Argument Essay
In his essay on self-reliance, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principle.” Like Emerson and Henry
David Thoreau, Chris McCandless was an adherent of transcendentalist philosophy. In doing so, he estranged himself from his family and others who did not understand his desire to live by these higher principles. Write an essay in which you consider whether Chris lived up to the core beliefs of transcendentalism.
Consider the following documents:

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Letter to Ronald Franz from Chris, pp. 56-58

Excerpts from Dr. Zhivago, p. 103, p. 187

Excerpt from Chris’s journal, p. 168

Excerpts from Walden, p. 47, p. 117

Excerpt from Self-Reliance, lit textbook

“Society” from the Into the Wild soundtrack
Requirements:
You must develop a thesis about Chris’s actions and statements and how they relate to transcendentalist beliefs.
Support your argument with specific and relevant textual evidence from at least three of the above documents.
Your essay must use properly cited quotes in MLA format with a works cited page.
Format:
Typed and double spaced
Font: size 12, Arial or TNR
Heading (name, date, period) and unique title
About 2-3 pages (however, content is more important than length)
Work Time:
Wednesday, 12/3 – Wednesday 12/10
Rough Draft Due: Thursday, 12/11
Final Draft Due: Friday, 12/12
Extra credit opportunity: Schedule a 15-minute conference with me. You must have at least 2 pages typed and come with specific questions about the areas in which you wish to receive writing assistance. This will be outside of class-time: before school, during 1 st bell, 2 nd bell, common time, or after school. Appointments will be made on a first-come, first-served basis.
Plagiarism will result in a zero:
Plagiarism is stealing. It is taking someone else’s words or images or ideas without giving them credit.
Paraphrasing someone else’s original idea is still plagiarism. If you are not sure whether something is common knowledge, then you should cite it. This assignment should not be done with outside resources from the Internet or printed notes from Spark Notes, etc. If you are having trouble analyzing on your own, make an appointment with me! The entire reason for assigning this essay is for you to learn how to analyze a work—not for you to show me how someone else has analyzed a work.