Source
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1. Facebook page –
Carine McCandless
(est. in 2011)
https://www.facebook.com
/CarineMcCandlessIntoThe
Wild
Make sure you look at this
although the analysis is
already done!
Summarize the source. What new information is
revealed about Chris’s story?
If it is a website, make sure to explore all of its
tabs and features thoroughly and comment on the
specifics. (the first one has been done for you as
an example)
The most prominent feature of this page is
probably the title, which is “Into the Wild Truth”,
a mash-up of the title of the book that made
Chris famous and the title of Carine’s new tell-all
memoir about her family history. The first tab is
the Timeline tab, where you can see all the posts
Carine makes, as well as posts others make on
her page. The more recent posts are all about
her new book; she is also helping to promote
Krakauer’s new book. The About tab provides
information on when the page was established
and when her book was written, as well as a
description as to why she created this page and a
bio about her and what she does, particularly as
a lecturer for hire. This tab also contains a link to
her personal website, where she further
promotes herself. There is also a Photos tab
(mostly recent photos), and an Events tab of
appearances she will be making in various places
to publicize her book. A piece of new information
I figured out from various parts of the page is
that Carine has maintained a relationship with
both Jon Krakauer and Sean Penn, as they are all
bonded by their love for/fascination with Chris.
What seems to be the objective of
the site or source? Comment on
the author’s purpose and
potential issues of bias. (the first
one has been done for you as an
example)
Who is the intended audience of this
source? How does the
medium/genre/text type impact who
is reached? (the first one has been
done for you as an example)
Carine McCandless’s main
objective with this page is to keep
her brother’s memory alive. You
can see through the comments
that Chris’s story has touched
many people, and teachers,
students, and many others
comment on the page and
receive pretty timely responses
from Carine. However, she also
uses it to promote her new book
The Wild Truth and appearances
she makes at bookstores and on
TV connected with the book. This
could possibly be seen as a little
biased because she is using the
page to promote herself.
The intended audience is anyone who
uses Facebook and has read Into the
Wild, as most people go to the page
looking for more information on Chris
or as a way to connect with him. It’s
not likely that someone who knows
nothing about Chris to start with
would stumble upon this page. The
medium of this as a Facebook page
indicates that Carine was trying to
reach a wider audience, as social
media is the most convenient way to
spread information now. When she
first posted the page four or so years
ago, she was probably trying to reach
a younger audience, but older people
use Facebook now as well. From a
business perspective, it is pretty
smart that she is already using this
pre-determined audience of people
who have followed the page to
publicize her book and events.
2. Chris McCandless
information website
(est. in 2011)
http://www.christophermccan
dless.info/
Look at everything on here
and be thorough in your
analysis!
3. Back to the Wild
website –
Christopher Johnson
McCandless
Memorial
Foundation; Walt and
Billie McCandless
(est. 2010)
http://www.backtothewildb
ook.org/
Look at everything on here
and be thorough in your
analysis!
4. Online article from
Outside Magazine –
“The Chris
McCandless
Obsession Problem”
by Diana Saverin
(2013)
http://www.outsideonline.c
om/adventure-travel/northamerica/unitedstates/alaska/the-chris-
mccandless-obsessionproblem.html
5. Online article from
National Geographic
Adventure: “Jon
Krakauer + Sean
Penn: Back Into the
Wild” by David
Roberts (2007)
http://www.nationalgeogra
phic.com/adventure/news/i
nto-the-wild.html
6. Online article from
New Yorker
Magazine: “How
Chris McCandless
Died” by Jon
Krakauer (2013)
http://www.newyorker.com
/books/page-turner/howchris-mccandless-died
Note: an update on this was
published in February 2015
 content is similar and the
publication outlet the same,
so no need to complete
separate entries on this, but
skim it over to see the
confirmation of evidence:
http://www.newyorker.com
/books/page-turner/chrismccandless-died-update
7. For five points extra
credit: find your own
resource- one not
listed here- and fill
out this box with the
source information
and the next two
boxes with your
evaluation of the
source