Today we continue the film Into the Wild, and when concluded, discuss its central concerns and imagery.
Discussion Points:
Motivation:
1.
Chris wanted to be “free” of expectations and
demands and to experience life unfettered and “wild”, to live spontaneously,
seeking novelty, inspiration and freshness of experience, a Supertramp
2.
Chris felt a certain outrage at societal and
family and religious
hypocrisy (people hurting and betraying each other)
3.
Chris was hurt and disappointed by his parents,
their various conflicts, and materialism (“money makes people cautious”)
4.
Chris resented the illegitimacy of his and his
sister’s birth (“a murder of life’s
everyday truth”) and his parents for not telling them the truth as regards the
other “first” marriage and family
5.
Chris aspired to be his own man and saw his
sojourn, his solitude, and Alaskan adventure as an ultimate test of his own
self-sufficiency, core beliefs and truths (he wanted to feel strong)
Images:
Graduation Walk
The open road (west)
The Mojave Desert
The Colorado river and canyon
The Pacific ocean
The Pacific ocean
The Slabs, CA
Salvation Mountain
Impressing hands in concrete
Changing landscapes and seasons
Tracy (young woman at Slabs) Rainy and Jan
Salvation Mountain
Impressing hands in concrete
Changing landscapes and seasons
Tracy (young woman at Slabs) Rainy and Jan
Meeting and Making Friends
Urban L.A./ the establishment class and the skid row types
Urban L.A./ the establishment class and the skid row types
Freight trains
Books
Books
Mr Franz
Departures
Mt McKinley (Denali), Alaska
Wolves, moose, and grizzly bear
Starvation and death
Reunion
Response Suggestion: Discuss one or more scenes and what you found interesting and significant there.
One of the authors Chris McCandless counted a favorite, was the Russian Count Leo Tolstoy, who in his lifetime established a commune on his estate in testament to his philosophical aversion to private property and classicism, the hypocrisy of the church, and concern for the so-called underclass peasantry, and desire for a simpler life. Below is a link to a discussion of his life and one of his very famous short stories, "The Death of Ivan Illych."
"Facing Death with Tolstoy":
http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/facing-death-with-tolstoy
Homework: “The White Heron” (see link ).
1.
How is it Sylvie and her grandmother have come
to be living alone in the fairly remote rural (Maine) location in which we find them?
2.
Is Sylvie a happy young girl? Provide a profile of Sylvie and the etymology
of her name.
3.
What trouble does the arrival of the young bird
collector introduce to the story?
4.
Provide a brief historical description of bird
collecting and hunting in 19th century America.
5.
A certain grandfather tree plays an important
role in the story. Discuss it s setting
role in terms of the conflicts and themes of the story.
6.
The white heron, object of the hunter’s desire,
is a symbol of more than scientific interest and pride of possession; what
else?
--------------------------------Last Week's Homework/Quiz on student
-authored stories (handouts):
Use
complete sentences and paragraphs to answer the following.
1.
Discuss the aptness of the title “Lucky To Be
Me” and its apparent reference(s).
2.
What makes up the bulk of the story? Summarize
exposition, plot and setting of the story and provide a clear elaboration of
the central conflict.
3.
Is this a love story? If not, what kind of story is it?
4.
Discuss the final paragraph and image in terms
of the story’s trajectory or arc. What
symbolism may be seen in the image of the deer?
5.
What fairytale is alluded to in “The Lingerie
Salesman”?
6.
What is the narrative point of view of “The
Lingerie Salesman”? And what are we led
to think of Nelson?
7.
What genre best describes the story, love?
horror? adventure? dark comedy?
8.
Describe the climax of the story.
To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.
– Polonius to Laertes in Hamlet
Howl is a poem by Allen Ginsberg, first published in 1957, and Howl is, also, more recently, a film, directed by Bob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, about the poet and his work. One of its source inspirations, (http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174745) "Song of Myself", by Walt Whitman, invites stylisic and thematic comparison as autobiographical free verse poem written in long lines, many including catalog elements, and a narrator intent on laying bare the cultural and natural, physical experience of being human, and of exploring/celebrating the sexual dimension of our lives and the diverse quality of human identity. The poet's uninhibited, challenging voice is central to both, and both draw attention to the importance of authentic self-expression and relationships built on candor and openness.
Having you watch the film Howl (starring James Franco in the role of the poet Allen Ginsberg, author of the poem “Howl”) I am interested in your response to the content of the poem and the film, the poet’s explanations of his work and why he wrote it, and the critical responses expressed during the trial scenes. If you owe a short response, or want to focus on Howl as a final project: In your own words, relate what the poem is about, what you thought of Ginsberg’s discussion of the work, and the opinions aired in court on the matter of its obscenity or no, its artistic merit, the advisability of censoring its publication, etcetera (350 words, short response).
Several links posted here may be useful:
Summary: Howl is a film based on a now very famous poem–"Howl"–by Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997). At the time of its writing, Ginsberg was a young man coming to terms with his own identity as a homosexual and felt himself at odds with much of American culture, in particular its militarism and capitalistic excesses, restraints upon free expression and opposition to homosexuality, which at the time was classified as a psychological disorder (for a history of attitudes towards homosexuality in western culture see http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/faculty_sites/rainbow/html/facts_mental_health.html). The poem is personal, autobiographical, raw, and graphic in its depictions of a generation ("the best minds of my generation") living on edge, and finding meaning (or whatever "sensations") on those edges. The poem became famous, at least in part, when government authorities claimed it obscene, and a trial ensued to have its publication banned. Ginsberg wrote the poem in free verse in a style much like that of Walt Whitman's work ("Song of Myself)", in long lines uttered with force, in sometimes broken syntax and with odd juxtapositions of words that reflect the urgency, intensity and spontaneity of Ginsberg's poetic vision. In the trial, prosecutors objected to the poem's profane language and sexual content, and contended it had no literary merit. The defense claimed the language and content were necessary to portray truthfully the culture and attitudes of Ginsberg's subjects.
There is a cost . . . for a society that insists on conformity to a particular range of heterosexual practices. We believe that cultures can be rationally designed. We can teach and reward and coerce. But in so doing we must also consider the price of each culture, measured in the time and energy required for training and enforcement and in the less tangible currency of human happiness that must be spent to circumvent our innate dispositions.
E. O. Wilson, biologist
