James Arthur Kjelgaard, otherwise known as Jim, was born December 10, 1910 in New York, New York as one of six children. Most of his childhood was spent growing up on a farm in the Pennsylvanian mountains. He was a writer and conservationist who loved animals and nature; one of his greatest loves was dogs. After marrying his wife, Kjelgaard’s most famous novel was published, Big Red; it was the story of a loyal companionship between a man and dog (Zietman). He combined personal experiences from his boy-hood with the animals he loved; he wrote many popular children’s stories before his tragic death at age forty-eight (Olendorf).
In his younger days, Kjelgaard would skip school to hunt and fish. Although he was not formally educated, he did a great deal to educate himself through reading, writing, and exploring the wilderness (Kjelgaard). As a child, he read anything and everything from The Rover Boys to Robert Burns. Although his parents did not have much money, they provided books as much as possible. Because of money related issues, the Kjelgaard family moved to Galeton, Pennsylvania. After the move, Kelgaard began to show his first interest in writing. In order to use a typewriter, he built a desk out of a box and began to write stories. During the same time, he became an avid hunter, trapper, and fisherman with a great love for dogs. Kjelgaard began to experience symptoms of epilepsy and was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland. He was diagnosed with a tumor, but no surgery was needed at the time. Despite the obstacle, Kjelgaard was able to continue his adventures in the wilderness. As a teenager, Kjelgaard attended Galeton High School where he continued his writing. He sent out many of his stories to hunting and fishin...
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...inues to inspire writers and children across the globe to continue their love for reading and writing no matter the circumstances or obstacles they may face in life (Zietman).
Works Cited
Cross, Leslie. "Jim Kjelgaard, Trapper-Writer ." 15 January 1999. Jim Kjelgaard. 12 April 2014 .
Kjelgaard, Karen. "Jim Kjelgaard, A Daughter's Memoir." November 1998. Jim Kjelgaard. 11 April 2014 .
Olendorf, Susan M Trosky & Donna. "Biographical Sketches." 10 September 1998. Jim Kjelgaard. 11 April 2014 .
Zietman, Rhoda G. "Biography of James Arthur Kjelgaard." 4 November 2013. Literary and Cultural Heritage Map of Pennsylvania. 11 April 2014 .
Many people were puzzled on why the young man decided to go on such an expedition without being properly prepared. His death has led to a controversy between whether he should be idolized for having the courage to follow his dream or repulsed for his grand stupidity. Although Krakauer never met McCandless, he provides his readers with personal examples that explain why the young man went on this journey. Expecting his readers to comprehend McCandless, Krakauer’s primary purpose is to help his readers understand the importance of embracing one's personal dreams. In order to achieve his purpose, he uses a variation of literary and rhetorical techniques. Some of these techniques include epigrams and ethos. These devices are essential to Krakauer’s purpose because they illustrate and explain the reasons why McCandless went into the inhospitable landscape of Alaska.
Gary Paulsen Author Profile - p.1. Gary Paulsen Author Profile - p.1. Reading Tree Productions, 18 June 2013.
Jon Krakauer, fascinated by a young man in April 1992 who hitchhiked to Alaska and lived alone in the wild for four months before his decomposed body was discovered, writes the story of Christopher McCandless, in his national bestseller: Into the Wild. McCandless was always a unique and intelligent boy who saw the world differently. Into the Wild explores all aspects of McCandless’s life in order to better understand the reason why a smart, social boy, from an upper class family would put himself in extraordinary peril by living off the land in the Alaskan Bush. McCandless represents the true tragic hero that Aristotle defined. Krakauer depicts McCandless as a tragic hero by detailing his unique and perhaps flawed views on society, his final demise in the Alaskan Bush, and his recognition of the truth, to reveal that pure happiness requires sharing it with others.
“I write because I love. I write for the survival of self, my children, my family, my community and for the Earth. I write to help keep our stories, our truths, our language alive”. (qtd. in Anthology 396.)
Robinson, David. “Web Page of Deborah Tannen.” Georgetown College - Georgetown University. 28 Feb 1998. 15 Jun 2008
Pavao, Kate. "Q & A with James Dashner." PublishersWeekly.com. Publishers Weekly, 02 Aug. 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.
...lena Krstovic. Vol. 172. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
Louis L’Amour was born Louis Dearborn LaMoore on March 22, 1908 as the last of seven children. His father and mother are Dr. Louis Charles LaMoore and Emily Dearborn LaMoore, for the first fifteen years of his life Louis lived in Jamestown, North Dakota; a medium sized farming community in the valley where Pipestem Creek flows into the James River. His grandfather, Abraham Truman Dearborn, told Louis stories of battles in history and his own personal experiences as a soldier. As a child Louis spent a great deal of time in a nearby library where his eldest sister, Edna, was a librarian, he was interested in the study of History and always went beyond the scope that was taught in the schools. In addition to the study of History and Natural Sciences, Louis was interested in the fiction writings of Robert Louis Stevenson, Jack London, Edgar Rice Burroughs and others. The members of the L’Amour family were intelligent and had a part in Louis’ education. Emmy Lou, his sister, taught him how to read, his father taught him about animals, taught him the benefit hard work and the fact that “a man could always find a way to solve a problem”. The basics of learning he got from his mother who had once trained to be a schoolteacher, and from Edna he got insights into libraries and research. His elder brother Parker provided examples of a reporter’s speed and simplicity of prose and the public relations savvy of a veteran political aid. Yale, his second brother, showed Louis a love of life and a gift of improvisation. Louis’ adopted brother John was an example of a natural survivor, quick of wit and sharp of tongue. Hard times uprooted the family from their everyday lives and the family, the father, mother, Louis and john, had to take their fort...
E. W. Ralph. (2005, September 4). Language: English. Editor: T. L.H. Edna. (2012, March 15)
DeMyers, Sandra. "Intro to the Hero's Journey." Loyno.edu. Northshore High School, 21 June 2000. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
...er Smith, and Elizabeth Thomson. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Literature Resource Center. Web. 4 Mar. 2011.
Mellix, Barbara. ?From Outside, In.? Writing Lives: Exploring Literacy and Community. New York: St. Martin?s, 1996. 75-84.
Kagan, Donald, Steven Ozment, and Frank M. Turner. The Western Heritage. 9th ed. Vol. A. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2006.
Moreover, in elementary school, there was a program “Book It,” which was a reading program to encourage children to read more often. We received special buttons that...
Jim Kellum, tells the story of when he was a teen in the Boy Scouts. He learned to survive in the wilderness and how to withstand the cold harsh temperatures. Later on when he was in the armed forces, he and another man were deployed to the Russian tundra to guard a downed bomber. Their instructions were to keep the plane secure from the Russians until help arrived to retrieve the bombs. During the night the weather became unbearably frigid. The wind whipped so hard it was like an icy knife through their bones. The two of them were all alone in this barren snow desert with a small amount of supplies and the continual threat of wolves that inhabited the area. Mr. Jim had to fire warning shots into the darkness to keep them away and to let their presence be made known to the Russians. He said that the only reason that the two of them survived the night was because of the wilderness survival training he was taught in Boy Scouts. Knowing these valuable skills of building a snow shelter, fire, and keeping warm in the worst climates gave me the pleasure of listening to his many exciting stories of the