Monday, December 3, 2012

Chapters 1-3

Welcome to the blog. Although this will not be the only learning tool we use with the novel study, we will come back to it fairly consistently. The purpose of the blog posts are to practice and demonstrate your reading comprehension and writing skill development.

Your responses should be formal and include: a hook, a proper thesis, a few specific examples from the novel (this should be embedded quotations), explanations as to the significance of the examples, and a conclusion that comments, considers, and makes connections beyond the scope of the text. As well, look at the writing rubric and reading scoring rubric before writing. Please remember to also include your name with your responses.

Lastly, in addition to posting your blog, you will need to comment on three other people's posts.
Consider these stems when commenting: I agree/disagree with so-and-so's point because....., building off of so-and-so's point I think........because....., etc. (reserve the use of I or in my opinion for comments, but do not use I in your paragraph blog post.).


For this post, respond to the following: how and why could Chris McCandless simply discard his identity and past life without a backward glance, leaving the privileged manner he was raised to hitchhike and live in the wilderness?

123 comments:

  1. How and why could Chris McCandless simply discard his identity and past life without a backward glance, leaving the privileged manner he was raised to hitchhike and live in the wilderness?
    What at home could make your life so miserable or just so confusing it would make you want to leave everything you’ve ever had behind? Chris left everything behind because of high standards followed by stress. Chris was stubborn but determined. Whatever it is that he has to do he had set it in stone, no one could even begin to change his mind. “’There was just no talking the guy out of it,’ Gallien remembers. ‘ He was determined. Real gung ho. The word that comes to mind is excited.’” Chris wanted this badly. The assumption of most people after reading the first three chapters is family troubles. His parents set him very high standards. “His father, Walt, is an eminent aerospace engineer who designed advanced radar systems for the space shuttle and other high-profile projects while in the employ of NASA and Hughes Aircraft in the 1960s and ‘70s”. So as it states he had a lot of pressure to level up to the bar his father had set for him. Chris had distinguished himself as a history and anthropology major with a 3.72 grade-point average, but of course it still didn’t measure up. With pressure comes stress, a lot of stress. By discarding his entire identity, giving his life away, he was able to get away.
    -Kylie Bales

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    1. I completely agree with Kylie when she turns her attention on to McCandles parents stating that they out to much pressure on them. Also when she stated that he was highly motivated.-Alexis Boggs

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    2. I like how kylie said "high standards followed by stress" i never thought of it that way. -Jaelin

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  2. Into the wild Chr.1-3 Evan Hughes
    Why did Chris McCandless drop everything, sever his bonds with his family and start a life of traveling North America? He left behind the life he knew because he had a problem with his parents, he felt trapped by society and perhaps he simply just has a dream to go hitchhiking. Chris was angry with his parents and couldn’t “believe they’d try to buy me a car.” This is a significant moment because his parents didn’t understand that he didn’t want gifts, thing, or possessions because he felt that material possessions trapped him. “Chris had instructed the post office to hold them until, August first.” He probably hid his mail from his parents so they could not come and try to stop him from leaving. So then he could just go, he no longer had anything tying him down and he left on an odyssey across North America and no one could stop him.

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    1. being trapped is a perfect explanation for why someone would want freedom .
      -michaila

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    2. Interesting use of quotes in this paragraph. I agree with him being trapped by society and the feeling that his parents didn't quite understand him. Good job!
      -David Henigman

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    3. I agree with the idea that "He probably hid his mail from his parents so they could not come and try to stop him from leaving", which exactly explains why he did not tell his parents any words about his planning, because he did not want to be stopped by anyone, besides, it also demonstrates his weak bound between himself and families as well as society.

      Yuan

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    4. I agree with the point that"he felt trapped in society". It's a good point because it would make sence on why he doesn't like recieving gifts because he feels they trap him.-Jaelin

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    5. nice use of the word trapped,
      it describes chris's postion in life perfectly
      -tim mcdonough

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    6. I agree with Evan's points. In my paragraph I also write about how the author hints about the tention between chris and his parents. When Chris's mother and father offer to buy him a new car for a graduation gift, he is almost discusted. To Chris this tells him his parents are not interested in what he cares about, but only in what he acheives.
      -Kylie Bales

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    7. I enjoy how you used phrases like "sever the bonds with his family" and "left on an odyessy across North America" a well written paragraph, congrats!

      - Zack

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    8. the words you used in this paragraph were what drew me into this story, good writing, and your points are quite good. good job - Taylor Spenner

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  3. Into the Wild chapters 1-3
    Chris McCandles had what seemed to be a perfect life. He was athletic, got good grades and was raised in the upper-middle-class environs of Annandale Virginia. So why you may ask, did he leave all this behind to become a poor hitch hiker traveling and living in the wilderness? Chris his whole life had everything handed to him, and this time he wanted to be the master of his own destiny. Before Chris had left, his parents offered to buy him a new car and pay for his law school as his graduation present. He was so confused as to why they would do that. “I can’t believe they’d try and buy me a car, or that they think I’d actually let them pay for my law school if I was going to go...I’ve told them a million times I have the best car in the world.” This quote is significant because it shows how he doesn’t need a new car, he doesn’t want a new car, and he didn’t ask for a new car, but his parents thought they would gain his respect by buying him a new car. As well as it shows his parents don’t really listen to what Chris actually wants, and it demonstrates their relationship. To symbolize the complete severance from his previous life, he even adopted a new name. No longer would he answer to Chris McCandles; he was now Alexander Supertramp, master of his own destiny. This sentence expresses Chris’s need for a new start, like he wants to go out into the wild and really find himself. Before his experience I don’t think Chris really knew what he wanted out of life, but he knew that he wanted to make his decisions on his own this time, without anyone’s inputs, he wanted to be the master of his own destiny. -Jaelin Ellis

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    1. I agree with Jaelin when she states that his parent are trying to buy his respect and I would like to add that it doesn't seem like his parents respect him because they do not listen to what he is say nor do they care, they want to control all the aspects of his life. -Alexis Boggs

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    2. A really intresting and well writen work amazing job Jaelin.
      Willy Cahoon

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    3. yes, his life does seem to be bought, nice use of reading between the lines

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    4. I completely agree with his life and respect being bought. I never thought of it that way. Maybe they were trying to buy his love beause he was never really the same person as the rest of his family, he wanted different all along so they used money and success to try to pull him in to their way of living.
      -Kylie Bales

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    5. good job! your hook was quite good.
      - Taylor Spenner

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  4. Chris McCandless grew up in a wealthy family with top athletic and academic grades, and his parents gave him everything he needed. This seems like a perfect life to many people, but not for Alex. He left for a soul-searching adventure into the wilderness, leaving behind a privileged life and a guaranteed scholarship for law school. Maybe he felt like having everything handed to him in life was a life not worth living? He was noted by the author to be “an idealist, something that does not mesh well with today’s society”. This quote is very significant to the story because he never took anything for face value and always considered other people. Further, Alex followed the personality of a writer named Leo Tolstoy, a man who very much like Alex gave everything up and left privileged life for one amongst the destitute and forgotten. Alex believed this man’s way of thinking, almost worshipping him. He did so much, in fact that his family and friends thought he was going crazy. Like Tolstoy, he saw that the world was broken in many ways, and he didn’t want to be with that thought anymore. To some, Alex was just another spoiled kid from some rich family. But Alex did not want that life he wanted one where everyone had to work for their worth, not have it handed to him.
    Devon

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    1. I never thought of comparing it to Leo Tolstoy. Super cool!-Jaelin

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    2. #YOLO and #TIMSWAG

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    3. But honestly I liked your reference to soul searching it makes allot of sense and make him appear more cill and just leave cause he wants to and not because he hates his parents.
      Evan H
      #YOLO
      #DUBSTEP HIPSTER CAT

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    4. And for one last laugh
      one final saying and the only way to end it.
      YOLO

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  5. “Act quickly, Think slowly.”-Proverb. There are many factors to any action that a person does, in Chris McCandless case we may never know the truth; for the fact that he has past, and left very vague details to his life in the wild. One can assume it was provoked by something in his past. The last thing he sent to his parents was his report card, this action can be interpreted as a “I hope you are proud of me” moment. Say it was this one can assume his parents had too much pressure on him you can see this when he stated in a letter to his sister, “I can’t believe they’d try and buy me a car or that they think I’d actually let them pay for my law school if I was going to go.” This could of easily of made him crack. Another reason could be his inspiration and desire to do some different and adventurous in life like Leo Tolstoy, Tolstoy was McCandless role model. It’s one thing to want to but actually doing it is another thing. How Chris McCandless went into the wild and survived for an extended amount of time is and another question to consider, with a vast intelligence and common sense would be a good basis. McCandless obviously had both, which you could see when he stated in a letter to his parents, “Grade wise things went pretty well and I ended up with a high cumulative average.” Even in the words he uses and how he used them you can see that he has advanced intelligence. This pokes the question of if he was above average intelligence and was set for life why would he do it? Freedom from his parents? Or pay back for all of the years of pressure and provoking? Another question that arises is can how long would you survive if you went into the wild? - Alexis Boggs.

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    1. I think Alexis' idea tha Alex is running from something in his past is a very good hypothesis of what is causing him to travel to Alaska. Devon

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    2. I agree with you Alexis. You also asked some very good questions, some we may never know the answer to.
      -Maddy

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    3. yes he was running from something, it appears to be his parents

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    4. ^Great job you deserve a metal...

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  6. Chris McCandless had a pretty decent life; he had a car, a good education and lots of money; so how and why could he throw it all away? I think he threw it all away because he had his life bought for him, and became tired of not doing anything for himself. So he decided to pull a ‘YOLO’ (You Only Live Once) and run away to the woods. “If you don’t take it, I’m going to throw it away”, while this quote refers to a watch, one might infer that this quote was Alex’s attitude toward anything material any one would try to give him.

    To expand on this idea, he had a lot of money saved in his bank account, but he ended up selflessly donating it all to OXFAM to feed the hungry people of the world. Not only that, but he also says, “How I feed myself is none of the government’s business”, this proves that he would not accept help from anyone either.

    Lastly, in his quest for a more significant life, and his “I don’t want help” attitude, he ended up losing the opportunity to live the meaningful life he sought.- Tim Mcdonough


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    1. Very intresting, fun and well writen great job Tim

      Willy Cahoon

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    2. This paragraph brings up some good points and backs them up, the only problem that really stands out is that it uses "I" after the rubric directly advised against it.

      -Zack Turnbull

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    3. Yolo, Tim. Yolo!

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    5. I support the view that "in his quest for a more significant life, and his 'I don’t want help' attitude, he ended up losing the opportunity to live the meaningful life he sought", because the quota is so appropriate to show Chris's attitude and thought which is independent and tired of living under others' hope.--Yuan

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    6. good usage of yolo tim, this was very "interresting."
      -Kelsey

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  7. Chris McCandless was able to escape his identity because he felt he was never fully in control of his life as Chris McCandless. Chris was a very stubborn and idealistic individual and would only accept the world if he made it himself. Chris did not accept the world the way it was, with everything laid out for him by his parents, he felt they didn’t understand him and wanted too much out of him shown in the quote “more than twenty four thousand dollars remained at the time of Chris’ graduation, money his parents thought he intended to use for law school”. Chris’ obsession with controlling his life went further when he refused a brand new car as a present from his parents for his graduation claiming “he already had a perfectly good car”, he did this because that car was one of the only things he had bought and thus truly owned. In short Chris McCandless was a controlling person, not of other people but of himself and would stop at nothing for the freedom to control every aspect of his life.
    -David Henigman

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    1. I agree with Daivd when he said, " He was able to escape his identity because he never felt in controll." It is a statement beyond true. -Alexis Boggs

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    2. Very interesting and Yolo.

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    3. I agree with David when he said that "he did not accept the world with everything laid out for him by his parents" because Chris is trying to be more independent by leaving to Alaska
      Haylan Cross

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    6. I also think he was being controlled by his parents and wanted to be in control off his own life, superb job dave!
      -Kelsey

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    7. I like how you said Chris wanted to be in control of his own life.
      Evan H

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  8. Chapters 1-3
    He left his life and identity behind for the unknown. Chris McCandless - the dead man on the bus.
    It’s believed he did this to get away from something unknown in his past. Maybe it was something that changed this man’s course of life from law school student to hitchhiker that led to his death. His name was Chris McCandless; he had it all, a good family, great grades, sports, and even got into law school. Why would he give it all up to become Alex Supertramp? A man with no money, no home, no family and whose only goal seemed to be to get to Mt. McKinley. In April 1992, this man had given $25,000 to charity, abandoned everything he had and burned his cash to start his new life. This leads us to ask the question, “Why Chris, would you do this?” We believe that Chris did all of this because he was in trouble, it is unknown whom with but there is evidence which leads us to believe this theory is right. An example would also be he was trying to protect his loved ones by withholding communications until he was well away, “Chris had instructed the post office to hold them until August 1st, apparently so we wouldn’t know anything was up” says Billie his mother when talking about the letters. Another example of him being in trouble is shown through his emotions. He seems to be pulling away or even holding back from affection, such as when his family tried to give him gifts of any sort this seemed to come up “He would no longer give or receive gifts” his mother recalled from a memory of him. In conclusion we assume the obvious, Chris McCandless was running away from his life like every human seems to do at some point whether it be emotionally or physically. But tragically his escape led to death not freedom for this young man.
    - Michaila Roberts

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    1. I agree with what Michaila says about alex keeping all his letters to protect his family from what he is about to do. Devon

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    2. Some great points, I agree with Michaila with her key points, with holding the letters to protect him family to protect his family from what he was going to do.
      -Maddy

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  9. Chris donated all the money in his college found to OXFAM America without telling anybody including his parents. When his parents went to visit him in August as they did not contact with him for almost one year after receiving his final transcript, they found Chris had moved out in June with his little car. Besides, he even changed his name as Alexander Supertramp instead of Chris McCandless.
    When it comes to the reasons he did so, all the things happened suddenly but rationally, which suggests in his behavior and thought.
    Firstly, for example, the quota “He was offered membership in Phi Beta Kappa but declined, insisting that titles and honors are irrelevant” exactly demonstrates his high moral value, he didn’t care titles and fame from society at all which can be one of reasons why he can simply discard his identity and past life. He didn’t obtain a common sense of honor, in other words, kind of vanity, which make the bond between him and the society much less strong than others.
    Secondly, the saying “I think I’m going to disappear for a while”, which he used to tell his parents that he would spend the upcoming summer on the road, suggests his potential world-weary emotion casing his later became a tramp.
    What’s more, the novel also mentions “At long last he was unencumbered, emancipated from the stifling world of his parents and peers, a world of abstraction and security and material excess, a world in which he felt grievously cut off from the raw throb of existence” which shows that he amazingly desire absolute freedom and to escape from history and oppression and law and irksome obligations.
    Actually, all the animals including human do naturally obtain a kind of desire to pursue freedom, which is inherited from ancestors and will continue being inherited from generations to generations. However, most of citizens will not choose to obey this desire from their hearts while Chris acts what he wants with unbelievable courage, or people would like to regard it as kind of crazy.

    Yuan

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    1. this is an exceptional point of view !
      -michaila

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  10. I agree completelty with Yuan here is a complete and goes above and beyond the six mark on the writing rubric great job Yuan.
    Willy Cahoon

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  11. Chris McCandless donated $25,000 worth of savings and virtually disappeared. He had previously lived an above average life, but he left it all behind; notifying his family only by saying “I think I’m going to disappear for a while.” Chris moved to an apartment in Atlanta, left all of his belongings and ceased to reply to his parent’s letters. Changing his name to Alex Supertramp and starting to wander around the country, hitchhiking to each destination. What could have driven him to leave such a hopeful life for nothing in return? Perhaps it was the fact that his parents were too controlling or trying to buy him his life, “I can’t believe they’d try and buy me a car.” The freedom of not having anything set in stone or lain on a silver platter for Chris could have drove him to “evolving” into Alex. Nobody will ever know because he made at least one vital mistake on his journey to finding himself in the forests of Alaska, as he is no longer with us.

    - Zack Turnbull

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    1. I agree with Zack's point about his parents being to controlling. however I dont think Chric McCandless planed on finding his way out of Alaska.

      -Jessica Richards

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    2. i totally agree with zack talking about how his parents are way to protecteive, protective parents lead to rebelious children.

      -Taylor Spenner

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  12. Forgetting and leaving your past life would be hard for most people but apparently not for Chris McCandless, he discarded his identity and past life without a backwards glance, leaving his privileged manner to hitchhike and live in the wilderness, consequently resulting in his own death. Chris McCandless wanted to be independent to the extent where he had no one to fall back on, it was just him. Why, most people may ask, but no one will ever know. We can’t just assume that he wanted to just get away, or he didn’t believe the life he was living was worth living anymore. He may have had it tough and wanted to get away, but “in truth McCandless had been raised in the comfortable upper-middle-class environs of Annandale, Virginia.” Maybe instead of being guarded and shelter by his parents for the rest of his life he wanted to be independent and live off the land. Incidentally “Chris had instructed the post office to hold them until August 1, apparently so we wouldn’t know anything was up” said Billie his mother talking about all the letters they sent him over the past few months, this is how Chris McCandless disappeared without his parents knowing until he wanted them to. In conclusion the only person he could fall back on, the only person he could trust and know had his back all the time while he was on his journey, was himself.
    -Maddy

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    1. Well written and in-depth. Good Job!
      -David Henigman

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    2. Easy to read and well writen at that! good work!

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    3. yo mayne this wuz liek off da hook, keepin it reel in this paragraph, eh plus effurt

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    4. nice job maddy, well written and good details
      -Alex

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  13. I think zack has the right idea about his parents being controllin .
    - michaila

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    1. *controlling.
      (sorry keegan for offending you with my mispelled word.)
      -michaila

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  14. I agree with what Maddy said about Alex leaving to be more independant.

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  15. Is Chris MacCandless just a man trying to look for a bit of adventure before he settles down or is he a regular Marxist man who throws away everything forever? In the quote, “he had given $25,000 in savings to charity” it shows that he is probably never coming back from an adventure worthy of tale and song. His parents’ constant pushing to accept their gift to let them “pay for law school” made him think that his parents were controlling him. This makes a man who wants to forge his own destiny and enjoy life to the fullest, very malicious and able to throw everything away. His throwing away everything that he knew makes him free as an eagle enabling him to go anywhere and to do anything that he wants without anyone controlling him. In conclusion, the self-made man, Alex Supertramp, aka Chris MacCandless, has left everything behind to be free and to find enlightenment
    Willy Cahoon

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    1. Yolo, Willie. Yolo!

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    2. I love how you said his parents are controlling him, because now another point of view comes to mind. He wasn't just being pushed but his life was being controlled in a subtle way. his parents wanted him to follow their path to success but he did't want that, so he got away, following one thing he has always wanted, freedom.
      -Kylie Bales

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  16. Chris McCandless had the life everyone dreams of having. He was smart, good-looking, and came from a close wealthy family. But his family forgot to ask Chris what he wanted with his life. Alexander Supertramp (Chris) went off in the Alaska wilderness, never to be seen alive again, because all of his loved ones saw him as the person he pretended to be to please his family. Chris went on the same route his beloved car took; he never planned on leaving Alaska. I’m a letter to his sister Chris said “I can’t believe they’d try and buy me a car or that they would let them pay for law school if I was going to go…. I’ve told them a million times that I have the best car in the world, a car that has spanned the continent from Miami to Alaska.” This is significant because he is showing how different he is from his parents and he states the route that his car took, the route that would lead to his death. Chris sent his final grades with a note on the back to his parents. “Here is a copy of my final transcript. Gradewise things went pretty well and I ended up with a high cumulative average. thankyou for the pictures, the shaving gear, and the postcard from Paris. It seems that you really enjoyed your trip there. It must have been lots of fun. I gave Loyd his picture, and he was very grateful; he did not have a shot of his diploma getting handed to him. Not much else happening, but it’s starting to get real hot and humid down here. Say Hi to everyone for me.” This is a very important letter because it is the last time Chris McCandless would be known as Chris. From this point on he would be Alexander Supertramp. Chris McCandless might have gotten everything the majority of people want. But it wasn’t what he wanted. By the time he graduated collage Chris McCandless was a completely different person. That’s why he changed his name to Alexander Supertramp and left without telling anyone. He had the chance to start over, have the life he wanted. Maybe Alex thought he could find that life in the Alaskan Wilderness.
    -Jessica Richards

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    1. I agree with your point on that he wanted to start a new life, very ghetto prediction too. -Deanne Weber

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  17. Chris McCandless is a young man just finished college decides to hitchhike to Alaska to live the rest of his life there, which ends up being life-changing for him and the others around him. Chris left behind a privileged life, unprepared, because he had problems with his family and “couldn’t wait to head out there and get started.” Before he left for Alaska he donates all $25,000 of his money to a hunger foundation as well as leaving all of his possessions behind. He, obviously, has some sort of issue with his past life to change his identity and to start over by living by himself in Alaska, which costs him his life. Chris did not tell his family he had taken off maybe because he thought he would be back to see them soon or maybe he just had a problem with them and didn’t want to be a part of it. This is significant because Chris appears to choose an independent life over one that is privileged. He went from Chris McCandless to Alex Supertramp to get away from his old life and to be a new individual from up north. The last thing his parents ever received from him was “his grades in the mail” because he was found dead by a group of hunters 4 months after his arrival.

    - K3Ls3y_dR4g0nS1ay3r123

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    1. 0mggggg, s33333w g00d bbg!!!!! s3w g00d a7 wr171ng!!! k33p 1t br33zy bbg <3<3<3<3<3

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    2. The best piece of text I have read, A true writing Professional.

      -Kris E.

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  18. Could you leave your entire life behind to live in the Alaskan wilderness? Chris McCandless was able to leave his family, friends and career behind to live in the wild. He clearly did not have a close relationship with his parents or friends because when he left he didn’t tell anyone what he was doing or where he was going. When he left he changed his name to “Alex Supertramp, master of his own destiny” this shows that he is leaving his past life behind. Another reason he may have left is to prove his independence. Before he left to Alaska he refused to accept a new car from his parents as well as them paying for law school. By Chris leaving, he could prove that he is completely independent from everyone and that he could survive on his own.
    Haylan Cross

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    1. I am in the same side of the idea "He clearly did not have a close relationship with his parents or friends because when he left he didn’t tell anyone what he was doing or where he was going", since I also find he didn't care his families or friends in society so much as most of other citizens do. Besides, this kind of characteristics helped he act his “crazy” plan easily as he didn't need to worry about close people's view.--Yuan

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    2. I agree with you when you say he could prove he was completey independent.
      -Maddy

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    3. This is what a busie would say.

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    4. I agree with Haylan that he didn't have a close relationship with his parents
      -Kevin

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  19. Chris McCandless discarded his life completely, no way home, no one to contact, nothing but the wilderness. Chris McCandless, now known as Alex Supertramp, left his well-off life in the pursuit to ether find himself in the face of danger, Was it a childish dream of his, which he decided that he wanted to live out? Or did he just want to be like a character in a book? Chris left everything, his home, his family, friends, his entire life, all in the pursuit to find himself because he felt that his privileged life couldn’t offer him those answers. At first his parents weren’t even aware he left for quite a while, “I think I’m going to disappear for a while.” This quote is significant to the story because, when a parent doesn’t listen to their children, the children will usually feel invisible and try to rebel. “He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself.” This shows how Chris didn’t enjoy the life he was living and wanted to start a new life without anything or anyone to help along. All in all Chris McCandless a.k.a. Alex Supertramp is a brave boy who was sick of his identity and wanted to change, or a foolish child who wanted to find who he really is in the forest like one of those old cartoons. He may be both or nether, only time will tell.

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    1. The quotes are well wrapped in and backed by some impressive reasoning, I enjoy the "Chris McCandless a.k.a. Alex Supertramp"

      - Zack Turnbull

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    2. Good use of quotes...they all supported your statements -Judith

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  20. Chris McCandless lived a very wealthy and happy life that most people would dream of having. But Chris saw his life as a prison, unable to live the way he wanted. He probably felt like his family only loved him when he did stuff they liked, which lead him to fleeing to the wilderness. I think personally he has a strong connection to his car, the one his parents tried to replace with a new one.
    “I’ve told them a million times that I have the best car in the world, a car that has spanned the continent from Miami to Alaska, a car that has in all those thousands of miles not given me a single problem, a car that I will never trade in, a car that I am very strongly attached to.” Maybe Chris travelled the same route as his car for a reason. Maybe he wanted to prove to his parents that like his car, he will never change, no matter how much they want him to. To conclude, Chris’ car has great importance to his reasoning to flee to Alaska, as did his parents.
    - Deanne Weber

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    1. I agree with Deanne 100% even though she is borrowing my car idea lol :P

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    2. I have a mind of my own, your dumb. -d-dawg

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    3. hahaha bff's foooo eves grrrrs <3 <3 stop hatin'
      good job d-dawg... <3

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  21. Chris McCandles had an amazing life. He had good grades and was an athlete. Why would somebody with a great life throw it away to hitchhike into Alaska? Chris left as he always had things given to him in life. He wanted to be his own man. With a privileged life and a guaranteed scholarship for law school to most this would be perfect, But not for him. He had problems with his family. Chris “couldn’t wait to head out there and get started.” Leaving his belongings behind and donating $25,000 to charity “there was just no talking the guy out of it”. Both of these quotes show that Chris was determined and that he wanted to be the master of his own destiny.

    -Kris Eldred

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    1. this is just a work of art, powerful meaning and you got the point across to me.
      -Kelsey

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    2. I wonder why he did drop everything was it anger, fear, or just he wanted to be free we dont know yet. maybe the book will tell us mabye not.

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    3. unbeliveable this just blew my mind
      -Kevin

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  22. Did you know that if it weren’t for one little mistake, Chris McCandless most likely would have survived in wild Alaska. During university, Chris was reading the stories of Tolstoyan about his amazing hiking trips into the wild, which may have contributed to his leaving everything behind to go to Alaska. Then he hitch hiked all the way to the stampede trail. “There was just no talking this guy out of it, he was real gung ho” said Gallein. Alex was set on going into wild and living on his own, he would hardly accept any help from Gallein, no matter what he tried, persuasion, scare tactics and even trying to get him to come to town and getting him better gear, but nothing could deter him from his dream of enlightenment. “He was what you call you’d call extremely ethical and set pretty high standards for himself” says Westerberg. Alex was the kind of person who never gave up, no matter what. As you can see, McCandless clearly was the kind of guy who could, with the right equipment, live in the bush like Tolstoyan.
    Mike. A

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    1. I agree with Mike that reading the stories contributed to Alex leaving everything behind and going to Alaska

      -Kevin

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  23. Christopher McCandless, or as he made himself Alex Supertramp, lived a life others wished they could have. Even though we’ll never know the true reason why he disappeared, we can come to some logical conclusions as to why he decided to discard his identity, his belongings and donated $25,000 to charity. For how he came to this, we could say that he had a strong belief in everyone being treated equally. In that he wished for a life where corporates didn’t have the control and power over society that they have over people. However he saw that this was not possible as not everyone shared the same views or had the mere energy to fight, so he decided to start a new life by himself.

    - Taylor Bombay

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  24. Into the wild blog post
    Why did Chris McCandless hike through Alaska totally unprepared?
    Chris McCandless discard his identity and past life without a backward glance, leaving the privileged manner he was raised to hitchhike and live in the wilderness. His sudden leaving could be a reason for his unpreparedness. Chris McCandless, “claimed to be twenty-four years old”, was a young hitchhiker who went to the Alaskan interior to live off the bush. Before he started his adventure, he finished University in Atlanta and donated all his money, remaining in his college fund, to OXFAM, a hunger foundation and burned his entire wallet, pass ports and other documents.That way nobody was able to follow him until he was found death. Aswell as he changed his name into Alexander Supertramp. Gallien, a trucker who met Chris on the way to Alaska tried to talk him out of his plan of living in the bush, because “livin’ in the bush isn’t no picnic.” He offered to buy Alex some good gear, such as boots, a gun to kill big animals, and other kind of gear, to survive in the wilderness. I can connect with Chris, because he wants to experience the live in another part of the world, sadly he wasn’t prepared enough and his ego didn’t allow him to get help from others.
    Alexander Goldbrunner

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    1. This is a solid performance, For Cpt Germany. Great understanding of the text. I almost cryed a bit. Alex, You sir are a legend.

      - Kris E

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  25. Chapter 1-3
    Kevin Patenaude
    What is the true meaning of life? Chris McCandless completely discarded his privileged life because he wanted to live according to the Marxist philosophy. The ascetic life of the famous Russian writer, Leo Tolstoy, greatly influenced and inspired Chris to ‘ditch’ his material life style and seek a more meaningful existence.
    At the start of his journey, Chris McCandless adopts the name, Alex Supertramp, to reflect his new persona. He pretty much declares his mission statement to the truck driver, Gallien, when he tells him, “I don’t want to know what time it is. I don’t want to know what day it is or where I am. None of that matters.” This showed that Alex wanted to fully immerse himself in the Alaskan forest and be forgotten by the rest of the world. According to Alex’s friend and employer, Wayne Westerberg, Alex was a very intelligent and hardworking young man who, “did too much thinking. Sometimes he tried too hard to make sense of the world…” In addition, Westerberg realized that Alex had troubles with his family. Therefore, it seems, that in Alex’s mind, it was his struggle with trying to figure out life and his family conflicts that led him to this journey. Alex’s passion to live a more meaningful life and find answers to difficult questions led him to take extreme measures in changing his life style. His desire to do so is something that we all look for at some point in our lives. But how many of us have the courage to sever ties with our families and dispose of all of our material possessions?

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    1. Truely a work of art. Patnat96 is a great understander of the text and made me think. #1 Minihockeyer

      -Kris

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  26. Into the Wild
    For some of us having a life like Chris had would be a dream. He had lots of money, a car and a good education so why would Chris McCandless just leave his good life behind to go live in the wilderness? It may have been that throughout his life his parents always made the decisions for him and he was getting tired of being bossed around and told how to life his life by others. He may have also thought that there was more to life than just wealth and a good career. “I think I’m going to disappear for a while” this quote suggests that he may have tried to run away from his problems for a bit maybe he just wanted to escape his good life for a while and figure out what really matters in life. Chris was like most of us are deep inside we all want to go on some sort of adventure and just escape the regular life for a while and live life the way we want to instead of how society wants us to. Throughout the years in his life he was always giving things to him by his parents even though he despised the idea of receiving gifts. “I can’t believe they’d try and buy me a car “Chris has bought his first car himself without his parents’ money. Since he was normally always given stuff by his parents he may have felt some sort of accomplishment and pride with his first car. For once in his life he didn’t have to be given something by his parents. His mom and dad always tried to prepare him for life although it may have been a little too extreme and too much of how they think the perfect life could be lived instead of thinking what his son may have wanted. This selfish behavior may have been the reason why Chris didn’t have a good relationship with his parents. Instead of spending his money on his college funds on things he could use to survive in the wild he decided to donate it to OXFAM America, a charity dedicated to fighting hunger. There might be lots of different reason to why exactly Chris McCandless wanted to escape his perfectly good life and live in the wild .It may have been no reason at all and maybe he always had a growing desire to just life in the wilderness but we will never know for sure why exactly he did because under unfortunate conditions he couldn’t complete his “perfect” life in the wild and ended up passing away -judith

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  27. What could go so wrong in someone’s life to drive them to leave behind everything they once knew to start a new one all alone? Chris McCandless had what some people would call a perfect life. He had a family who loved him, a roof over his head, food on the table every night, and just graduated from collage. Although to him, this could be the very reason for his choice to leave home and start a new life, too much love and a family that expects too much from him, which would result in taking away his freedom to be his own person. I believe one of the largest factors of Chris leaving home is his parents. “Yet they ignore what I say and think I’d actually accept a new car from them.” His parents don’t seem to understand his wants and needs and I think they may be pressuring him to be the son they want him to be and not allowing him to be himself. “I’m going to have to be real careful not to accept any gifts from them in the future because they will think they have bought my respect.” This shows that his parents and him don’t have a very strong relationship, which takes away his respect for his parents. In conclusion I believe Chris may have left home to be a new man, to be free from his parents grasp. This decision however will eventually result in his death.
    -Katelyn Willson

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    1. I think it's true that his parens don't seem to care about what Chris really wants -Judith

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  28. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  29. Adventourous- Alex this chapter has really started to find himself, and is really starting to feel freedom. He has been especially adventurous, from traveling from Alaska down to Mexico and back up again, he is having an amazing time. “Over joyed upon reaching the Colorado River.” Expresses how excited he is to be traveling and reaching his destinations.

    Happy- Alex seems very happy with the choices he has been making and the great time he is having living the life he has always dreamed of. “It is the experiences, the memories, the great triumphant joy of living to the fullest extent in which real meaning is found. God it’s great to be alive!” He is finally happy.

    Grateful-Before this chapter I thought Alex was cold hearted and a little to stubborn. However after reading it I learned he really is a sweet guy and is thankful for the things he receives. “But apart from sending greetings the main purpose of this card is to thank you once again for all your hospitality. Please thank Kevin again for all the clothes he gave me, I would have frozen to death without them.” This quote is significant because it shows the great appreciation he has for letting him stay there.
    -Jaelin Ellis

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  30. Three qualities that Alexander Super tramp has are, nomadic, minimalist and selfless. He is nomadic because he does not stay in one place; he is minimalist because he started his journey with only 10 pounds of rice and a riffle. Lastly he is selfless; this is because he donated all of his money to OXFAM

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  31. Michaila Roberts
    Dec, 7th, 2012
    Chapter 4 – 3 Qualities of Alex
    I believe that Alex Supertramp; the main character of this book has many qualities, but there are 3 that are recognized above most. His crazy unpredictable mood swings for one are amongst every page, and it doesn’t seem to be very rational anger this quote proves just that,
    “He screams and beat’s canoe with oar. The oar breaks.” For me I’d realize beforehand that breaking an oar while in the ocean would not be the smartest idea to pursue. He also has shown in various ways to live his life to the fullest, this whole book being an example of that because he’s left everything behind for the adventure, and exploration of the world for his own amusement. Lastly the biggest fact of all, Alex Supertramp doesn’t give up. Ever. He reached many dead ends trying to get himself to the ocean, he failed numerous times but in the end it all prevailed he succeeded in his quest for the sea.

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  32. Chris McCandless is a friendly man because everywhere he goes no matter what he’s looking like or currently doing he can easily make friends and people are willing to help him without even knowing him, so he must have a lot of likeable qualities. He also must be a hard worker or he must at least be an efficient one for him to be able to get jobs so easily, especially considering he got one without even having any ID or even a resume. So far in the book he has also shown to be a very easily angered person when in tough situations unlike some people where they would stay calm he panics and gets angry, for example when he was in the swamp and he realized that he couldn’t reach the ocean he got extremely angry and freaked out without solving anything and in the ocean he got mad and smashed an oar without thinking which couldve costed him his life if he didnt have a spare.
    - Keegan Hodgson

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  33. 3 qualities of Chris
    One of Chris’s qualities is determination. Even though he has lost weight and his journey in the wild wasn’t going as successful as he thought it was going to be, he still wanted to continue living this kind of life. His parents would have probably gave him all the money he needed to get his regular life back together if he returned but even through the harsh conditions he was going through he still didn’t want to give up and continued living his life in the wilderness. Not only did he have a lot of determination but he was also very stubborn. “I said the hunting wasn’t easy where he was going, that he could go for days without killing any game “There were plenty of people telling him how dangerous and hard it was going to be living in the wild and that hunting wasn’t as easy as Chris thought it would be but his stubbornness led him to believe that it wasn’t going to be that bad and that he was going to be fine. One of Alex’s most obvious qualities was that he was strongly antisocial. There were lots of people that Alex met on his journey he always tried keeping mostly to himself and only revealed what he thought would interest others . He couldn’t care less of what others thought of him and never stayed in touch with people for too long. ~Judith

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  34. Chris McCandless must have had some demons; he dropped everything he had in his life and just left without saying good-bye. He left behind his privileged life because he wanted to get away from his family, who put a lot of pressure on him and wanted him to succeed in a way that Chris didn’t believe in. “I think I’m going to disappear for a while.” This is important because it signifies he’s going to be leaving and giving them a fair warning that he would be leaving. “Chris had instructed the post office to hold them until august 1, apparently so we wouldn’t know anything was up.” He had instructed the post office to hold them because he didn’t want his parents coming to find him already, so by the time they got them he was already gone and not to be reached. Chris is trying to say if you don’t like where you are now, and nothing is going to be looking up at the point you’re at; pick up your stuff and go!!
    Brooke Chromik

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  35. Chris McCandless had always had everything given to him, his whole life set on a table. To pick up your stuff and leave like that shows that he is very brave. The reason he did this is only one; He was tired of being dependent on everyone. He wanted to be independent and free. Being around money and having everything given to you on a silver platter isn't always the best. Picking up your life like that isn't always the easiest thing but the things that Chris had been through, he was determined to get away from all of that. Chris wanted to figure himself out and know the feeling of being free so he went away without even a goodbye.

    -Anna Serdyukova :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

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  36. Into The Wild Final Paragraph.
    McCandless’ adventure triggers many different feelings to different people. Some see it as a selfless and noble adventure into the wild, others as selfish and idiotic. The selfish side of Alex’s quest involves him ditching everything he owns and doesn’t tell anybody he knows what he is going to do. This makes his family, friends and people he meets along the way worried about what happened to him. Another example of selfishness is when Alex meets Jan and Bob. He stays with them for a couple of days and just as the going was good he leaves in the middle of the night willing to just throw them away like a used napkin. When Alex meets Franz, An old man who has felt had nothing left after losing his wife and son and turns to the drink, He sees that life is still worth living when Alex shows him things that he though weren’t possible. Just like Jan and Bob he tries to ditch him in the middle of the night to continue the quest to Alaska. Instead, Franz hears him and an awkward conversation happens that results in Franz driving him 100 miles out. When Franz is driving Alex as far as he can, he asks him if he can adopt him to carry on his family’s bloodline. Instead Alex just brushes him off and leaves, crushing the old man. Alex felt that by reaching Alaska and getting rid of all he owned he could just vanish off the face of the earth and be forgotten. Instead every single person he meets remembers him, wishes that he was still there. This is why his journey is selfish, He only cared for himself.

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  37. Into the Wild final paragraph

    You may wonder why anyone would want to live off the land. Why you would want to travel on road, and ultimately own nothing. Without experiencing it yourself, one will not truly understand the complete and full appeal the wild can have on us. However the wild consists of a simplicity, and beauty that is just too good to pass up. Chris McCandless one of the many “leather tramps” once said, “The core of a man’s being comes from new experiences.” This is significant because all of the leather tramps who dreamed of making it to Alaska had the same passion for what they were doing, like they lived for the adventure to the Alaskan wilderness, and there was no other option. “It is the experiences, the memories, the great triumphant joy of living to the fullest extent in which real meaning is found. God it’s great to be alive!” Specifically this quote explains how Chris thinks. He wants to live life to the fullest, and just generally be happy, and being all alone in the wilderness helped him find that. Although each adventurer shares their own story and path as to why they chose to leave home and become a leather tramp, each of them has something in common. They want to feel free from society. Free from judgments and opinions. Except, how can the wild free them from these things? The answer is simple. The wild has a simplicity, a beauty, and a silence you have never experienced before. It gives you a feeling of ultimate freedom that you just can’t pass up.
    Jaelin

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  38. Chris McCandless left his family and discarded his identity because he was sick of the way the world was and wanted to live a more independent life style off of the land without “20th century inventions”. He showed plenty of signs that he did not enjoy his family except his sister and he wanted to enjoy life by going to do what he did and nothing else mattered to him. The “Great Alaskan Odyssey” was supposed to be his last journey which makes you wonder if he was willing to go back to his old privileged life in civilization or if he would’ve even been able to stop this adventurous life style.
    -Keegan Hodgson

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    1. i agree with how it made you wonder about if Chris was going to come back to his old life or not.-Judith

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  39. The land is like poetry: it is inexplicably coherent, it is transcendent in its meaning, and it has the power to elevate a consideration of human life. - Barry Lopez
    The wilderness could very well be the only place left where everything is still 100% natural. It could mean a lot of things for a lot of different people. In Jon Krakauer's bestselling Into the Wild it meant isolation and freedom from society. Although for Christopher Johnson Mccandless it may have started out meaning freedom, but ended up meaning death. "In April 1992, a young man from a well-to-do east coast family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. Four months later his decomposed body was found by a party of moose hunters."
    -Katelyn Willson

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  40. Chris never liked to do what most other people would like to do for fun.
    Before Chris left civilization, he used to go around and give food to the homeless. I don’t think his idea of fun and activities is the same as others. Almost like fate, it was probably in his nature to live a different life. Many people get fet up with the way they live, Chris Mccandless just took it to the next level. Also, a fresh new start can be a great thing. One would believe that the world would be better if there were more people like chris.

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