The novel was divided into two parts a before and after story. The before story of the novel is when Miles is living a normal life by meeting new friends, playing pranks, smoking, and drinking alcohol. The after story of the novel, Miles realizes nothing would be the same, after the death of Alaska. Alaska will never come back and everything would go back to normal by focusing on studies. When I was reading this novel, there were many components I had my own opinion regarding what was happening and questioning certain parts of the novel. In my perspective, many characters shown to either be disliked or liked, not all characters are perfect, but they show their own way to be who they are. Alaska is a great example because the author gives …show more content…
For example, being in middle school felt like finding yourself. Being in middle school can be challenging from experiencing new things, making new friends and struggling to realize who we are. One of the character's Pudge had experienced the same situations where she was still finding who she is. For instance, Miles the main character has just started a new private boarding school, he immediately makes new friends even it was awkward for him. Some people can easily adjust to making new friends in a new environment. I can relate to this because when I am in a new environment I try to meet new people and become friends with them. Looking for Alaska has two main connections to the real world such as Alaska having a hard life, but maintain to be happy and how some of the characters drink alcohol and do drugs. Alaska one of the characters whose life is difficult, even if her decisions are not always smart, but she continues to be happy. The connection to the real world is people make bad decisions based on the situations, it can turn out to be a bad or a good outcome. Everyone can make mistakes in life, but we can learn from it. Also, Pudge and his friends are in high school and get involved in drinking alcohols, and doing drugs. The relationship to the real world is many high schoolers tend to drink and do drugs. In my opinion, drinking alcohols and doing drugs is a part of life to
He was never really the popular guy and is not usually the one for small talk but is mostly into famous peoples last sayings instead. Miles is very scrawny and lanky but very intellectually smart. Chip Martin, The Colonel, is Miles’ best friends but opposite by comparison. He got the name, the Colonel, because he made sure all of Alaska’s pranks were going to work, the mastermind of them. The Colonel is a genius and excels at school but is a very straightforward type of guy. He is very short but muscular and a regular smoker and drinker. Alaska Young is a very beautiful girl but is confusing in many ways. She relies on her impulse and is very spontaneous but can change moods on a dime. Alaska’s mother died when she was younger and Alaska thinks it’s her fault because she didn’t dial 911 and is living with the guilt and regret that consumes her sometimes. She always went to her mothers grave on the anniversary. From this she doesn’t feel any sympathy toward people. Alaska is a very mysterious moody person that is a fascinating character. All of the characters are very vivid and give a lot of background to each of their stories. They are very realistic because there are actually people just like them in the story that I know in real life. It shows that the author did a very good job with the characteristics that they have and are valuable in the
I think the main conflict in this story is person vs. self. Miles is really looking for and trying to figure himself out through the book, he is looking for the “Great Perhaps”. In the “before” section of the book he is himself. He does not have very many friends and is very unhappy until he get to Culver Creek and gets called Pudge. He works very hard to find himself as the new Pudge. During the “after” section of the book when Alaska dies, he realizes who and what the real Pudge is. He discovers the great and moves on in life. Through the whole book he is not just looking for the Great Perhaps, he is looking for his self identity. Alaska’s death helps him discover both of those goals.
Alaska is known for its breathtaking view of the Northern Lights and the large bodies of water that surround this deserted state. It is also well known for its scenic parks, rugged mountains such as Mount McKinley which holds the highest peak in North America, and Mount Katmai which is known for its volcanic eruption in 1912. The state is also known for the Gold Rush. Alaska may not be the most populated but it certainly has some of the most beautiful and scenic views.
After reading both passages, you can see the point of view is different in each one of the
The novel “Looking for Alaska,” is narrated by John Green from the perspective of Miles Halter (A.K.A Pudge). The novel tells a phenomenal story about a boy who is striving to find his individuality in society! He vacates his monotonous life and home in Florida where he is lonesome, and has no friends, to go to a boarding school in Alabama. The focal rationale why Miles wants to leave his home in Florida is to go out and seek “A Great Perhaps.” “The Great Perhaps,” was introduced at the beginning of the storyline by Rabelais’ final words “I go to seek a Great Perhaps.” I surmise that Rabelais was denoting to life and death. You see many people are always analyzing during their lifetime “What supervenes after death?” There are a lot of perhaps! Yet Miles doesn’t want to be analogous to those people. He wants to attend Culver Creek to find “A Great Perhaps” so that he doesn’t have to wait until he becomes elderly and is going to die to start seeking “A Great Perhaps.” His family was also aware that he wasn’t going to find it with the likes of Will and Marie who are deemed to be losers at his school.
I found Miles to be extremely relatable. For the first part of the book, he is experiencing the same things that I, and probably most other high school students, experienced. This makes it easy to understand his thought process and reasoning. That being said, he is a complete pushover. I would consider him to be the epitome of a follower. This turns out to be a major problem for him when he refuses to stand up to Alaska driving under the influence of alcohol. Having had friends try to drink and drive numerous times, I know that no one wants to be “that guy,” but his unwillingness to put his foot down ended up costing him dearly. John Green addresses a very serious problem that faces many people in today’s society. Under no circumstances should one allow another person to drink and drive, and I felt as though he taught this lesson in the best way possible. Readers see the huge mistake that Miles and his friends made, and will hopefully use it as a reference when put in a similar position,
Alaskan Native American art is richly found in the State of Alaska and can range from beaded clothing and woven baskets to flintknapped arrow heads and metal ceremonial drums. The native American art culture found in the State of Alaska is rich in its depth for variety, renowned for its beauty, and praised for its originality. Artifacts that have been recovered from the native American culture of Alaska have been pronounced authentic works of art. The artifacts produced by the Alaskan cultures praised and sought by collectors and museum throughout the world. Cultures abilities to turn tools, weapons baskets, pots, figurines, and clothing into a beautiful art is amazing and interesting to the world.
With its direct connection with the land removed, Native Alaskan society began to fragment alarmingly quickly. The regional corporations’ failure to provide dividends that were adequate enough to allow people to remain comfortably in their local villages, coupled with the influx of Western Capitalistic Culture brought by the new corporations, led an increasing number of Native Alaskans to begin moving from their traditional subsistence lifestyles in rural villages to the comparatively urban cities of Alaska. Native populations in Anchorage alone doubled between 1970 and 1980. There, the newly urban Alaska Natives were forced to seek out work in a comparatively individualistic society. The western corporate values of competition eroded
Summary: Looking for Alaska is the story of a young boy named Miles Halter who leaves his hometown in Florida in order to attend Culver Creek Preparatory High School in Alabama for his junior year. This boy loves reading biographies and especially memorizing last words of famous people. At Culver Creek, he meets new friends such as Chip his roommate also called Colonel, Takumi and Alaska a beautiful young girl with whom he will fall in love but cannot have since she already has a boyfriend named Jake. Unfortunately, under their influence, Miles starts smoking and drinking alcohol. One night after having drank a lot of alcohol, Alaska and Miles start to kiss but do not go further because Alaska
Andrew Carnegie’s “The Gospel of Wealth” and Samuel Gompers’ letter to Judge Peter Grosscup offer different opinions concerning the course that people of different economic standings should take in regards to power and social stature. However, both works mean to steer society in what seems to be opposite directions. Carnegie focuses more on how the wealthy in the society should take the seemingly philanthropic approach whereas Gompers’ offers a more organizational and structured point of view.
Everyday we put tons of pollution into the air, water and ground. Our population is growing each day and in turn urbanization is expanding. Teddy Roosevelt, being an avid outdoorsmen, knew the importance of setting land aside for posterity sake and in doing do set a trend for later presidents. When Richard Nixon set land aside in Alaska, which became the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), he set it aside to be never tainted by industrialization. Today republicans and some democrats want to repeal the title of National Wildlife Refuge and drill there for oil. This could have adverse effects for wildlife and the Inuit natives that call the ANWR and surrounding area home. In this paper I will
To some, teenagers appear to be the same in their attitudes and choices. However, this common stereotype is false. Individuals have various personalities and deal with different struggles mentally and physically. In the book Looking for Alaska, Miles Halter and Chip Martin, the main protagonists, both seem like average teenagers on the surface; but they each have their own unique qualities. Over time they learn more about each other and grow. During the development of their friendship, they see how they differ from each other. Although they may seem like average teenagers on the surface, Miles Halter and Chip Martin are different because of their origin, physical traits, and attitudes.
In 1942, fifteen thousand American soldiers and civilian laborers poured into Alberta, British Columbia, and the Yukon to construct a highway stretching from mainland United States to Alaska. In doing so, they had to overcome obstacles of climate, terrain, and manpower (see Figure 1). The construction of the Alaska Highway serves an enlightening episode where Canadian and American interest in northern development and continental defense became intertwined. The continental projects in the North-west, including the Alaska Highway, North-West Staging route, and the CANOL pipeline marked a new period in Canadian-American relations. There has been a tendency in the historiography to over-emphasize the threat that the American presence on Canadian
I want to go Alaska for multiple reasons. The most important reason is that Christians are told to go and tell others of Jesus. I really want to see if I can be any help to the people, especially the kids, of the village. Another reason is that I, admittedly, desperately want to see the world and become more culturally experienced. I have always wanted travel, but I'm rather fearful to begin doing it on my own. That make a Bethel led trip a good stepping stone for future exploration. Finally, I want to go because missions have been such a confusing and important part of my life.
Looking for Alaska is a book about a boy named Miles that goes away to a private school called Culver Creek were he meets a group of friends that he starts to hang out with throughout the year. He becomes very good friends with everyone and they begin to let him in on their secret spot called "the smoking hole", where they all smoke their cigarettes without getting in trouble. Soon he starts to get a crush on a girl named Alaska, which seems to already have a boyfriend. As soon as Miles starts to fall in love with her a horrible thing happens. Alaska dies in a terrible car accident, which turns into a very mysterious and confusing death. When Miles and the other boys get the news, they start fighting to find out the truth on what really happened. After reading this novel, one is left with the question, "How will we ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering?"