Thursday, October 18, 2012

Into the Wild

We will soon read an excerpt from Walden by Henry David Thoreau in which he recounts the two years he spent living in a cabin in the woods. Chris McCandless, the protagonist in Jon Krakauer's true story Into the Wild, is a sort of modern-day Thoreau.

As you read the book, you will keep a dialectical (the art or practice of arriving at the truth through logical argument) journal. This is a double-entry journal in which you write a passage from the book (include page number) in the left column and your response in the right column. Do two entries per chapter.

When you finish the book (on or before Monday, Nov. 26) you will make an appointment with me during nutrition, lunch or after school to explain your journal to me. I will listen and ask questions. It will take about 15 minutes. Then I will give you a grade on the spot and you keep your journal. You do not have to wait until Nov. 26th. If you finish sooner, you may make an appointment sooner.

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