Editing

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.

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.