Revisions..

I would probably say that my best papers are those that are related to Into the Wild and reflect my best pieces of writing. They unpack the quotes and provide a strong central argument in the defense of Chris McCandless. My research paper probably needs the most work, as I'm still changing my main argument as well as my primary sources.

Chris

The end result of Chris' death and the explanation that Krakeur gave, made me feel some kind of sympathy for Chris. He nearly achieved something truly unique if it hadn't been for a couple of seeds that had gotten in his way. Had I been his parents I would have wanted to visit the scene and have known what Chris was looking at when he died as well as what kind of conditions he was under.

Primary Source

My primary source is Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin. Griffin artificially darkened his skin for six weeks, going to the South and writing about his experiences. The book helped to shed light on the problem of racism and the absurd point that it had reached in America. Griffin went to places where few white people dared to venture into learning more about the reality of African Americans. The book became a major reality check and served for a martyr for equal rights in an America which was strictly divided.

Research Proposal

My research paper analyzes domestic violence in the United States and how this is connected to an extremely patriarchal society. ''Burning Bed'' is a unique example of this because the violence escalated to the point were the wife burned her husband alive. The resulting trial raised serious questions, and the movie contributed to pushing the agenda of feminists and fighting against domestic violence proposing serious consequences for those who commited these actions.

Patricia Show Don't Tell

Patricia wants writers to understand that the principle of writing, is to get their point across through inferences and predicaments in their essays. Her main point is that writers have to avoid directly stating their arguments, they should do it in a way that is concise and doesn't directly give away everything. Ultimately this applies to both novels and school essays, in these Patricia wants you to use both the show and tell scarcely in order to get your point across.

Chris and Writers

All of Chris's heroes were idealist and naturalists, they only observed the wild from a distance not daring to venture into it. Their novels were based on fiction depicting the romance inherent in nature. Jack London is a good example of this he wrote most of his novels in the safety of his home in Alaska, his lonely nature and his alcohol problem eventually cost him his life. These writers would have never dared go into the wild were they would become exposed and would not last more then a week. Chris either overlooked or was completly oblivious to the fact that these writers did not pursue the wild in the way that he did.

McCandless Family Issues

McCandless' want to go to the wild came from the problems that he developed at home with his parents. The double life of his dad and the pressure to succeed in life eventually boiled into frustration and hate, the only place where he found peace after what he had been through was the peaceful wild. This turned into his refuge and his sanctuary where he could escape the torments of the world and finally find inner peace.

Krakauer

Much of what Krakauer says you to take him for his word, and I feel like a lot of what he says are based on his functions and opinions. Krakauer should have made more of an effort to clarify the truth of reality or the facts and what is much of his biased. I would name this novel the Untold Story of Chris McCandless.

Would I change my name?

I highly doubt that I would let myself be adopted by someone even if they seemed to be more caring and showed more interest in me. I have developed strong connections with my family over the years and I highly doubt that someone coming along would change this. My name has become something that is part of my identity and that other people connect with.
McCandless objective by going to Alaska was to get away from everybody including his own family, he refused to be adopted because he did not want to develop anymore connections. In truth if he had agreed to the adoption he would have had some type of obligation to remain there, and this would have thwarted his objective.

Hitchhiking

I've done some hitchhiking myself in some remote areas in Brazil where farmers picked me up and took me to my destination. I believe that a few remote cases of violence have ruined the beauty of hitchhiking and the companionship that is developed between the driver and the hiker. Urban areas are out of the question to hike on largely because of an alarming increase in violence and kidnappings. Perhaps hitchhiking is something that has lost its place because it requires trust and well being in one another something that is becoming less and less apparent in the 21st century.

Gallien and Chris

I believe that Chris wanted to run away from the uncertainties and hardships of life. Somehow I believe that Gallien understood Chris and how he was attempting to get society out of his life. Sure you could argue that somehow Gallien was responsible because he did not call 911, but the truth of the reality is that Chris is not the naive child that everyone thinks he is, if he had the minimum bit of common sense he would have received some type of preparation. In the end you can't blame Gallien for Chris' stubbornness and ill mannered behavior.

Me

My name is Daniel McCaskey you can call me Danny. I just moved to Pullman last semester from Brazil and it has been a big change for me. You might be asking yourself why would you want to move from Brazil to a city like Pullman. The answer is that I got a big scholarship and my step dad is from Seattle so he introduced me to the school.
As a Brazilian I am bilingual and I love the sport of soccer. I enjoy watching soccer as well as playing the goalie position, my favorite team is Liverpool fc. My other passion is the guitar, over the years I have learned to play many different styles of music ranging from Bossa Nova to Jazz and Rock n' Roll. I have enjoyed my experience so far at WSU and I hope to get the most out of it.