Looking For Alaska

I’m Miles Halter and I believe that my story, Looking For Alaska, is important and should not be banned in schools across the country. Although my story may have mentions of drugs, sex, and alcohol, the ability to convey an important message is not hindered. Looking For Alaska has relatable characters and dark themes which actually make it a story that should be read by young adults.

Humanity needs community and McCandless through many stages of his journey has come to realize that. The trek acted as an enlightenment route for coming into terms with what is important in life. McCandless wanted to be in isolation as “the solitude and total freedom of the wilderness created a perfect setting for either melancholy or exultation” and McCandless wanted to be understand the basics of humanity, and the wilderness lets you express amounts of emotions (127). A book named Wilderness and the American Mind by Roderick Nash, provides readers why humans needs wilderness and our relationship with it. Nash and McCandless shared a similar backstory, both being brought up in big cities, attending prestigious schools, but most importantly, a fascination for the wilderness, providing McCandless with a connection to Nash and what he did. However the prime example of why McCandless needs community the most is found in a note declaring; “S.O.S. I need your help. I am… near death,… too weak to hike out of here. I am all alone… Please save me…” McCandless is all alone, and is needing someone to help him get out of the situation, realizing he needs the help of others to survive (12). As McCandless comes close to death, his reading of Tolstoy’s Family Happiness continues to be an exclamation of what McCandless wants,

Happiness is a key to everybodys life. Even the most depressed man on earth has a little happiness deep down inside. Its what keeps us striving to fulfil our needs and wants on an everyday basis. There is not one kid who does not get excited over a dollar to spend at the candy shop. What about the feeling of getting a promotion at your job, or even finding the cure for cancer. Being happy is not just healthy, but it is also rewarding for each and every individual. We strive to find anything that will turn a bad day to a good one. Individuals will compromise to attain their happiness. You can not get what you want without giving something first.

Friends are a blessing, especially when friends are found within the madness of war. In the novel, the narrator and author, Tim O’Brien, discusses fictionalized war stories from his experiences in Vietnam. All of the stories are very different. Some deal with death, some deal with love, and some don’t actually deal with the war at all, but they are all connected. They all exemplify, in one way or another, a “true” war story. In one of O’Brien’s stories, he discusses the bond between two men on their journey from enemies, to friends, to loss. The story is appropriately titled, “Friends”. The truth that O’Brien discusses in “Friends” deals with the randomness and chaos of war. War is unexpected, yet the unexpectation of war can lead to serenity

Happiness is one of the most significant dimensions of human experience. Many people can argue that happiness is a meaningful and desirable entity. Studies indicate that everyone pursues happiness in various aspects of their life. Our four fathers saw happiness as a need, so they made the pursuit of happiness as one of the three unalienable rights branded in the Declaration of Independence. There is a sense of complexity behind the meaning of happiness; its definition is not definite. Think of happiness as a rope; there are many thin fiber strands bonded together to become the strength of the rope. Like the analogy of the rope, there are numerous factors that can contribute to an individual’s overall happiness in life. This study is going to

The book I chose for my banned book report was Looking for Alaska by John Green. John Green is a 39 year old author who was born on August 24, 1977. He is the author to many popular best-selling novels such as: The Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns, An Abundance of Katherines, and of course, Looking for Alaska. Aside from being an author, Green is also a vlogger, producer, writer, editor and actor. He is well known for his YouTube channel CrashCourse, which is an educational series teaching many different school subjects. From research I found that Green wrote this book based off of his own personal similar experiences. According to “John Green (author)." Wikipedia”, Green attended a similar school when he was young and met people very similar

This applies to Miles’ first friend he meets at Culver Creek, his ambitious, outgoing, short roommate Chip Martin AKA The Colonel, whose father left his mother and him when he was very young. This motivated him to work hard for his and his mom's future, because he didn't want to experience the long term effects that this incident would have brought had he of not made an attempt to try and make things better. Somethings in life are uncertain, but the people who live it do have some control. The Colonel made the decision to find a way out of the misery his family was soon to be headed towards; and by doing that, he had irreplaceable experiences and the ability to dictate his future. Finally, everything there is to learn is a mystery at first, by being educated about these mysteries and considering other perspectives, it becomes possible to obtain the ability to think about how life is being lived and to reevaluate it. When Miles becomes enlightened by Alaska Young's- the mysterious, opposite to, but in a way similar to Miles, the girl that he will soon become overwhelming fascinated by- favourite last words “‘“Damn it! How will i

Happiness is not a strange term to us. We usually use that word to express our feelings in every day. Additionally, more than a word, “happiness” is what we really need and always seek in life. However, finding and understanding deeply its meaning is not easy. The online dictionary, “vocabulary.com” defines, “Happiness is a sense of well-being, joy, or contentment. When people are successful, or safe, or lucky, they feel happiness.” Thus, we always wonder if we are happy or how could we be happier in our life. Happiness, therefore, becomes a goal for everybody.

board, I feel that “Looking For Alaska” by John Green should be admitted to the new english curriculum. I feel this way because the novel mentions major common events and themes that young adults are faced with on a daily basis. These themes include friendship, religion, and death. Friendship is widespread throughout this novel. This theme is most evident in the beginning; when Miles Halter (a.k.a. Pudge) comes to Culver Creek Preparatory School. He meets essential characters like Chip Martin (The Colonel), Alaska Young, and Takumi Hirohito. They help shape him into the mature character he is by the end of the novel. Along with other major influences. Another

What is happiness? The essay, “Three Simple Things,” the author gave us the definition of happiness from Dictionary.com as "an active or passive state of pleasure or satisfaction." In his own special way, the author writes about how friends, families, and his belief in God are the things that make him happy the most. Sure people may feel their happiness is being healthy and alive. There are many things that could make me happy, but the three that make me happy the most is spending time with my three girls, being with families, and fishing.

Without having friends, being able to analyze, and being self-sufficient then there will be no pure happiness. For example, say if you have a lot of money, but no friends your money will accumulate but as for your happiness, it will not. The opposite of this would be you have just enough money to get you by which is not much, but you have the three essentials such as friends, being able to analyze, and being self-sufficient. In this situation, your happiness will go up and you will not get any happier as the money accumulates due to the level of happiness being steady.

In the poem, “Happiness Is Not Comforts” by Dr. John Celes, it states “Happiness is in making and seeing the less fortunate ones, smile.” This can tell us that happiness isn’t just about personal desire but also about others around you. Happiness is nothing when everyone is sad around you. This poem also shows how sharing with others gives the feeling. The same characteristic are explained in all three pieces described. This poem answers the question by explaining that happiness is caused not by what you surround yourself by who you surround yourself with. It attempts to tell us that comforts are just empty feelings that fade quickly. But things like giving to others, showing love and compassion towards other, and going out of your way to do little things for someone is what gives a full happiness.

Without happiness, people might not be living their lives the way they yearn to. This is a prominent part of the

Care for others. The way this will help you achieve happiness is that when you help others it gives you a warm feeling inside. It makes you feel as if you have done something right. This feeling is almost unexplainable. Helping others is one of the best things you can do. For example, when you complement someone the best feeling is when you see the look on that persons face and see how happy you made them. Also, if you do not care for others you will live a lonely life. Without care for others no one will want to be around you. So, if you care for others you will have a joyous life.

Friendship helps conquer all hurt in a teenagers life today. For instance, in Looking For Alaska, they face trials that teenagers shouldn’t have to struggle with or face; however, they work through their problems with the help of each other. Pudge and the Colonel grew very close to Alaska quickly. Pudge wasn’t used to having people there for him and always having his back but at Culver Creek his life changed for the better until January 10; from that day on his life was changed. Furthermore, Pudge and the Colonel helped ease the pain that each of them had. This problem affects teenagers in todays society because every teenager has an issue in their life. I, personally, face struggles everyday that I think are a big deal but it’s essentially