Personal Narrative (College Essay) & Personality Profile #2

1. Opening Moment: Gabby B & Deanna 
2. Ms. Bennell has given contacts for you to "warm call."  This means you will need explain how you received their information, and how you hope to contact them for an interview.  See the shared googledoc for details.  
3. Common Application: 650 words! New Prompts!   
4. Examples of a good Reader Response (#2 is due next class)

Example #1: Double-Entry Journal

Quote 1: "Four hundred vertical feet above, where the summit was still washed in bright sunlight under an immaculate cobalt sky, my compadres dallied to memorialize their arrival at the apex of the planet, unfurling flags and snapping photos, using up precious ticks of the clock. None of them knew that a horrible ordeal was drawing nigh. Nobody suspected that by trend of that long day, every minut would matter." pg.9

This quote is from the first chapter, a chapter that talks about the authors time on the summit of Everest. This chapter merely sets the stage for the rest of the book which explains nowhere got to this point, and what happened after. This specific quote is the last paragraph in chapter one and is a good way to end it. I really brings the reader into the story and makes them want to know what happens. For me it was also a really strong quote because it shows how much of extreme climbing is the unknown and sudden changes that take place. And it really showed me how unforgiving Mt. Everest is.

Quote 2: "Once Everest was determined to be the highest summit on earth, it was only a matter of time before people decided that Everest needed to be climbed. After the American explorer Robert Peary claimed to have reached the North Pole in 1909 and Roald Amundsen led a Norwegian party to the South Pole in 1911, Everest–the so called Third Pole–became the most coveted object in the real of terrestrial exploration." pg.14

This passage is from chapter two, in which Krakauer gives a brief history of Everest. This quote stood out because it shows two things, human's need to be first and to conquer nature. The fact that humans want to be the first to do something, or have something is quite obvious if you just look at our societies. One good example of this is that the Guiness World Record book exists. Tis quote also does a great job of showing this phenomena by sayingthatEverest became priority after the North and South Polesr had already been conquered, making them "obsolete." Evidence also presents it self proving that humans want to beat nature, showing that we were, and are, dedicated to discovering and reaching every last piece of land that nature has to offer.

Quote 3: "As I gazed across the sky at the contrail, it occurred to me that the top of Everest was percisely the same height as the pressurized jet bearing me through the heavens. That I proposed to climb to the cruising altitude of an Airbus 300 jetliner struck me, at that moment, as preposterous, or worse. My palms felt clammy." pg.30

It's quote gave me a really good understanding of what hiking Everest entailed. I have read a couple other books about hiking Everest and still didn't have a great idea of what they had to over come, this passage gave me something to judge the mountain by. And I have to say that I have always had a slight want to climb Everest or a similar mountain as most people in the books end up being okay, usually surviving by sheer will, this gave me a false sense that I too might be able to climb the world's tallest mountain. These coupe of sentences though just about brought that just formulating dream almost to a close.

Example #2: Letter to the Author

Letter to the Author of Born To Run

Dear Christopher McDougall,

    Before picking your book to read, I already had intentions of reading your novel regardless of my English assignment. As a runner myself, reading your book, Born To Run, always seemed like a requirement. Both of my track coaches have read your book and suggested it to our team at every chance they got. So when the opportunity finally presented itself, I made sure not to let it pass by.

    I haven't made it that far into your book yet but so far, I have to say it has exceeded my expectations. Before reading your story, I expected a generic but intriguing story about a normal runner and his or her struggles. I was quickly deterred from the initial assumption when I read the first chapter of your book. I was very interested to read of the Tarahumara tribe and the Caballo Blanco. I really liked that you hit the ground running with this book. By that I just mean you began the book with no hesitation into getting into the story of the running tribe, Tarahumara. I was immediately interested from the first chapter and I look forward to reading the rest of your book.

Sincerely,

A reader of your book