1.) Passage:
“I read somewhere in India there are priests who can will their heart to stop beating. I wanted to will my blood to stop, my heart to quit its pumping. I wanted to be dead, to turn into the rain, my eyes melt into the ground like two black snails. I wished and wished. I closed my eyes and willed it, but when I got up my dress was green and I had a headache” (Cisneros 98).
Journal Entry:
(E) Through Cisneros’s words, it is clear that Esperanza feels as though she would rather die than keep living the way that she does on Mango Street. She despises living in a poverty-stricken neighborhood. Her wishes of flight from her environment characterize her as dramatic, due to the fact that she is clearly exaggerating the situation out…show more content… However, in spite of the fact that Marin is flaunting her beauty in an attempt to secure her well-being, her actions illuminate the vulnerability of women due to their reliance on males. This creates a feeling of sympathy towards many other young women like Marin. Some may view her actions as a means of survival, meaning that she acts the way she does in order to obtain a comfortable lifestyle; rather, Marin’s actions exhibit a strong sense of insecurity-a feeling which is quite common for young women who are unsure of where their life is heading. Furthermore, there are images of flying and falling, suggesting that Marin is waiting for someone to catch and save her. Through her use of imagery, Cisneros further exemplifies the idea that young women are much too reliant on others for their personal happiness and joy. On the contrary, it is clear that Esperanza wants to rescue herself instead of waiting for a man to come and do so. Thus, it seems as though she is the exception to the mindset of many young women. Through Esperanza, it is clear that Cisneros believes that young women should be more independent, since she illustrates her as a young girl with dreams and aspirations for her life, versus her portrayal of other young women. Through Esperanza’s path and comparative independence, Cisneros expresses her views on how impoverished…show more content… He had fled the claustrophobic confines of his family. He’d successfully kept Jan Burres and Wayne Westerberg at arm’s length, flitting out of their lives before anything was expected of him. And now he’d slipped painlessly out of Ron Franz’s life as well” (Krakauer 55).
Journal Entry:
(E) Through Krakauer’s words, it is clear that McCandless tries to avoid forming lasting relationships due to the fact that he wishes to remain independent. He wishes to reach one of his goals, surviving in the Alaskan Wilderness, with as little help from others as possible. Although McCandless’s actions may seem questionable to others, it is entirely possible that his thoughts surrounding the topic of his survival could be related to the fact that he was given everything he needed by his parents before he journeyed into the Alaskan Wilderness. He wishes to prove that he can take care of himself-even in the harshest conditions-without the assistance of others. Despite McCandless’s need to prove that he is capable of taking care of himself, his actions of refusing help from others and refusing to form long lasting relationships with the people whom he encounters on his journey show that he is overly independent and self-reliant. Through McCandless’s actions,