Chpt 16-18 (157-199): “Into the Wild”
Begin your day by writing the standard, Essential question, and “Do Now” on the board.
Standards
WFV 1.0, 1.1, 1.2
WS 1.7 – organize and record information
RC 2.2- analyze clarity of meaning- patterns of organization, hierarchical structure, repetition of main ideas, syntax, word choice...
Essential question(s)
How does the structure of
Materials:
Chpt 16-18 handout, “Into the Wild” book
Walden Chapter
Do Now:
What is
Agenda:
Word / MeaningRubicon / A limit that when passed or exceeded permits of no return and typically results in irrevocable commitment
perambulation / To walk through, around, or over. To travel, traverse
to assert so adamantly his autonomy / To demand independence
claustrophobic / Uncomfortably closed-in, usually small/tight space
lacerations / A jagged wound or cut (as opposed to incision)
malevolent / wishing evil or harm to another or others;
Denali massif / compact portion of the Denali mountain range in Alaska, containing one or more summits
coppice / a thicket of small trees or bushes; a small wood.
repertoire / the entire stock of skills, techniques, or devices used in a particular field or occupation: a magician's repertoire.
moral absolutism / any theory holding that values, principles, etc., are absolute and not relative, dependent, or changeable
feral scrawn of gristle and bone / Wild state, thin/lean, not really meat so much as cartilage and bone
precipitous decline / extremely or impassably steep way down
insidiously / Stealthy, intending to trap, treacherous/dangerous
1. List the various miscalculations and mistakes McCandless made.
2. Toward the end of Chapter 16, Krakauer tells us that McCandless read Walden. Take a moment now to read that chapter from Walden. How does Thoreau talk about food and survival?
Read it in groups of no more than 3 and make a list of every mention of food. What will he eat, what does he refuse to eat, why does he refuse it, what does he prefer not to eat and why?
Higher Laws: Thoreau discusses whether hunting wild animals and eating meat is good. He concludes that the primitive, animal side of humans drives them to kill and eat animals, and that a person who transcends this propensity is superior to those who don't. (Thoreau eats fish.) In addition to vegetarianism, he lauds chastity, work, and teetotalism.
3. What do you think Chris found most interesting in Thoreau’s discussion of food?
4. Have you ever fasted? ______Do you know anyone who has? ______
What effects can the lack of food have on a human?
Individuals experiencing starvation lose substantial fat (adipose) and muscle mass as the body breaks down these tissues for energy. Catabolysis is the process of a body breaking down its own muscles and other tissues in order to keep vital systems such as the nervous system and heart muscle (myocardium) functioning. Vitamin deficiency is a common result of starvation, often leading to anemia, beriberi, pellagra, and scurvy. These diseases collectively can also cause diarrhoea, skin rashes, edema, and heart failure. Individuals are often irritable and lethargic as a result.
Atrophy (wasting away) of the stomach weakens the perception of hunger, since the perception is controlled by the percentage of the stomach that is empty. Victims of starvation are often too weak to sense thirst, and therefore become dehydrated.
All movements become painful due to atrophy of the muscles, and due to dry, cracked skin caused by severe dehydration. With a weakened body, diseases are commonplace. Fungi, for example, often grow under the esophagus, making swallowing unbearably painful.
The energy deficiency inherent in starvation causes fatigue and renders the victim more apathetic over time. As the starving person becomes too weak to move or even eat, his or her interaction with the surroundings diminishes.
Extra Credit opportunities: do some research on fasting and report to the class what you find or write a short report (15 points). Read and write chapter summaries (and an analysis of how the book relates to Into the Wild) on Thoreau’s Walden – or Life in the Woods (80 points).
Stylistic Choices
Tone- Read aloud the last paragraph in Chapter 18.
5. How does Krakauer know that McCandless “was at peace, serene as a monk gone to God”? Explain.
6. Does Krakauer have the right to infer from the photograph that McCandless had the serenity of a monk?
7. What is an alternative interpretation of the photograph?
Structure of the Text
In Chapter 16, Krakauer gives a summary of the last few months of McCandless’s life.
8. Do you think Krakauer admires McCandless? Cite your evidence.
9. In Chapter 17, Krakauer does not arrive at the bus until after about four pages. In those first pages, he gives us the details of the equipment he carries, the river flow, and the others with him. Is this necessary? What does it add? What does it detract?
10. Krakauer says that McCandless had a kind of “idiosyncratic logic.” Explain what Krakauer meant and the extent to which you agree or disagree with him.
Homework
Re-read Epilogue (200-207)