Arctic Dreams Barry Lopez

Richard Rodriguez grew up in a white, middle-class neighborhood and attended a Catholic school. He describes his early childhood as a war between his “public” and “private life”: a war between school and home. He struggled when he first started school, because English was his second language and he felt insecure about his shaky ability to communicate through it. He described Spanish, Espańol, as safe and endearing, while he described English as loud and impersonal. His teachers recognized his struggle with English and asked his parents to only speak it at home to help him learn. In time he became fluent in English at the cost of his Spanish, which his extended family loved to scold him for.

In August 1992, a decomposed body, presumably died of starvation, was found inside an abandoned bus beside the Sushana River in Alaska. Shortly thereafter, the dead person was identified as twenty-four-year-old Chris McCandless, who was from an affluent family in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. A tragic story, with a mix of a young man, his well-off background, and happening in the most precarious but highly noble place, always had an emotional pull on people’s minds and stirred up people’s curiosity and perplexity. The question, often asked by the people with desire to grasp the truths, was why Chris with a privileged life would have gone to Alaska’s wilderness to face the ultimate challenge of his life. Was he in search of something

Throughout Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, there are many details that help give the reader a deeper, more profound, meaning of the book 's intended purpose. Krakauer is one of the most renowned American writers, publishing many books specifically focused on nature, and people’s struggles with nature. Through much of the book, Krakauer incorporates many literary techniques, such as connotation, diction, ethos, pathos, logos, imagery, and syntax, to help each reader grasp the essence of the book. These aspects are utilized many times throughout each chapter in his book. By using a wide range of literary techniques, Krakauer is able to communicate the events that transpired during the book, in a way that pertains to each

George Saunders did not start his career as a writer of literature; as a result, he wanted to study the world of engineering. Furthermore, after graduating college and beginning his career as a geophysical engineer, he became lonely. This is when he started reading literature and began to enjoy the work. “During this somewhat isolated and lonely time, Saunders began reading literature more widely and was introduced to the work of other fiction authors beyond Rand – notably Tom Wolfe, Kurt Vonnegut, and Ernest Hemingway. Soon he started down a different path, one that would eventually land him at the MFA program at Syracuse University, where he still teaches the creative writing program” (George Saunders Biography). Saunders’ writing often is about U.S. relations around the world. Saunders has won the National Magazine Award for fiction four different time along with several other awards. Saunders is a very successful writer and continues to write award winning

Jimmy Carter, a former US president effectively incorporates logos – facts and evidence, pathos – appealing word choice and emotion, and ethos – credibility to build his persuasive argument. Carter strives to contend that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should not be developed for industry.

Chris McCandless was a reckless idiot and there is no denying that basic truth. Chris McCandless was a man born into a middle class family. Chris had parents that loved him, a roof over his head, and food to eat. Despite all those riches he had, he threw them away. Chris was a very selfish man. Chris went off after he graduated college and “lived off the land”. Chris would travel to the coast of Mexico, the plains of Kansas, and the dunes of Nevada. Chris went on a final expedition to Alaska that cost him everything. In the following paragraphs I will fully detail how Chris was reckless, selfish, and naive. I will also explore how Chris tied his life to the beliefs of transcendentalism. One thing to not forget:

The Alaskan Bush is one of the hardest places to survive without any assistance, supplies, skills, and little food. Jon Krakauer explains in his biography, Into The Wild, how Christopher McCandless ventured into the Alaskan Bush and ultimately perished due to lack of preparation and hubris. McCandless was an intelligent young man who made a few mistakes but overall Krakauer believed that McCandless was not an ignorant adrenalin junkie who had no respect for the land. Krakauer chose to write this biography because he too had the strong desire to discover and explore as he also ventured into the Alaskan Bush when he was a young man, but he survived unlike McCandless. Krakauer’s argument was convincing because he gives credible evidence that McCandless was not foolish like many critics say he was.

Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, tells the story of a young man named Christopher McCandless who decided to go and survive in the wilderness of Alaska without correct preparation. McCandless was a man with as transcendentalist-like mindset, an adventurer, an explorer, and a hiker. He migrated away from civilization and society with the goal of living in solitude and living his life to the fullest through nature. The audience was introduced to McCandless’ views towards society through McCandless’ journey through Alaska, and the depressing yet inspiring events that led up to his death. Krakauer creates emotional appeals to connect him with McCandless to credit himself as a writer, as well as to develop the audiences’ feelings of McCandless. Krakauer

N. Scott Momaday is a Kiowa novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He devotes his life to protect and inherit the national culture heritage, and has published a large number of Indian literature with fresh content, unique style and light homesickness. Among his numerous literary works, the early published work The Way to Rainy Mountain belongs to a prose with beautiful style of writing and sincere affection. The way to Rainy Mountain is a Momaday’s journey to seek his root. He skillfully combines the life of his grandmother and the history of the people together, with a unique perspective, rich poetic language, delicate emotions to show readers the origin, development and decline of the culture of Indian 's Kiowa people. Since Momaday and his father are both Kiowa people, he has a deep Kiowa complex, and endows the home of his ancestor and the land, the sun, the moon, mountains, trees and all other things there with deep feelings. He thinks that a writer or painter should pay close attention to the land in his memory, and excavate the land and imagination as much as possible. The Way to Rainy Mountain involves a large number of relevant historical and cultural knowledge of Kiowa people. In order to understand the article better, this paper will interpret the

“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. Along his journey, he was struck by many life altering decisions that has shaped him into the person he is today. Few people find it easy to discuss and write about the difficult topics Green brings to life in his novels, Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, The Fault in our Stars, and many more. Many teens and adults find his books to be inspirational in the way they go about solving life’s struggles. Most of his novels have been produced into movies, making him more well known as well as being twitter famous and creating educational YouTube vlogs. Green is a very well known author of this time period and has made a big impact with his writing videos, and movies. From YouTube vlogger, to twitter sensation, to number one New York Times bestselling author, John Green has and continues to impact American culture in numerous ways (John Green, 2013).

Christopher McCandless, a 29-year-old dreamer, went on the journey of a lifetime to involve himself with nature and being truly independent. He had lived a life of privilege, made amazing grades in school, and even went to school at Emory College, getting degrees in both history and anthropology. Even though he seemed to have everything good going for him, it’s not the life he wanted. McCandless decides after law school to go deep into the “wild”, with no map, no resources. All he kept was a small journal and camera in which he captured and recorded all of his experiences in, allowing people for the rest of time to read and learn about his journey in his book titled Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer. This impulsive decision that McCandless made would soon cost him his life, and most people would see him as being crazy for it. A man named Shaun Callarman, for example, believed that he “ had no Common sense. . . he was just plain crazy.” I disagree with this statement, however, and believe that Christopher had a very transcendentalist view on life,agreeing with most all of the great Henry David Thoreau and his ideals, but just made a few careless mistakes that would have been the difference between life and death.

“‘This is the last you will hear from me…I now walk into the wild’” (Krauker, 69) Jon Krauker’s suspenseful novel, Into the Wild, gives an intricate insight into the life and death of Chris McCandless. He knows this trip could be fatal, but he does it anyway, ignoring the fact that his parents and family still cared about him. He was being ignorant toward the people who warned him about going into Alaska on his own and toward his family.

William Finnegan is excellent writer captures the flavor of growing up in the 60's and learning certain realities of how the world works. Barbarian Days is all about a surfing life. Skate-boarder, body-surfer, mat-rider, surfer, as one who did all of those activities many years ago in Central California and then swerved off the path due to crowds and other life responsibilities.

Often times when presented with raw facts it can be difficult for an audience to obtain information. In order to make information stick when writing it is important to make a strong connection with your audience. In the excerpt Martha Stewart and The Cannibal Polar Bears in Jon Mooallem’ new book Wild Ones the author makes a strong connection with the audience by seamlessly drawing you in by presenting closeness and familiarity. He simply puts himself to the position to where the reader must look up to him as an expert and someone they can relate to. The author also uses strong ethical based claims that make you almost feel bad for the polar bears. In the excerpt the mooallem explains a northern military fort that was known as “the polar bear capital of the world”. with its newfound title came tourists. And with the uprising in tourism comes with the rise in destruction. The author makes a very strong and and almost emotional connection not only to himself but the the polar bears