...Chris Clarke on how Disney's treatment of animals has altered our sense of the wild and cleared the way for environmental decline. As the close of the twentieth century approaches and our world becomes more and more urban our knowledge of nature is increasingly second-hand. Those of us in cities, whose non-human neighbors tend toward rats, pigeons and dandelions, are dependent on the media for our understanding of the natural world – or at least that part of it not adapted to urban life. It is from movies, television and packaged tourism that we derive our sense of nature. For the last half century, it has been Walt Disney and his corporate estate that have provided that sense. In doing so Disney has instilled an appreciation of nature in generations of media consumers. Many environmentalists and animal-rights activists credit Disney with awaking their concern for the environment. But this appreciation has not been delivered in a value-free package. From the outset Disney’s nature films have supported the notion that the natural world’s chief value lies in the profit that industrial society can extract from it. At first this support took the form of simple paeans to the righteousness of logging, mining and urban development. Now, amidst the increasing commodification of everything from tribal myth to basmati rice, the value extracted from nature is the right to define nature. Disney covets that right and will gain it at our peril. Not much besides hindsight distinguishes...
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...Chris McCandless died trying to prove something to himself, walking into the Alaskan wilderness knowing that he was ill equipped and unlikely to be able to walk out, relying solely on himself. How is that not brave? In the novel, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, the readers get to travel with Chris, starting at the point when he leaves college and disappears for the first time, all the way up until when his body is found in a bus in the middle of an Alaskan forest. Jon Krakauer believes that Chris was a brave, heroic, noble young man who chased his dream until death caught up with him. Krakauer’s beliefs about Chris, and the way that he chose to live his life, were spot on. Krakauer describes as being brave, heroic and noble because he walked into the wild, all alone, to chase his dream. Webster dictionary defines brave as “having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty”. Krakauer believes that Chris was brave because he walked into the forest trying “ to...
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...Wenjie Hu, TJ Puckett, English 102, 09/19/2013 A Pilgrims of Ultimate Freedom Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer is the true story of Chris Johnson McCandless, a young man who is found dead in the Alaska wilderness, McCandless raised in a wealthy family from Virginia, and he is born talented and smart, who from an early age shows deep intensity, passion, and a strict moral behavior. After graduating from high school, McCandless spent the summer alone on a road trip, during which he discovered his father secretly had a second family. McCandless returns home and starts as a freshman in college, but his anger over this betrayal and his parents’ keeping this secret away from him grows worse and worse over time. By the time that McCandless graduated from college, he drives away without telling anyone where he is going, abandoning the use of his real name along the way. He never contacts his family. Not too long after McCandless abandoned his car in the desert and he begins to hitch hikes around the Northwest, getting jobs everywhere but not staying at a location for long, During this time, he gets to know a few people. In 1992, McCandless hiked into the wilderness, he spent the next sixteen weeks in the magic bus, not seeing a single human being the entire time. He has success for the most parts. However, McCandless probably have eaten some moldy seeds, and the mold contains a poison that caused him to starve to death. He realized that he is going to die, he...
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...Into the Wild In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, a moose hunter found his decomposed body. Christopher McCandless was born in California. He had 6 half-siblings from his father’s earlier marriage. His parents fought a lot and always wanted to divorce. His father had not actually divorced from his first wife. Eventually Chris found this out, and it could have been a factor about his views of society. He envisioned separating from the organized society to go on the road and just live. He dreamed of an “Alaskan Odyssey” where he would live off the land in the Alaskan Wilderness. Christopher graduated from Emory in Atlanta Georgia on May 12, 1990. At school, his teachers noticed him as unusually strong willed. He was always a devoted Christian. He was an athlete, captain of the cross-country team. In 1990, he donated $25,000 given to him for his law degree to a charity to prevent hunger. Near the end of June he burned all the cash in his wallet, ripped his I.D. in half, sold his apartment, and went on the road. His parents sent him many letters, and he told the post office to hold them back. Since he had no phone, his parents did not know what was going...
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...reinvented himself, he wanted the good life, completely letting go by changing and burning all of his money. Making a new beginning, took a chance on what he wanted to do. So he became something for himself, “McCandless walks south through the desert, arriving in the Topock, Arizona, where he buys a second hand canoe. 2. Krakauer titles his book Into The Wild which echoes Jack London’s work, The Call of the Wild. McCandless’s experience demonstrates the “grip wilderness has on the American imagination, the allure high-risk activities hold for young men of a certain mind…” How do you define “the call of the wild?” Does the call still exists in the same form it existed in previous periods in American history? How is the “wild” or the wilderness important to us as a people? What about to you as an individual? The appeal of the nature the wilderness gives people the ability to be free from society. To be able to escape from reality for a little while, to do something you wouldn’t normally do. Naturally need for the wilderness it’s a challenge you want to concur. See like the character was forced into his structured life style...
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...Since Baderman Island has opened it had already become a premiere vacation and relaxation destination, but things are just getting started. Of the nearly 1600 acres of the island, only 750 have been developed. That means that there are still over 800 acres of wilderness and development that are still in the works. Of course this doesn’t mean that the entire island will be over-developed. We at Baderman Island have intentionally designed permanent wilderness areas – in addition to the 375 acres of the botanical gardens -- that will be integrated into the master plan of the Island.Here are just a few things that we have in the works: Pepicello Fairways are planning on adding an additional 18 holes of golf on 75 open acres adjacent to the existing golf course. This new range will be designed for those golfers seeking the additional challenge needed to drive up their game. The WIlliam C. Martin Botanical Gardens are growing. Currently the 225 acres of preserved wilderness is home to abundant wildlife, exotics plants, and colorful butterflies. In attempt to better protect the gardens, an additional 150 acre buffer area is being created around the garden. Additionally, the existing walking and hiking trails are being expanded to make for better access for wheelchairs and those guests that request golf cart accessibility. Plans are in the works to expand the Baderman Island Oasis Spa. The modest 50 acres site is being expanded by an additional 25 acres with additional facilities as...
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...Do you believe that Alexander Supertramp left Jan and Bob Burres for the first time because he began to feel to close to them? Did they remind him of his troubled relationship with his parents too much? A dialog between Mr. Franz and Christopher McCandless was: Mr. Franz “Don’t you think you ought to be getting and education? And a job? And making something of this life?” Alex – “I think careers are a 20th century invention, and I don’t want one?” Does Chris really feel this way, or is he just afraid that if he tries he might fail? “Some people feel like they don’t deserve love. They walk away quietly into empty spaces, trying to close the gaps of the past.” Is Christopher McCandless running away from his past or starting a new future. The McCandless family bolted a plaque onto the side of the bus in Alaska when they went to visit it says “Chris, our beloved son and brother, died here during his adventurous travels in search of how he could best realize Gods great gift of life… McCandless family 7/93.” Is the McCandless family right in assuming that his pursuits were of a religious persuasion or have they mis-interpreted what he was looking for? If so what was he looking for? “You are wrong if you think joy emanates only of principal from human relationships. God had placed it all around us. It is in everything and anything we might experience.” (Christopher McCandless) &“Happyness is only real when share.” (Alexander Supertramp) are two quotes that directly...
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...Don’t forget to restate the question in your answer. Responses are to be typed in MLA format. 1. In the author's note Jon Krakauer claims that Christopher McCandless “invented a new life for himself' searching a raw, transcendent experience.” Do you agree with the author's assessment? How did McCandless re-invent himself? How was his life “transcendent” after he graduated from college? 2. Krakauer titles his book Into the Wild which echoes Jack London’s work, The Call of the Wild. McCandless was obviously influenced by London, and Krakauer suggests that McCandless’ experience demonstrates the “grip wilderness has on the American imagination, the allure highrisk activities hold for young men of a certain mind...” How do you define “the call of the wild?” Does the call still exist in the same form it existed in previous periods in America’s history? How is the “wild” or the wilderness important to us as a people? 3. McCandless was also greatly influenced by Henry David Thoreau. What did he borrow from Thoreau’s interaction with nature? How did he differ from Thoreau? 4. Gordon Young, who reviewed Into the Wild, said that McCandless “did not die in vain, and that his life was enviable in many respects.” Young asserts that McCandless was “a profound American figure, uncompromising 'in his approach and thoroughly optimistic about the future.” How is McCandless representative of the American character? Or how does McCandless fall short of what it means to be an American? Does McCandless...
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...Imagine being subjected to the solitude of the mountains, going a week without a proper toilet, clean water, or even cell service. Walking miles upon miles, in seemingly hellish temperature just to do something for someone else. Welcome to my journey last February. Roughly a year ago, I endured a week-long Mission Trip in Guatemala. First reading that thoughts probably came up along the lines of "oh that's neat, but what's so fun about that?" For one second, stop thinking about whatever you're thinking and picture this. A hot, quiet day with the sun beating down on your skin. You're sitting under a luscious green tree trying to find as much shade possible while you watch everything go on around you. Children, barely clothed and barefoot laughing while they kick an almost flat beaten up soccer ball around the cement patio. Hearing their giggles would immediately give you a huge smile and warm feeling inside. No matter how hard, how tiring and how emotionally tough it was, I can honestly say it was the best week of my entire life. This trip challenged me in ways I never thought possible. Throughout the week my team and I built homes for 5 different families and then finished up by doing medical missions. God's calling took me on this mission trip and I responded to the call and could never be more grateful. This journey all started with a scary, headache causing van ride up the side of the mountain. There were 15 of us from my church all squished into two vans. While I climbed...
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...This document of COM 220 Grammar Exercise 3 shows the solutions to the following questions: Commonly confused words 1. All over the world, people struggle to (ensure/insure) that wild animals do not damage their property. 2. As people move (farther/further) out into former wilderness areas, animals may become a bigger problem. 3. In some cases, wild animals (adapt/adopt) to humans rather easily. 4. In the northeastern United States, for example, many homeowners are searching for a repellent to keep (dear/deer) away. 5. Lion urine, deer blood, wolf hair, and soap have all been used as deer repellents, but the results (vary/very) from place to place and from deer to deer. 6. Bird lovers will try almost anything to protect feeders from rodents, but most repellents have little (affect/effect) on seed-loving squirrels. 7. Farmers in Zimbabwe must deal with wild elephants (who's/whose) raids threaten both villagers and crops. 8. Elephants are smarter (than/then) deer or squirrels. 9. The enormous elephants are also a (grate/great) threat to the safety of both the crops and people who grow them. 10. Farmers in Zimbabwe are now using a hot pepper repellent to (brake/break) elephants of the crop-raiding habit. Commonly confused words 1. Fares on most airlines can be a grate bargain. 2. If you're willing to travel in economy class and buy your ticket in advance, you can fly for very little money. 3. Off course, their is a...
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...Christopher McCandless gave his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, he encountered a series of characters and changed many lives. After he travels all across the country, Chris finally achieves his goal and settles in the Alaskan wilderness on an abandoned bus where he lives out his dream of living off the land and being completely independent. Jon Krakauer is a non-fiction author who has written five books along with multiple articles. He is also a trained mountaineer and once spent three weeks by himself in the wilderness of Alaska and climbed a new route on the Devils Thumb. Only through patience and hard work could Jon Krakauer collect the data necessary to write out the life of Chris McCandless. Going from state to state and town to town to collect interviews and piece together the long journey that left such an impact in history. Bus 142 was once used as a “boudoir” for a family who loved to camp. They left it behind for shelter for hunters and hikers like Chris. The bus was abandoned on the Stampede trail in the Alaskan wilderness. Chris found the bus in the spring while everything was in bloom and he had plenty to eat. The bus provided a bed to sleep on and a little furnace to keep him warm. Jon Krakauer made bus 142 a key point in Chris’s story. It was his dream home. He had the Alaskan wilderness all to himself and was surrounded by nothing but nature. “ Everywhere but on the north-facing slopes and...
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...To many people the wilderness has a certain charm as a spotless place of the evils of modern society, a place where one can be free and get in touch with his soul. However, the reality of living in the wilderness. I think Jon Krakauer creates a very interesting and passionate book with Into The Wild. His commitment to Chris’s story seeps through the pages and his own personal connections to the tale adds depth and passion that might of just been lost over time. Jon Krakauer’s Into The Wild provides the reader with the details of Chris Mccandles travels through the wilderness of Alaska, more specifically the Stampede Trail through Denali National Park. The hike itself is dangerous, taking you through two river crossings and muggy conditions...
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...In the summer of 1990, a young man named Christopher McCandless graduated from Emory, donated all of his savings, and embarked on a two year journey, which eventually resulted in his death in the wilderness of Alaska. Prior to his expedition, Chris uncovered the secret of his father's infidelity and of his second family. This cause Chris to separate himself from his parents, and fueled his desire to escape the greedy, complicated nature of society. On his travels across the western United States, Chris befriended many and kept in a distant touch with few, one of those select few being Wayne Westerberg, the owner of a grain elevator in South Dakota. After two years of hike-hiking as far south as Mexico, McCandless reached his final most northern...
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...Chris McCandless believed in the concept of non-conformity. His upbringing impacted his life of ease and simplicity. However, he always felt as if he was independent but never was able to fully arrive at complete independence. Chris’s constrained values of appreciation of the power of nature and non-materialism brought him to be labeled as a transcendentalist. Alexander Supertramp was the epitome of non-conformity. That is the reason Chris created him. “To symbolize his complete severance from his previous life, he even adopted a new name. No longer would he answer to Chris McCandless; he was now Alexander Supertramp, master of his own destiny.” (p.23) He felt as though he had accepted society too deeply into his life to regain happiness into his life as Chris. So he created an alter ego that was and did everything Chris wanted to but could not because of his acceptance of society. Alex was a totally independent man who was in control of himself. The main concept of transcendentalism is living and communicating with nature to find yourself. Chris did exactly that by journeying into the Alaskan wild without any preparation to fill the emptiness he felt. "Gallien offers to drive Alex all the way to Anchorage, buy him some decent gear, and then drive him back to wherever he wanted to go.’No, thanks anyway.' Alex replied, 'I'll be fine with what I've got.'" (p.6) Chris's refusal of Gallien's help proved his loyalty to the values of Transcendentalism. He knew there was no other way...
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...Michael Jackson once said, “We have to heal our wounded world. The chaos, despair, and senseless destruction we see today are a result of the alienation that people feel from each other and their environment” (Micheal Jackson). Into the Wild, a biography by Jon Krakauer, is based on a true story about a well educated man coming from a good family who turned himself away from everything he had going for him. McCandless travels a great deal during his expedition to many different places, and is eventually found starved to death in a bus near Denali National Park. McCandless documented his expedition through journal entries and pictures. Krakauer puts the pieces of McCandless’s journey together to share his experience with others.Into the Wild and Grizzly Man share common characteristics through portraying their characters as alienated from society, Timothy Treadwell is shown throughout thirteen summers camping in Katmai National Park, Alaska. While he was there he took many detailed video recordings of his experiences as well as sharing his feelings about situations going on in his daily life. Treadwell left behind all these hours of video. Herzog puts the clips together to create Treadwell’s ultimate adventure with the bears and nature all the way down to the last second of his life before he gets mauled and eaten by a bear. Audiences of these texts can understand McCandless and Treadwell because of personal journals and videos and interviews with family and friends. In order...
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