Aaron's English Blog

 Prompt: Over time my understanding of family changed from seeing family as perfect people to people that have flaws, but that I should still care about. Things like the opinions and beliefs of my parents that I sometimes have to overlook certain negative traits to see them as good people overall. This connects to Chris because he did not have that realization. He thought that his parents were immoral people and that he could not agree with them so he had to leave. Summary: Today in class we did a vocabulary assignment. Reflection: Chapter 11 helped me understand Chris better.

Prompt: The visual version of Chris' journey makes his decisions seem more justified. He seems like someone who has just become disillusioned with society and needs time to reinvent himself. The book shows a story of an irresponsible person who threw his life away and refused help whenever possible. The medium plays a significant role in how one sees the story as a movie shows everything that is going on while the book has to let the reader make their own conclusions. Summary: Today in class we watched the beginning of the movie "Into the Wild". Reflection: I thought that it portrayed Chris very differently.

 Prompt: A relationship that feels important to me is my relationship with my dad. I spend a lot of time with him and I enjoy his company. He comes to all of my games and supports me, and I laugh and joke with him a lot. This connection is meaningful because I feel that I can talk to him about anything and he would still support me no matter what. He still pushes me to be the best I can be though. Summary: Today we read chapter 12. Reflection: The connection questions were very deep.

 Prompt: The 8th chapter stood out to me the most. It contrasted with the format of the previous chapters by telling the opinions of the native Alaskans and showing how not everyone sympathized with Alex. The chapter helped show an opposing perspective to what was in the rest of the book. The chapter also compared Alex's story to similar situations that other people like him went through. Summary: Today we took a test on chapters 1-10. Reflection: I thought the test was easy as I read the book.

 Prompt: Success to me means quite a few things right now. To me it means having good grades, being better at basketball, trying to be on my phone less, eating healthy, and having an active social life. I am not currently successful in all of these categories, but I try to make small improvements over time. These criteria reflect partly my personal values (being healthy, social, and better at sports) and also the expectations of society and my family (good grades, on my phone less). Summary: Today in class we made connections between the book and our lives. Reflection: It was difficult for me to relate to some of the stories.

 Prompt:  A time I chose to be on my own instead of relying on others was during a project. I chose to not work in a group because people tend to not do their part. This meant that I had to do more work, but I was able to guarantee that it would get done. I would make the same choice again. Summary: Today in class we read a chapter in the book. Reflection: I found it difficult to answer some of the questions about the chapter.

 Prompt: The vocab word perambulate is most significant to me. I like to walk around outside and the word perambulate means to walk around. This resonates with personal experiences of walking around in the park. I like walking around in the park. Summary: Today we learned more vocab words. Reflection: I liked some of the new words.

 Prompt: Of course I want to get a 1600 on the SAT, but I would be satisfied with a score in the mid to high 1400s. My top 3 colleges are UGA, Georgia Tech, and maybe Mercer. Georgia Tech would be the ideal school as it has one of the best engineering programs in the country and is close to home. UGA would be my next best choice as I love the campus and it still has a great engineering program. Summary: Today we read chapter 7 of the book. Reflection: I think that it is interesting that Chris chose to hide his piano playing skill.

 Prompt: I find that it is not too difficult for me to adjust to daylight savings time because it usually happens on a weekend. This means I can simply sleep the same amount of time and just have Sunday that is an hour shorter. The major difference that I notice is that I feel more awake later in the day for a few weeks until I fully adjust. I like how it stays light later in the day as I would prefer it to be brighter in the evening than light in the morning. Summary: Today we read chapter 6 of the book. Reflection: I think that Franz got attached to Chris much too fast.

 Prompt: A book that affected my way of thinking was the divergent series. They were about a society where people were put into factions based on what their skills and personality were judged to be. I could see the similarities between the dystopian society created in the book and what exists in the real world. It made me think about how society often forces people into categories that they may not fit into. Summary: Today in class we read chapter 5 of the book. Reflection: I think that Chris did not make the right choice.

 Prompt: The word that was easiest for me to understand was benign because I have heard it a lot in connection with cancer on TV shows. The most challenging word for me was indecorous. I had never heard it before and the definition seemed ambiguous. Creating my own sentence and selecting an image helped me because it allowed me to understand how the word could be used. Summary: Today we created a vocab slideshow. Reflection: Some of the words were new to me.

 Prompt: The possessions that I would keep are a phone and a car. These are the most important because I need them to get around and communicate with others. Without them my daily life would not be able to function. The hardest thing to leave behind would likely be a basketball because it is a large part of my life, but not necessary.  Summary: Today we read chapter 4 of the book. Reflection: I can see why McCandless would want to go on his journey.

 Prompt: A time I needed distance myself from my normal environment was when I was not feeling productive. I felt sluggish and lazy and didn't want to do any work. To counteract this, I changed the way my room looked. Rearranging my room helped me focus better and gave me a good distraction. The experience taught me that sometimes a little change of environment can make a big difference. Summary: Today in class we continued reading the book. Reflection: I think that some of the decisions that McCandless makes are not very smart.

 Prompt: Based on chapter 1, I do not think Chris McCandless truly understood the risks because he seemed very unprepared. He had very few supplies and did not want to accept the help or advice of strangers. When warned to not do the trip due to lacking the essentials, he stubbornly decided to continue anyway. This likely led to his death. Summary: Today in class we read the first chapter of Into the Wild . Reflection: I think I will like the book.