Beckett's American Literature Blog

Prompt: In  Into the Wild , Christopher McCandless gives up many of his possessions in pursuit of freedom and meaningful experiences. If you had to simplify your life and keep only a few important possessions, what would you keep and why? What would be hardest to leave behind? Prompt Response:  If I could only keep a few of my possessions, I would probably keep my pillow, my laptop, my violin, and my clothes as these would be the hardest to replace in my opinion. I think it would be hardest to leave behind my pillow as I'm a very picky sleeper and it's hard for me to doze off without it. Summary: Today in class we started reading the book "Into the Wild" and answered questions. Reflection:  I'd say that I'm not a super material person but at the same time I like the things I have. I see how minimalism may be attractive to be people who want to live self sufficiently, but I don't think that is where my life will take me.

  Prompt: People sometimes feel the need to step away from their normal routines or environments in order to better understand themselves. Describe a time when you needed distance from a situation, place, or group of people in order to think more clearly or gain perspective. What did that experience teach you about yourself? Prompt Response:  One time where I really needed to distance myself was in sophomore year's tabletop club. This was my first time really getting involved with an after school activity and so I was thoroughly disappointed when my group members started acting... weird. The leader of my group had blatant favorites and would cater towards them while ignoring the rest of us. One other member was very loud and was outright rude to many of us. One time in particular this individual even straight out  called people ugly, ranking everyone in the group based on how attractive they thought everyone was. After a while I dreaded going to that club and eventually I...

Prompt: After reading Chapter 1 of  Into the Wild , consider your first impression of Christopher McCandless. Based solely on the events and details presented in this opening chapter, do you believe McCandless truly understood the risks he was taking when he entered the Alaskan wilderness? Why or why not? Prompt Response:  Based on what little we went over, I feel that Chris McCandless did understand what he would face when he entered the Alaskan wilderness. I think that because he knew of the dangers he almost wanted to die or put himself in a position where death was a likely outcome for a reasons unknown. Due to him traveling across many other places in America with the same resources he had in Alaska, I don't think it's reasonable to assume he didn't know what he was doing. Summary: Today in class we were introduced to the book "Into the Wild." Reflection:  I think the book is going to be very interesting and I'm excited to find out exactly why he did what...

Prompt:  Today you worked on creating your  Vocabulary Digital Cards  in Adobe Express. In one well-developed paragraph, reflect on the assignment by explaining which vocabulary word was easiest for you to understand, which word was most challenging, and how creating your own sentence and selecting an image helped strengthen your understanding of the vocabulary. Use specific examples from your work. Prompt Response:  I would say that the easiest vocabulary word for me to understand is provocative as I already knew it prior to the lesson. The most difficult is probably soporific as it doesn't even sound like it relates to its meaning. Creating sentences and choosing images increased my understanding as it allowed me to relate unknown words to images and scenarios that I'm already familiar with. Summary: Today in class we completed a vocabulary flashcard assignment. Reflection: I found the flashcards to be somewhat easy, however it was hard to find synonyms and or anto...