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Character development introduction
An essay on character development
Character development introduction
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In the first few pages of Wild, it describes the present being of strayed but is quickly followed by flashbacks to her past. These flashbacks are a reminder of how the story has reached the point where it opened, on the Pacific Coast Trail (PCT). This book is more than a memoir recounting just her hike up the western coast; it is a story of her life’s journey. It explains how who she presently is directly determined by who she used to be. Each step on the trail is another step forward in her growth. Her challenges in her youth created background to give her strength and independence on the PCT. Her beat the odds mentality instilled in her during her upbringing gave her the will to successfully finish the hike and more importantly find the true self she wanted. The message in Wild is not to go and take a hike on the PCT; it is to check one’s own self to see how their own upbringing and background has impacted whom they are. How a person reacts to their upbringing, and what their past background do have a by in large determine who he or she is, and who he or she will become. The actions of others during a child’s upbringing will not directly determine whom a child becomes, but will impact their attitude towards their situation, and how they react to the actions of others will determine who they become. When considering to what degree a child’s upbringing impacts their future self it is important to understand it’s not that some children face different challenges, some children have an advantage over society, or some children have it harder than others, but that some children choose to be complacent and defeated by their upbringing; while others choose to strive for more and overcome the difficulties of their upbringing. A real exa... ... middle of paper ... ... front of her. I feel this is an important story to tell because had backgrounds that had gotten them to the same point, but Nancy had learned how to risk success, while Tonya had learned to risk failure. Tonya’s upbringing was different and because she learned to react differently her background was different and when it came time to be closely scrutinized on a world stage she folded because she wasn’t a strong enough person. Nancy was success full because she had learned how to react to others actions, and had a background of taking risks to achieve true success. When it ultimately comes down to it upbringing and background are the two most important things for determining whom a person will become because if someone lapses during their upbringing their background will be impacted and who they will become will be set forever. It truly is the butterfly effect.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed is a book about several events that took place in her life after her mom died and how she lost everything including herself and made the impulsive decision to walk the Pacific Crest Trail, alone. This book was possibly intended for people who have been in the same situation as she has been: going through the loss of a loved one or just feeling like you have nothing left. I will conduct a rhetorical analysis of Strayed’s memoir, Wild, and critique her use of rhetorical appeals in order to show that her memoir was written
Into the Wild, written by John Krakauer tells of a young man named Chris McCandless who 1deserted his college degree and all his worldly possessions in favor of a primitive transient life in the wilderness. Krakauer first told the story of Chris in an article in Outside Magazine, but went on to write a thorough book, which encompasses his life in the hopes to explain what caused him to venture off alone into the wild. McCandless’ story soon became a national phenomenon, and had many people questioning why a “young man from a well-to-do East Coast family [would] hitchhike to Alaska” (Krakauer i). Chris comes from an affluent household and has parents that strived to create a desirable life for him and his sister. As Chris grows up, he becomes more and more disturbed by society’s ideals and the control they have on everyday life. He made a point of spiting his parents and the lifestyle they lived. This sense of unhappiness continues to build until after Chris has graduated college and decided to leave everything behind for the Alaskan wilderness. Knowing very little about how to survive in the wild, Chris ventures off on his adventure in a state of naïveté. It is obvious that he possessed monumental potential that was wasted on romanticized ideals and a lack of wisdom. Christopher McCandless is a unique and talented young man, but his selfish and ultimately complacent attitude towards life and his successes led to his demise.
“I now walk into the wild” (3). It was April 1992 a young man from a rather wealthy family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness. His name was Christopher McCandless. He gave all of his savings to a charity, abandoned his car in the desert, left all his possessions, burned his money and wallet, and invented an alter ego all to shun society. Four months after his adventure, his decomposing body was found in bus 142 by a moose hunter. Into the Wild is a riveting novel about one man’s journey to find himself and live as an individual. Although, Chris McCandless may come as an ill-prepared idiot, his reasons for leaving society are rational. He wanted to leave the conformist society and blossom into his own person, he wanted to create his own story not have his story written for him, and he wanted to be happy not the world’s form of happiness.
The novel “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer goes into great detail to describe the main character, Chris McCandless, who died traveling alone into the Alaskan wilderness. McCandless, whom in the novel renamed himself Alex, left his home and family to travel to Alaska in 1992. In Alaska McCandless planned to live an isolated life in the desolate wilderness, but unfortunately he did not survive. This non-fiction novel portrays his life leading up to his departure and it captures the true essence of what it means to be “in the wild”.
In the novel, A Hero’s Journey, Joseph Campbell, an American mythologist, writer, and lecturer, states that “every decision made by a young person is life decisive. What seems to be a small problem is really a large one. So everything that is done early in life is functionally related to a life trajectory” (Campbell). In mythic criticism, the critic sees mythic archetypes and imagery connecting and contrasting it with other similar works. Certain patterns emerge, such as a traditional hero on a journey towards self actualization. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer portrays this hero’s journey. The protagonist of the novel, Chris McCandless, hitchhikes to Alaska and walks alone into the wilderness, north of Mt. McKinley. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. He thought that the reality of the modern world was corrupt and uncompassionate, so he went on this journey in order to find a life of solitude and innocence that could only be expressed through his encounters with the wild. During this ambitious journey to find the true meaning of life, Chris McCandless exhibits a pattern like the type explained above. In Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, Chris McCandless follows this mythic pattern, seeking to be the traditional hero who spurns civilization, yet he discovers that modern heroes cannot escape their reality.
When a person makes a bad choice the can continue to make bad choices. Many of the people that surround a person can have an effect of by the way they act and do things. If a person makes bad choices it can be corrected easily early on. Sometimes it can be too late. If family and friends help support a child they can provide a strong support base by helping them grow up into a stronger and more stable person in the big world.Therefore there are numerous factors that go into the molding process of a child’s mind and lifestyle. Sometimes it can be parents and siblings, friends or their socioeconomic status. Most of these factors cannot be picked or chosen. One simply does not pick ones parents. You can choose to surround yourself by good friends or poor influences. Sometimes you get to pick where you would like to live, the type or size of the
Both Erik Erikson’s (1963) theory and Mary Ainsworth and John Bowlby (1973) theory support the idea that early life experiences impact the person across their lifespan. Both theories believe that personality begins to develop from a young age and therefore occurrences in early life can have lasting impacts on the developmental of an individual. An individual’s social and psychological development is significantly influenced by early life and childhood experiences. The experiences an individual has as a child impacts on the development of social skills, social behaviours, morals and values of an individual.
...can be a life-changing experience. McCandless entered the wild as an overly confident hitchhiker and left as a self-accepting and humble man. He thought that human relationships were futile, he was impervious to materialism, and that he could understand nature on a scientific level. However, McCandless left the wild with a newfound appreciation for humanity, some clarity on his purpose in life, and the ability to create his own legacy. Many people finish reading Into the Wild and form negative opinions about McCandless’ reckless behavior. However, it is important to focus on how being in the wild brought McCandless closer to understanding himself. Into the Wild should motivate humans to participate in explore the wilderness to discover the true meaning of life.
From when a child is born, to adulthood, everything done because of them, to them, or in front of them leaves a “puzzle piece” in their brain. By the time they have reached the age of 16 and up, they most likely have already decided or already have become the kind of person they want to be. What they have witnessed and experienced throughout the years of their upbringing has left enough puzzle pieces for them to piece together the type of person they will be. If the child witnesses abuse, they will remember that. If the child witnesses prejudice and racism, they will remember that. If the child witnesses the complete opposite of that, such as acceptance, fairness, and acts of love; they will remember that. From the ages of ten to fifteen, research shows that “early adolescent brain goes through a growth...
Beyond genetics, parents have an extremely significant impact on the emotional, moral, and social development of their children. This is understandable, as many children interact solely with their parents until they reach school-age. Parents have the ability to determine a child’s temperament, their social abilities, how well-behaved or in control of their emotions they are, how mature and ambitious the child will be, and so forth. (Sharpe) Furthermore, parents have both ideals for their children as well as ideals for themselves, and how they raise their children is deeply influenced by this.
The relationships with one’s family are typically the first an individual experiences, thus providing a foundation for identity formation. Consistent with Erikson’s model of identity development, Bosma and Kunnen (2001) suggest the outcomes of earlier developmental crises impacts the search for one’s identity. For example, positive outcomes from previous life challenges are more likely to produce a positive outcome in identity formation. In the early stages, parents help the individual develop a sense of trust by providing resources (e.g. food, water, shelter, etc.) and comfort when the individual enters the world. Similarly, the family also fosters autonomy and initiative in children when they allow children to make appropriate decisions and engage in new activities. Since family members play such a crucial role in the early experiences of children, it is easy to see the role that familial support plays in the formation of an individual’s identity. Successful negotiation of the early crises depends on support from the
The book “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed is a story about the author herself, and how she walks the Pacific Crest Trail. The trail goes from the border of Mexico all the way to the border of Canada. Her journey into the wilderness was led due to the fact that she lost her mother to cancer. She watched her family and siblings fall apart and even divorced her husband. In the four years between the death of her mother and the start of her hike on the Pacific Crest Trail, Strayed traveled all over the country. The morning she began her hike, Strayed put on her hiking outfit then she opened the compartments of her pack and looked over her belongings. These items included a sleeping bag, a camp chair, a water purifier, a stove, a tarp, a first-aid kit, and other necessities.
In How Children Succeed, Paul Tough attempts to unravel what he identifies to be, “some of the most pervasive mysteries of life: Who succeeds and who fails? Why do some children thrive while others lose their way? And what can any of us do to steer an individual child – or a whole generation of children – away from failure and toward success?” (Tough, 2012). Children are born into environments of varying circumstances, good and bad, influencing their development. Through direct encounters with researchers, educators and children of different environments, Paul Tough approaches his questions by ex...
From beginning of a new life, a child 's human development is being influenced by family, school, peer groups, and mass media.
There are different ways in which people believe that children will succeed in life. In this book the author has his own idea and motivation for the success in child development. Before they were having “two year olds filling out worksheets and completing drills on letter and number recognition (Tough, 2013, p.xiii). Now they believe child development should be different and not how they used to do it before. When they just wanted children to memorize everything and put so many things in their little brains. There are many factors affecting a child’s development that Tough speaks about like, stress and attachment issues. The author, Paul Tough, has a great motivation for writing this book that will be discussed further in this essay. Changing