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Compare And Contrast The Devil's Thumb By John Krakauer

913 Words4 Pages

People have had a penchant for seeking thrills for a long time. Whether it is skiing fast, base jumping, or racing, people have been chasing the rush of adrenaline and the feeling of accomplishment from participating in such activities. Mountain climbing has been one of these thrills that people have participated in for years. The arduous task of scaling a mountain has mesmerized people and inspired them to climb it seeking fame and accolades. But is also inspires them to challenge themselves and prove to themselves that they can do anything. Both reasons have been are evident in the memoirs “Devil’s Thumb” by John Krakauer and “Everest” by Erik Weihenmayer. Both articles have many similarities and differences shown through their perspective, …show more content…

He then decides that he needed to do something to ingratiate himself with the public to turn his life around. He felt the best way to do that was to climb the Devil’s Thumb solo. “… but if I could somehow get to the top of the Devils Thumb, I was convinced, everything that followed would turn out all right.” (127 Krakauer). With his look on life as one of a young adult, he feels that if he does something of notice he will have a fulfilled life, a life in which everything will be better. He wants the fame and recognition that comes with doing something of …show more content…

“…As the days passed, I grew increasingly anxious…the pilot appreciated the gravity of my predicament...I felt tears of joy well in my eyes.” The words with the negative connotation further indicate why he chose to write this story. “my ostentatious...my impetuosity”. The word choice of the story tells of his purpose to write this story and tell us how to have realistic dreams. Due to the Weihenmayer writing this story to tell people of his climb to the top of Everest and imbue people with inspiration the tone of the story and the choice of words conveys positivity. “I had the luxury of choosing the largest mask…I felt I was in my element…So I suspended my nerves for a moment, reached down and touched the top of the world.”. Weihenmayer did an awesome thing. He was the first blind man to climb Everest. With his story about the climb and with the choice of words he used, he tells readers to not give up on your

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513 Words | 3 Pages

In the long run, Krakauer concludes that complete arrogance is in part to blame for the tragedy that takes place on Everest. Hall "bragged on more than one occasion that he could get almost any reasonably fit person to the summit. " Their arrogance also caused their clients to lower their guard and not fully appreciate the risks of the expedition. Overall, Krakauer taught many different themes within the novel that everyone should

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974 Words | 4 Pages

, it is important to note that the characters portrayed in this book are real people. The unique conditions and the weather of the setting forced the climbers to make choices that they could not have made in a different situation. The tough choices made by the climbers and the setting influenced the result of the story. Krakauer’s tone for the most part is respectful toward the guides and climbers, and he narrates as objectively as possible, while including his own concerns and doubts. His tone in the beginning expresses excitement and nervousness, but later turns into

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986 Words | 4 Pages

79) (Simile). "The wind kicked up huge swirling waves of powder snow that washed down the mountain like breaking surf, plastering my clothing with frost." (pg. 125) (Simile).These smilies really compare, and show the reader the harsh conditions the climbers faced everyday. The main paradox in the book is that experience and preparation ultimately means nothing on Mt. Everest. In particular, no one thought that such a tragedy could occur on an expedition guided by Rob Hall, the most celebrated Everest guide dog of the decade.

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741 Words | 3 Pages

Krakauer’s investigation then picks up a replacement subject: McCandless’s frustration together with his family. once McCandless graduated from highschool, he went on a visit to CA and discovered that his father had been a spouse. Krakauer theorizes that McCandless’s anger at this long-kept family secret offers some motivation for his need to go away his life behind. Krakauer then dedicates 2 chapters to his own ascent of the Devils Thumb.

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775 Words | 4 Pages

Into Thin Air is a non fiction book written by Jon Krakauer which shows the dangers and challenges of climbing this almighty mountain known as Everest. In this extract, he emphasizes on the uncertainty the mountain offers and how the higher you go, the more fatigue will start hitting in. Jon Krakauer’s emphasis on the dangers and difficulties on climbing Everest, purposeful use of diction as well as also contrasting the dangers with beauty, deeply portrays how even in the toughest of times, people should always see the positives and in this scenario he admires the beauty Everest brings. Krakauer reiterates the difficulties/dangers of climbing Everest and how you have to adapt to any obstacles that might come your way.

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500 Words | 2 Pages

The details and sentencing helps you picture the image in your head. After this chapter Krakauer’s book talks about the rest of his expedition to the top of the

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1120 Words | 5 Pages

Chris underestimated the power of Nature. As Krakauer describes in his climb of the Devils Thumb, Nature is very harsh. During his climb, Krakauer comes close to death several times. He finds nature’s power extremely frightening. With this personal narrative, readers understand the true ruthlessness of the wild.

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300 Words | 2 Pages

Chapters 14 & 15 explained Krakauer’s personal expedition to Devil’s Thumb. I learned a lot about Krakauer’s personal life and the factors contributing to his journey. After reading his personal experience, I understood his compassion for Chris McCandless 's life and journey and why he wrote Into The Wild. Krakauer explains how he had such devotion to climb Devil’s Thumb, but I interpreted this as him being type of guy who sets his mind to a task and then is extremely driven to accomplish it.

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173 Words | 1 Pages

To appeal to the sense of credibility, Jon Krakauer implements his own personal experiences in Alaska to express that he understands Chris’s reasons and is credible to tell his story. Krakauer and Chris displayed many similarities such as their inherited ambition and father-son relationship, which led them to isolate themselves from their families and societal standards. The author dedicates a part of the novel to explain his adventure climbing the Devils Thumb and how his life was like growing up. When Krakauer climbed this dangerous mountain, he realized that the wilderness makes all societal conformity “temporarily forgotten, crowded from your thoughts by an overpowering clarity of purpose and by the seriousness of the task at hand”

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1249 Words | 5 Pages

For as long as anyone can remember, people have dreamed of reaching the summit of Mt. Everest. During May of 1996, an expedition set out to Nepal to attempt a climb up Mt. Everest. By the end of this expedition to the top of Everest, many climbers lost their lives due to the brutal weather. In Jon Krakauer’s novel Into Thin Air, he takes readers through the story of the expedition, and he talks about the climbers who died. Among the list of the dead was a man named Doug Hansen.

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607 Words | 3 Pages

Many things could go wrong climbing the highest mountain in the world with an elevation of 29,029 ft. 12 people died climbing Mount Everest. No is responsible for those death. The climbers had chosen to climb the mountain. In the novel it states, “Hall was charging $65,000 a head to guide clients to the top of the world” (Krakauer 35). This shows that a person is willing to pay to go through so much pain, risk and sickness to summit the top of the world.

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1637 Words | 7 Pages

The interviews were conducted to gain a better understanding of the culture of rock climbing. The interview subjects ranged in age from 19 to 23 years old and all were female. They had all been climbing for at least four months, but up to three years. It was found that the participants frequented the climbing gym, all generally going two or three times each week. While at the gym, the participants would tend to stay at the gym for between one and two hours.

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820 Words | 4 Pages

I recently sat down and read Philp Hoarse inadequate “article” on why we shouldn’t be allowed to climb the tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest. Philp’s naïve notions have caused me to take serious offense to this as I am engrossed in the world of extreme sports. He says our desire to explore and feel like we belong in this world, is it really not up to par? Firstly, Hoare clearly does not understand the courage and willingness to attempt to do such amazing things such as climb Everest as he says in his shoddy attempt at writing “stuck a flag”.

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1045 Words | 5 Pages

Climbing up the last valley before I meet the mighty Everest, my body is exhausted and vision blurry. With nothing but strong desire to have a glimpse of the highest peak in the world, I mustered every ounce of will power and made it to the Everest Base Camp. I’ve always been a fighter and strive for excellence at whatever I aim at. This is also how it works with my passion for mathematics. I still have a memory of the sense of accomplishment I felt during a 4th grade math class, in which I solved a difficult problem on fractions, that other kids of my class couldn’t.

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977 Words | 4 Pages

Climbers risk it all to reach the summit and to be on top of the world. It takes true character to climb a fatal yet astonishing mountain like Mount Everest. In the end climbers say it is a feeling that they can’t describe. Sir Edmund Hillary once said “People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary

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