...So far, Buck was doing a good job carrying the load, and it seemed as if he could carry it for 200 yards instead of 100. While Thornton was yelling directions to Buck, a man from the crowd called out, “Whoever voted against Buck, must be a sorry man!” This aroused some of the spectator, and many were mad that they would ever bet against this amazing creature. Buck was at the half way point already, and he was picking up speed. “I knew he could do it,” whispered Thornton under his breath. Meanwhile, Matthewson was looking despondent at the starting line, and he was thinking of a plan to win the bet. He screamed, “There is no way this foolish mutt will make me loose my gold brick!” Since there was no way for him to reach Buck without going unnoticed, he devised a plan to use his dog. No one saw Matthewson slip away from the crowd, but even if they did no one really would have cared. Everyone who voted for Buck was now hooting and hollering, because he was three fourths of the way to the finish line. “Easy goes Buck, don’t give up now,” said one spectator. While everyone was distracted, Matthewson told his dog to attack Buck. No one prepared for the events that were to follow. Just before Julie, Matthewson’s dog, was about to attack Buck, Thornton saw her and screamed for Buck to get away. After that, Buck did something incredible and astonishing. He quickly turned the one thousand pound load to the side and knocked over Julie. This was a feat that no one thought was possible. Everyone...
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...Planning for me is like a baby climbing a mountain. It’s not impossible, but not very possible either. Usually, my plan is to run at the bad guy with a sword, and scream like I knew what was going on, but in this case, that will not help me. Max knew me too well. I thought about this as I sat on a roof with Alexus, my ‘mother’. Even though she was eighteen, she acted like an adult. She rubbed my hair as I lay there across her lap, telling her what had happen. I did not skip out any detail, because I knew if she got the whole story, than she would be able to help me more. “So,” I asked, when I got done, “what do you think I should do?” She sat, thinking of a reasonable answer. “Get captured,” she responded. “What,” I asked, suddenly jumping from my place...
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...Into the wild is a book about a man named Chris McCandless who tramped around the west coast and some parts of the mid west for about two years and then his adventures led him to mexico and Alaska where he eventually pass away. Chris McCandless was a one of a kind man that lived such a short life but in that time touched the heart of so many people and lived a very full life which is incredible because what he did would take any normal person years to get the courage of doing what he did. Even though Chris was somewhat of a free spirit he had a deep sense of friendship and he cherished the friends that he meet. Chris’s intention to go into the wild was not only a way to prove himself but it was a test to his belief that all of his traveling was a way of finding who he was, and to find out if he could use his skills that he had learned. the books that he read certainly led to him thinking that he could live in the Alaskan wilderness. Chris was a well read person and his favorite books where that of writer jack London. Jack London wrote about life and surviving in the alaskan frontier with books like call of the wild or to build a fire. Many people have suspensions of why chris went into the wild, but a lot of evidence point to that he was influenced by his personal belief that he had to be the best in everything. a quote from the book into the wild that proves this is “ Chris had so much natural talent”(pg111) this quote was said by his father that chris was do his best to learn...
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...Crossing The shot story ”Crossing” is written by Mark Slouka in 2009. The short story brings us through a dangerous situation about a father and son trying to cross a wild river. It is a great trip for a father to spend some quality time with his son out in the wild nature and to bond with each other. It is very typical for an American family, to have such values about a “father and son relationship”. The father in this story takes his son to a place where he went with his own father, when he was young. This brings me to the theme of the story, which could be “disappointment” or “failure”. It is mentioned that the father has done a lot of “fuckups” and he does not want this experience with his son to become one of those fuckups. At the beginning of the short story we are introduced to the father, and the difficult period of his life that he is in. The father reminds himself of his own childhood, when he was seventeen years old and went with his father on a trip into the wild. He gets very disappointed when he returns with his son and realizes that the barn and all the other things in the forest are barely recognizable. He might have had a bad relationship with his own father and does not want the same relationship with his own son. He also remembers some of the bad things about his own father, especially the way he spoke to him as a child, when the father yelled “Don’t fucking fall” (p.2, l. 63). The father could also be divorced from the mother of his son, where he is looking...
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...Crossing Mark Slouka wrote the short story “Crossing” in 2009. This short brings us through a dangerous situation about a farther and son trying to cross a wild river. It is a great trip for a farther to spend some quality time with his son out in the wild nature and to bond with each other. It is very typical for an American family, to have such values about a “farther and son relationship”. The farther in this story takes his son to a place where he went with his own farther, when he was young. This brings me to the theme of the story, which could be “disappointment” or “failure”. It is mentioned that farther has made many “fuckups” and he does not want this experience with his son to become one of those fuckups. At the beginning of the short story, we are introduced to the farther, and the difficult period of his life that he is in. The farther reminds himself of his childhood, when he was seventeen years old and went with his farther on a trip into the wild. He gets very disappointed when he returns with his son and realizes that the barn and all the other things in the forest are barely recognizable. He has probably had a bad relationship with his own farther, and does not wish the same for him and his own son. He also thinks back on some of the bad things about his own farther, especially the way he spoke to him as a child “Don’t fucking fall” (p.2, l. 63). The farther is also divorced from the son’s mother he looks at “…the azaleas he’d planted…” (p.1, l.14) and thinking...
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...belong to a certain clique of friends. However, When growing we undergo various challenges that we have to overcome. Through the Tunnel is a short story written by a famous author called Doris Lessing. It’s a rite of passage short story about an 11 year boy who is growing up. The main protagonist Jerry in the short story is an 11 year old boy who the author presents to us a ‘loner’ (Lessing,1990). He faces the challenge of swimming through a tunnel in the rock and belonging to a certain clique of friends. He finally manages to swim through the tunnel through persistence and determination. The main theme brought out in the story are; for you to grow up you have broken free by being determined and persistent. By swimming through the tunnel Jerry breaks free from his loneliness and doubt of his potential. Throughout the story Jerry is depicted to us as a loner and makes no mention of friends. He always hangs around his mother who makes her feel accepted; they are very protective over each other since there’s no one else in their lives. He manages to break free from his loneliness and becomes friends with the other boys which make him feel accepted. By passing through the tunnel Jerry builds his confidence and he starts to believe that he can achieve anything as long as he is determined and keeps trying. The conflicts captured in the short story are person verses self, person vs. person and person vs. nature. Jerry had to converse with himself if he was capable of swimming through...
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...Jon Krakauer's book, Into the Wild, follows the story of journalist, Jon Krakauer, as he is trying to investigate the death of Christopher McCandless. A boy who traveled into the Alaskan wilderness and never came out. The author follows the clues Chris left to the final resting place of Chris to uncover the truth behind his death. The book is an extension of the nine thousand word article written in the magazine, Outside. Into the Wild follows many of the 10 elements of journalism provided by the American Press Institute, which are based on truth, loyalty to the public, and the equal viewpoints of both journalist and the public. Throughout Into the Wild, the author's main goal is to spread the truth of Chris McCandless's death. Truth...
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...writing. Jack London is among these authors but in his own sense different. Jack London is notorious for focusing his stories on the wild outdoors of the north. In two of London’s most famous books, Call of the WIld and White Fang, he writes about the Klondike Gold Rush. The main characters in both novels are dogs. One learning to survive in the wilderness and one learning to adapt to domestication. This theme supports London’s notorious writing style about the wild. His choice to write about such events in these area and time specific settings can be traced to his childhood growing up in the middle of the Yukon Gold Rush himself. Jack like any author uses his prior experiences as a platform for his writing. What I think makes London’s tone and voice in writing these books so fascinating and successful is the detail in which he writes to convey his setting to the reader. He so accurately describes the feel of the air and the silence of the day along with the beauty of the sky to bring and mental image to anyone’s mind. This keeps the reader intrigued and interested along with a clear vision of an American habitat. This vision of Northern American tundra is crucial to the draw of the novels and short stories London writes because it does convey American culture and and the living conditions of the Great North. London cultivates his novels and short stories around these settings and they are the reason his writing was and still is so popular. Thus this prestigious American...
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...Into the Wild Discussion Questions Due Date: _____________ Directions: Answer each of the follow questions in a well-developed paragraph response. Don’t forget to restate the question in your answer. Responses are to be typed in MLA format. 1. In the author's note Jon Krakauer claims that Christopher McCandless “invented a new life for himself' searching a raw, transcendent experience.” Do you agree with the author's assessment? How did McCandless re-invent himself? How was his life “transcendent” after he graduated from college? 2. Krakauer titles his book Into the Wild which echoes Jack London’s work, The Call of the Wild. McCandless was obviously influenced by London, and Krakauer suggests that McCandless’ experience demonstrates the “grip wilderness has on the American imagination, the allure highrisk activities hold for young men of a certain mind...” How do you define “the call of the wild?” Does the call still exist in the same form it existed in previous periods in America’s history? How is the “wild” or the wilderness important to us as a people? 3. McCandless was also greatly influenced by Henry David Thoreau. What did he borrow from Thoreau’s interaction with nature? How did he differ from Thoreau? 4. Gordon Young, who reviewed Into the Wild, said that McCandless “did not die in vain, and that his life was enviable in many respects.” Young asserts that McCandless was “a profound American figure, uncompromising 'in his approach and thoroughly optimistic about the future...
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...Trips to the wild are experiences that fathers and sons have always shared. In the wild they will not only get closer to nature; they will get closer to each other. Furthermore, these trips are a possibility for fathers to pass knowledge to their sons. In Mark Slouka’s short story “Crossing” from 2009 a father takes his son on such a trip. But nature is not an opponent that should be underestimated, and the family gets to experience just how brutal nature can really be, when you do not watch your every step. The main character in the short story is a father. The reader has access to his thoughts and emotions and through these he is portrayed. It is obvious to the reader that the father cares a lot for his son, which makes him seem sympathetic. Wanting to build up a relationship with his son, the father brings him on a camping trip in the wild exactly like the ones he used to go on with his own father. He wants to pass on the tradition he used to share with his father to his son. It is made clear that the father is in a difficult place right now. He is stuck between two phases in his life. It is described that he hadn’t been happy in a while (l.5), which indicates that he has been going through a rough patch and maybe even suffered from a depression. This could be due to his recent divorce from the son’s mother. Furthermore, it is suggested that the breakup is his fault. Maybe he could make this right, (l.20) he thinks when he looks at his ex-wife. The son, too, seems sympathetic...
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...Into the Wild Discussion Questions Due Date: _____________ Directions: Answer each of the follow questions in a well-developed paragraph response. Don’t forget to restate the question in your answer. Responses are to be typed in MLA format. 1. In the author's note Jon Krakauer claims that Christopher McCandless “invented a new life for himself' searching a raw, transcendent experience.” Do you agree with the author's assessment? How did McCandless re-invent himself? How was his life “transcendent” after he graduated from college? 2. Krakauer titles his book Into the Wild which echoes Jack London’s work, The Call of the Wild. McCandless was obviously influenced by London, and Krakauer suggests that McCandless’ experience demonstrates the “grip wilderness has on the American imagination, the allure highrisk activities hold for young men of a certain mind...” How do you define “the call of the wild?” Does the call still exist in the same form it existed in previous periods in America’s history? How is the “wild” or the wilderness important to us as a people? 3. McCandless was also greatly influenced by Henry David Thoreau. What did he borrow from Thoreau’s interaction with nature? How did he differ from Thoreau? 4. Gordon Young, who reviewed Into the Wild, said that McCandless “did not die in vain, and that his life was enviable in many respects.” Young asserts that McCandless was “a profound American figure, uncompromising 'in his approach and thoroughly optimistic about the future...
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...Walker” The short story, “The Devil and Tom Walker,” has many elements of Romanticism. Romanticism is “a movement in the arts and literature that originated in the late 18th century, emphasizing inspiration, subjectivity, and the primacy of the individual.” The ways of this art that was found in this text were, Enthusiasm for the wild, preoccupation with the mysterious, and imagination over reason in literature. To find the meaning in the story was difficult for some, but the use of romanticism is very sought- out throughout the story. The enthusiasm for the wild had a very descriptive point of view of Tom Walker. Enthusiasm for the Wild is irregular or grotesque in nature and art. Washington Irving did a job of very good job describing his surroundings. Tom Walker described the devil as, “The man, wearing a red sash around his body, has a soot-stained face, which makes it appear as if he works in some fiery place.” (“The Devil and Tom Walker Summary.” Enotes.com, Enotes.com) The use of detail created an image of the man and his surrounding, including the first of the story as the story where it starts off as Tom separates the grass of a swamp and the man finds a skull with a tomahawk bedded into it. When Tom kicks the skull the devil appears and the...
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...happens for the main character and narrator, Lucy in the short story “A Gift for My Mother”. The short story is written by Viv McDade in 2011. It is about a family, which comprise Lucy and her parents. The family lives in South Africa and they have to struggle to scratch a bare living. One day Lucy’s parents are arguing about money, Lucy conceives the idea of earning some money to give to her mother through collecting wild flowers to sell in the neighborhood. When Lucy had sold all the flowers, she wanted to give the money to her mother, but her mother refused the money and Lucy now has to return the money. The narrator in this short story is the main character Lucy. The story is told by a first person narrator and from Lucy’s point of view, which we get a hint of on page eight in the first line; “In the year I turned ten I picked my mother a bunch of wild flowers in the bushveld (…)”. When we are dealing with a first person narrator and particular when it is a child’s point of view, we have to have the narrator’s reliability in mind, because sometimes the first person narrator is not full objective. The story is set in South Africa, perhaps Zimbabwa where author Viv McDade is born. We get some clues about the setting. We are told about some plants and trees, which are only growing in South Africa example the “msasa” tree and the “weed” plant. Beyond that, the family’s situations is a big hint for where and when the story is set. On page eight it says “He [the father] took a deep...
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...The poem “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver and the short story “The Moths” written by Helena Maria Viramontes, are similar because both authors use a sense of defiance for their main topics. In the short story “The Moths” the main character defies what her parents want of her, and she continues to do her own thing. She feels out of place and not accepted because her sisters make fun of her and treat her like she's nothing. While in the poem “Wild Geese” the author says “You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.” This relates to “The Moths” because the main character goes against what her family wants of her. For example in the story her family was going to church while she has no interest in going at all. She pretends to get ready and leave but instead she goes to help her grandmother who is sick. The main character “walks on her knees” for her grandmother because her own mother won't take care of her. She does everything for her grandmother to make her feel comfortable and be able to live to the next day. Throughout the story we learn that the main characters doesn't feel wanted because she is nothing like her sisters and she disobeys her parents wants for her. The only person who was there for her was her grandmother who taught nothing but right and wrong and how to get through it. In the poem it says “ Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination.” This quote describes...
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...Ta for the memories The grass is always greener on the other side... “Ta for the memories” is a British short story by Deborah Moggach published in 1994. The story is about a plain woman called Edith who lives a normal life in England. She works as an editor and one day she is asked to make an autobiography of the wild pop singer Kenney Loathsome. The meeting between them is a big change and eye-opener to Edith. This text is all about the clashes between cultures and classes and knowing who you are... Edith is a quiet and plain woman. She lives in an apartment in Peckham High Street with her cat. She enjoys peace and quiet and the only noise she makes, is when she sings in the choir. On the surface she seems happy and very comfortable with her life. She loves to read books by great philosophers and poets, and she quotes them at any given chance. She is quite conservative. She has no understanding for heavy and noisy music, and she prefers to stick to herself and stay out of the spotlight. She does not have any close friends, let alone a boyfriend. She is closed and reserved. The only social contact she has is with her co-workers and she does not get along with them very well. At Edith’s two weeks stay at Kenny Loathsome’s place in Nice, she starts to change. Suddenly she starts wearing contacts instead of glasses. She starts to get a tan and thinks about her looks in a different way. She tries to impress Kenny Loathsome, but he does not deign to look at her. She becomes kind...
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