Into the Wild

Chris McCandless had just graduated from Emory University when he severed ties with his family and ran-away to South Dakota. He was missing for two years when outdoors men discovered his body in a bus in the middle of the Alaskan Wilderness. It was apparent that he has dies of malnutrition and starvation. The only foods he survived on were rice, the edible roots and berries that he could find, and the rare animal game that he came across. One of the few things that was found with him was a journal. From this, Jon Krakauer was able to tell Chris McCandless journey in the book Into the Wild.

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Jon Krakauer

Jon Krakauer was born in 1954 and was born in raised in Corvallis, Oregon. His interest in mountaineering began in when he was eight years old when his father introduced him to it. In 1976, he graduated from Hampshire College. After his graduation, he earned his living by being a carpenter and commercial salmon fisher and spent his free time in the mountains. A year later in 1977, Krakauer climbed a new path up Devil's Thumb in Southeast Alaska and in 1992 he conquered the West Face of Cerro Torre in the Patagonian Andes, which at the time, was the most difficult climb in the world.

His book Into Thin Air is a biography about the experience that he had while climbing Mt. Everest. On his company's descent, a strong storm killed four out of the five teammates that accompanied him on the climb. It was honored by both TIME magazine and the New York Times Book Review. It was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. In 1999, Krakauer won an Academy Award in Literature for Into the Wild from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a very exalted award that recognizes "writers of exceptional accomplishment."

Jon Krakauer also has had his journalism posted in many esteemed magazines and newspapers. His book Into the Wild spent more than two years on the New York Times bestseller list. He also published a book of mountaineering essays called Eiger Dreams, and another by the name of Iceland: A Land of Sagas, which contains some of his photography.

Information from: www.randomhouse.com/features/krakauer/author.html

Images from:http://www.newnewjournalism.com/authors/Jon_Krakauer.jpg and http://newhum.com/3e/for_students/link_o_mat/images/krakauer.jpg

Seattle, Washington

Founded by Noah Sealth a chief of the local Native American tribe, the city of Seattle is located on hilly and green terrain in the state of Washington in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle has a very wet climate that may make the state seem dreary but, in the summer that all changes. Summer time temperatures only rise to around 75 degrees with occasional highs to the high 80s and low 90s. Although it rains often in Seattle, it does not snow heavily. You will see few snow day on your visit there, Their last major snow was in 1997.
Seattle is a city filled with culture. It contains the only museum that dedicates itself to Asian-American history. Seattle is renowned for their roots in music and has housed musical artists such as Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix, and Nirvana. Outsiders know Seattle its massive two month Seafair festival the celebrates the diversity and traditions of Puget Sound.
Filled with many sights and sounds, Seattle is a great vacation spot for anyone look for diversity, culture, and good music, as long as they do not mind a little rain.

Information from: www.seattle.gov
Image from:www.flickr.com/photos/mrtial/1255150145/

Direct and Indirect Characterization of Chris McCandless

1. Direct characterization is when the author uses direct statements to tell the reader what the character is like.

2. Indirect characterization is when the author lets you draw your own conclusions about the character based on what they do or say.

Direct:

1. Chris looked younger then he was. "He didn't appear to be very old; eighteen, maybe nineteen at the most." (3)
2. He seemed friendly. "A rifle protruded from the young man's backpack, but he seemed friendly enough." (4)
3. He is around 5 feet 7 inches. "Five feet seven or eight..." (4)
4. He has a thin frame. "...with a wiry build" (4)
5. He wears glasses. "He was nearsighted and wore steel-rimmed glasses" (17)
6. Appeared intelligent. "He read a lot. Used a lot of big words." (18)
7. Contemplative. "I think that maybe a part of what got him into trouble was that he did too much thinking.: (18)
8. He was a hard worker. "He was the hardest worker I've ever seen" (18)
9. Determined. "He was determined. Real gung-ho."
10.He had 'dark and emotive' eyes. "There was something arresting about the youngster's eyes. Dark and emotive..." (16)

Indirect:

1. Chris seems to underestimate things. "His gear seemed exceedingly minimal for the harsh conditions of the interior..." (5)
2. Unyielding "There was no talking the guy out of it." (6)
3. He was from an affluent family. "His father, Walt, is an eminent aerospace engineer..." (19)
4. Mysterious "Chris has instructed the post office to hold them (the letters) until August 1st, apparently so we wouldn't know something was up." (22) "I'm going to disappear for a while" (21)
5. Against modern society. "... he would no longer give or accept gifts" "Chris had only recently upbraided Walt and Billie for expressing their desire to buy him a new car..."(20)
6. A wanderer. "In the years since, he'd been in the habit of taking it on extended road trips." (21)
Thrill seeker, adventurous, "He was determined. Real gung-ho. The word that comes to mind is excited" (6)
7. Non-materialistic. "Chris had lived off campus in a monkish room with little more then a thin mattress on the floor, milk crates, and a table." (22)
8. Unconventional. "He was offered a membership in Phi Beta Kappa but declined, insisting that titles and honors were irrelevant" (20)
9. Book smart. "Chris graduated from Emory University... with a 3.72 grade-point average." (20)
10. Quirky. "Although the tone of the journal - written in the third person in a stilted, self-consciousness voice..." (29)

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