...Shaun Callarman believed that McCandless was not courageous nor noble. This is actually how I see McCandless as well. He was crazy. It was probably the dumbest thing that Chris could’ve done with his life. Although he had a rough upbringing and a fallout with his dad, I do not think that going into the wilderness ill-prepared was the best way to deal with his issues. Chris McCandless was a boy from the suburbs of Virginia who was very athletic. He was only twenty four years old when his body was found in an abandoned bus in the Alaskan wilderness. He was a student at Emory University and shortly after he graduated, he set off on his adventure that would later kill him. McCandless became angry with his family because he had found out that his father had had another family when Chris was just a child. This information is what set Chris off and provoked him to leave with no return. He had no intentions on telling his parents or sister where he was going. This is the most psychotic act I have ever heard of. Chris changed his identity by going by name “Alex.” Personally, I do not think that this was a smart idea at all. Chris...
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...Andrea Perez English 110 A journey of self-discovery Going into the wild, Chris McCandless, a young man, whose past shows the wounds of a troubled family, gives up living by the standards of society and decides to go in an adventure for two years. Living as a tramp, traveling around; first by car, then by foot, meeting people on the road but always continuing towards his ultimate adventure: Alaska, McAndless shows great determination to carry on the road that brought him to his final exploration. However, not knowing that his odyssey would cost him his life and the pain and suffering of the ones that loved him the most. Thus, many people ponder: “was he crazy?” “Why would he do something like that?” It is easy for one to wonder what was the impulse for such an adventure. What was driving his heart and soul to that lifestyle? Some people argue that he was just a reckless young kid trying to punish his family. However, some of this thoughts might be true; Alexander Supertramp, a name he adopted to symbolize a complete disconnection with his previous life, had deeper and more important reasons to his actions, his main intention was to pursue what made his soul feel at peace, he was looking for happiness and escaping from the ghost of a past that tormented him. Though, he surprised himself by realizing that his stubborn concept of happiness wasn’t completely right for himself. According to the google dictionary happiness is a state of mind of feeling characterized by contentment...
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...portrays a tone that shifts from formal and indifferent to sorrowful and admiring. Krakauer exhibits this change by remaining unbiased and factual in the beginning, but then becomes more personally connected to the subject (Chris McCandless) in the end. He does this in order to give a neutral, journalistic account of Chris’s death, before burrowing deeper into his life and analyzing the personal choices made that led to his demise. Krakauer directs this text primarily towards other travelers and outdoorsman, speaking to them at first like a journalist, but then providing his own voice and opinions as he examines the story. Early on in the book, Krakauer expresses a formal view on Chris McCandless’...
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..."McCandless was thrilled to be on his way north, and he was relieved as well—relieved that he had again evaded the impending threat of human intimacy, of friendship, and all the messy emotional baggage that comes with it. He had fled the claustrophobic confines of his family. He’d successfully kept Jan Burres and Wayne Westerberg at arm’s length, flitting out of their lives before anything was expected of him. And now he’d slipped painlessly out of Ron Franz’s life as well." This quotation shows Chris’s problems with intimacy which was highlighted on his two-year journey to find meaning in his life. During his journey he does not contact his sister, which he was very close with. Although he made lots of friends and acquaintances he made sure...
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...1st Body Paragraph Critics of Chris McCandless were wrong to think that Chris was a selfish individual. In fact, Chris is a kind and generous person. For starters ever since, Chris was in High School he helped many less fortunate than him. Krakauer writes: “On weekends, when his high school pals were attending “keggers” and trying to sneak into Georgetown bars, McCandless would wander the seedier quarters of Washington, chatting with prostitutes and homeless people, buying those meals, earnestly suggesting ways they might improve their lives.” (Krakauer 113). As we can see Chris could not spare watching people suffer. Hunger was one of the many injustices he could not stand. Again, before leaving society, Chris gave the rest of his college fund money to a charity OXFAM America. Those actions prove that Chris was generous. Even when he was planning his trip, he continues to help others for he gave his money to a good cause. Chris actions open doors for many who struggle with hunger. Clearly Chris was not oblivious to people pain. This gesture is definitely not one of a selfish individual. Moreover, another example of the big heart of Chris is when he was in Alaska. He just finished hunting a moose and he was starving but his remorse, was more of a weight than his hunger for he tried his best to preserve the meat. Unfortunately, all attempt fail and McCandless was forced to accept his defeat. He did not take it well. A passage in his journal tells us exactly how he felt:...
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...Matt Shepard”, Beth Loffreda discusses the murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie Wyoming and it’s traumatic effect on the university and community as a whole. She focuses heavily on the idea of identity, both that of the individual and the shared identity of the community after the traumatic event of his death. Trauma is of particular interest to Martha Stout, author of “When I Woke up on Tuesday, It was Friday”. She questions idea of sanity and whether we can truly call ourselves sane. She uses examples of her patients to discuss the effects of trauma on a person’s memory, feelings, and ultimately their identity. In “Into the Wild”, Jon Krakauer implies some of these same concepts with the story of Chris Candles and his travels in the Alaskan wilderness. Through out the story Chris seems to be searching for his own identity and seemingly trying to cope with damage and after effects of childhood trauma. Trauma as personally experienced or shared through a community causes a disconnection between individual and shared identity, significantly damaging and profoundly affecting our self and shared perceptions, feelings, and opinions of ourselves and the world around us. As a result we are challenged to either over come our past traumas or succumb to them; in other words our reactions to past trauma determines whether we are able to reconcile our identities. Trauma can be caused by many different sources, it can be the result of an accident, a malicious attack or and act of God...
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...behind his old life and family to embark on a new one. Chris McCandless, a 24-year-old outdoor enthusiast, established his own will as he ventured across the country. He searched for independence along with his true self as an individual during his journey of free-spiritedness that has become well-known by the world today as a story of a man who controlled his life to be one of challenge and adventure. Chris grabbed life by the horns and made the best of it he possibly could for himself on a journey that was an unrestrained, passionate experience. Chris McCandless embarked on a life he creates as means of escapism from his family and society in pursuit to prove himself...
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...felt for Chris and how they reacted after he had passed away. I felt like I was actually inside of Sam’s head because I could feel the emotion from what he was thinking. I could not imagine the excruciating pain of telling your parents’ that one of your siblings had just died. Krakauer really captures the emotions of what the people are saying. One thing that I really liked was that he gives background information on the family and kind of makes you question why Chris actually left. I like how Krakauer reflects on the problems that could have...
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...The description of Chris Mccandless, according to some, is that of a mad lunatic because of his outlandish actions displayed in Jon Krakauer’s “Into The Wild”. However, there are a few people who understand and show sympathy for McCandless’s view. An example of an individual that shares the same thrill as McCandless is the author himself. Similarities between Krakauer and McCandless mirror in their parental situations as well as their love for exploration into the unknown. These two individuals will demonstrate the struggle with family and identity that society has a hard time accepting. Family and society take a toll on both McCandless and Krakauer, because their fathers demand so much from them, wanting them to exceed the legacy that they have established. While investigating into McCandless’s odyssey, Krakauer starts to reflect on his own personal life,“But i believe we were similarly affected by the skewed relationships we had with our fathers....
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...Fear of the Unknown Taking any kind of a risk is a gamble. They have the potential to lead to a harmful or dangerous outcome, yet can still provide the opportunity for an outcome that can perceived as positive. The essay, “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer is his account of Chris McCandless’ search for himself through taking a risk and inhabiting the Alaskan wilderness. Through his lack of survival skills, it is evident that McCandless is a person who likes to take part of risky and dangerous behaviors. “Immune to Reality” by Daniel Gilbert is an analytical essay that revolves around the existence of the psychological immune system. This defense system proves to work as a mechanism that can create positive views out of a negative experience thus producing happiness to an individual. Through Gilbert’s analysis he discovers that people are usually not in favor of taking risks out of fear of feeling regret. However he proves how the psychological immune system can turn a negative consequence of taking a risk into a more pleasant and bearable one. The essay “Another Look Back, And A Look Ahead” by Edward Tenner is an insightful discussion about how people often miscalculate the way technologies will work in the future and to what extent they are useful. People may find themselves getting an unexpected outcome of some new technology which can lead to dangerous risks in the future. People take risks because they want to attain happiness however in the process of this, sometimes people’s...
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...in which he is immersed. Similarly, in an act of defiance against his family and the materialistic American society, Christopher McCandless in Into the Wild establishes a new identity for himself when he abandons all possessions and changes his name before venturing into the isolation of the Alaskan wilderness. Aided by devices, notably setting, symbolism, narrative technique, juxtaposition of minor characters and imagery, Lahiri and Penn endeavour to demonstrate the effects of culture, childhood and family, in particular, on shaping individuality. Diverse settings are employed by Lahiri and Penn to portray culture and its influence on the personas of the central characters. A ceremonial setting is common to both texts and foreshadows the protagonist's desire to retreat from his traditions. Gogol's 'annaprasan' is a customary Indian rice ritual for newborn children, who 'confront [their] destiny' by selecting a 'clump of soil ... ballpoint pen, [or] ... dollar bill' from a plate, respectively representing 'a landowner, scholar or businessman.' Gogol's refusal to choose an object, a rare act, alludes to his reluctance later in life to identify with Bengali culture. Similarly, the formality of Chris' graduation ceremony, established through the thousands of students wearing graduation outfits and musicians playing on bagpipes, is interrupted by Chris' aberrant leap onto the stage when his name is announced,...
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...Knowledge and confidence are two different things, knowledge is what you know from experience and confidence is something you’re not sure about, but still do it anyway. However, in these three stories I’ve read, it shows how dangerous knowledge and confidence can be in any situation. So, what was the big issue in these stories, was it their decisions of how to do stuff without being sure of it. First, let's look at Into the Wild and how knowledge and confidence take place in this story. Chris Mccandless knowledge in the story was that Chris pursuit of individual happiness while not listening what others have to say and he had the ability to be comfortable in solitude and independence. Throughout the whole story, he left his old life and wanted...
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...Lavish as in, he had his parents affection, a car, money to go to and make a life for himself. In the story, McCandless is very close with his sister, but he doesn't even contact her while he’s out in the wild. This shows the deep issues with intimacy he possesses. This issue ends up proving fatal during his two year quest. Since, he doesn't make relationships with the people he has met along the way, he ends up being completely alone. Without those relations when he runs out of food and shelter he has no one to come and help him. Along, with hurting the people he had recently met, he also risks the family bonds when he leaves. This relates to our world today as well because some people feel so disconnected with the world, that they feel if they vanished no one would be bothered. But in reality everyone who knows that individual is affected on some level. Same with Chris, his parents, friends and other people in his life were devastated when they heard the...
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...animal Books by Elliot Aronson Theories of Cognitive Consistency (with R. Abelson et al.), 1968 Voices of Modern Psychology, 1969 The Social Animal, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1995, 1999, 2004; (with J. Aronson), 2008 Readings About the Social Animal, 1973, 1977, 1981, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1995, 1999, 2004; (with J. Aronson), 2008 Social Psychology (with R. Helmreich), 1973 Research Methods in Social Psychology (with J. M. Carlsmith & P. Ellsworth), 1976 The Jigsaw Classroom (with C. Stephan et al.), 1978 Burnout: From Tedium to Personal Growth (with A. Pines & D. Kafry), 1981 Energy Use: The Human Dimension (with P. C. Stern), 1984 The Handbook of Social Psychology (with G. Lindzey), 3rd ed., 1985 Career Burnout (with A. Pines), 1988 Methods of Research in Social Psychology (with P. Ellsworth, J. M. Carlsmith, & M. H. Gonzales), 1990 Age of Propaganda (with A. R. Pratkanis), 1992, 2000 Social Psychology, Vols. 1–3 (with A. R. Pratkanis), 1992 Social Psychology: The Heart and the Mind (with T. D. Wilson & R. M. Akert), 1994 Cooperation in the Classroom: The Jigsaw Method (with S. Patnoe), 1997 Nobody Left to Hate: Teaching Compassion After Columbine, 2000 Social Psychology: An Introduction (with T. D. Wilson & R. M. Akert), 2002, 2005, 2007 The Adventures of Ruthie and a Little Boy Named Grandpa (with R. Aronson), 2006 Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me) (with C. Tavris), 2007 Books by Joshua Aronson Improving Academic Achievement, 2002 The Social Animal To...
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...FAMILY OF SECRETS The Bush Dynasty, America’s Invisible Government, and the Hidden History of the Last Fifty Years RUSS BAKER Contents Foreword by James Moore 1. How Did Bush Happen? 2. Poppy’s Secret 3. Viva Zapata 4. Where Was Poppy? 5. Oswald’s Friend 6. The Hit 7. After Camelot 8. Wings for W. 9. The Nixonian Bushes 10. Downing Nixon, Part I: The Setup 11. Downing Nixon, Part II: The Execution 12. In from the Cold 13. Poppy’s Proxy and the Saudis 14. Poppy’s Web 15. The Handoff 16. The Quacking Duck 17. Playing Hardball 18. Meet the Help 19. The Conversion 20. The Skeleton in W.’s Closet 21. Shock and . . . Oil? 22. Deflection for Reelection 23. Domestic Disturbance 24. Conclusion Afterword Author’s Note Acknowledgments Notes Foreword When a governor or any state official seeks elective national office, his (or her) reputation and what the country knows about the candidate’s background is initially determined by the work of local and regional media. Generally, those journalists do a competent job of reporting on the prospect’s record. In the case of Governor George W. Bush, Texas reporters had written numerous stories about his failed businesses in the oil patch, the dubious land grab and questionable funding behind a new stadium for Bush’s baseball team, the Texas Rangers, and his various political contradictions and hypocrisies while serving in Austin. I was one of those Texas journalists. I spent about a decade...
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