Author: ebowles

A. http://www.flickr.com/photos/spike55151/127692508/

“I’d go out back to hang clothes on the line behind the trailer, and he’d attach clothespins all over me. He was playful, like a little kid” (75).

This is a photograph of clothespins on a clothesline.

I chose this quote from Burres because it shows Chris McCandless as a fun-loving youth rather than the thought provoked adult that we are used to hearing about in the text. The picture is significant because it only focuses on the clothespins, the detail that Burres remembers most about Chris. Chris’s attempts at flirting also show that he was in need of human contact, and that he was a typical young man with desires for women. Most of the text portrays Chris as a mature adult who is focused on living alone in the wild to find himself. This memory, on the other hand, gives us another side to Chris, a more youthful and playful side that we do not see much of in the text. This photograph influences the meaning by putting a focus on Chris’s actions toward Burres, rather than Burres’ memory of Chris. The clothespins represent Chris’s need for attention and human contact.

B. http://www.flickr.com/photos/67371673@N00/32644649/

“He was a big eater. Never left any food on his plate. Never” (104)

This is a picture of a starving child in Africa.

I chose this photo because it is ironic when paired with the above caption. What makes the picture ironic is the fact that Chris McCandless was constantly eating all of the food given to him, and never wasted anything, though he died of starvation. One of Chris’s goals was to end starvation, though he couldn’t cure his own. The picture encompasses Chris’s motivation as well as the beginning of his demise. The caption directs our attention to a healthy boy who had plenty to eat, while the photo directs our attention to the image of Chris’s emaciated body at death, as well as the image of what Chris wanted to prevent. The picture influences how we read the quote because it no longer shows us a healthy, happy picture of Chris. Rather, it foreshadows what will happen later in Chris’s life. The picture also leads me to feel that even though Chris cared a lot about never wasting food, that ideal was of no use to him at the end of his life.

C. http://www.flickr.com/photos/78428166@N00/127719093/

“When Franz met McCandless, his long-dormant paternal impulses were kindled anew” (84)

This is a picture of a young man hugging his father.

I chose this caption because one of the focuses in the book is to Chris and his relationship with his father. I felt that Chris looked to Franz as more of a father than his own, and that is why I chose to include him in this caption. I chose the image for this caption because it is a good fit with how I interpret the relationship between Chris and Franz. Though Chris was against the idea of being adopted by Franz, I feel that he loved the old man and looked up to him as a father figure. The image illustrates the love and compassion between the father and son, which is how I feel Franz and Chris acted toward each other. The photograph influences the caption by showing the son figure, or Chris, as a loving son toward his father, in this case Franz. It helps us get a visual of the dynamic between the two men. The caption and the accompanied photograph direct our attention to the love that was felt between Franz and Chris.

D. http://www.flickr.com/photos/air_ape/129527053/

“For a long time she gazes silently at her son’s boots under the stove, his handwriting on the walls, his toothbrush” (312)

This is a picture of a toothbrush with the inscription ‘prison toothbrush’.

I chose this caption because it gives me insight into the thoughts and emotions of the family members left behind after Chris’s death. I can imagine myself in the same situation, trying to take in the surroundings, and focusing on the few objects that were used by my late son. The photo of the toothbrush represents a focus that Billie had while in the trailer, though it is ironic because of the inscription on the brush. “Prison toothbrush” illustrates a sense of confinement, while Chris was in a state of freedom in his Alaska wilderness. My intent with this caption and photograph was to show the contrast between Chris’s emotions and that of his mother. Billie was constantly worried about her son, and was trapped in her anxiety over his absence. Chris, on the other hand, was reveling in his freedom of being subsistent off the land and not needing human contact. Also, part of Chris’s freedom was his ability to abandon material possessions and human contact, though he still needed a toothbrush, which is a norm of society. The inscription “Prison toothbrush” is ironic because Chris desperately wants to live a free life, but is confined to certain societal norms.

Krakauer, John. Into the Wild. Large Print Edition. Random House Inc. Maine: 1997.

I really enjoyed ‘123rd Street Rap’ by Willie Perdomo. The poem is appealing in many ways. First, it’s easy to read. It flows well, like any rap should. I found myself reading it aloud, attempting to rap it (though I don’t do it very well). It also appeals to the senses. It gives imagery, “Baby men growing on/all the corners” and you can hear the poem, “Church bells bong for/ drunken mourners”. I can listen to Perdomo read the poem on the CD, and I feel like I’m sitting in the middle of the street, watching the action happen in front of me. I like this poem so much because it is a beautiful description of a place that lacks beauty.

Perdomo’s use of alliteration appeals to the senses, and brings about the imagery. In line 6, “bullets bounce” off “Stoop steps”. And in line 10, “bells bong”. The repetition of the same sound makes the poem flow better, and lets us know that there is importance in the lines. Those lines help us hear the poem, instead of just reading it. Lines 16-21 tell us about the visual aspects of the setting. “Sun that/ don’t shine/ Trees that/ don’t grow/ Wind that/ won’t blow”. These lines paint a picture of the poem, and elicit the dark, dreary emotions that come from a place such as 123rd Street.

Perdomo does an excellent job of appealing to the senses and making the situation believeable as well as depressing. Any thoughts?

Toni Cade Bambara did an excellent job of portraying a child who is on the verge of growing up. I had no idea the narrator was a child until a few paragraphs into the story, where Hazel speaks of having to sit in the kids section at the theater. I’m very intrigued with Hazel because of how her maturity and childishness (if that’s a word) come together to create such a confused little girl. She has been brought up not to take s**t from anyone, and stands up for what she believes in. At the same time, she lights candy stands up in flames while throwing a temper tantrum.

As a reader, I felt that Hazel was wise beyond her years. I desperately wanted her to be a teenager or an older woman because I felt so bad that she didn’t understand her uncle’s promise that he would marry her one day. I wanted to be able to picture a strong, older woman with great things ahead of her in life. Instead, there’s a little girl named Hazel who still has plenty of growing up to do.

Toni Cade Bambara is saying a lot through the characterization of Hazel. It takes a lot to make such a young child so mature, and I feel that Hazel is so strong because she is an African American girl in the south who has to put up with the racism that surrounds her on a daily basis. Hazel is a grown woman when it comes to standing up for what she believes in, but she is also a little girl who has so much left to see in this world. Hazel has so much drive and self belief. The end of this story leaves me wanting to know more about her life and how she grew up.