Into the Wild
Who is the author of Into the Wild?
Jon Krakauer
Who is the author of Walden?
Henry David Thoreau
In the excerpt we read, what journey does the author decide to take?
He decides to canoe down the Mississippi River.
Who is the author of "I never hear the word 'Escape'"?
Emily Dickinson
What does the setting sun symbolize in the poem?
The end of life.
What was Chris' official cause of death?
Starvation
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."
What tense and point of view is Walden told from?
Past tense; first-person point of view.
How did the author feel about the Mississippi River in this text?
He felt a mix of fear, admiration, and fascination with the river.
The word "escape" is compared to this action in the poem, which suggests a sense of soaring or rising above.
Flying
How is Death characterized when he stopped to pick up the speaker in a carriage?
He seemed kind, civil, formal, and polite.
What important object did Chris get rid of that could have helped him to leave the Alaskan wilderness safely?
The map
How long did the author live in the woods for this book?
About two years.
Give a one sentence summary of the excerpt we read from Mississippi Solo (obviously it does not have to be exact).
Harris chose to follow his dream of adventuring on the Mississippi River because of a fascination with the river as a child, despite criticism from his friends.
How does the speaker react when she/he hears the word escape?
I never hear the word “Escape”
Without a quicker blood,
A sudden expectation –
A flying attitude!
The speaker feels excitement (quicker blood), anticipation, hope, and a sense of speed and freedom (flying attitude).
As the speaker rides along with Death, what is the poem mostly describing?
It describes her journey to the grave and watching her life pass by.
What realization about life did Chris have from reading the book Dr. Zhivago before he died in Alaska?
Happiness only real when shared.
What is one of the main reasons why Thoreau moved to the woods?
He wanted to live life simply and deliberately and report back on the results, good or bad.
"Dreams are delicate and made of gossamer. They hang lightly on breezes and suspend as if from nothing. The slightest wind can tear them apart. My dream was buffeted by my friends. What the h**l for? they asked me. What are you trying to prove? Why don’t you just go over Niagara Falls in a barrel?"
What is the general meaning of buffet as it is used in the passage above?
To assail or harass with repeated blows over a period of time.
(also criticize or bash or some other similar synonym)
How does the message of this poem challenge the social norms of the historical period in which it was written?
It challenges societal expectations for women’s roles, emotions, and behavior, such as the expectation to be passive, domestic, or dependent, to name a few.
What is the grave compared to in this excerpt?
"We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground –
The Roof was scarcely visible –
The Cornice – in the Ground –"
It seems very much like a kind of house.
What happened when Chris attempted to return to civilization?
He couldn't cross the Teklanika River because it was to high and dangerous.
"If I should only give a few pulls at the parish bell-rope, as for a fire, that is, without setting the bell, there is hardly a man on his farm in the outskirts of Concord, notwithstanding that press of engagements which was his excuse so many times this morning, nor a boy, nor a woman, I might almost say, but would forsake all and follow that sound, not mainly to save property from the flames, but, if we will confess the truth, much more to see it burn..."
What does this passage reveal about what the author believes?
He thinks that the true reason people will run toward a fire alarm is to see what the fire burns.
What was the biggest obstacle to the author's dreams according to this excerpt?
"Dreams are delicate and made of gossamer. They hang lightly on breezes and suspend as if from nothing. The slightest wind can tear them apart. My dream was buffeted by my friends. What the h**l for? they asked me. What are you trying to prove? Why don’t you just go over Niagara Falls in a barrel?"
A fear of negative perceptions from his friends.
Based on this line in the poem, how does the speaker feel about her situation?
“But I tug childish at my bars / Only to fail again!”
She feels as if she is emotionally imprisoned.
Who else is in the carriage, besides Death and the speaker?
Immortality