Krakauer's Adventurers - Help or Hinder?

I think the Krakauer's use of exerpts and quotes from other adventurers' novels greatly helped his improve Chris' story. Without them, I think that Chris would have appeared foolish and almost insane for wanting to take the Alaskan wilderness "by storm" with no equipment or anything to aid his survival. With the use of these other adventurers' stories, we are able to see the heroic aspect of it all; denying the materialistic ways of society, feeling no need for money, and all you want is adventure and TRUTH! I really enjoyed the Chapter 12's example. It states " Rather than love, than money than fame, give me truth. I sat a table where were rich food and wine in abundance, an obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not; and I went away hungry from the inhospitable board. The hospitality was as cold as the ices" - Henry David Thoreau. I think it really shows how Chris feels the need to gain something more out of life, something with substance that will satisfy him. It's all a bit romantic but I enjoy reading the stories because I can see where Chris got his inspiration. With the use of the epitaphs, he becomes lumped together with the likes of Henry David Thoreau and Jack London: true adventurers!

My Girl Tay Swift :)

The article was definitely well-written and to be honest I enjoyed reading it. I'm a super big fan of Taylor Swift to begin with. I love her music, and think she is a really genuine, nice person. However, even before this article I still had my doubts. I don't exactly agree with her in her views about chastity and certainly don't sit by my phone every night waiting for my crush to call me. I agree that her songs are really similar. That graph really added to the article because it simplified her music. I mean - it's pretty obvious that they are all about wanting some boy to fall in love with you; sometimes they're happy, sometimes sad, sometimes angry - but all pretty similar. But her first and second album have always and will always be so incredibly wonderful, no matter what. There's just something about her songs that are so relatable and awesome to sing; they apply at any age. And at her concert, this may sound corny, but I really felt like she was my best friend! Lame, I know - but seriously she just seems so nice! The article, I think, didn't really change my view of her, just kind of put a couple of my problems with Taylor into words. I mean everyone knows that the one time she goes out to party, she'll get caught. And her millions of fans will be devastated because of her tarnished image. I personally think the author is someone who is bitter and hates Taylor because she was the girl with glasses in high school who didn't get the boys and is offended that beautiful Taylor thinks she has experienced the "pain" that the author has felt. I could go on forever about this subject and honestly I think that Lady Gaga should've won the grammy just because she is noticeably changing the music industry and everyone is just waiting for her next move; that deserves credit. But I'm happy for Taylor! I still after reading the article think she is worthy of a grammy. Go Taylor and Gaga! My 2 favorite artists!

Ethos, Pathos, or Logos?

Out of the 3 styles of rhetoric, I can't really pin point just one as the most effective. If I had to, I would say pathos, just because I feel that a lot of times, emotion is what drives one to do the things they do. However, I believe that the strongest and most effective way of writing is by using an equal amount of pathos and logos, with ethos to back it up. That way, your argument is conveyed in a way that targets the readers' emotions, but with good reason! In the essays we have written, I think I used a lot of pathos, especially in the McCandless essay, but also incorporated a significant amount of ethos and logos to support my claims.

My Opinion of Chris McCandless

After reading the first two chapters of Into the Wild, I could feel contempt and disgust building up toward McCandless; that feeling I had conveyed through my essay. I felt he was foolish, ungrateful, and merely doing the whole thing for attention. However, after reading the last few chapters, my feelings have changed slightly. I still am not a huge fan of McCandless. I still think he is foolish and a little self-absorbed, but I see that his journeys are not driven by the need for attention, but simply for his need for excitement and adventure. I don't think he had cruel intentions any longer. You can't really blame a guy for "wanting more" out of life. I mean I am a true believer that one should always be striving for something. However, McCandless should've at least taken proper precautions for going to the Alaskan wild. He may have survived in the south and the west coast, but Alaska is a whole different story. And for that, McCandless is stupid. I have also started to feel more sympathetic towards the characters in the book. I feel sorry for McCandless, that he was not able to make it out alive when everyone thought he would and most of all I feel sorry for his parents. His poor parents - he completely estranged himself from them and they did not deserve that. Obviously, we are not able to get the full background on them, but one should never disregard their parents like he did. I feel sorry for the friends and family that he never said goodbye to. Even if McCandless got the chance to say goodbye, I don't think he would take it. For this reason, the majority of my negative feelings towards him are here to stay... for now.