For Tuesday: Strayed, Wild, Part Five (Chs. 15, 16 & 17)

Feel free to finish the book for Tuesday, but I'll only ask you to read the next three chapters for Tuesday's quiz and discussion. We'll technically finish the book for Thursday--see the revised schedule two posts down in case you haven't noticed it. Also, don't forget the Conversation Paper #2 assignment, which I assigned last Tuesday (it's one post down).

Some ideas to consider...

* Do you think her experiences in Ashland represent a "relapse" in her journey of self-discovery? Consider she asks herself, "I was different. Wasn't I?"

* Why is she so anxious to hook up with a guy that she takes pains to show us isn't very articulate or interesting beyond his looks? For someone so introspective, isn't this an odd choice? Or is that the point?

* Why does she feel she is "betraying" the PCT by being so far away from it?

* She says in Chapter 15 that she wants to forgive herself even though she doesn't necessarily regret what she's done: "if I could go back in time I wouldn't do anything differently than I had done" (258). Can you ask for forgiveness without regretting or repenting your previous misdeeds? Why might she think so?

*Why does she make a list of all her mother's mistakes in Chapter 16? What kind of mistakes are they? Does she seem sympathetic about them--or judgmental?

* Why does she literally eat her mother in Chapter 16? Do you think this is a moment of acceptance or rejection? Or confusion?

* She doesn't know what to expect at Crater Lake, though her guidebook tells her to expect something awe-inspiring. Does she find it? What happens to her there?

* She says earlier that the trail gives you thinks when you're not expecting them--"trail magic." What kind of trail magic does she experience in these chapters? 

Conversation Paper #2--the Last One!

Conversation Paper #2: The Call of the Wild

“It had only to do with how it felt to be in the wild. With what it was like to walk for miles for no reason other than to witness the accumulation of trees and meadows, mountains and deserts, streams and rocks, rivers and grasses, sunrises and sunsets. The experience was powerful and fundamental” (Strayed 207).

INTRO: Both Wild and the film Into the Wild are about twenty-somethings feeling lost in adulthood. Even though both are college-educated and have plenty of opportunity in the ‘real world,’ each one rejects it in favor of an experience in the “wild.” Interestingly, each one also rejects family, money, and advice taking only what they can carry on their backs, as well as books (they’re both big readers). So the question is, why did they feel the Wild could solve the problems that community and society couldn’t? And is this a universal problem with people their (and your) age?

PROMPT: For your Second Conversation Paper, I want you to answer the question, “what is society not providing to young adults—why are they seeking fulfillment ‘out there’ rather than ‘in here’? Why are so many people deciding to reject college and careers and traditional roles in search of something more “real” and “meaningful”? In other words, what are we doing wrong as a society? How are we leaving young adults out in the cold and not answering the most vital questions they have as human beings? How do you feel about this: do you feel the same way? Or do you think they’re both missing the bigger picture? Do you feel tempted to heed the call of the wild, too?

REQUIREMENTS:

• Use Wild and the film Into the Wild to respond to: show that your conversation comes from both works and quote from Strayed especially to explain where she—and many people your age—are coming from in their journey.
• Find AT LEAST TWO outside sources that also talk about some aspect of this conversation: they could be interviews with Strayed, articles about McCandless, articles about people on the PCT, or about college/job prospects, etc. Anything that you feel helps you discuss this and gives you new perspectives.
• NAYSAYER: Someone who disagrees with you or shows you another way of considering the subject. If you agree with Strayed/McCandless, who doesn’t? If you think they’re nuts, who doesn’t? Remember, you can even use Strayed to act as a Naysayer (she often does).
• No set page limit: it’s up to you to think how long this needs to be, and what you need to say.
• Due Tuesday, November 19^th by 5pm [no class that day]

Revised Course Schedule for last Four Weeks!

T 5       Strayed, Wild, Part Four

R 7       Writing Workshop #6

T 12     Strayed, Wild, Part Five, Chapters 15-17

R 14     Strayed, Wild, Part Five, Chapters 18-19

T 19     Conversation Paper #2 due by 5pm [no class]

R 21     Haile, "We Go It Alone" (from Best American Travel Writing 2018)

T 26     Writing Workshop #6

R 28     Thanksgiving Break

DECEMBER

T 3       Dead Week--no class!

R 5       Dead Week--no class! 

Final Exam (Short Paper #3) due TBA

For Tuesday: Strayed, Wild (Part Four)

Be sure to read Part Four, Chapters 11-14 for Tuesday's class. We only have one more part, and 5 more chapters! Catch up if you're behind, since the book will be important for your Conversation Paper #2 (which I'll assign on Tuesday). 

Here are some questions to consider about Chapters 11-14:

* Why is the final chapter called "Wild," which is also (coincidentally?) the name of the book? Hmm...

* What does she mean by the phrase/metaphor, "Grief doesn't have a face" (212)?

* Why does she return to the opening pages of the book in Chapter 13? OR, perhaps a better question is, why does she start the book with events in Chapter 13, and not return to tell this story for 13 chapters? 

* What does she mean by the phrase, "The universe, I'd learned, was never, ever kidding" (209).

* What is the significance of the title of Chapter 13, "The Accumulation of Trees"?

* How does she grow on the trail in general? After six weeks of traveling, what does she now see, feel, or experience differently?

* Why does she object so strongly when the interviewer for Hobo Times refers to her as a "hobo" in Chapter 11? Is he right to persist in calling her one?

No Class Thursday (Sick); Read Part Four for Tuesday

Sadly, I have to miss class on Thursday since I'm a bit sick, but we'll be back on Tuesday to discuss Part Four, Chapters 10-14, with a quiz to follow. I'll post some questions here to consider when I feel more up to it this weekend. 

REMEMBER that papers are still due today by 5pm! E-mail me with any questions or concerns. Bring them to my door if you can, since I'll try to get to the office around 4 or 5 to check. 

Thanks! 

For Tuesday: Strayed, Wild, Chs.8-10

Read Part Three, Chapters 8-10, for Tuesday's class. We'll have a quiz as usual when you arrive, based on at least one of the questions below. Also, remember that the Short Paper #2 assignment is due next Thursday--the assignment is in the post below this one.

* How are the chapters of each title a metaphor for the story/events that follow? Particularly a strange one like "Corvidology?" 

* Why does she call "Mom! Mom!" when she sees the fox in Chapter 9? Does she seem to understand herself?

* Look for good metaphors in these chapters! For example, what does she mean by, "These mountains didn't count the days" (143)?

* How does Strayed's history with her father somewhat resemble (in a darker way) McCandless' story? Why is it also another piece in the puzzle of her quest to walk the PCT?

* Why does she want to be with Greg even though she admits she's not attracted to him? How might this relate to her "Band-Aid" metaphor from Part Two?

* Strayed writes that walking on the PCT "was the opposite of using heroin," because "the wilderness had a clarity that included me" (143). What do you think she means by this?

* One of the most disturbing (and memorable) scenes in the book occurs in Chapter 10 with her mother's horse, Lady. Why do you think she includes this scene? How does it underline some of the big themes of the book?

Short Paper #2 assignment--due Thursday, October 31st

Short Paper #2: A Mountain Isn’t a Mountain

“I realized I didn’t understand what a mountain was…they were, I now realized, layered and complex, inexplicable and analogous to nothing” (63).

PROMPT: For your second short paper assignment, I want you to write about an experience when you confronted something that was larger, more complex, and “analogous to nothing” you had ever experienced. It doesn’t have to be something big, like walking the PCT, but it should be something that turned out to be complex and challenging in ways you didn’t expect. Why was this? Why weren’t you as prepared as you thought? What about it surprised you? How was it an experience that even though you were told about it, or had even seen it from a distance, you simply had to confront to understand? Describe the experience as if you’re going through it for the first time: tell us what you saw and what it felt like, assuming we’ve never seen or felt it, either.

TO CONSIDER: Remember, this doesn’t have to be a ‘win’ for you: you could have failed or quit the experience. It might be a job that you realized just wasn’t for you. Or a relationship, a class, or a move to a new town or city. But even when you throw in the towel, the experience can still stay with you. What did it help you see or understand? How did it shape some aspect, large or small, of your outlook? Would you ever do it again (if you quit), and why has it become an important part of your life (if you didn’t)? If you continue to do it, what did you not understand until you actually ‘got on the trail’ and ‘hiked’ it?

THE BOOK: Strayed’s Wild introduced this conversation, so make sure you’re responding to it. Use a passage or two from the book to help you discuss your own experience, seeing things in terms of her own experience. Try to see how you’re both on the same metaphorical journey, walking the same ‘mountain.’ However, DON’T use the quote above on page 63, but find your own connections and ideas. There’s a lot to draw from in the book!

REQUIREMENTS:

• At least 3 pages, double spaced
• Describe and explain the experience: don’t assume we know
• Quote from the book, and make meaningful connections
• Due next Thursday, October 31st by 5pm