. After this attempt, he viewed the culture as a structure of careless individuals, no passion and no pure appreciation. He was fine with the culture, as long as he didn’t live in it.
     Idealism: Everyone has idealistic thoughts; it is inevitable to have such an opinion on what “should be”. One of the reasons to write this book was to explain and justify McCandless’s idealisms because they were viewed as outrageous and foolish. But living in freedom and with raw nature was an ideal situation for Chris. Personally, I think it is admirable that he prefers to live in a natural world, rather than a destruction of one.

This Date In History

The time line above displays major events in Jon Krakauer's  life.
The information is provided by
http://www.randomhouse.com/features/krakauer/author.html

Title Page

     This picture (left) resembles freedom which is a major theme in the novel Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer.












Title Page
     -Brief outline of newpaper
This Date in History
     -Timeline of the author's life
Headline News
     -Analysis of novel
U.S. & World
     -Real world issues related to novel
Editorial
     -Personal opinion essay
Living
     -A creative expression illustrating the novel's theme
Business
     -Analysis of Krakauer's writing style
Education
     -Final exam of novel