Analyzing Stylistic Choices Essay

Precise sparers make linguistic choices to create certain effect. They want to have their subscribers react in a certain way. Go back through the text and analyze Krakauers use of intelligence operations, sentences, and paragraphs, and take note as to how effective a hold openr he is.Analyzing Chapters 810ParagraphsIn the first part of Chapter 8, Krakauer quotes Alaskans who had opinions ab erupt McCandless and his death.1. Why does Krakauer cite these letters? How does citing them add to or detract from the text?2. Choose bingle of these letters, and respond to it, explaining the power point to which you summate or disagree.ToneKrakauer inserts himself into the story in Chapter 8.3. Does this demonstrate him more credibility?4. Do you comment this annoying? Why or wherefore not?Analyzing Chapters 1113A few pages into Chapter 13, Krakauer describes McCandlesss sisters behavior when she was told about her brothers death.5. Why does he use the word keening instead of crying ?6. What are the denotations and connotations of this word? What is its history?SentencesRe commemorate aloud the next-to- lowest paragraph in Chapter 13, where Krakauer powerfully describes Billies grief.7. Rephrase the paragraph and alter it in your own words.8. What makes Krakauers description (quoted below) powerful? It is all she can do to force herself to examine the fuzzy snapshots. As she studies the pictures, she breaks down from time to time, express feelings as only a mother who has outlived a child can weep, betraying a sense of loss so huge and irreparable that the mind balks at taking its measure.Such bereavement, witnessed at close range, makes even the most eloquent apologies for high-risk activities ring fatuous and hollow.Analyzing Chapters 14 and 15WordsKrakauer uses technical phraseology related to dope climbing in these two chapters. Investigate the meaning technical words you dont hold out. What is the effect of these words on the reader?Summarizing and Re spondingChapters 1-7 describe McCandlesss journey and death. Chapters 8-15 try toput McCandlesss life in a larger context by comparing him to other plurality other wanderers, his family, and the author of the book. Look over your notes and annotations and answer the following principals. Write your answers in your notebook1. How does McCandless compare with the other wanderers Krakauer describes? In what ship canal is McCandless similar? In what shipway is he different? Do we understand McCandless better after making these comparisons?2. Krakauer and others have speculated that McCandless was estranged from his family be piddle of his relationship with his father. What was his family life like? Does it explain his after behavior?3. Krakauer clearly feels a strong connection to McCandless. Do you think they were very similar? Why or why not? In what ways is this book as much about Krakauer as it is about McCandless?4. Taking your notes and your answers to the above questions into account, write a short paragraph answering the following question Who was Chris McCandless?Thinking CriticallyRhetorical appeals are the accepted ways in which we persuade or argue a case. The following questions testament move you through more traditional rhetorical appeals. By focusing on appeals to the writer, to emotion, and to logic, you entrust be able to discover how Krakauer has persuaded us and how you can use these techniques to persuade others when you write or speak.Questions about Logic (Logos)1. Krakauer summarizes the response to his article by saying, The prevailing Alaska wisdom held that McCandless was simply one more dreamy half-cocked greenhorn who went into the country expecting to find answers to all his problems and instead found only mosquitos and a lonely death (72). HasKrakauer do the case that the prevailing Alaska wisdom is wrong? Why or why not?2. At the end of Chapter 9, Krakauer describes Irish monks known as the papar who sought out lonely places s o much that they left Iceland for Greenland when whatever Norwegians showed up because they set up that it had become too crowded, even though the land was nearly uninhabited. Krakauer writes, Reading of these monks, one cannot help thinking of Everett Reuss and Chris McCandless (97). Krakauer implies that there is some kind of similarity surrounded by Reuss, McCandless, and the papar, but instead of making a specific connection, he just says one cannot help thinking of. Is this a good argument? Why or why not?3. Krakauer argues in Chapter 14 that McCandlesss death was unknowledgeable and was a terrible accident (134). Does the book so far support that position? Do you agree with Krakauer? Why or why not?4. Look for other claims that Krakauer makes that might be weak or unsupported. What are they?Questions about the generator (Ethos)5. Chapters 14 and 15 describe Krakauers successful attempt when he was 23 years old to climb the Devils Thumb, a mountain in Alaska. He also desc ribes what he thinks are parallels between McCandless and himself. Do these chapters increase his credibility for pen this book, or do they undermine his credibility by making it seem like he has his own agenda and is not objective?Questions about Emotions (Pathos)6. Chapters 11-13 are about McCandlesss relationships with his family. Do any of these descriptions cause an emotional reaction in the reader? If so, what is it about the descriptions that causes this connection? Is it the words? Is it that we identify with the family situations? Do these effectsmake the book more powerful? condone your answer.7. Chapters 14-15 describe the authors actions and his emotional and psychological state as he climbs the mountain. For example, when he accidentally burns a big hole in his tent, which actually be yens to his father, he is more worried about his fathers reaction than the cold. What are some other details that have an emotional electric shock on the readers? How do these affect yo u as the reader?Reading (Chapters 16-18, Plus Epilogue)Reading for Understanding First ReadingAs you read this section of the text, make your notes, questions, and observations in your Into the Wild notebook. Continue to keep track of the literary quotations that Krakauer uses in his epigraphs. Because you are studying McCandlesss personality to discover why he made the decisions he did, continue to keep a log of McCandlesss personality traits.Reading Chapters 1618 Into the Alaskan Wild1. After a long detour, Krakauer brings us back to the scene of McCandlesss death. What does Krakauer discuss in these chapters that he did not discuss in the previous chapters? Why did he delay presenting this entropy?2. Krakauer provides a lot of quotations from McCandlesss journal in these chapters. What is McCandless talking about? Why did Krakauer include these selections?3. Krakauer quotes one of McCandlesss friends, who said that McCandless was born into the wrong century. He was looking for more adventure and freedom than todays society gives people (174). Do you think this is true?Reading the Epilogue Grief4. What was your sign sense of McCandlesss mental condition compared to what you think now? Have you changed your mind?5. What was your reaction to his parents as they visited the bus?Considering the Structure of the TextMapping out the organizational structure of the text helps us to understand the content itself.Outlining Chapters 16181. In Chapter 16, Krakauer gives a summary of the last few months of McCandlesss life. Do you think Krakauer admires McCandless or not? Cite your exhibit.2. In Chapter 17, Krakauer does not arrive at the bus until after about four pages. In those first pages, he gives us the details of the equipment he carries, the flow of the river, and the others with him. Is this necessary? What does it add? What does it detract?3. Krakauer says that McCandless had a kind of idiosyncratic logic. Explain Krakauers meaning and the extent to which you agree or disagree with him.Outlining the EpilogueThis part of the book is very short.4. What is the effect of having an epilogue that focuses entirely on the parents return to the bus? Does it provide closure? write and Questioning the TextOur first reading of a book gives us the story line, the major conflicts, and a sense of what the author intends. The second (or third) reading providesricher analyses and a deeper understanding of the text.In the authors notes, Krakauer provides a guide to our readingespecially to our subsequent reading of Into the Wild.In the Authors Note at the beginning of the book, Krakauer introduces the complexity of Chris McCandless. His words imply the following four questions, which we have been considering throughout the book1. Should we admire McCandless for his courage and noble ideas?2. Was he a intoxicating idiot?3. Was he crazy?4. Was he an arrogant and stupid narcissist?Make marginal notes as you reread the text. When you respond to the chapt er questions, cite the text, if necessary, where you find evidence for your judgments. At this point in your reading, have your answers to these questions changed in any way?Annotating Chapters 16185. List the various miscalculations and mistakes McCandless made.6. Toward the end of Chapter 16, Krakauer tells us that McCandless read Walden. You may want to take a look at Thoreaus text and figure out what Chris found most interesting in Thoreaus discussion of food.7. Have you ever fasted? Do you know anyone who has? Do some research on fasting and report to the class what you find or write a short report.Annotating the EpilogueThe traditional definition of an epilogue is that it is a concluding part of a literary work.8. Is Into the Wild a literary work? Why or why not?9. Is the last paragraph of the book an effective ending to the book? Why or why not?Analyzing Stylistic ChoicesAnalyzing Stylistic Choices helps you see the linguistic and rhetorical choices writers make to inform or convince readers.Precise writers make linguistic choices to create certain effects because they want their readers to react in a certain way. Go back through the text, and analyze Krakauers use of words, sentences, and paragraphs. Then decide how effective his writing is.Analyzing Chapters 1618ToneRead aloud the last paragraph in Chapter 18.1. How does Krakauer know that McCandless was at peace, serene as a monk bypast to God? Explain.2. Does Krakauer have the right to infer from the photograph that McCandless had the serenity of a monk?3. What is an alternative interpretation of the photograph?Analyzing the EpilogueRead aloud the last paragraph of the book.4. Is the language literary? Why or why not? What is its effect on you?Thinking CriticallyRhetorical appeals are the accepted ways in which we persuade or argue a case. The following questions will consider the traditional rhetorical appeals. By focusing on the appeal to logic, to the writer, and to emotion, you will understand further how Krakauer has persuaded us and how you can use these techniques to persuade others when you write or speak.Questions about Logic (Logos)1. In Chapter 16, Krakauer says that McCandless seemed to have moved beyond his lack to assert so ada soldierytly his autonomy, his need to separate himself from his parents. Maybe he was prepared to forgive their imperfections maybe he was even prepared to forgive some of his own. McCandless seemed ready, perhaps, to go home. Do you agree with Krakauers assessment?2. Look at McCandlesss response to several passages in Tolstoys Family Happiness toward the end of Chapter 16He was right in saying that the only certain happiness in life is to live for others . . . I have lived through much, and nowI think I have found what is needed for happiness. A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is favourable to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them then work which one ho pes may be of some use then rest, nature, books, music, bed for ones neighborsuch is my idea of happiness. And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhapswhat more can the heart of a man desire. (169)Does this indicate a change in McCandless? Was he ready to go home?3. Krakauer says that in his original article, he reported with great certainty that H. mackenzii, the inconclusive sweet pea, killed the boy (192). He now feels he was wrong. What evidence does he have for his new position?4. Does Krakauer prove his hypothesis that McCandlesss death was an unplanned accident?Questions about the Writer (Ethos)5. What is your impression of Krakauer as a person and a writer at this point? What are some of the details that give you this impression?Questions about Emotions (Pathos)6. Does this piece affect you emotionally? Which parts?Summarizing and RespondingIn Chapter 18, Krakauer reports that some cabins stocked with food and emergency gear were located about tripl e hours upstream from the bus where McCandless died. However, after McCandless had been found dead, a wildlife biologist in the area discovered that the cabins had been vandalized. He said,Im a bear technician, so I know what bear damage looks like. This looked like somebody had gone at the cabins with a claw hammer and bashed everything in sight. From the size of the fireweed maturement up through mattresses that had been tossed outside, it was clear that the vandalism had occurred many weeks earlier. (196)Some people blamed McCandless, saying that he was angry that civilization had intruded into his wilderness. Others said that there was no evidence that McCandless had even walked that way. Considering everything you know about McCandlesshis journey, his character, his ideasdo you think that he was capable of trashing these cabins? After reading this book, do you knowMcCandless well enough to know whether or not he would do this? Write a paragraph in your notebook about your thou ghts.Reflecting on Your Reading Process1. There is as yet so much unknown about Chris McCandless and his journey. What do you want to learn next?2. What reading strategies did you use or learn in this module? Which strategies will you use in reading other texts? How will these strategies apply in other classes?3. In what ways has your ability to read and discuss texts like this one improved?