ipl-logo

Gary Paulsen Accomplishments

1596 Words7 Pages

Gary Paulsen’s life is not one that many would envy. Spending most of his childhood exploring the outdoors and coming face to face with conflicts not known to everyday writers, Paulsen has been able to bring these adventures through into his novels. When looking at his stories one can clearly see how much of an impact his childhood had on him; through the adventure and coming of age themes present in most of his books the representation is there. At fourteen years old, Paulsen began his escapades when he ran away from home, from there he went on to have “a youthful summer of rigorous chores on a farm; jobs as an engineer, construction worker, ranch hand, truck driver, and sailor,” he continued adventuring through activities such as “two rounds of the 1,180-mile Alaskan dog sled race and the Iditarod;” these have all “provided ample material from which he creates …show more content…

Spending most of his childhood exploring the outdoors and coming face to face with conflicts not known to everyday writers, Paulsen has been able to bring these adventures through into his novels. When looking at his stories one can clearly see how much of an impact his childhood had on him; through the adventure and coming of age themes present in most of his books the representation is there. At fourteen years old, Paulsen began his escapades when he ran away from home, from there he went on to have “a youthful summer of rigorous chores on a farm; jobs as an engineer, construction worker, ranch hand, truck driver, and sailor,” he continued adventuring through activities such as “two rounds of the 1,180-mile Alaskan dog sled race and the Iditarod;” these have all “provided ample material from which he creates his powerful stories,” (Gary Paulsen, Kidsreads). Diving into his stories The Hatchet, Mr. Tucket, The Quilt, The Brian Books, and Guts: The True Stories Behind The Hatchet one can understand the direct correlations with his stories and his

Show More
Related

Summary Of Guts By Gary Paulsen

573 Words | 3 Pages

In the book, GUTS: The True Stories Behind Hatchet and the Brian Books, Paulsen shares his own adventures in the wilderness and how he incorporated them into the Brian novels. He committed himself to doing things he had never done before to make sure that the main character throughout the Brian series could do them. Paulsen also educate his readers about surviving in the wilderness. For example, when Brian starts a fire using sparks from a hatchet against a rock or when he ate raw turtle eggs, Paulsen did the same exact thing.

Read More

Summary Of 'The Chris Mccandless Obsession Problem'

781 Words | 4 Pages

In the 2013 online article, “The Chris McCandless Obsession Problem”, author Diana Saverin describes the Alaskan wilderness travel phenomenon along with attempting to uncover the ‘McCandless Pilgrims’ “root of motivation. Sparked by the release of both Jon Krakauer’s and Sean Penn’s “Into the Wild”, numerous individuals pack their backpacks and eagerly step into their (sometimes newly-bought) hiking shoes and tramp into the Alaskan Wild to pay homage to their hero Chris McCandless. Filled with personal anecdotes and interviews, Severin’s Outside article takes a new approach Into the Wild commentary by directing attention to the lives McCandless’s story affected indirectly rather than critiquing on McCandless himself. In response to what appears to be a huge amount of troubled McCandless-inspired tramping stories, Saverin provides an unbiased rationale as a attempt to explain why so many are “willing to risk injury, and even death, to..visit the last home of Alaska’s most famous adventure casualty”. Saverin begins her article with anecdote- telling the unfortunate experience of young lovers and adept adventure seekers, Ackerman and Gros.

Read More

Comparing The Gary Paulsen Book And Iditarod

69 Words | 1 Pages

Gary was training the dogs so that they are ready to run with snow. In iditarod there was lots of people more people with dogs. They made them run 1000 miles and in gary paulsen they made them run 100 miles. In iditarod they made them use husky’s and in gary paulsen they used dogs. In the gary paulsen book and iditarod they were at a snowy place to

Read More

A Comparison Of Power In The Wednesday Circle And Sky Burial

1101 Words | 5 Pages

Powerless and Power in The Wednesday Circle and Sky Burial The stories chosen are “The Wednesday Circle” by Sandra Birdsell and “Sky Burial” by Richard Van Camp. There are similarities between the character's feelings in both “The Wednesday Circle” and “Sky Burial;” the characters shift between feeling helpless and feeling empowered. The character explores the feeling of powerless and feeling empowered throughout their stories. Icabus shifts between feeling powerless to feeling empowered in his story “Sky Burial."

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of Into The Wild, By Jon Krakauer

629 Words | 3 Pages

Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild investigates the life and adventures of Chris McCandless. The author provides information about Chris’ life to illuminate his journey. Krakauer also uses rhetorical appeals to defend Chris’ rationale for his journey. Through Krakauer’s use of pathos, ethos, and logos, he persuades the audience that Chris is not foolish; however, Krakauer’s intimacy with Chris and his adventures inhibits his objectivity.

Read More

Comparison Of Billy Collins 'Hanging Fire And' On Turning Ten

214 Words | 1 Pages

It is wholly recurrent to blindly skim through a detailed piece of literature and be unconscious to the likeness it shares with other pieces of literature. I am surely guilty of this ignorant practice, however. As I was reading “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde and “On Turning Ten” by Billy Collins, I didn’t truly perceive the connection right away. The obvious was already divulged in my mind; they’re both in the points of views of children. They, however, both have a mutual theme; growing up brings uncertainty and disappointment.

Read More

Comparing Pride In Tom Sawyer And Abuela Invents The Zero

720 Words | 3 Pages

Depending on which perspective someone has, values are either shaped by the crippling society one lives in or caused by human nature’s favoritism for one species of man becoming exalted above the rest. Therefore, to escape the harsh reality of environmental injustice, a beloved pastime includes not only reading literature but being swept away into the story under the guise of fictional characters. Evidently, this experience is prevalent in Judith Cofer Ortiz’s “Abuela Invents the Zero” and Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, where Constancia and Tom Sawyer reflect on their actions that were causing family anguish, disputing whether their pride is worth destroying their loved ones’ confidence. Through similar circumstances, Constancia and Tom realize that to make themselves feel justifiable to others, they must reduce their self-assurance to appreciate others, sooner rather than being outcasted again.

Read More

Similarities Between Grizzly Man And Into The Wild

599 Words | 3 Pages

When people isolate themselves from society they develop similar characteristics. In Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Christopher McCandless, the main character graduates as a top student and makes the choice to give away all his money to charity as well as leaving behind his belongings instead of pursuing a career. He then travels out to Alaska, journaling his experience in the wildness and changes his name to Alex. In the movie Grizzly Man, Werner Herzog uses footage shot by Timothy himself to document what inspired him to live with the wild bears in Alaska. One of the bears Treadwell takes care of tragically kills him; his footage gives a stronger look at nature and its harsh realities.

Read More

What Is Chris Mccandless Relationship With His Family

807 Words | 4 Pages

Into the Wild, is a non-fiction novel written by Jon Krauker, about the story of a young man, called Christian McCandless who after graduating university decides to leave his privileges aside and walk into the wildness. Without the support of his family, he travels to Alaska, living in complete isolation, and escaping a fake society. The author through the story proves that Christopher had a very complicated relationship with his family, leading to a loss of identity and eventually the journey with no turning back. In this essay the relationship between his family and Christopher will be discussed in order to comprehend the person he becomes after mistrust issues with them.

Read More

Book Report On Hatchet By Gary Paulsen

1018 Words | 5 Pages

Gary Paulsen 's Hatchet is a modern classic tale of a stranded boy 's struggle for survival in the wilderness. The book is based on a 13-year-old who is accustomed to big-city life and comfort when he finds himself alone in a remote Canadian forest with no tools but a hatchet his mother gave him. Brian Robeson, a thirteen-year-old boy from New York City, is the only passenger on a small plane headed toward the oil fields of Canada. Brian is on his way to spend the summer with his father, and he 's feeling totally bummed about his parents ' recent divorce. he doesn 't have much time to dwell on his unhappy family situation, though, because the pilot the only other person on the plane suddenly suffers a heart attack and dies.

Read More

Caught By The Sea My Life On Boats Essay

1096 Words | 5 Pages

Mr. Paulsen is a great writer, he even writes in this book about how he had not thought about being a writer yet, but he must have been making as many smart decision as he has when he was sailing, people might be able to see why he could be a good writer, one good philosophy he had when he was sailing was when he was in a huge gust of wind, he writes, “I couldn’t change the wind but perhaps I could reduce the effect of the wind on the boat.” (46) This is a good philosophy for a first time sailor to have, he must be catching on quick! When readers know what the characters are thinking they can have a better understanding of how certain characters think which will help them understand the point of view. Mr. Paulsen love to look at soothing sights, at least that is what his character is thinking on page 13, when he wrote, “this beginning motion, this first time when a sail truly filled and the boat took life and knifed across the lake under perfect control, this was so beautiful it stopped my breath.” This quote shows how much he loved to sail.

Read More

Truman Capote Accomplishments

1658 Words | 7 Pages

Often times authors live mysterious lives in which there works are inspired through their various experiences. To begin with, Truman Capote had a unique upbringing that forced him to face difficult obstacles that would go on to shape his character. To go along with this, Capote had a unique time period to create works that grabbed the attention of his audience and created a buzz throughout literature. Finally, Capote established himself as a pioneer of literature when he created the first “nonfiction novel”. Although his writing career was short-lived, Truman Capote was capable of captivating his audience through his unique style, present in several noteworthy works.

Read More

John Green's Impact On American Culture

1741 Words | 7 Pages

The Impact of John Green on American Culture “What is the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable?” (John Green). Author John Green holds true to this quote in the way he lives his life through his many achievements. As a young child being bullied and not feeling like enough, he found a way to express his feelings through his writing. Green did not find himself until college after changing majors and spending time with ill kids in a children’s hospital.

Read More

Theme Of Independence In The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time By Mark Haddon

773 Words | 4 Pages

One becomes independent when they are able to adjust anywhere with little to no guidance or reassurance needed. Being independent is an exceeding character trait, which transforms one’s initiation, ultimately leading them to achieve their true ambition. The constant theme of maturation and developing independence appears in the novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, written by the English novelist, Mark Haddon, which follows the life of a fifteen year old boy, Christopher John Francis Boone, who is attempting to write a murder mystery novel. In the novel, Christopher has a mental disorder that makes thinking, analyzing, and acclimatizing to new environments extremely difficult. Christopher must adapt to his new peculiar lifestyle after finding out his mother had an affair with his father, and is shocked when his father reveals that he murdered Wellington, their neighbour’s dog.

Read More

Father Figure In The Road

107 Words | 1 Pages

The role of a father portrays an important figure in any child’s life, whether they decide to take on the responsibility or leave their child behind. The actions of one's father can lead a child to many different roads in their own future. In the book, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, the father helps his son along a horrifying journey to make sure his son will always be safe. The presence of a father figure not only affects the child’s maturation process, but creates meaning to the work altogether with how the father treats his son by comforting him, trying to protect him, and the simple actions.

Read More

More about Gary Paulsen Accomplishments

Related Topics

Open Document