In writing A Voyage Long and Strange, Tony Horwitz’s goal is clear, to educate others on early America and debunk ignorant myths. Horwitz’s reason for wanting to achieve this goal is because of his own ignorance that he sees while at Plymouth Rock. “Expensively educated at a private school and university- a history major, no less!-I’d matriculated to middle age with a third grader’s grasp of early America.” Horwitz is disappointed in his own lack of knowledge of his home country, especially with his background history and decides not only to research America’s true beginnings, but to also follow the path of those who originally yearned to discover America.
The book, “Nothing But The Truth” by AVI follows the story of a ninth-grade student named Philip Malloy. Philip Malloy is generally a good kid who is a great runner. The story starts with Philip working out and getting ready for the track season. He has been working for months for the upcoming season until the track coach, Coach Jamison, has to talk with him. Philip is told that he has a D in his English class which is a failing grade according to their school's handbook.
The First Decision Reef, the main character in the novel, The First Stone, by Don Aker, makes a bad decision and ultimately has to deal with the consequences. To begin, Reef latches his anger onto a stone and deliberately throws it over an overpass into oncoming traffic. The stone causes a major accident between not one, but several cars and severely injures a teenage girl. Fortunately for Reef, the Judge sentences him to live at North Hills Group Home, and to volunteer at a rehabilitation centre. This punishment changes Reef’s life for the better.
Into The Wild English Final “Into The Wild” is a partial biography written by Jon Krakauer describing how the body of Chris McCandless was found in the wilderness of Alaska. Mr. McCandless was a gifted athlete and scholar, who from an early age shows deep intensity, passion, and a strict moral compass. He discovered that his father had a second family while McCandless was growing up but wasn't told until he graduated high school. He wanted to leave society because to pursue a life of adventure and not apathy/routine while also trying to get away from his sleepwalker, money-driven/materialistic parents. He donated his $25,000 to charity, burned his wallet, drove his car to the middle of nowhere, and disappear in April of 1992.
The poem “Facing it” by Yusef Komunyakaa is a deep poem that shows the aftereffects of war in modern society. The article called: “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders Among Vietnam Veterans”, by Robinowitz and Walter Penk shows the cultural context we need to understand about soldiers after the Vietnam War. By analyzing the article and the poem together we will discover the full cultural context and meaning behind the poem. The message of the poem is that PTSD is a serious issue that has been ignored for far too long, and now is the time to consider those who fought for us.
The First Stone You can’t make everyone happy. Sometimes the decision of the judges only satisfy some people. In the novel The First Stone, by Don Aker, a young teen by the name Chad “Reef” Kennedy finds himself in a tough situation and his sentencing is being in rehab and doing community service. Reef is responsible for putting Leeza a young girl, in the hospital because of his actions. Since he is in rehab, many people wished he went to jail.
A Rhetorical Analysis of “Against Meat” by Jonathan Safran Foer The standard way of thinking about vegetarianism has it that you either are one or you are not. While it is rarely discussed between omnivores and herbivores over dinner, vegetarians often fall into a category more accurately described as conscientious meat eaters. In Jonathan Safran Foer’s essay, “Against Meat,” he describes his personal plight to become, and remain, a vegetarian through-out his life.
Sometimes individuals get so determined to reach their goal they become lost and find their selves blind to their original desire in the process. Throughout AVI’s nothing but the truth, Philip Malloy and his narrow minded attitude bounces from wanting to be a part of the track team to becoming allies with his homeroom teacher, Miss Narwin. Phil becomes distracted overtime which leads towards him making choices that end up affecting other character’s daily lives. Phil’s hate for Miss Narwin forces him to get kicked out of her class due to him humming which turns into neither Phil nor Miss Narwin being able to attend Harrison high school any longer. Philips regretful decisions ultimately lead to a undeserved loss of a career and a developed well
Into the Wild, written by Jon Krakauer, is a non-fiction book based on the real-life story of Christopher McCandless, a young man who leaves his comfortable life behind to live in the wilderness of Alaska. The book is a fascinating exploration of McCandless's motivations and the reasons behind his decision to abandon society and embrace the wilderness. One of the key themes in the book is the tension between the desire for freedom and the need for human connection. Throughout the book, Krakauer explores how McCandless's desire for freedom and independence led him to reject the traditional trappings of society, including money, possessions, and even his own name.
In the stories “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” by Mark Twain, and “Richard Cory” by Edward Arlington Robinson, characteristics of realism are shown throughout the readings. The authors include realism to connect to the reader better. Although there are many characteristics of realism, there are a few that stand out while reading the pieces of literature. In Twain’s and Robinson’s writings, diction, local color, and social class are used as a connection tool between the author and the reader. First, diction is used in both of these stories. Diction provides a sense of culture and regionalism.
In 1945, Tobias Wolff wrote “Hunters in the Snow”. In this story, three men named Kenny, Frank, and Tub joined together as old friends and went on a deer hunting trip in the brutal winter of Spokane, Washington. With Tub being on the chubby side he instantly becomes the weak link of the group, while Kenny and Frank deal with problems psychologically. Frank is trying to justify that leaving his wife and talking to his kid’s babysitter is okay and Kenny is putting on a tough guy act to cover up who knows what.
In Nothing But the Truth there is one thing that stood out to me throughout the entire book. The whole book is full of lies. Philip Malloy tells lies about everything and to everyone. He lies to his parents, the principal, and even to a reporter that is interviewing him. Throughout the book we continue to see the lies play out until the very end of the book when Philip finally decides to tell the truth.
Society is founded on certain ideas that determines how it runs. The ideas that it is founded on have been developed throughout time, but what happens when a person does not see these ideas to be ideal? This person sees these ideas as the sin in our world, and the person comes up with their own ideas to purge themself from this sin. Escaping for society, this person detaches themselves from human interaction and tries to find themselves in nature. Krakauer shows how chimeric ideas can lead to actions that cause injury and
Mia Pegher Mr. Maggs Honors English 9 January 8, 2023 Into the Wild The golden rule, or “treat others the way you want to be treated,” is one of the most cliche statements of life, but is an example of how Chris chose to live his life. Chris McCandless, a twenty-one year old from Virginia, the son of Walt, his father, and Billie, his mother, spent his life trying to live life freely, not bound to materialistic objects. He travels to Alaska in hopes of finding purpose and meaning behind life, but unfortunately dies a few months into his excursion due to reasons unknown. His experiences on his journey are illustrated in the book, Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer.
Freedom in Nature In the 1990’s, a young man sets off to go on a Great Alaskan journey. This man's name was Chris McCandless, or what he liked to call himself on the road: Alexander Supertramp. McCandless was a bright individual who wanted to go against societal standards and live off hardly anything in an area that would bring him peace, in the Alaskan wilderness. Jon Krakauer tells McCandless’s story in the form of a book while Sean Penn tells this story in the form of a film, both entitled Into the Wild.
