Beckett's English Blog

Prompt: How does watching the film version of  Into the Wild  change or deepen your understanding of Chris McCandless compared to reading the book? In your response, explain one key difference in how his character or experiences are presented, and connect this to a time when seeing something visually changed your understanding of a situation. Prompt Response:  The film version of "Into the Wild" depicts Chris as someone who's petty or even childish after he learns of his dad, deepening my understanding of how deeply his parents' deceit got to him. In the book he doesn't seem to act as emotionally as compared to the movie on top of this. One time when I saw something that changed my understanding of a situation was when I saw a fight for the first time. Although people were cheering, eventually of the kids started bleeding, showing how serious the situation really was . Summary: Today in class we watched another portion of the book's film. Reflection: I appreci...

Prompt: Chris and his sister  Carine McCandless  had a very close relationship, even when he struggled to connect with others. Write about a relationship in your life where you feel truly understood. Explain what makes that relationship strong and how it compares to the connection between Chris and Carine in  Into the Wild . Prompt Response:  There hasn't been a relationship in my life where I've truly and completely felt understood, however my friends as a whole are definitely the closest thing to that. I feel that we've all been together for so long that we can tell what we're feeling and thinking from a look, exemplifying how strong of a relationship it is. Summary: Today in class we read chapter thirteen and answered seven questions about it. Reflection:  I found this chapter to be highly revealing of Chris's selfishness. Because he chose to go out into the wild and risk his life, all of those who cared about him are suffering greatly.

  Prompt: When something stays on your mind for a long time, how do you typically deal with it? What helps you move forward? Prompt Response:  When a bad experience or memory lingers in my head for a long time, I try to find ways to distract myself. I usually try to rationalize the situation and find out why it impacted me so much. I also play games or watch shows while I try to find a way to accept what happened and move on. Summary:  Today in class we did a vocabulary assignment and talked about chapter twelve. Reflection:  I found today's discussion to be fairly interesting. I've never had a class that was guided solely on the asking and answering of questions.

Prompt: Based on the first 40 minutes of the film and Chapters 1–11 of the book, does the visual version of Chris’s journey make his choices seem more justified or more reckless than the text does? Explain how the medium (film vs writing) shapes your perspective. Prompt Response:  I think that the visual version of Chris's journey makes his choices seem more reckless when compared to the text. I feel that the film doesn't give enough context or details as it wouldn't be as an eventful film if it did. I also feel that writing in general is more descriptive and revealing as it is able to convey more information in less time. Summary: Today in class we watched part of the "Into the Wild" movie and answered questions. Reflection:  I found the movie to be quite entertaining, however I wasn't that fond of the music choice. I think that although it was somewhat fitting for the movie, it didn't really evoke the sense of wildness I was hoping it would.

  Prompt: Think about a moment when your understanding of your family changed as you got older. How did that shift impact your perspective, and how does that connect to Chris’s realization about his parents in Chapter 11? Prompt Response:  When my parents got a divorce, my understanding of my family changed drastically. I realized that they weren't happy when they were together and that things really did needed to change. This connects to Chris's realization about his parents in the way that the idealized version of my parents disappeared and I could only see the truth. Summary: Today we read chapter eleven and completed an assignment around it. Reflection:  I found today's chapter to be highly revealing as it explained a lot about McCandless. It makes sense he turned out the way he is when you look back at how he was as a child.

  Prompt: Reflect on your reading of  Into the Wild  chapters 1–10. Which chapter stood out to you the most, and why? In your response, explain what specifically made this chapter meaningful, interesting, or impactful. You may consider elements such as McCandless’s actions, a key event, a theme, or Krakauer’s storytelling. Prompt Response:  The chapter that stood out to me the most was the one where Krakauer describes the other wanderer akin to McCandless. I thought this was interesting as it introduces the idea that people like that are universal and that there's bound to be someone else who will follow the same path. It's a shame that our society can't provide for this type of person and I wonder if there was something we could do to support them better. Summary: Today we took a test on chapters one through ten on "Into the Wild." Reflection:  I think I did fairly well on today's test. I feel the questions were fair and somewhat easy to figure out if you som...

  Prompt: Chris McCandless rejects a traditional path of success and instead defines success on his own terms through freedom, experience, and personal meaning. Reflect on what success means to you at your current stage in life. In the response, explain how success is currently defined (grades, college acceptance, achievements, happiness, etc.) and where those ideas come from. Then, consider whether that definition truly reflects personal values or if it is shaped by expectations from family, school, or society.  Prompt Response:  To me, success is being able to live my life comfortably and happily without hurting anyone. However society defines success as getting good grades to go to college and get a "good" job which makes a lot of money. I don't think that society's definition of success is compatible with my own as it encourages people to step on others to get ahead, which we as a society should not be encouraging. Summary: Today in class we went over each others ...