NORTHRUP,+Melissa

  A5 3/8/09 The movie //Into the Wild// had a lot of elements that put it all together. Some of the elements that make the movie are the credits and opening, the setting, to storyline, the significant moments, and the cinematography. The credits and opening of the movie are very important to the movie. The opening shows Chris in a snowy forest, when I first saw this I thought he was either in Alaska or Canada. Also in the opening you see words on the screen, these words are written by Chris. Eventually the words "Into the Wild" are written and then they form into bold letters and that makes you see that that is the name of the movie.

The setting of the movie is also an important element. There is no specific setting to this movie, except for the fact that it is in the western part of the United States. Throughout the movie Chris travels his way to Alaska. Whenever the movie goes back through his travels there are little blurbs about where he is. When he stays with the leather molder, he makes his own belt that shows where he has been on his journey.

The storyline is another important element to this movie. Chris' sister and himself are the narrators of the movie. Chris' sister talks about what it was like back home while Chris was away. Chris also narrates in the movie, he mostly talks about what he did while he was moving around so much. He mostly narrated in poems. I thought that the storyline flowed very well. Especially back and forth from the past to the present when he was at the "magic" bus.

There are many significant moments in //Into the Wild//. A lot of the people that Chris met, helped him along the way. They also helped him form his life and helped him make decisions. Chris also helped them the way they helped him. One significant moment is when Rainey talks the Chris about Jan and how they have been having problems. So Chris says that he will go and talk to Jan, and he does and he helps them find a way to talk about their problems.

The cinematography is another important element. In the end, the camera zooms out and shows the "magic" bus and the wilderness around it. When Chris is poisoned there are many good camera angles and they kind of get dizzying and make you feel how he feels. The camera flowed really easy between shots and people when they were talking. I really like the part when Chris is talking to the apple he is eating and how the camera cuts off and the turns on again and more of the apple is gone every time.

A6 3-12-09 The first review I read was from Christianity Today. I thought that it was a good review, I liked how the reviewer compared the book and the movie. I didn't even know there was a book to compare the movie to. I agree with the reviewer when she says that the actors made the movie. I think that the actors did an amazing job, especially Emile Hirsh because when the final picture comes in the end of the movie I thought that it was the actor, but it was the real Christopher McCandless.

The second review I read was from well-known film critic Roger Ebert. I thought that his review was very good as well. I liked how Ebert used personal experience in his review. I agree with Ebert when he says that Emile Hirsh plays Christopher McCandless in a hypnotic way. I thought that Emile was, besides the fact that he was the main character, was one of the best actors in the film.

The last review I read was the TV Guide review. This review sayed that the film was to long, I agree, but I also disagree. I thought it was a very long movie, but I also enjoyed all of the details of the movie. The review mentioned that the scenes in which Hirsh improvised felt like acting exersices. I disagree with that statement, I enjoyed the part were he was talking to the apple, I found that very funny. Overall, I thought that the review gave a very good summary and incite.

P3 3-15-09 [|Paper 3.pdf] [|paper3.doc] Melissa Northrup English 101.16 Leah Vetne March 15, 2009 Into the Wild There have been many movies made that are considered “good” or the “best”. According to [|www.imdb.com] **[SPELL OUT THE NAME OF THE WEBSITE]** users the top movie of all time is //The Shawshank Rebellion// followed by //The Godfather//. A true good movie has many elements to it including; the setting, genre, style, significant moments, storyline, cinematography, casting, characters, theme, sequence and editing, and special effects. //Into the Wild// is a well worked movie. It has many of the elements listed above**.[AS YOUR GROUP MENTIONED, YOUR THESIS NEEDS TO BE MORE SPECIFIC. EXCEPT FOR YOUR TRANSITION TO AND COMMENT (THESIS) ABOUT INTO THE WILD, YOUR INTRO WORKS WELL].** //Into the Wild// focuses on the two-year journey of Christopher McCandless. After graduating from Emory University, Chis cuts up his credit cards and his identification, burns all of his money, and abandons his car. Chris then slowly makes his way to Alaska. On his way, he meets many people who help change his life, as he changes theirs. **The first people he meets are Jan and Rainey, he eventually meets them again ** **[COMMA SPLICE]**. Chris, or as he calls himself Alex Supertramp, meets Wayne, a farmer who Chris worked for. Before Chris gets to Alaska, he meets Ron Franz. Chris tells them all “he meets he's searching for "truth" and the kind freedom he feels can only be found on the edges of America's final frontier” (Fox). **[YOUR SUMMARY NEEDS MORE DEVELOPMENT; THIS IS A "BARE BONES" SUMMARY. I LIKE THE INCLUSION OF THE QUOTE THOUGH.]** //Into the Wild// was directed by Sean Penn. It was released on September 21, 2007. //Into the Wild// is an adventure, biography, and drama movie. There were many characters in this movie. Some of the main characters were: Christopher McCandless, Carine McCandless, Jan Burres, Rainey, Wayne Westburg, Tracy Tatro, Ron Franz, Billie McCandless, and Walt McCandless. Francise Mailser was the casting director for this movie. Mailser cast Emile Hirsh, Jena Malone, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Brian H. Dierker, Catherine Keener, Wince Vaughn, Kirsten Stewart, and Hal Holbrook as those characters. The actors make the movie. “Emile Hirsch, just 22 years old, has to share the screen with many venerable performers; but he holds his own, in a role that made extraordinary physical demands (he dieted precipitously for the starvation scenes, dipping below 115 pounds)” (Mathewes-Green). **[THERE IS NONE OF YOUR OWN OPINION, EXPLANATION, OR EVALUATION IN THIS PARAGRAPH. WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE CHARACTERS THAT INTERESTED YOU? WHAT KINDS OF STATEMENTS CAN YOU MAKE ABOUT THEM. YOUR JOB IS TO BE ANALYTICAL; TO LOOK DEEPLY AT THE CHARACTERS AND COME TO SOME CONCLUSION ABOUT THEM. WHY DO YOU LIKE THEM? WHY DO YOU THINK THEY ARE WELL-CASTED (OR NOT)? THE FIRST PART OF THIS PARAGRAPH IS EMPTY LISTING; THE SECOND IS AN UNCONNECTED QUOTE. YOU NEED TO BUILD THE BRIDGES HERE.]** In the beginning of the movie there is a poem by Lord Byron. Then it continues to show Billie McCandless waking up in the middle of the night worrying about Chris. It continues to show word written by Chris in his diary that he kept during his two-year journey. The movie takes place in the western part of the United States. Chris travels from his apartment in Atlanta, Georgia eventually to Alaska. Chris goes to Mexico by paddling down the Colorado River. Chis “hops boxcars north and wandering into a homeless shelter in downtown Los Angeles” (Fox). **[YOU WANT TO CHOOSE QUOTES WITH WHICH YOU CAN AGREE OR DISAGREE, OR THAT FURTHER A POINT YOU ARE TRYING TO MAKE. THERE REALLY IS NO MEANINGFUL PURPOSE FOR THIS QUOTE.]** He finally ends up in the Alaskan frontier at the “magic” bus. **[THIS IS MORE SUMMARY. (MAYBE YOU CAN WORK IT INTO YOUR SUMMARY IN PARAGRAPH 2?) WHAT IS THE POINT YOU WANT TO MAKE HERE?]** There were many significant moments in //Into the Wild//. One of the most significant moments was when Chris met Ron Franz. Ron lost his wife and son to a drunk driver and now waits to die by the Salton Sea. Chris stays with Ron for a while and when he gets ready to leave, Ron takes him out a ways and tells Chris that he would like to adopt him. Ron said that he could be Chris’ grandfather, but Chris suggests that they should talk about it when he gets back from Alaska. Another significant moment is when Chris realizes that he ate a poisonous plant. He quickly reads about the plant that he ate and finds out that the plant will cause starvation and eventually death. **[THESE ARE SIGNIFICANT MOMENTS, BUT WHAT DO THEY //MEAN//? WHY ARE THEY SIGNFICANT OR MEANINGFUL? WHAT IS YOUR ANALYSIS? WHAT DO THEY ADD TO THE FILM? YOU NEED TO ANALYZE MORE AND EXPLAIN MORE.]** The way that the camera moves back and forth between characters when they are talking to each other flows very well. The lighting of the movie is mainly natural because of the settings. There is a lot of landscaping scenes like when Chris is in Alaska and the camera moves out to show the scenery. There are many elements to make a good movie. There are the actors that make the characters come alive, the scenery, the storyline, the cinematography, dialogue, etc. All of these things and the crew that put every thing together make the movie. This movie works because of how everything came together and because of how the director and the rest of the people on the crew put the movie together. **[ANOTHER VAGUE PARAGRAPH, AND THIS ONE ALSO JUMPS AROUND FROM TOPIC TO TOPIC BEFORE REALLY DISCUSSING ANY OF THEM. IT WOULD BE USEFUL FOR YOU TO REVIEW THE STUDENT SAMPLES ON PP. 356-360 IN YOUR TEXTBOOK TO HELP YOU GET IDEAS FOR WHAT YOU NEED TO INCLUDE IN YOUR REVISION OF THIS PAPER. I THINK YOU HAVE SOME GOOD THINGS TO SAY, BUT YOU HAVEN'T ARTICULATED THEM YET. THIS IS ALL TELLING, NO SHOWING.]**

__Works Cited__

1. Fox, Ken. "Into the Wild." Rev. of __Into the Wild__. __TV Guide__. __TV Guide Review__. TV Guide. 19 Jan. 2009 . 2. Mathewes-Green, Frederica. "Into the Wild." Rev. of __Into the Wild__. __Christianity Today__ 28 Sept. 2007. __Christianity Today__. Christianity Today. 19 Jan. 2009 .

A7- 3/20/09

**Melissa, I have highlighted below the questions/issues that are POSSIBLY narrowed down enough for you to write about. Your actual questions (immediately below) are way too broad. I think that the arguments about whether people benefit from stem cell research OR whether it should be government funded are more narrow, less discussed, and more interesting ideas.**

1.Who benefits from stem cell research? 2.Is stem cell research moral?

Stem cell research is used for the investigation of basic cells which develop organisms. Researchers take an embryo just after conception or a five to nine week old fetus that is being aborted was the traditional source for getting human stem cells. There are researches that are trying to find an alternative method to get human stem cells. One of the proposals for the 2008 election was for stem cell research. There is some controversy in society whether people actually benefit from stem cell research and whether it should be government funded. Some people feel that stem cell research is immoral because of the fact that they use embryos. Others feel that the embryo or fetus was being aborted anyway so they should be used to advance the human society. Also that it could lead us closer to cures for: Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Birth Defects, and so on.

A8-3/29/09 [|Annotated Bibliography.doc] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 107, 0);">**CHECK** Annotated Bibliography-A8 3/29/09

Fry-Revere, Sigrid. "No tax money for stem cells." __Los Angeles__ __Times__ 28 Nov. 2006. __Los Angeles__ __Times__. 28 Nov. 2006. Los Angeles Times. 29 Mar. 2009 <http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-fry-revere28nov28,0,1836528.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions>.

This article was in the Los Angeles Times and talked about how stem cell research will not give us the promised results if it is insisted on public funding. Many states have set aside money to give to researchers for stem cell research but have not given it to them. Sigrid Fry-Revere thinks that politicians should legalize all forms of stem cell research to protect universities and private organizations from politics.

"A tough cell: Bush should fud stem researchers." __The__ __Michigan__ __Daily__ 22 July 2001. __The__ __Michigan__ __Daily__. 22 July 2001. The University of Michigan. 29 Mar. 2009 <http://www.michigandaily.com/content/tough-cell-bush-should-fund-stem-cell-researchers>.

The Michigan Daily is a newspaper that is written and edited by students of the University of Michigan. This article talked about talked about how Bush had to decide whether or not the government would continue to fund embryonic stem cell research. The article talked about why Bush should have the government continue to fund stem cell research.

Margolis, Don. "Stem Cell Treatment Yields Benefits for Aussie with Cerebal Palsy." __Culture 11__. 17 Mar. 2009. 29 Mar. 2009 <http://culture11.com/diary/37385>.

At a clinic in Germany a two-year-old Australian girl had 6 milliliters of fluid extracted from her bone marrow. The stem cells were then separated from her bone and the next day was placed in her spinal chord. The little girl’s mother noticed improvement two days after the procedure.