Harlem

The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement where African American literature started to be recognized for their literary abilities.

 It started in the early 1920's to 1930's after World War I.

 It gets its name because it was centered in a neighborhood called Harlem.

There were advances in African American theater, music, art, and politics.

 Critics began to take African American literature and music seriously.

 In the time between the 1920's to the 1930's 16 African American writers published more than 50 volumes of poetry and fictional stories.

  African American artists made a big impact in the art world with their music, paintings, and theater.

 The works produced during the Harlem Renaissance was appealing to mixed audiences.

 Blues and jazz music were a big part of the Harlem Renaissance.

African American performers performed for mixed audiences.

 This was the first time that this happened.

Louis Armstrong was a trumpet player, singer, and popular entertainer. He was a bug influence on American jazz music. He played jazz music and R&B music. He was best known for his trumpet playing. He is one of the most well known trumpet players of his time. He lived form 1901 to 1971. 

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/photos/profile/louisarmstrongbio.jpg

Duke Ellington was an american pianist and composer. He lived form 1899 to 1974. He composed jazz music and other popular music. He composed over 2,000 pieces of music. He composed swing music. He was most known for his abilities in playing the piano. 

 http://www.allaboutjazz.com/media/large/a/4/0/65ec271297e71ee8e333736565ae6.jpg


Claude McKay was a writer during the harlem renissance. He lived from 1890 to 1948. Home to Harlem was his first published book.  He was originally form Jamaica.  He was known for his stories and poems about African Americans. 

http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/m_r/mckay/mckay_a.jpg 

Final Project Powerpoint

https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AWT9YjS5RFE-ZGc1YzZxcmNfMGt0aGI0ZGZq&hl=en&authkey=CIqV97ML

Characterization Chart

Chapter 1

Page 4

Quote: " He wasn't carrying anywhere near as much food and gear as you'd expect a guy be carrying for that kind of trip"

Impression: Chris was unprepared and he didn't seem to know what he needed to survive.

Page 6

Quote: "But he wouldn't give an inch. He had an answer for everything I threw at him."

Impression: Chris was stubborn and he was determined to survive in the wilderness no matter what anyone said.

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Page 18

Quote: "It was a different story with Alex. He was the hardest worker I've ever seen"

Impression: Chris knew how valuable the job was to him, so he put in all of his effort.

Page 19

Chris gave a copy of War and Peace to Wayne Westerberg

Impression: Chris felt that he was close to Wayne and wanted to show it by giving Wayne a copy of one of his favorite books.

Chapter 4

Chris burned the rest of his money because he didn't think he would need it

Impression: Chris seems a little crazy for burning his money. He should have kept it just in case he ran into trouble. He was a bit unreasonable.

Chris bought a canoe to ride down the Colorado River

Impression: Chris was very adventurous and he seems like the kind of person that craves excitement.

Chapter 5

Chris doesn't like to wear socks

Impression: Chris feels like socks contain and he doesn’t like to wear them because he feels contained. He likes the feeling of being free.

Chris was offended when the manager at McDonald's asked him if he needed soap.

Impression: Chris was very proud of what he had and he didn't want to take something from someone else.

Chapter 6

Page 51

" Look, Mr. Franz, you don't need to worry about me. I have a college education. I'm not a destitute . I'm living like this by choice" - Chris

Impression: Chris feels that he can support himself and he feels that no one needs to help him. He wants to be self- sufficient.

Chris writes a letter to Ron Franz telling him to go do what he has always wanted to do.

Impression: Chris doesn't let things prevent him from going and doing what he wants. He lives life like it was his last day to live.

Chapter 7

Chris didn't like rebelled against his parents when he graduated college.

Impression : Chris didn't like authority. He hated being told what to do.

Chris didn't drain the grease before cooking the chicken.

Impression : Chris is very smart but sometimes he lacks common sense.

Chapter 8

Page 71
" the author describes a man who has given away a small fortune, forsaken a loving family, abandoned his car, watch and map and burned the last of his money before traipsing off into the wilderness"

Impression: Chris was crazy because who would give that up? He had what most people want.

" Forget Boy Scout rule number one: be prepared?"

Impression: Chris was not ready to go into the wilderness. He lacked common sense because you need to be prepared before doing something like this.

Chapter 10

People had a hard time producing evidence that they knew Chris

Impression: Chris wanted to not have connections that let people know who he really was. He wanted to make a new life for himself.

Page 102

" Chris almost always had short hair and  was clean shaven"

Impression: Chris had let himself grow  his hair to show that he had changed.

Chapter 11

Page 107

" He could be alone without being lonely"

Impression: Chris was self sufficient and he didn't need other people.

Page 109

" but Chris wanted to keep going to the top"

Impression: Chris wanted to finish what he started. He liked to push the boundary.

Chapter 12

Page 118

" Chris said how much he respected Dad for starting from nothing"

Impression : even though he didn't get along with his father, Chris showed appreciation for what his father had done.

Page 120

Chris told people only what they needed to know.

Impression: Chris was a simple person and didn't pay a whole lot of attention to details

Chapter 13

 page 128

" Chris was crazy about Buck"

Impression: Chris seemed like he was an animal person.

Page 128

" His expression is identical"

Impression: Chris didn't change much over the years.

Chapter 14

Page 135

Chris was only 24 when he went to live in Alaska

Impression : Chris was a little too young to be trying to live in the wilderness of Alaska

Page 134

" I now walk into the wild'

Impression: Chris knew he was risking his life. He didn't seem to care though.

Chapter 15

Page 155

"like Chris McCandless, I  was a raw youth who mistook passion for insight"

Impression: Chris was very passionate about what he wanted to do.

Chapter 16

Page 159

" He wasn't what you would call a typical hitchhiker"

Impression: Chris seemed like he was friendly to most people.

Page 160

Chris  wouldn't call his parents

Impression: he was proud and didn't want his parents to know where he was.

Chapter 17

Page 173

" unlike McCandless however, I have in my backpack a topographical map"

Impression: Chris was unprepared

Page 185

Chris had made some dumb mistakes

Impression: Chris didn't know exactly what he was doing. He just did what he wanted.


Final Thoughts:
 I thought that Chris McCandless was not like a normal person. He had an unorthodox way of living. He was very bright but lacked a little common sense. He was self reliant and hated taking things from others. His lack of common sense and self reliance is what got him killed in Alaska. He was prepared to a point. He had all the things he needed in the begining of his trip. His problem was he decided to get rid of those things and to not rely on them because he thought he could live in the wilderness by himself with nothing but the land. He was not native to the land so he had no idea how harsh it was to live off the land in Alaska. He had the mental thought of he could do anything and there was nothing that he wouldn't try.  His mental ideas and thoughts was eventually what put him in the situation to starve to death.

Quotes Blog

Jack London

White Fang

" A Vast silence reigned over the land. The land itself was a desolation, lifeless, without movement, so lone and cold that the Spirit of it was not even that of sadness. "

Page 9

This Quote relates to Chris McCandless  because he is in the wilderness. There is nothing but Chris in the wilderness. He was not sad about it either. It is What he wanted to do. He was not miserable even though it was very cold.

http://www.esquire.com/cm/esquire/images/esq-02-jack-london-other-111709-lg-46139930.jpg

Leo Tolstoy

Family Happiness

" I wanted movement and not a calm course of existence. I wanted excitement and danger and the chance to sacrifice myself for my love. I felt in myself superabundance of energy which found no outlet in our quiet life"

Page 15

This quote relates to Chris very well. It explains why he was seeking his adventure into the wilderness. He wanted excitement and danger. The only way to get this was to go to Alaska. It was his way of getting his energy out.

 http://www.linguadex.com/tolstoy/tolstoy_big.jpg

Theodore Roszak

In Search of the Miraculous   

" In may, after all, be the bad habit of creative talents to invest themselves in pathological extremes that yield remarkable insights but no durable way of life for those who cannot translate their psychic wounds into significant art or thought"  

Page 70

This quote relates to Chris in his thinking. It is saying that people with extreme ideas sometimes can not think logically about small details. People who have had psychological wounds have a hard time healing, but they do this by extreme activities. For example, Chris's family problems might have led him to go to Alaska and try to live in the wilderness.

 http://events.stanford.edu/events/245/24585/AVT2_Roszak_830.pjpeg.jpg

1 Timothy 4:12

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

This is one of my favorite quotes because it shows that anyone can set an example. It shows that anyone can make a difference. This related to Chris because even though he was young, he set an example of how people should treat each other with an open mind.

Into The Wild Questions

1.            What is the personal history of Chris McCandless? He grew up in Washington D.C and he went to college at Emory University. (Page 1 to 2)

2.            What themes does Jon Krakauer introduce in the “Author’s Note”? It was for the reader to decide whether Chris McCandless had courage or if he was just insane. Page 3 of Authors note.

3.            What is the purpose of the quoted material at the start of Chapter One? It is to introduce the story and give background information. Page 3

4.            Who is Alex? Alex is a young man who wanted to try to survive in the Alaskan wilderness. It is also the name Chris McCandless calls himself instead of using his first name.  

5.            Who is Jim Gallien, and how did he meet McCandless? Jim Gallien was an electrician who was driving on the road outside Fairbanks and he met McCandless on the side of the road because McCandless was hitchhiking. Page 4.

6.            What was Gallien’s assessment of McCandless? He though that McCandless was friendly looking but he lacked the supplies for the trip he was about to take. Pages 3 to 4.

7.            What kind of advice did Gallien give McCandless? He tried to convince him it was a bad idea (page 5)

8.            What was McCandless’s response to Gallien’s offer?  Also, what gift did Gallien give to McDandless? He gave him boots. (Page 7)

9.            Why did Gallien decide not to alert the authorities about McCandless? He thought that McCandlees would give up after a few hours. (7)

10.          Gallien’s statement that McCandless would “probably get hungry pretty quick and just walk out to the highway.  That’s what any normal person would do,” is an example of the literary device of irony of situation.  What is ironic about the statement? Chris McCandless wasn’t the normal person.

11.  Why would Krakauer include a quote from another author such as Jack London as the heading for this chapter? It introduces the title of the book and Chris liked Jack London’s books. (Page 9)

12.  What is the purpose of the detailed descriptions of Mt. McKinley, Denali, and the Stampede Trail? It was to show the type of terrain to get an understanding of the Environment. (Page 11)

13. What was considered to be the cause of Chris McCandless’s death? Starvation was thought to be the cause of death. (Page 14)

14. Who is Wayne Westerberg and how do Wayne and Chris get along? Wayne Westerberg was a man who employed Chris while he was in South Dakota. Wayne and Chris got along well. (Page 16)

15.  Local color is introduced when a writer uses regional or colorful terms to present an image of a distinct area or culture.  The terms “leather tramp” and “rubber tramp” qualify as examples of local color.  What culture do they describe, and what is the difference between rubber tramps and leather tramps? Rubber tramps had cars and leather tramps were on foot. (Page

16. Why did the author say that McCandless found a “surrogate family in Westerberg and his employees”? He felt close to the employees and thought of them almost as family.

17.  Why did McCandless leave Carthage? He left because Wayne was arrested and in jail. (Page 21)

18.  How does the reader know that War and Peace was important to McCandless? He spoke highly of it. It was one of his favorite books. (Page 19)

19.  Describe McCandless’s early years and family life.

20.  What clues did McCandless give that he was out of step with the commercialism of contemporary society?

21.  What change did McCandless make that symbolized the new life he expected to build after he left Atlanta? He changed his name to Alex Supertramp. (Page 23)

22.  The head note to this chapter concludes that people go to the desert “not to escape but to find reality.” How does this statement apply to Chris? Chris is setting out to find out about himself.

23.  Who is Jan Burres, and how did she figure into Chris’s travels? Jan Burres was a “rubber tramp” and she offered Chris a ride in her car. (Page 30)

24.  Describe the trip that Chris took in the old metal canoe that Chris bought in Topock, Arizona. It was a long trip that took him all over the southwest U.S and northwestern Mexico. (Page 35)

25.  This chapter contains numerous excerpts from the journal Chris kept.  What is noticeable about the writing in his account of his Mexican adventure? He struggled finding his way around in Mexico. (Page 35) 

26.  Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes the individual’s responsibility and free will to direct the course of his/her life.  What existential conclusion does Chris reach when leaving Las Vegas?  (Look at end of chapter 4 for ideas.)

27.  What kind of life did Chris lead in Bullhead City? He led a simple life of a homeless person until he was offered a place to stay. (Page 41)

28.  Describe the conditions and the residents of the Slab.  Note some of the local color that makes this community memorable. The slabs consisted of people trying to avoid things in the real world. (Page 43)

29.  What character traits and skills does Jan Burres recount about Chris in chapter 5? She said he was a people person and he had musical talent (page 43)

30.  What was Jan Burres’s assessment of Chris’s ability to survive in Alaska? (End of chapter 5)  She thought he would come out alive. (Page 46)

31.  Who was Ron Franz, and how did he enter the story?  What does Krakauer think about the relationship between Franz and McCandless? He was an 80 year old man and he was inspired by McCandless. They met when Franz offered McCandless a ride back to his camp. (Page 59).

32.  What is Anza-Borrego? It was a State Park. (Page 48)

33.  What was the tragedy of Ron Franz’s life? While he was in the army a drunk driver got into a car accident with his family and killed them. (Page 50) 

34.  How did he feel about Chris and what request did he make of Chris? He thought of Chris almost as family.

35.  What role did leather making take in their relationship? It brought them closer together. (Page 51)

36.  The author gives a brief character analysis of McCandless after recounting that Franz dropped him off in Colorado.  What does the author say about McCandless?

37.  When Chris sent Franz a letter from Carthage, what advice did Chris give to Franz and how did Franz respond to this letter? Chris told Ron he needed to see the world before he was too old and Franz listened to that advice. (Page 57)

38.  How did Ron Franz learn that McCandless had died and how did this death change Franz’s life? He learned it form two men on a bus on his way home. This made Franz turn atheist.  (Page 60)

39.  Why was Wayne Westerberg annoyed at the beginning of chapter Seven? His combine had broken down. (Page 62)

40.  What is the author’s analysis of the relationship between McCandless and his father?  How did Chris feel about his sister Carine?

41.  What is the purpose of including the full story of Gene Rossellini?   His story was similar to Chris’s. (Page 75)

42.  What motivated Krakauer to include the story of John Waterman? It showed how there were other people like Chris who were unprepared. (Page 77)

43.  Finally, what is the purpose of including the story of Chris McCunn in the narrative? It showed how being unprepared could kill you in the wilderness. (Page 83)

44.  Summarize the story of Everett Ruess and his fascination with the American West and natural beauty.

45.  What Ken Sleight’s conclusion about Ruess and McCandless?