CompareandContrast:Krakauer

IntoThinAir
and
WhereMenWinGlory
werebothwrittenbythesameauthor,Jon
Krakauer.Bothbooks,havingtheirownuniquestyleiswhatmakesthemuniquelyinteresting.
IntoThinAir,
isabookbasedonKrakauer'sownexperienceofhowheconqueredMount
Everest,eventhoughhedidnotasmuchtrainingashisotherteammates.Thebookiswrittenin
firstpersonwhichgivesitaveryuniquestylesincethereadermostlygetsinformationthatis
onlyseenfromonepointofview.Inthebook,
WhereMenWinGlory,
Krakauerusesthird
persontowriteaboutPatTillman,whojoinedtheArmyandgotkilledbyhisownteammember
inAfghanistan.Thesetwobooksmaynothaveastorythatconnectsthem,buttheirunique
writingstylescaptivatethereaderanddonotallowthemtoletgoofthebooks.
Krakauers
IntoThinAir
,describeshisexperienceashesucceedstoclimbMount
Everest.Atthebeginningofthebook,theaudienceisgivensomeinformationabouttheaccident
thatoccurredduringthetimehewassucceededinreachingthesummitandwhyhebelievesitis
necessarytowriteawholebookontheaccident....itbecamedesperatelyimportantformeto
recordtheeventsincompletedetail...Thisbookisthefruitofthatcompulsion(KrakauerXVI),
withthissentence,Krakauerindicateshisreasonformusteringupthecouragetowriteabout
everythingthathappeneduponMountEverest.Asthebookprogresses,thereaderisinformed
aboutmanydetailsanddifferentimageryaboutalltheincidentsthatoccurredinthejourneyto
reachthesummit.Thecampresembledanexpensiveyardsale(78)givesthereaderanimage
ofeverythingthattheclimbersandsherpascarriedintheirbagseveryday.Hecontinueshisstory
bygivingthereaderbackgroundinformationonmostoftheclimbersandsherpashegota

chancetotalkwithonhiswayupMountEverest.Healsoincludesinformationontheseclimbers
goalsaswellashisownandhoweverythingtheydidreflectedsomethingtheyhadallleftbehind
justtogoonthistripincludinghimselfwhenhegivesabackstoryofhowhefeltabouthiswife.
Whenhewritesabouttheclimbers,Krakauerusespathoscreatingapathforthereadertofeelthe
emotionhewasfeeling.ItwasanactofheroismthatwouldcostHarrishislife(239)shows
howKrakauerwasfeelingwhenheheardabouthisfriendsbraveattempttotakeoxygentohis
teammatesstuckonthemountain.
WhereMenWinGlory
isabookaboutanNFLplayerwhogaveupeverythinghehadto
jointhearmybecausehewantedtodosomethingforhiscountry.Krakauergivesseveraldetails
ofbackgroundinformationoneverythingthatoccurredduringhiswholejourneytoreachthe
summitofMountEverest.TwoyearsafterPatTillmansbirthAfghansbeganflockingtothe
city[becauseof]thebrutalitythatrapidlyescalatedafullblownCivilWar(8).Thisquote,is
anexampleofhowmanyofthethingsthatoccurredaroundPatTillmanslifeinfluencedhis
choicesinthefutureevenifhedidnotknowitatthetime.KrakauerdoesnotjustfocusonPat
TillmanslifebutalsoonBinLadenslifeandeveryonethatsurroundedthem.Krakauer
includesmanyquotesfromPatsfriendsandjournalentries.Throughoutthebook,Krakauer
maintainsaneutraltonebutonceinawhile,theauthorletsoutatoneoffrustrationorother
emotions.Itwasahumiliatingdefeat(29)givesatoneofsadnessbecauseofhowthe
mujahideengaveupthefightandleftJalalabad.
Thesimilaritiesthatbothofthebookshad,wastheybothincludedpathos,figurative
language,andimagery.Krakauerincludespathosinbothofhisbooksbecauseitgivesabetter
graspofalltheemotionsthatweregoingon.Thousandsofvictimswereburiedaliveinthe

smolderingrubble(WMWG91)Thisquoteletsthereaderfeeldifferenttypesofemotionsas
thesentenceiswrappingupaboutallthevictimsthatdiedduringabombingaccidentthat
occurred.Krakaueralsousessimilesinhiswriting..LikeasupervillaininaMarvelcomicbook,
heseemedto...[have]theabilitytoabsorbthemightiestblows(WMWG96).Thisquoteisa
similisinceitcomparesPatTillmantoasupervillain.
Eventhoughbothbookshavesomesimilarities,theyalsohavedifferences.Inthebook
IntoThinAir
,Krakauerwritesinfirstpersonandgiveshisownopinionsoneverythinghewrites
about.Inthebook,
WhereMenWinGlory
,Krakauerwritesinthirdpersonanddoesnotgivehis
ownopinionsonwhatheiswritingabout.Inthebook
IntoThinAir
,Krakauerwritesinaway
thatmakeshimsoundrudeandnotinterestedinwhatotherpeoplethink.Inthebook
Wheremen
WinGlory
,thereadergetsabetterglimpseastohowhewritesforthemagazineheworksfor.
InConclusion,Krakaueruseofdifferentstylesmakinghisbooksmoreinterestingto
read.Heusesmanydifferenttypesofappealstocaptivatethereaderandhookhiminhisbook.

WorksCited

Krakauer,Jon.
WhereMenWinGlory
.firsted.NewYork:Anchor,2009.Print.

Krakauer,Jon.
IntoThinAir
.NewYork:AnchorBooks,1998.