Jon Krakauer, Selections from Into the Wild and:
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Abram and Krakauer: Shamanism and the Excursion
into the Wild
In Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer attempts "to make sense of [Chris]
McCandless's life and death, yet his essence remains slippery, vague,
elusive." For this paper, I want you to discuss how Abram's notion
of the shaman helps to make sense of McCandless's story.
You may want to consider some of the following questions. As always,
this is not a checklist of things to include in your
paper, but rather a list of possible jumping-off points to help you get
started towards a thesis of your own.
- Did McCandless see himself as a shaman-like figure? Does Krakauer?
Do you?
- Does it make sense to see Krakauer himself, rather than McCandless,
as a shaman?
- How would Abram regard McCandless's actions?
- Would Krakauer be as impressed with Abram's adventures as he is with
McCandless's?
- Does anything in Abram's essay help to account for the harshness of
McCandless's critics?
- Does McCandless's fate prove anything about the problems with the
Western attitude to nature that Abram describes?
Work with the readings from Abram and Krakauer only--we're done with
Pollan and Heim (for the time being)!
Craig Eliason, Rutgers University, Fall 2000
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Krakauer and Dillard: The Significance of Death
Jon Krakauer tells us that Chris McCandless died in the Alaskan wilderness.
What is the significance of that death? After all, as Annie Dillard quotes
murderer Ted Bundy, "there are so many people" (194).
Krakauer tries "to make sense of McCandless's . . . death,
yet his essence remains slippery, vague, elusive" (439). Dillard asks,
"How can an individual count?" (195) For this paper, I would like
to discuss what makes a human death significant or insignificant. As
always, your paper should be built around your own argument about this
topic as it emerges from your consideration of the readings. Thus three
perspectives on how a death can be meaningful or meaningless -- Krakauer's,
Dillard's, and your own -- should be put into dialogue in your paper.
Circle or underline your thesis in both your rough draft and final paper.
This should be one to two sentences long and should appear on the first
page.
Before you turn your paper in, make sure all of the following are true:
- My essay analyzes the readings rather than merely summarizing them.
- I have included effective and correct uses of quotation in every paragraph.
- I have avoided repeating grammatical errors I have made in previous
essays.
- Each paragraph meets the paragraph checklist.
- I have presented and argued a thesis.
Craig Eliason, Rutgers University, Fall 2000
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Malcolm Gladwell and Jon Krakauer
In your last paper you were asked to consider the possible motivation behind Chris McCandless's decision to abandon conventional knowledge. For this paper we are going to examine the excerpt from Krakauer's book in a new light-in relation to Malcolm Gladwell's ideas. In his chapter, "The Power of Context," Malcolm Gladwell argues for another way to understand one's relation to "meaning" and knowledge. While Gladwell looks at the epidemic of crime in New York City in the mid 1980s and the dramatic drop in crime rates a decade later and Jon Krakauer ruminates on a young man's "strange spiritual quest" (Krakauer 420) into the Alaskan wilderness, both authors contemplate the nature of "character". One seemingly incidental connection between both essays is the description of graffiti in the context of this contemplation of "character." For this paper, I would like you all to engage in some contemplation of your own on this particular connection. Why do you think each author chooses a visual representation such as graffiti to embody his ideas about character?
For the rest of the assignments in this sequence, please visit our sample sequences page.
Stephanie André, Rutgers University, Spring 2005
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Defining Truth (Assignment 1)
Both Jon Krakauer and Tim O’Brien, in the assigned readings, stress the importance of trying to arrive at the truth of what happened to their central characters. In “Selections from Into the Wild,” Krakauer does a great deal of investigation in his attempt to determine the truth about why Chris McCandless felt the need to escape into the Alaskan wilderness, and why he died in the endeavor. Similarly, although “How to Tell a True War Story,” is actually a work of fiction, Tim O’Brien stresses repeatedly that he is seeking to arrive at the truth about what happened to him and his fellow soldiers during the Viet Nam War.
How do you define and understand the “truth”, in light of the truth that both Krakauer and O’Brien are trying to arrive at in their work? Does it mean the same thing to you as it does to either or both authors? Do you feel that one of them is more successful than the other in his attempt to arrive at the truth? Why or why not?
Mary J. Oltarzewski, Rutgers University, Fall 2005
From Defining Truth.
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The Pursuit of Happiness: Perception and Definition (Assignment 2)
In trying to understand Chris McCandless’s journey into the Alaskan wilderness, Jon Krakauer interviews people who knew or met Chris along the way, as well as others who shared his desire to take risks and test themselves in the wilderness. Re-read p. 303 to the end of the excerpt and come to your own conclusions about Chris’journey. Then, think of his journey in terms of the Gertner essay and the findings of the scientists.
Essay Question: Discuss Chris McCandless’s expedition and his motives in terms of the Gertner essay. Using the terms the scientists use, does McCandless’ expedition confirm or contradict their findings? Did McCandless find happiness? Would it make any difference if his death had been caused by a car accident? If he had known about the scientists’ research, would he still have embarked on his quest for happiness?
Judith E. Glass, Rutgers University, Fall 2005
From The Pursuit of Happiness: Perception and Definition.
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The Pursuit of Happiness: Perception and Definition (Assignment 3)
Annie Dillard’s remarkable essay, “The Wreck of Time,” weaves stunning facts, statistics, and poetic images into an unstructured essay about human existence, life, and death. While the essay may seem simply depressing on first reading, there are messages and insights that go beyond the inevitability and finality of death. Once we acknowledge the billions who have died and will die, we are left with her question, “How can an individual count?” (123).
Essay Question: How can an individual count? Discuss the question by crafting a thesis statement that answers Dillard’s question, (123). This is not a personal essay. Your answer must be based on the three readings to date. You could begin by imagining how you think the scientists in the Gertner essay would answer the question and then how Chris McCandless or Jon Krakauer might answer it. You must then weave the three essays together.
After brainstorming the question, develop an outline around quotations from each of the three readings that can serve as the bases for your analyses. It might also help to develop topic sentences that explore varying aspects of the question.You don’t have to devote equal time to each, but your paper must include all three.
Your conclusion should do more than summarize. It should reflect a thoughtful response to the question and perhaps a lesson for others.
Judith E. Glass, Rutgers University, Fall 2005
From The Pursuit of Happiness: Perception and Definition.
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