A Creative Approach to Looking at Writing: Metaphors

This article took a unique way of looking at different writing styles, no matter the skill level of the writers.  Everyone has a personal and creative way to express their thoughts, and in order to elaborate on that creative perspective, the author used metaphors to criticize and explain each style.  The way the author organized the essay was through the different types of metaphors, each new section has a heading which is a precursor to metaphor used to personify the student. There is a thesis for this article and it analyzes the use of the metaphor to the student’s writing and the way the students perceives themselves as a writer. Through the use of actual student papers and an in-depth analysis of each, the author was able to create a very interesting perspective paper, with the purpose to neither argue or pursued the reader but to merely expose. Throughout the paper, the author looked at the way “skilled” writer view themselves and how it correlates to their level of work and the same was done with the “less-skilled” writers. Overall, it was concluded that the “skilled” students are more confident and precise writers than the “less-skilled”. By looking at the students’ skill level in comparison to their “writing metaphor”, the author was able to better explain why their writing style or skill developed in the way it did. This article took a creative approach to analyzing students writing and it perhaps found a solution to why there is the division between the “skilled” and “less-skilled” writers.

Food for Thought: Wikipedia. Reliable or Unreliable?

I believe Middlebury’s college policy on Wikipedia is fair and very understandable. Although Wikipedia is a source which contains information on practically every topic and the validity of this information is consistently checked, the concept of a source which is open to the public to freely alter can be a little skeptical at times. This is probably the reason behind the discouragement and forbidding of students from using Wikipedia as a reliable source.

                 Personally, I see no reason to complete disregard Wikipedia as a solid source for information. Wikipedia is a brilliant site which makes finding the information you need quickly and efficiently. There is no “fluff” which you would normally need to sift through on many other sites. The site is completely open to the public, meaning you do not need any form of member ship to peruse the vast collection of knowledge. The information is presented in a very organized and direct fashion.

                 As for using it as your only source of information for academic purposes, I agree more with the views of Middlebury’s policy. If you use Wikipedia, you do run the slight risk of getting false information but that does not make the site useless. I believe that if you check your information with a source that is considered to be “reliable” and it matches, then Wikipedia is also reliable enough. I use Wikipedia to quickly look up small facts, like the date of an even in history for instance. I do not however use it as a source to be sited for school reports. Wikipedia is like any other source in the internet. It is a handy way to get information quickly. Although it has certain aspects which put it under question, it is still an extensive source of knowledge. Wikipedia should not be considered a reliable source, unless the information can be validated by a noted reliable source. However it is still a useful tool which should not be so easily cast aside.

Sean Penn's "Into the Wild" versus Jon Krakauer's "Into the Wild"

Both the film and the novel do a beautiful job at telling Chris McCandless's story and capturing his true spirit. I can honestly say I enjoyed both renditions of the story; however what the film was able to do that the novel could not was to literally show Chris's experiences almost through his eyes. The viewer was able to actually see what Chris saw, from the mountains to the rivers. You were able to see and encounter what Chris did, whereas the novel allows for the imagination to "fill in the blanks".

I really felt a sense of Chris's raw self through the film. The look in Emile Hirsch’s eyes and his complete dedication to embody and be Chris McCandless really help to create that emotional bond between his and our world. What the film includes is the little "in between" shots of Chris doing such mundane things like brushing his teeth or reading London and Tolstoy. The film solely focuses on Chris's journey and the novel, although primarily following Chris, deviated quite often and told the stories of others. 

The film and the novel do an amazing job at retelling and recreating Chris’s journey of self-discovery. Although they go about telling it in slightly different ways, in the end the viewer or reader is able to come away with a true sense and better understanding of Chris.

Happy Trails.

Now that I've Traveled "Into The Wild"...

After completing “Into The Wild” I can honestly admit that my initial perceptions of Chris have stayed the consistent throughout the novel. When I first began the story of Alexander Supertramp, I saw him as a young, idealistic, romantic, transcendentalist adventurer who’s only desire to seek the pure truth out of life. Even after seeing Chris through his worst, I still admire him. There are certain characteristics of Chris’s which are not very appealing or respectable. The way he treated his loved ones was not something which I commend Chris for. Despite the way he felt about his parents, he should not have neglected them and shunned them from his life. Even those who he met on the road, such as Ron, he kept loosely in contact with but once he felt them getting too close, he would pull away. At the end of the novel, although I admire Chris, I pity him in many other ways. It is sad to think that after all the people he has pushed away in his life; he finally came to the realization that “Happiness only real when shared.”

Chris’s story is a blissful tragedy. It is sad to think that he lost his life in his search for life itself, but he died doing what he loved and he found the clarity he was originally searching for in the end. I still think highly of Chris and believe there are multiple lessons to be learned from his journey. Life is short and fragile. You should not merely accept the reality society presents you with, question it and find the truth in it as you deem it fitting.

Happy Trails.

That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

In chapters 8-10 John Krakauer diverged from Alexander Supertramp’s quest and did something very interesting. He found several individuals who chose the same reckless, transcendental, traveler’s life style. These McCandless-esque wonderers hoped to reach the same destination, to leave behind their past in order to reach a higher place spiritually and recreate themselves.  Their stories mirror Chris’s, starting full of potential and endless possibilities only to end with a painful clarity and loss. These other travelers are proof that Chris was not the first to have this stirring feeling within him. Many others have paved the way before him, searching for the same unreachable dream. All were fueled by the limitless, romantic possibilities that awaited them in the wild. They all wished to seek life out, capture it, and find its inner meaning.

Like Chris as well, many shed their birth names and reinvented themselves, finding a name that better suits the person they are now. A name essentially is who you are. It is a quick way to identify someone, it is your label. Over the course of your life, you will become your name and your name will become you. It only makes sense that these quest seekers, who want to forget their past and recreate who they are, would naturally rename themselves as a way to reclaim their identity.

Also like Chris, these explorers were thrill seekers only wanting to uncover the truths behind life. Although they may have made reckless decisions which eventually cost them their lives, they should be admired. Their courage to walk away from what was comfortable and into the unknown with that small chance to find what they are “looking for” is admirable. I am not saying that everyone should shed their identity and venture out into the wilderness to find their purpose and meaning. However, I do believe there is a lesson that can be taken from these characters. One should not be afraid of the unknown. Face it as you choose, but it is something which should be embraced and challenged.

Happy Trails