Caldwell1

KelseaCaldwell
Mrs.Crichton
APLanguagePeriod5
4December2013
TheFurthestLimits
JonKrakauerisanAmericanauthorwhoisrenownedforhisstoriesontestingalllimits
ofman.InthenovelsIntoThinAirandUndertheBannerofHeaven,Krakauerdocumentsthelives
ofthosepushedtotheextreme.InIntoThinAir,Krakauerwritesabouthisownexperienceclimbing
MountEverest.Whilehewassenttoresearchthegrowingcommercialisation,whichisamaintheme
forthebook,Krakauersmaingoalistoillustratethephysicalbarriersthatheandalltheothershadto
overcomeinordertosurvive,aswellascommemoratethosewhohehadgrowncloseto.Incontrast,
KrakauersUndertheBannerofHeaventellsthestoryoftwoMormonbrotherswhosefaithsin
religionaretestedtotheabsolutelimitwhentheykillonebrotherswifeandchildinthenameofgod,a
talewhichKrakauerusestoinvestigatefurtherintotherootsofmormonism.Krakauerusesbothof
thesestoriestoexplorethementalandphysicalphenomenonsofhowfarpeoplewillgofortheir
innermostbeliefsanddesiresthroughhispersonalperspective,extensivebackgroundinformation,
detailedimagery,anduseofquotes.
AkeyaspectofIntoThinAiristhefirstpersonaccountofthestoryfromKrakauer,who
actuallyexperiencedtheevents.Thisgiveshimamoreinterestingandpersonal,eventothepointof
beingbiased,viewoftheexpeditionthattakesreadersintothebookwithhimtoexplorehisown
mentalityandphysicalstruggles.TheperspectiveofUndertheBannerofHeavenisthirdperson,
whichmeansitislessofapersonalstory,butisstilltoldwithanextensiveknowledgeonthesubject
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whichcomesthroughhardresearchontheMormonfaith.Whilefewpersonalstoriesarepresent,the
authorsindividualideasarestillapparentandallowreaderstoformtheirownopinions.
ThetwonovelsarealsosimilarinthelargeamountsofresearchthatKrakauerconductedwhile
preparinghiswritings.BothstoriescontainelaboratedetailsonthehistoricbackgroundsofeitherMount
EverestortheMormonfaith,showingthevaluewhichKrakauerplacesontheoriginsofthesetwo
themesinexplainingwhycountlesspeoplearewillingtorisknearlyanythingtobeinvolvedwiththat
placeorfaith.KrakauergivesinitialinsightintothediscoveryofEverest,explaininghowsensational
(Krakauer20,IntoThinAir)themountainwasasitbecameknownworldwide.Theincreasing
popularityandsenseofmysterysurroundingthemountainaidsinunderstandingwhysomanyclimbers
voluntarilyendangeredthemselves,manylosingtheirlives,inordertoclimbsuchaperilousmountain.
BackstoriesarealsointegratedintoUndertheBannerofHeaven,elaboratingontherockycreationof
Mormonism.Thehistoricdetailingofthisfaithsdevelopmentgoesindepthintotheviolentpersecutions
ofthefirstMormonsandthecultesquecommunitiesthatformed,especiallyinSaltLakeCity.This
informationprovidesaclearerperspectiveonthekeyideologiesofMormonismandrevealshowthe
isolation,withoutanyoutsideexposure,canquicklyescalateintoviolenceliketheLaffertycase.
Krakauersthoroughdetailinginthebackgroundalsocarriesoutintotheactuallocationand
timeperiodoftheevent,furthercontributingtobothstoriesoverallatmospheres.Withthebasicideaof
theareaalreadydevelopinginthereadersheadfromthehistoricbackstoryprovidedbyKrakauer,
comprehensiveimageryofthelocationisthenintroducedtoprovidecontextforthepresentsettingsof
hisnovels.ThemethodKrakauerusesindescribingthebarbarouscold(Krakauer140,IntoThin
Air)onthetopoftheworld(Krakauer7,IntoThinAir)inIntoThinAirandthepatriarchal
religion(Krakauer33,UndertheBannerofHeaven)practicedinisolated(Krakauer17,Under
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theBannerofHeaven)Bountiful,createsadistinctiveenvironmentforthereadersimilartotheunique
settingsofhisbooks.Theatmospheresreadersareplacedinallowthemtoexperienceboththephysical
andemotionalconditionsthatthecharactersofthestoriesunderwent,lettingthereadersthemselves
questionwhatriskstheywouldtaketofulfilltheirowndesires.
Krakauersquotesfromothersourceswithinhistwonovelshelptoroundoffthecompletestories,
impartingafinalsourceofcontextuponthereaderforacompleteunderstandingofthepricesof
passion.Thesupplementofvariousotherresources,suchastheaccountsofotherclimbersstrugglingto
survivethestorminIntoThinAirorthecitationsfromtheMormonDoctrineinUndertheBannerof
Heaven,otherdifferentaidstothestory.InUndertheBannerofHeaven,mostofthequotesoriginate
fromtheMormonDoctrineorfromresidentsofBountifulandmostareinregardstoMormonpractices.
ThisismeanttoprovideinsightonthesocialidealsoftheMormoncommunityandgiveaninside
perspectiveonMormonismtotrulydepictwhythereligionholdssuchhugeimportanceintheeveryday
lifestyletothepointwherekillinganotherinGodsnameisdonewithoutablinkoftheeye.Howeverin
IntoThinAir,quotesaremainlyusedtoencompasstheclimbsofotherclimbersordepictthebattles
againstdeathexperiencedbythoseonthemountain.Theseaccountsnotonlyshowhowdangerous
Everestis,butalsorevealtheastounding(Krakauer18IntoThinAir)experienceofreachingthe
summitthatcausesclimbertocontinuouslyendangertheirlivestoascendthemountainagainandagain,
eachtimebecomingincreasinglydangerous.
WhileIntoThinAirandUndertheBannerofHeavenareextremelydifferent,bothservethe
purposeofexploringtheharshcircumstancesthroughwhichhumanswillputthemselvesinorderto
indulgetheirownpassions.WithKrakauersuniqueperspectives,detailedbackstories,involving
imagery,andsupportivecitation,thebookseachdevelopvastlydifferentplotswhilestillretainingthe
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mainmessageofextremism.ThroughhisstoriesKrakauerprovidesthequestionofriskversusdesire,
thatiscontinuouslyansweredwithdesireoverpoweringrisknomatterhowdangerous.Withtheir
thoroughlyresearchedinformationandembodimentofKrakauerpersonalinsight,bothbooksallow
readerstogobeyondtheouteredgeoftheirownphysicalandmentallimits.

Relfection:
1. Howdoesyourvoiceshinethroughinyouressay?Whatimpressiondoesitgiveyourreader?
MyopinionsonthemethodsusedbyKrakauershowmyvalueofhumaninteraction.
2. Whatwordsandphrasesdidyouusetopullthereaderforwardthroughyouressay?Iused
descriptorstoconveysimilarimageryofthoseKrakauercreates.
3. Howdoyoudemonstratethatyouarecredible,butdonottakeyourselftooseriously?I
demonstratemycredibilitythroughquotesandreferences.
4. Howdoesyouressayaddtoyourreadersknowledgeandexperiences?Ioffermypersonal
perspectiveonKrakauerswritingmethods.
5. Whatuniqueperspectivedoyouofferyourreaders?Iofferanoptimisticperspectiveon
Krakauersvalueofthehumanaspectofhisstories.
6. Isyourdictionprecise,fresh,andengaging?Yes.
7. Howdoyoudemonstrateagoodsenseofyouraudience?Itargetedthosewhoaremore
investedinthelivesoftheindividualsbyfocusingmyessayonthosetopics.
8. Doesyouressaysoundlikeonecompleteunit?Yes,onepointflowstothenext.
9. Areyourdetailsconcreteandselective?Yes.
10. Whattype(s)ofimagerydoesyourdictioncreate?(Visual,Auditory,Olfactory,Tactile,
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Gustatory)Imainlyusedvisualimagery.
11. Whattechniquesdoyouusetomakeyourwritingsoundeffortless?Ididnotbecomeover
complicatedinmywordingandmadetheessayflow.
12. Howdoyoudemonstratecontrolofgrammar,punctuation,usage,andformatinyouressay?I
usedstandardMLAformatandIusedphraseswhichbestfitforthestyleandtoneofmyessay.
13. Howdoesyouressaysappearancecommunicateahighlevelofprofessionalism?Myessayis
instandardMLAformat.
14. Whataboutyouressayareyouparticularlyproudof?Iamproudofmaintainingorganization
whilecomparingsomanydifferentaspects.