September 7 – American Voices

1. September 7 – American Voices Agenda: • Quick-write: Lyrics • Slow-write: McCandless as a critic • Partner Prompt • Finding Evidence • Prompt and Outline Format HW: • Complete the outline to prepare for the diagnostic essay on Monday You will need: • Pen/Pencil • Notebook • Into the Wild • Summer Reading Packet Goals: • Understand how McCandless can be viewed as a critic • Prepare for the in-class write

2. Quick-write • While looking at the songs from Into the Wild, many of you were drawn to the following quotations: • On bended knee is no way to be freelifting up an empty cup I ask silentlythat all my destinations will accept the one that's meso I can breathe-Eddie Vedder (Guaranteed) • You think you have to wantmore than you needuntil you have it all you won't be free-Eddie Vedder (Society) • Why might these lyrics have instigated some reaction in McCandless?

3. Consider this: • Many people pointed to the following excerpt as evidence: "So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."— Chris McCandless (57)

4. Partner-prompt • Krakauer tends to view McCandless as a free-spirit; a romantic wanderer who was drawn into a life of nomadic wandering. While this may be true, I ask you to look upon McCandless as a critic. • With your partner, brainstorm a list of things in response to the following question. Don’t give one-word answers, be a little more specific than that. • Christopher McCandless rejected society by living as he did, and eventually venturing forth into the wild. What aspects of society was Christopher McCandless critical of?

5. Find That Evidence • Choose TWO or THREE things that McCandless seems to be critical of, and find evidence from the book to prove it. • You should try to find at least THREE pieces of evidence (with page numbers, of course) that prove his criticism of each thing

6. Diagnostic (I.C.E.) Prompt/Outline Preparation • On Monday, you will be writing an in-class essay in response to the prompt that you looked at today: • Christopher McCandless rejected society by living as he did, and eventually venturing forth into the wild. What aspects of society was Christopher McCandless critical of? • This essay is meant to be a diagnostic; a way for me to get to know your style, form and technique as a writer. • I want you to plan this essay over the weekend, and come in with a thesis, topic sentences for at least two body paragraphs, and evidence to support your conclusions. • You will have 45 minutes on Monday to flesh-out your essay in class. • You may use ONLY the following outline sheet on Monday, so if you do not complete it, you will not have any other resources available to you. Everything that you want to use from the text itself – including all of your evidence (with citations of course) – must be written on your outline ahead of time. • You will be submitting your outline along with your in-class essay. • You may use anything that we have completed in class