Into the Wild Reading Journal

As you read Into the Wild, you will be writing a dialectical journal. On the left side of your journal, you will copy important lines from the novel exactly, and cite them using MLA parenthetical citations. Pick any lines that reveal the character, themes, or the stylistic/rhetorical strategies of the author. Follow the directions in the Format section below for writing your response (dialogue) with the text.

You will select 2 quotes from each chapter of the book. There are 18 chapters, plus an epilogue, so you will have 38 entries total. The first two, for chapter one ofInto the Wild, have been done for you as an example. You may complete the rest on paper, or in the document below (recommended). All commentary must be your own thoughts and insights - plagiarism from online sources or other students will result in a zero and a referral to administration for further discipline. Do your own work.

Format:

Quotes / Response/Commentary
Quote “Copy your quote exactly as it appears in the book, including proper punctuation and capitalization. This will help when you write your paper. Cite it properly, too” (Krakauer 22). / Comment on the thematic or stylistic importance of the quote. Answer any of the following questions: What is the lesson in the quote? How does the quote connect to the larger story? What does the quote reveal about the character? How is the way the author is communicating affecting the story?
Whenever possible, come to a conclusion about the lines, or write a question that you hope to be answered later.

(See the next page for the sample and format)

Name:

Period:

Into the Wild Dialectical Journal

Quotes from the text (two quotes per chapter) / Response/Commentary
Chapter 1:
“Gallien wondered whether he’d picked up one of those crackpots from the lower forty-eight who come north to live out ill-considered Jack London fantasies. Alaska has long been a magnet for dreamers and misfits who think the unsullied enormity of the Last Frontier will patch all the holes in their lives” (Krakauer 4”).
“Alex insisted on Giving Galien his watch, his comb, and what he said was all his money: eighty five cents in loose change” (Krakauer 7) / These lines show that the Alaskan native who picked up McCandless thought he might be just another unprepared, and perhaps crazy, (“crackpot”) young person looking to find himself in the huge wilderness of Alaska. The allusion to Jack London shows that many people think of Alaska as a place where they can have exciting adventures worthy of being read by many. Perhaps this sort of adventure is what McCandless was looking for.
This shows McCandless has no desire for even the most basic of material goods. He wants to go out into the Alaskan wilderness with no reminders of the life he used to lead. He likely had no need for money out in the wilderness, but his watch and comb might have come in handy. What could make him renounce his past so thoroughly?
Chapter 2:
Chapter 3:
Chapter 4:
Chapter 5:
Chapter 6:
Chapter 7:
Chapter 8:
Chapter 9:
Chapter 10:
Chapter 11:
Chapter 12:
Chapter 13:
Chapter 14:
Chapter 15:
Chapter 16:
Chapter 17:
Chapter 18:
Epilogue: