S
7 – A
V
Agenda:
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Quick-write: Lyrics
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Slow-write: McCandless as a critic
Partner Prompt
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Finding Evidence
Prompt and Outline
Format
You will need:
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Pen/Pencil
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Notebook
Into the Wild
Summer Reading
Packet
HW:
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Complete the outline to prepare for the diagnostic essay on
Monday
Goals:
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Understand how
McCandless can be viewed as a critic
Prepare for the in-class write

Q
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While looking at the songs from Into the Wild, many of you were drawn to the following quotations:
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On bended knee is no way to be free lifting up an empty cup I ask silently that all my destinations will accept the one that's me so I can breathe
-Eddie Vedder (Guaranteed)
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You think you have to want more than you need until you have it all you won't be free
-Eddie Vedder (Society)
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Why might these lyrics have instigated some reaction in McCandless?

C
:
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Many people pointed to the following excerpt as evidence:
"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."
— Chris McCandless (57)

P
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Krakauer tends to view McCandless as a free-spirit; a romantic wanderer who was drawn into a life of nomadic wandering. While this may be true, I ask you to look upon McCandless as a critic.
With your partner, brainstorm a list of things in response to the following question. Don’t give oneword answers, be a little more specific than that.
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Christopher McCandless rejected society by living as he did, and eventually venturing forth into the wild.
What aspects of society was Christopher McCandless critical of?

F
T
E
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D
(I.C.E.) P
/O
P
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On Monday, you will be writing an in-class essay in response to the prompt that you looked at today:
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Christopher McCandless rejected society by living as he did, and eventually venturing forth into the wild. What aspects of society was
Christopher McCandless critical of?
This essay is meant to be a diagnostic; a way for me to get to know your style, form and technique as a writer.
I want you to plan this essay over the weekend, and come in with a thesis, topic sentences for at least two body paragraphs, and evidence to support your conclusions.
You will have 45 minutes on Monday to flesh-out your essay in class.
You may use ONLY the following outline sheet on Monday, so if you do not complete it, you will not have any other resources available to you. Everything that you want to use from the text itself – including all of your evidence (with citations of course) – must be written on your outline ahead of time.
You will be submitting your outline along with your in-class essay.
You may use anything that we have completed in class