SORENSON,+Shannon

A8 **CHECK-PLUS** 1. Cyr, Nancy R. “Considerations for Patients Who Have Eating Disorders.” __Association of Operating__ __Room Nurses. AORN Journal__ 88.5 (2008): 807-15. __Health Module.__ ProQuest. Alma College Library, Alma, MI. Nov. 2008. 30 Mar. 2009. <[|http://www.proquest.com]>.

Cyr's article touches on three different eating disorders and at points, the subtle differences between them: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and obesity. She mentions certain things that are important for a doctor or nurse to keep in mind when diagnosing, and the procedures such people go through. Cyr then moves on to explain what treatment is available for each disease, and the phases or stages of each specific treatment. Cyr touches on the reasoning of these diseases but focuses her attention on the treatment and cure.

2. Brownell, Kelly D. and Christopher G. Fairburn. “Part II. Eating Disorders: Treatment and Prevention of Eating Disorders.” __Eating Disorders and Obesity.__ The Guilford Press: New York, 2002. 296-367.

In the aforementioned selection, Brownell and Fairburn discuss the various treatments for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Brownell and Fairburn also touch on the ways anorexia and bulimia could be avoided and how the social aspects can factor into the cause. Brownell and Fairburn offer a wealth of information about the disease and go in depth with each available treatment.

3. Polivy, Janet and C. Peter Herman. “Causes of Eating Disorders.” __Annual Review of Psychology__ 53. (2002): 187-213. __Research Library Core.__ ProQuest. Alma College Library, Alma, MI. 2002. 30 Mar. 2009 <[]>.

Polivy and Herman discuss anorexia nervosa as a disease, touching on each part of it: the cause, the diagnosis and the treatment. Polivy and Herman focus in on the things that factor into the cause of the disease, including social roles and self esteem, and even try to explain why these things factor.

A7 — 03/20/09  How does a person with anorexia rehabilitate themselves? OR In which ways can understanding anorexia help a person rehabilitate themselves?
 * Shannon, I like your first questions better than the one about friends and family. I think this topic could still fit under the umbrella of "current issues' because anorexia has become a significant social problem; there are even TV shows about it these days. I think your second question -- in which ways can understanding anorexia help a person rehabilitate themselves -- is a more interesting question. However, you might have trouble finding a lot of information on it...not sure. Start with that one, and if you need to broaden a bit, then use your first question.**

Anorexia has always been something that's interested me. I have a vague understanding of why a person becomes anorexic, but do not know how they rehabilitate themselves or 'get over' their anorexia. I think it would be interesting to research this topic because, again, it's something that's interested me for a while. Another idea for a topic question would be 'in what ways is a person with anorexia effected by friends and family?'

Shannon Sorenson English 101/Vetne P3 — Into the Wild 03/13/2009 Into the Wild Directed by Sean Penn and based on the nonfiction account of 22-year-old Christopher McCandless' personal journey and growth, as recorded by Jon Krakauer, the movie __Into the Wild__ is as intense and unforgettable as the bestseller it's based on, which falls under the same title. Chris (played by Emile Hirsch, who delivers a breath taking performance) is an impulsive, individualistic dreamer, who dares to remove himself from mainstream society and step onto the off-beaten path of the wandering traveler. In 1990, fresh out of Emory University, Chris is moved by something more then the materialistic goals of society—his own, questioning heart and love for nature—and frees himself from the ties which bind him to it, including that of his family. He cuts his credit cards in half, burns his cash and identification and donates all twenty-four thousand dollars of his life savings to a charity called Oxfam America. Then, in what can only be described as a “zigzagging two-year journey” (Scott, Par. 4), Chris travels west toward Alaska, a place he considers almost sacred. To Chris, Alaska holds the ultimate joy; it is the deep wilderness, untouched by man's (or society's) greed. Nicknaming himself Alex Supertramp, free, fun loving and naturally charismatic, Chris meets a variety of people along his journey, whose lives he touches at every turn: commuter hippies Jan Burres (played by Catherine Keener) and Rainey (played by Brian H. Dierker), danish couple Sonja (played by Signe Egholm Olsen) and Mads (played by Thure Lindhardt), working man Wayne Westerberg (Vince Vaughn), boyhood crush Tracy Tatro (Kristen Stewart) and veteran Ron Franz (Hal Holbrook). Finally, in 1992, Chris arrives in Alaska where he lives for a short time until starvation hits and he meets his untimely death. The motivation behind Chris' journey is often vague at best, despite Penn's intentions, and should be pessimistic by definition. Penn conveys Chris' desire as that to rid himself of society's deceit and greed, to escape from the tangled web of lies before it strikes him down. However, the movie though heartbreaking and tragic provides the audience with a sort of optimism often missed—the simple belief that tomorrow holds a pleasant, unexpected surprise and will undoubtedly be better. Under the bright, optimistic surface of the film, there is a troubled undertone; the past Chris may be running from but never confronts and which is never fully addressed by Penn. The movie does, like the book, defend “against the suspicion that he was suicidal, unbalanced or an incompetent outdoorsmen.” (Scott, Par. 9). Penn does this in a variety of ways: flowing, yellow script across the screen that contain exerts from actual letters Chris wrote friends, narration from both Chris and his sister Carine McCandless (played by Jena Malone), the division of the movie into chapters of Chris' life and the flashbacks and memories each chapter contains. However, these chapters may also confuse the viewer as the movie jumps through time, through the past and present, a game of back and forth cleverly played by Penn and his actors, originally designed to pull the viewer in. **[I am not exactly sure what the main point of this paragraph is. There is definitely some insightful analysis here, but you need to improve clarity.]** The flashbacks into the past are usually contained to Chris' parents. The occasional glimpse into his parent's relationship and their relationship with him, either through narration or flashbacks, is both inspiring and captivating. It serves to pull the audience further into Chris' story and encourages viewers to think and question, but its questions are never fully answered and because of that, its implications fall flat at the end. **[Is this a paragraph by itself? Needs some development.]** Penn tries to make up for the flaws in plot by an extreme use of symbolism, some of which come off overused, contradictory, and cliché. The graduation scene at the beginning of the movie, for instance; the camera pans over dozens of students, clad in black, throwing their hats into the air as the focus then switches to the outsiders attending- friends and family of those graduating- all of who stand and applaud their future. Moving in even further, the camera focuses on Chris' parents who, while standing, remain motionless against the flurry of activity. This scene may represent Chris' feelings toward his parents; what little is said directly about their relationship specifically implies that Chris thinks they're stoic and cold, removed from life because of their social desires and standing. The actual scenes involving his parents, however, offer an alternative view and it becomes hard for the viewer to tell if their distance with Chris is real or imagined. Inconsistent at times, it's a decision that influences how the viewer relates to Chris. **[Excellent analysis and detail in this paragraph.]** As realistic as Hirsch plays Chris, and as flawed and charismatic as Penn portrays him, one reviewer notes that “there's something annoying about him, too. He's too secure in his self-righteousness, too smug in his conviction that his is the only viable path to self-fulfillment.” (Schicket, Par. 4). Indeed, the same problem the audience may have with Chris' father—that he's too stubborn, too set in his ways—makes an appearance for Chris as well. Save for the lack of motivational development and cliché symbolism, the story of Christopher McCandless is a heartbreaking one which is wonderfully portrayed in Penn's adaptation of __Into the Wild.__ Though there are “scenes in which Hirsch improvises for the camera [that] feel like acting exercises and add nothing” (Fox, Par. 3), Hirsch's overall performance haunts the audience—as does Chris McCandless' optimistic message that tomorrow will be a better day. **Work Cited** **Shannon -- You have some really insightful things to say, and you depict scenes and specific moments in the film very clearly. The one big issue is clarity. Sometimes the reader can't tell if you're praising or criticizing. Work on clearing up this confusion in the whole paper. (It is okay to praise and criticize, but it has to be very clear what you are doing.) Good inclusion of reviews. Don't number your works cited page though, and make sure you delete the hyperlink formatting.** [|essay_intothewildcritique.doc][|essay_intothewildcritique.doc]
 * 1) __Into the Wild__ . Dir. Sean Penn. Perf. Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn and Hal Holbrook. DVD. Paramount Vantage, 2007.
 * 2) Scott, A.O. “Following His Trail to Danger and Joy.” Rev. of __Into the Wild__ , dir. Sean Penn. 21 Sept. 2007. 13 Mar. 2009 < [|__http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/09/21/movies/21wild.html__]<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif; text-decoration: none;">>
 * 3) <span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif; text-decoration: none;">Schicket, Richard. “Into the Wild: Bad End.” Rev. of <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">__Into the Wild__ <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif; text-decoration: none;">, dir. Sean Penn. 21 Sept. 2007. 13 Mar. 2009 < [|__http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1664110,00.html__]<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif; text-decoration: none;">>
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> Fox, Ken. “Into The Wild: Review.” Rev. of __Into the Wild__, dir. Sean Penn. 13 Mar. 2009 []