Class Blog Reflection

Blogging was a new topic to me.  I had never thought about doing it before this class.  Whenever I would hear about a blog I would think of people complaining about their problems.  I really liked the blog experience.  Everyone brings their own perspective and experiences to a class blog and that makes each post unique.  Blogging made me write and it was enjoyable.  In all my high school English classes we did warm up writings and journals.  I hated these because we had barley any time to write and then the only way to share them was by reading them out loud.   Also these class discussions were uninteresting because everyone was the same age and had similar perspectives.  Are class blog was much more interesting because everyone had a different background and perspective.   I may keep a blog in the future but I do not know yet.  I hope we will do something like this in my next English class but probably not.  

What I didn't like about Alexander Supertramp

I liked Christopher McCandless for his sense of adventure but there are many things that I disliked about him.  I disliked how he had a know it all attitude.  There are some passages in Into the Wild were Chris McCandless discussed some survival skills with a man at Slab City, but other than that Chris thought he knew everything.  In the beginning of the book it talks about how McCandless had an answer for every question that was thrown at him.  I believe that you can learn from others.  I believe that Chris’s know it all attitude showed his arrogance.  

Mountain Zen

“The only Zen you find on top of mountains is the Zen you bring there.”

-Robert M. Pirsig

 

We discussed this quote when we were discussing Christopher McCandless.  McCandless went out into the Alaskan wilderness trying to find something.  Jon Krakauer, the author of Into the Wild, was also trying to find something when he climbed the Devil’s Thumb in Alaska.  Both of these men had inner problems that they were trying to heal in the Wilderness.  In class we came up with a meaning of Zen as inner peace.  Going into the wilderness can be an escape from your problems, but you can only heal these problems in yourself.  You can only bring the amount of inner peace into the wilderness that you had before going. 

photo essay story of Chris McCandless

While reading Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild I realized that Chris McCandless and I have some similarities.  In my photo essay I am using pictures that I have taken to tell the story of Chris McCandless, as well as their significance to me. 

Chris McCandless went on an adventure across the country, down to Mexico, and up to Canada and Alaska.  This is a picture of a backpack, a .22 caliber rifle, beat up cheap hiking boots, and bags of rice.  This is what Chris McCandless (Alexander Supertramp) took into the Alaskan wilderness.  Christopher McCandless took a backpack with some supplies, bags of rice, non-insulated or weatherproof hiking boots, and a .22 rifle.  McCandless didn’t take necessary supplies such as an axe, bug dope, snowshoes, compass, and map.  This shows how unprepared McCandless was going into the wilderness.  I am similar to Chris McCandless in the way that I have done things unprepared.  I hiked around in tennis shoes and used my school backpack, until I recently got proper gear.   

 

Chris McCandless had an unexpected turn when his car was damaged by a flash flood.  McCandless neglected the warning signs and took his car where he wasn’t suppose to go.  This is a picture of a warning sign showing no vehicle access.  Even though Chris McCandless journey took an unexpected turn he just kept going.  This relates to me because I believe that you are going to have unexpected turns in life and you just have to go with them. 

This is picture represents Chris McCandless’s life traveling on the road by foot.  This is a picture of a man with his pack, on the road.  This photo use to be a silhouette but I had to edit it in photoshop because I scanned a print.  This photo has no significance to me but it represents McCandless. 

 

Chris McCandless valued his freedom.  McCandless had the freedom on the open road.  This photo is of wild horses in Arizona.  These horses have the freedom to roam across the landscape, as long as there aren’t fences.  I value my freedom too. 

This photo represents Chris McCandless trip to Alaska.  Alaska is where Chris McCandless walked into the wilderness.  This is a photo of snow caped mountains taken behind Yosemite.  Since I don’t have an pictures when I was in Alaska as a child, this represents Alaska.  This photo also represents nature.  Chris McCandless and I both had a love of nature. 

Chris McCandless died in the Alaskan wilderness.  This photo is of a cross in a unkempt Arizona graveyard.  The photo represents Chris’s death and the end of his story. 

Off the grid or Plugged in

In my English 100 class we discussed the topic of living off the grid or plugged in.  I may live off the grid in some ways, such as not having a Facebook, but I am still plugged into society.  I live with technology like an IPod and Computer.  Most people in our society live plugged in.  I believe living plugged in is taking part in anything in mainstream society.   Many people believe they could live a life off the grid, without their technology but they couldn’t go a minute without their cell phone or IPod.   I think living off the grid is an interesting Ideal, but I think it is difficult in today’s society.  People who try to live off the sometimes fail because in today’s society it might require giving up your possessions and living in the wilderness.  I believe there are ways to live somewhat off the grid as well as plugged in.   There are ways to be self-sufficient as well as taking part in society. 

What I liked about Chris McCandless (Alex Supertramp)

The things I liked about Chris McCandless (Alex Supertramp) was his spirit for adventure.  Chris McCandless went on an Odyssey across the United States, and parts of Canada and Mexico.   Chris McCandless may have given up all, but he went on an adventure that most people wouldn’t do.  There are many things I didn’t like about Chris McCandless, such as his arrogance and his know it all attitude, but he was adventurous.  Chris McCandless says in his letter to Ron Franz that, “that the very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure.”  McCandless knew how to have an adventure.  I also agreed with McCandless when he says in his letter “The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences.”  I find happiness in my new experiences and I agree with Chris McCandless’s statement. 

 

Rubber Movie Review

            Rubber is a comedy/ horror film directed by Quentin Dupieux that stars Stephen Spinella, Roxane Mesquida, Wings Hauser and more.  I came across this film on TV last year and found it interesting and I enjoyed it.  It is more of a comedy and less of a horror movie and is very obscure.  Rubber is the story of Robert, a tire, who discovers his telepathic powers.  Robert can roll around and can destroy things with his mind.  The film is set in the desert and starts off with Robert rolling around.  Robert is harmless until he is run over by a truck driver.  After that Robert sets his sits on a small desert town.

There isn’t a reason to this film and no reason is this films major theme.  The Police Lieutenant, Chad, describes the theme of no reason in these quotes.  In the beginning of the film Lieutenant Chad describes his theory of no reason and describes “the film you are about to see today is an homage to the "no reason" - that most powerful element of style.”  “You probably never gave it a thought, but all great films, without exception, contain an important element of no reason. And you know why? Because life itself is filled with no reason. Why can't we see the air all around us? No reason. Why are we always thinking? No reason.”

One part of this film that really has no reason is that there is a group of tourists watching the tire out in the desert.  I have forgotten why they are out in the desert or if there is even a reason. 

I describe this film as obscure and weird but that is why I enjoyed it.  I thought this film was funny and original.  A major part of the film that I enjoyed is the shots of the desert.  I enjoyed the landscape and the shots of the open road and the run down motels.  I also thought it was interesting how they filmed the tire rolling around.  I don’t know how they did it but it is interesting.  I would recommend this film to a person who likes weird films.  This film is meant to be weird and funny and if you try to find reason in it you won’t get it.