Out of the papers you are putting into your English portfolio, which one do you think shows your best work and which one do you think needs to be edited the most? Explain why. Be specific. Provide examples of your best and weakest areas.
I am almost certain that my essay on Lafcadio Hearn is by far one of if not the strongest examples of my writing prowess that I've submitted. It's far from perfect - it could still use more personal stories to tie the figure to myself, but apart from that, I feel as though I've carried Lafcadio to the reader using my own unique writing voice, which is ironically very similar to his. We were both foreigners traveling Japan, and both had a strong backing in journalistic newspaper writing, so it's not hard to see where we were both inspired.
My essay on Chris McCandless, however, is far from perfect. I used a cliche naysayer, an unspectacular voice of support, and not enough from the book. Most of it was opinion - which was good, but not what needs to be done for it to be a well written paper. I've already gotten completely different sources for making it better, and am planning a full-scale re-write, eliminating all but the strongest quotes from myself.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Epilogue
"Though the epilogue in Into the Wild was very short, it was also extremely important. How did the epilogue change your opinion or attitude toward Christopher's family after their reactions to visiting the bus in Alaska? Also, if you were in the parents situation, would you also want to visit the bus? Why or why not?"
Visiting the bus was a necessity, no doubt about it. It provided a sense of closure to the parents that cannot be understated. Knowing where their boy lived for the last few months of his life may seem like a trivial piece of information, but the text on page 202 shows that it gave them insight into why he came out to where he did and how he took care of himself.
My own opinion wasn't changed. I had considered Chris's tale to be inspirational from about midway through the book. However, reading about his parent's journey to his final resting place helped connect me emotionally to the story. It made his father a much more sympathetic character, and redeemed any negative thoughts I held over from the revelation of his double life.
Visiting the bus was a necessity, no doubt about it. It provided a sense of closure to the parents that cannot be understated. Knowing where their boy lived for the last few months of his life may seem like a trivial piece of information, but the text on page 202 shows that it gave them insight into why he came out to where he did and how he took care of himself.
My own opinion wasn't changed. I had considered Chris's tale to be inspirational from about midway through the book. However, reading about his parent's journey to his final resting place helped connect me emotionally to the story. It made his father a much more sympathetic character, and redeemed any negative thoughts I held over from the revelation of his double life.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Who Watches the Watchmen?
"What is your topic for the research paper? How does this topic currently impact American culture (or another country, if that's where you're going with this)? How is your book/show/movie different from all of the other books/shows/movies out there like it? How is it unique? What specific cultural issue will you be addressing in your research essay and why is it relevant TODAY?"
I am working on a research paper on the cultural impact of Alan Moore's magnum opus: Watchmen. This graphic novel was written as a satire on current comic book super heroes of the 80s, and the stagnation of their tales. Each character of Watchmen was an homage to numerous themes of super heroes; Dr. Manhattan was a man with godly powers, like Superman. Nite Owl was an inventor who fought crime with owl-themed gadgets, like Batman. Rorschach was a masked vigilante who stalked the criminal underworld of the city, like the Spirit or the Question. However, Watchmen took these heroes and put them in the real world; Dr. Manhattan had godly powers, and gradually became less human, while his power exacerbated the Cold War. Nite Owl was a retired, depressed middle-aged man who was starting to realize the ridiculousness of fighting burglars and petty criminals with anti-radar armor, laser beams, and an airship. Rorschach was a borderline criminal himself, murdering those he felt were responsible for crime, seeing the world in black and white morality.
For years after Watchmen was published, comic books reeled from the huge blow it delivered. Writers were stunned - suddenly all of their work seemed childish and dumbed down compared to it. So, comic books were forced to mature, diving into such themes as the nature of good and evil, the human psyche, and how their heroes could exist in the real world. Today, we owe such cinematic masterpieces as The Dark Knight, and Spiderman to the influence Watchmen brought, which arguably extends its reach beyond the niche of comics and into the general media itself.
I am working on a research paper on the cultural impact of Alan Moore's magnum opus: Watchmen. This graphic novel was written as a satire on current comic book super heroes of the 80s, and the stagnation of their tales. Each character of Watchmen was an homage to numerous themes of super heroes; Dr. Manhattan was a man with godly powers, like Superman. Nite Owl was an inventor who fought crime with owl-themed gadgets, like Batman. Rorschach was a masked vigilante who stalked the criminal underworld of the city, like the Spirit or the Question. However, Watchmen took these heroes and put them in the real world; Dr. Manhattan had godly powers, and gradually became less human, while his power exacerbated the Cold War. Nite Owl was a retired, depressed middle-aged man who was starting to realize the ridiculousness of fighting burglars and petty criminals with anti-radar armor, laser beams, and an airship. Rorschach was a borderline criminal himself, murdering those he felt were responsible for crime, seeing the world in black and white morality.
For years after Watchmen was published, comic books reeled from the huge blow it delivered. Writers were stunned - suddenly all of their work seemed childish and dumbed down compared to it. So, comic books were forced to mature, diving into such themes as the nature of good and evil, the human psyche, and how their heroes could exist in the real world. Today, we owe such cinematic masterpieces as The Dark Knight, and Spiderman to the influence Watchmen brought, which arguably extends its reach beyond the niche of comics and into the general media itself.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Freedom or Family
"As we continue reading, we find the author giving more examples of men very similar to McCandless. Specifically, Ruess and McCandless both have an immense desire to be in the wild, but they also both have issues with their families. Do you think that their desire to go on these fatal journeys were caused more by their love for the wild or their issues at home? Also, do you think Chris exaggerated his family issues to use as an excuse to leave?"
In my opinion, Chris was pressured to succeed. He was a brilliant student who went to a good school and had everything provided for him. His decision to leave was partially due to a love of the wild, but mostly due to his desire to prove his self sufficience. Perhaps his family exacerbated things and hastened his decision, but I think he was destined to leave even if his family had been caring and conflict free.
Actually, he might have left sooner if they were conflict free. His desire to make a new life for himself was partially driven by his discontent at the complacency he was feeling. But regardless, his free spirit was something far too strong to expect to be content at an easy life. And nothing is more unpredictable than the wild.
In my opinion, Chris was pressured to succeed. He was a brilliant student who went to a good school and had everything provided for him. His decision to leave was partially due to a love of the wild, but mostly due to his desire to prove his self sufficience. Perhaps his family exacerbated things and hastened his decision, but I think he was destined to leave even if his family had been caring and conflict free.
Actually, he might have left sooner if they were conflict free. His desire to make a new life for himself was partially driven by his discontent at the complacency he was feeling. But regardless, his free spirit was something far too strong to expect to be content at an easy life. And nothing is more unpredictable than the wild.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Rhetoric
"In writing Into The Wild, Jon Krakauer has obvious opinions about the subject and employs rhetoric to show this. If you were writing the story of Christopher McCandless, how would your rhetoric differ from that of Krakauer? Would it? What types of rhetoric would you use, and why? What might this story be called?"
I would most definitely play up the idea of Chris as living out what he'd always dreamed of. I'd go about the Tim O'Brian way; tell people the story in a way to make you feel the emotions that the character feels. Sure, it would require me to exagerate certain things, some would argue that Krakauer does this already, but I think that the pathos needs to be felt. Too many people dislike Chris because they get caught up in logic - I would point out that yes, Chris was being naive and foolish to think he could survive. Readers need to understand that Chris wasn't making the journey to be an example, or to have a claim to fame. He was doing it to be the novel hero he always wanted to be. Arguably, Krakauer already does many of these things, but I don't think he ever explicitly says that Chris was acting out his ideal escapist novel. I would say that.
I would most definitely play up the idea of Chris as living out what he'd always dreamed of. I'd go about the Tim O'Brian way; tell people the story in a way to make you feel the emotions that the character feels. Sure, it would require me to exagerate certain things, some would argue that Krakauer does this already, but I think that the pathos needs to be felt. Too many people dislike Chris because they get caught up in logic - I would point out that yes, Chris was being naive and foolish to think he could survive. Readers need to understand that Chris wasn't making the journey to be an example, or to have a claim to fame. He was doing it to be the novel hero he always wanted to be. Arguably, Krakauer already does many of these things, but I don't think he ever explicitly says that Chris was acting out his ideal escapist novel. I would say that.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Election
"In what ways were you inspired during the last presidential campaign? Do you recall any specific moments where you felt a shift in your attitude towards politics, life, the world? How did those feelings translate into actions? Or, did you find the whole campaign season so overwhelming that you just tuned out? If so, what do you think could be changed to improve the election process?"
I remember, above all, a shift in the topics on everyone's mind. Politics saturated everything, every minute of every day. A full year before the primaries, I was being overrun with slander for candidates I was, in all honesty, quite surprised were running at all. Barack Obama? That dude from Illinois I read about a few years ago? Cool, hope he does better than Keyes did in 2000. Fred Thompson? Are the Republicans that desperate for a new Regan that they'll elect the West Wing dude? Hillary Clinton? Is... is that technically allowed?
In all seriousness, it brought me back into politics, something I had honestly given up since the 2004 election. Who can blame me, I grew up in Seattle! Everyone there was on the left, and any further debate didn't seem to get anywhere. To see everyone in Seattle united against Bush and still fail did an amazing job on my young, impressionable mind. There had to be some form of corruption, I assumed. There was no way that the everyman supported this person.
But watching Obama go from an underground-ish movement, to see the internet (which had become my home in 2008) line up to help him, to see him topple even the powerful Clinton dynasty... It gave me hope, for lack of a less tacky way of using the word.
(Of course, I also learned that not every underground movement works... Ron Paul comes to mind, but frankly, it was for the best that he lost)
I remember, above all, a shift in the topics on everyone's mind. Politics saturated everything, every minute of every day. A full year before the primaries, I was being overrun with slander for candidates I was, in all honesty, quite surprised were running at all. Barack Obama? That dude from Illinois I read about a few years ago? Cool, hope he does better than Keyes did in 2000. Fred Thompson? Are the Republicans that desperate for a new Regan that they'll elect the West Wing dude? Hillary Clinton? Is... is that technically allowed?
In all seriousness, it brought me back into politics, something I had honestly given up since the 2004 election. Who can blame me, I grew up in Seattle! Everyone there was on the left, and any further debate didn't seem to get anywhere. To see everyone in Seattle united against Bush and still fail did an amazing job on my young, impressionable mind. There had to be some form of corruption, I assumed. There was no way that the everyman supported this person.
But watching Obama go from an underground-ish movement, to see the internet (which had become my home in 2008) line up to help him, to see him topple even the powerful Clinton dynasty... It gave me hope, for lack of a less tacky way of using the word.
(Of course, I also learned that not every underground movement works... Ron Paul comes to mind, but frankly, it was for the best that he lost)
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Survival
"Do you think you could brave the Alaskan wild? What would you need to bring in order to be successful? What would be your biggest fear while out there? If you don't think you can brave the wild, why not? What if you were with a group of trained specialists? Don't relate too much to the book and Chris McCandless - use your own opinions on this. Make it about how you feel."
During my time as an amateur writer of both science-fiction and fantasy, I have to say that the two most inspirational settings are the desert dunes and the snow-capped mountains. Something about the still, undisturbed beauty of the surface is alluring and feminine, contrasting with the harsh and rugged masculinity of its fauna. The tundra is a land of extremes, where the harsh blizzard winds and the scarce food sculpt a man into the pinnacle of what he was meant to be. The very enviroment is against the survivalist, no trees that willingly yield their fruits like a jungle, just icy earth that seems to shift and strike at the traveler's feet, as though the mountain itself is tossing the human aside.
I believe now is the part where I say my odds are screwed. I have the rare advantage of a military upbringing - my mother always eager to teach me survival and evasion when camping. However, years of sedentary lifestyle have worked against me, and left me quite out of shape to be struggling for my life. While I would undoubtedly last longer than our friend McCandless due to common sense and slight foreknowledge, I would possibly be stretching the truth if I were to thrive. In a group of trained professionals, I would be cheating. I don't want to be a tourist of nature if I'm going to live in it for a while! All or nothing!
In short: the frozen north is a beautiful place to set a novella. However, I don't think that I am terribly suited to brave it.
During my time as an amateur writer of both science-fiction and fantasy, I have to say that the two most inspirational settings are the desert dunes and the snow-capped mountains. Something about the still, undisturbed beauty of the surface is alluring and feminine, contrasting with the harsh and rugged masculinity of its fauna. The tundra is a land of extremes, where the harsh blizzard winds and the scarce food sculpt a man into the pinnacle of what he was meant to be. The very enviroment is against the survivalist, no trees that willingly yield their fruits like a jungle, just icy earth that seems to shift and strike at the traveler's feet, as though the mountain itself is tossing the human aside.
I believe now is the part where I say my odds are screwed. I have the rare advantage of a military upbringing - my mother always eager to teach me survival and evasion when camping. However, years of sedentary lifestyle have worked against me, and left me quite out of shape to be struggling for my life. While I would undoubtedly last longer than our friend McCandless due to common sense and slight foreknowledge, I would possibly be stretching the truth if I were to thrive. In a group of trained professionals, I would be cheating. I don't want to be a tourist of nature if I'm going to live in it for a while! All or nothing!
In short: the frozen north is a beautiful place to set a novella. However, I don't think that I am terribly suited to brave it.
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