Ashley’s English Blog

 Watching the film version let me understand Chris's opinions and reasoning behind his decisions. It was different from the book in how it expressed just how badly Chris was or does at home and in society. The film was able to portray true human emotion, which mad me feel sad for him and understand why he would want to escape.   A time when seeing something visually changed my understanding of a situation was when one of my friends was upset with a girl for texting her boyfriend. I knew they were friends so I thought it was not a big deal, but then I saw the texts seemed more than friends so I took my friend's side. In class, we watched the film. I learned about Chris' experience in the wild .

 A relationship in my life that I feel truly understood is with my cousin in England. We are the same age, and we see each other only once a year. We talk a good amount, but she is also one of the only people I truly trust to talk about my issues with. She is the opposite of judgemental and supports me on everything. This relationship compares to Chris's and Corine's because we stay close despite our distance and even though we don't always talk often. In class, we read chapter 13 and answered questions. I learned about Chris' tight relationship with his sister Corine.

An important relationship I have is with my best friend. We met when I went Pius and are still best friends to this day, and that is what makes it meaningful. We text and call every day, and we send big updates or exciting news to each other. The relationship is so special because we stay close even though we are distanced by different schools. We have also been through so much together and we know everything about each other. In class, we read chapter 12 and did class discussions. I learned about Chris's messed up relationship with his parents.

 I think that the visual version of Chris's journey fails to make his choices seem more justified compared to the book. With the book, I am able to further understand Chris's motivations for his choices because of Krakauer's analysis of his decisions. The medium shapes my perspective because the author goes deeper into Chris's mindset, so I am able to understand why he might make the reckless choices that he did. Overall. the film allowed me to fully picture the situations that Chris put himself in to, yet failed to justify his choices as much as the book did. In class, we started to watch the film and answered comparison questions. I learned about how different medias allow for different understandings of a story or character.

 A moment when my understanding of my family changed was the first time I saw my mom arguing with my grandmother. This changed my understanding as I realized that all parents fight with their children and it even continues until older age. It made me feel better about fighting with my parents occasionally as I knew then that it is completely normal. It connects to Chris’ discovery because it shows my understanding of my parents and humanized them and their faults. In class we read chapter 11 and did worksheets. I learned about Chris’s family and the issues they had.

 Chapter 6 stood out the most to me. The whole chapter being about the relationship between Franz and McCandless was very sweet but sad to me. I like how we got to see a more human side of Chris, and we were able to see how he connects to people. one part that stood out was how Franz got attached to Chris in only a few weeks, which really showed how Chris was able to connect deeply to others, despite how he acted in the beginning chapters. Other than that, I was very touched when Franz had asked Chris to adopt him, and it made me so sad when Chris had to leave him. In class, we took our test on chapters 1-10. I learned about through-hikes and what to do when a black bear charges at me.

Right now, I think that success to me is getting good grades, getting accepted into a good college, living a comfortable life, and being happy with my life and my successes. These ideas come from how I have grown up and how I see myself in the future. I think that the part of relying on grades and achievements is mostly shaped from my parents' expectation, but they have raised me to find joy in those things as well. The values of happiness and inner acceptance come from my own expectations, as I prioritize my feelings in many situations. In class, we read chapter 9 and 10 and did two activities. I learned about another adventurer named Ruess and his parallels to McCandless.

 I have chosen to be on my own instad of relying on others in 8th grade when my whole friend group got in a fight. We had been arguing about something thatI don't remember, but I know that we all got really mad at each other. It was very damaging to my mental health and self-esteem, so I decided that it would be best to distance myself from them. It was good for me to be by myself because I was able to recover and reflect. I would make the same choice again. In class, we read chapter 8. I learned about the stories of other adventurers in Alaska.

The word luminous resonates with me personally. It reminds me of my sister because she has always had a bright soul that inspires me. This word is very positive to me and brings a sense of peace to me. It reminds me of when my sister and I were younger and we would play in the back yard until we had to go inside for dinner. It was a very hopeful and joyful time which the word luminous reminds me of. In class, we did vocabulary Monday. I learned new words like majordomo and untenable.

 My desired SAT score is a 1500. I have taken it before, and I got a 1410, so I do not think that one hundred points more would be too difficult. My top 3 colleges are UGA, UNC, and FAU. My most desired in UGA because I would prefer to stay in state to stay close to my family and friends. I like UNC because a lot of my extended family has gone there and it is in a very nice place. I also like FAU because I love the beach and sunny weather, and the campus is really pretty.  In class, we read chapter 7 and did an activity. I learned how to annotate and comment on a book.

 Because of changing the time I have been so much more tired. When I go to sleep at 11pm, it feels like 10pm, so I am not tired enough to fall asleep. Then, when I wake up at 7am, it feels like 6am, so it feels really early and disorienting. I have been less productive and more disoriented about time. It is very hard for me to adjust to the new change.  In class we read chapter 6. I learned about McCandless' time with Franz.

 One song that has inspired most of my life is "Peaceful Easy Feeling" by the Eagles. I love this song and it shaped me into the person I am today because of its overall positive message of freedom and simplicity. The song takes me back to my childhood and playing with my dad in the garden, and it reminds me of when i had no worries in life. It inspires me to live life with a positive outlook and to take a step back in times of stress and think about how life will get easier. In class, we read chapter 5 and answered questions. I learned about Chris' time in Bullhead city. 

 If I had to simplify my life and only choose some possessions to keep, I would choose to keep my phone and my cat. I chose my phone because it will keep me connected to everyone in my life, let me stay connected with the world, and let me looks things up and do basically anything. I chose my cat because I can't image leaving her behind and I want to always have her. The hardest thing to give up would probably be my journal because i have been writing in it for many years and it has all of my memories and experiences, but my phone is more important because of the pictures it has on it. In class, we read chapter 4. I learned about Chris' travels through the continent.

Recently, I had to distance myself from my best friend. We had not been good to each other, and we said a lot of things that were unkind. Eventually, I decided to stop talking to her as much and we stopped hanging out. We both had time to think about ourselves and our friendship, and I realized that it was never good for me and I was glad that I got out of it. Overall, I think it was a good decision, but it was very sad in the moment. In class, we read more of our book and connected to its themes. I learned how to connect evidence to a theme and how to justify it.

 After reading the first chapter, I think that McCandles was not prepared for the dangers and situations that he would face. I don't think that he understood the risks he was taking when he entered the Alaskan wilderness because he was asking the driver to answer questions about the type of game and the sustenance available in the bush. He also only had a map and did not have the correct gear with him, so I think the decision to go was very last-minute and not thought out. In class, we started reading Into the Wild. I learned about the dangers of Alaska wilderness. 

 In the assignment, the easiest word for me to understand was benign because I have heard it before, specifically when talking about tumors. The hardest word for me to understand was corroborate because it sounded similar to the word collaborate but has a different meaning. Creating sentences helped me understand words by putting them into real-life context. For example, for the word recrimination, I made a sentence about a debate to help me picture two people accusing each other. Using images was also helpful, as I learn and memorize better with visuals. In class, we completed note cards on vocabulary. I learned new words like soporific and pervasive.