A Song In The Front Yard Analysis

The novel Into the Wild follows the life - and eventual death - of Christopher McCandless, a young man seeking enlightenment on a journey across North America. Throughout the story, author Jon Krakauer uses a variety of stylistic techniques that help reveal his attitude toward McCandless. Krakauer’s tone towards McCandless transitions from objectivity and indifference to one of empathy and relatability. Through the entire course of the novel, however, the author maintains an attitude of respect towards McCandless.

Through the reading of the works of Transcendentalist writers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, one can draw multiple connections between their writing and Jon Krakauer’s story of Chris McCandless. Thoreau’s work seems to share many more themes with Krakauer’s story. Immediately, Thoreau comes off with a strong statement of “I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life,” (Thoreau par. 16). This immediate talk of wanting to live with the essentials and with purpose creates a clear trail back to Krakauer’s story through McCandless’ expression of this same mindset. Another theme of Thoreau’s writing is one of a desire for simplifying yourself and your life. The little things in

Attending college, beginning a career, starting a family, and ultimately getting trapped in a daily routine are components in life that many see no means of escape. The lure of living off the grid with no responsibilities or connections to adult life are attractive but unattainable to most people. The experiences of Chris McCandless chronicled in Jon Krakauer’s book, Into the Wild, mystify the nation, along with many of the people he meets during his journey. From stories of those who meet McCandless along the way, people were able to put the pieces together and make a few assumptions for the reason he chooses to go into the wild. Individualism, living a minimalistic life, nonconformity, going into nature, and trusting oneself are fundamental Transcendentalist principles that McCandless also exemplifies. Two well-known proponents of the Transcendental movement, writers Henry Thoreau and Ralph Emerson, also have a strong connection to nature, that are also shown in Chris McCandless’s journey. This connection with nature requires someone to go into nature to clear the mind of meaningless things, and to open up their consciousness to what nature has to offer them. In doing so, a bond with their surroundings that has a direct impact on their well being and mental wellness. Chris McCandless, as described by Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, demonstrates becoming one with nature through nature’s impact on his well being and mental health.

A person can ponder the meaning of life for hours, days or an entire lifetime. A student can write an entire critical essay on the topic of the meaning of life and not truly understand it, but you will never understand the true beauty of life until you completely immerse yourself in it and experience it for yourself. The story about Christopher McCandless in the book, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, gives the reader Insight on how Christopher McCandless searched for his soul through living one with nature. Everybody has their own set of needs, wants, and desires. But it isn’t until you go out and finally do the things that you’ve dreamt about, that you really discover what you love, and most importantly who you are.

Imagine someone you love walking off into the woods and never seeing them again. The book, Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer tells the fatal tale of a young man by the name of Christopher McCandless and the time he walked into the woods. Krakauer writes about the adventure Christopher McCandless was on in the final months of his life leading up to his death in the Alaskan Wilderness. Krakauer recounts; the places McCandless went, the things he did, and the people he met along the way. Not only that, Krakauer also went back to those places and talked to the people that McCandless met and got their view on McCandless. A lot of people who read the story believe that McCandless was selfish by going on this adventure that ultimately cost him his life;

It is often noted that one can never truly understand the beauty of life until they go and experience it. This idea parallels with getting to know who they really are and figuring out what their purpose in life genuinely is, which not many people cannot comprehend. Everyone has different fears, desires, and feelings, but not until you live a life of new experiences do you harness your true self. Growing through experiences and connecting with nature allows someone to more deeply reflect on their individual purpose on Earth and discover their own definition of happiness. Henry David Thoreau comments on this even further by proposing that the disconnection from a society in which we are comfortable is the only way to cultivate an understanding of ourselves. Chris McCandless sets out on an adventure in a life absent of routine to push his boundaries and prove that he could make it on his own, finding the meaning of life in the process. Henry David Thoreau’s statement “Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves”, is correct, as evidenced by Jon Krakauer’s novel Into the Wild.

Albert Einstein once said “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” The epigrams in chapter three of the biography, Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, illustrates Chris McCandless's desire to escape his modern, calm life and explore the unknown to find himself and be reenergized through nature. The two epigrams, “Family Happiness” by Leo Tolstoy and The American West as Living Space by Wallace Stegner describe these traits found in Chris McCandless through his desires and reasoning for leaving society behind. Tolstoy, in his epigram, demonstrates the desire to move away from a peaceful life to find adventure and thrills not found in the normal world. Similarly, Stegner states that the urge to escape our daily lives

Jack London, an american novelist, wrote a short story called To Build a Fire in the early 1900’s. To Build a Fire is about a man who travels alone through the dangerous environment of Yukon in below-freezing temperatures. The man’s goal was to meet up with “the boys” at a camp that was a couple of miles from where he began his journey. He had no doubt that he would make it to the camp, for he had a husky wolf-dog by his side, and the skills he needed to survive. However, the man ended up running out of energy and falling into a nice, satisfying sleep, murmuring, “You were right, old fellow. You were right,” to the old man of Sulphur Creek who warned him about travelling alone.

Henry David Thoreau, author of “Civil Disobedience” and Walden, has become one of the most influential authors of all time in the eyes of many. Though some might be led to believe his essays and writings, including “Where I Lived, and What I lived For”, make him a down to earth and even rugged author, as he spent some of his life in the forest. However, his life in the woods was not one of heavy duty work and he often was supported with objects and material possessions, contrary to what many of his essays describe. Although some might think of him as a cheater or a liar, Thoreau’s conflicting lifestyles prove him to be a literary genius as he successfully dictates a lifestyle he himself does not take part in throughout paragraphs one

‘No matter gay, straight, or bi, I was born to survive’. In the words of lady GaGa herself it doesn’t matter who you marry, what your gender is or what’s you race you just need to accept others and yourself. Lady GaGa’s song ‘Born this Way’ informs others about self-acceptance in her new album ‘Born this way’. This song is about people abusing others and reflecting badly on them self because of their race, gender and choice in who they marry. Lady GaGa expresses her thoughts about people’s issues to say it doesn’t matter who you are because you were born that way.

The novels ‘Big World’ and ‘Aquifer’ reveal deep insights into personal discoveries. Tim Winton explores personal discoveries of guilt through the narrators of both short stories. Both stories share similar traits, their main characters reflect on the past to discover their personal guilt. The narrator of Big World plans a road trip to escape from his home town and his failed final high school exams. He embarks on his trip, aware that his mother plans for him to repeat year 12 and begin a brighter future. The narrator discovers his incredible guilt for leaving his mother without considering her plans for him “there is an ache that is still there inside me” a metaphor implicates the emotion of guilt Winton conveys. Similar to Big World,

Prior to 1763, both Spanish and British colonization efforts expanded into various regions of North America. In less than a century, from 1625 to 1700, the movements of peoples and goods from Europe to North America transformed the continent. Native Americans either resisted or accommodated the newcomers depending on the region of the colony. Though the English colonies were by far the most populous, within the English colonies, four distinct regions emerged. While planters or merchants grew in power in each English colony, Spanish colonists, with far fewer colonists, depended more on friendly relations with Native Americans to secure their

Music is often just a medium, utilized by artists, to paint a vivid picture in the minds of the listener. As a listener, often you can be caught off guard by the artists ability to do so. In the song fast car by Tracy Chapman, the incredible singer/songwriter will do just that. She will render an image so graphic, and so dramatic, that you will swear that you were walking in the shoes of the woman she sings about in her song. The gracefully flowing melody and emotionally evolving lyrics transport you through an undeniably extraordinary journey of joy and sorrow, all within the confines of a four minute and fifty-nine second song.

The song "The message" by Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five depicts the struggle of young black adults growing up in society. The struggle to make it out of poverty can be compared to survival of the fittest in a jungle. Only the strong would survive and adapt to the changes to fit in. Trying their best to make a betterment with whatever little society offers. Being a young black African American in the early 1980's was not easy. It was easier to live the fast life and gain fast money by being part of the drug community. Drugs, guns, and money was glamorized and this is what the young adults looked at as a means of getting rich. In the songs, a young man talks about how he is trying hard to hold on to the little bit of sanity he has left in his soul. He talks about the struggle he endures while trying not to get pushed over the edge. He was born an innocent child who's blind to the ways of mind kind. Growing up he faced many challenges and had to fight

As Thoreau’s journey progresses, he comes to realize that solitude, however lonely, is no more lonely than “the first spider in a new house.” Using this simile, Thoreau compares the busy spider to himself in a place that is yet to be inhabited. The spider represents one that is living with a purpose: whether diversion or food. Thoreau on the other hand, is just as alone as the spider, yet also scurrying in the forest for life’s essentials. Neither is discontent nor lonely, for they are living for a purpose. Thoreau’s conclusion, however convoluted, summarizes his intentions and beliefs on life as