Enter the Wild: Author's Note, Chapters 1-3

Bros:

In the opening pages of Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer's account of the journey undertaken by Christopher "Alexander Supertramp" McCandless, we are introduced to a young man who is in search of truth and beauty--something that he beleives can only be found in the unfettered existence and pure wilderness of the American frontier. At the end of chapter three, Krakauer does well to sum up the philosophy that inspired McCandless' break from the constraints of the "civilized world":

[...]The trip was to be an odyssey in the fullest sense of the word, an epic journey that would change everything. He had spent the previous four years, as he saw it, preparing to fulfill an absurd and onerous duty: to graduate from college. At long last he was unencumbered, emancipated from the stifling world of his parents and peers, a world of abstraction and security and material excess, a world in which he felt grievously cut off from the raw throb of existence.

Driving west out of Atlanta, he intended to invent an utterly new life for himself, one in which he would be free to wallow in unfiltered experience. To symbolize the
complete severance from his previous life, he even adopted a new name. No longer would he answer to Chris McCandless; he was now Alexander Supertramp, master of his own destiny. (22-23)

In this way, McCandless voiced his protest against what he saw were the excesses of modern society, bound by an irrational reliance on money and business and industry and war and politics. Only when man ventured into the unknown, free of the illusions created by capitalism's false ideals of fulfillment in material possession could he truly discover the human spirit, the God in everything.

That said, I would like you to, in a well-developed paragraph, share your initial thoughts upon reading the opening chapters of Into the Wild. Please be sure to quote the text as a way to illustrate any points you make in reference to the story.

The format for doing is would be as follows: Krakauer writes, "...." (#).

This blog response is due by classtime, Wednesday, April 1, 2009.

Remember to place a heading at the top of your response:

Your Name
Bro. Rob Peach, FSC
Rel 011.05
April 1, 2009

In the meantime, please continue reading through chapter seven.

Brother Supertramp, FSC

Finishing Up: The Growing Years and Onward...

Ok Bros:

You made up the questions, now you answer them. Please be sure to quote from the text for back-up.

Remember that the format for quoting goes like this:Leo Kirby, FSC, speaking in the voice of De La Salle writes, "Bro. Peach, FSC schooled Brett Cerussi in basketball recycling two Fridays ago" (45).

Notice that the period goes after the parenthesis, which encloses the page number from which you pulled the quote.

You must answer in depth three (3) of the following questions. Pleas re-write the question and place your answer below.

Please be sure to indicate at the top of the page:

Your Name
Bro. Rob Peach, FSC
Rel 011.05
March 24, 2009

Your blog response is due Tuesday, March 24, 2009, by class time.

God be blessed,
Bro. Peach, FSC

The Questions:

• After six years of a "honeymoon period" why did things become difficult for De La Salle?
• Throughout the tough times, what became De La Salle's strategy to deal with the problems he was facing?
• What did De La Salle say Nyel's one mistake was?
• Why did De La Salle rush from Rheims to Paris in hot July weather? What does this say about him as a person?
• How many letters did one biographer say De La Salle wrote? What does this say about him as a person?
• What do you tink De La Salle means when he says he just went where God's finger pointed and when it was his time he didn't want to say, "wait," "I still haven't..." or, "I need to..."?
• In what way did De La Salle want the Brothers to act toward students?
• Early on in his ministry, on his way back to Rheims, what happened to De La Salle? How did it affect his ministry?
• What was his big move at the age of 30? Why did he make this move?
• Why were the conditions harsh for teachers?
• Why were De La Salle and the Brothers accused of destroying the education system in France at the time?
• Name some ways De La Salle implemented to meet the individual needs of the students in his schools?
• Why did Pop Pius XII name De La Salle patron saint of teachers?
• In 1686, what did the Brothers hold and why?
• De La Salle says that he is a "city boy" at heart. Why can't he get over that feeling?
• When did the biographers say De La Salle died? At what age? What did people shout in the street? What was De La Salle's reaction to people who called him a saint while he was still alive?
• Why did the Brothers establish schools in big cities?
• According to Leo Kirby, FSC, how were teachers asked to conect with the students of differing social or financial status?
• What are some causes of De La Salle's stress towards the end of his life?
• What happened 50 years into De La Salle's death involving the first school he founded?
• What are the countries where Brothers' schools exist? What is the Institute's mission or goals in the modern world?
• According to Leo Kirby, FSC, how was De La Salle's legacy upheld?

I, John Baptist de La Salle: The Seed Years

Brothers,

In Chapter Two of I, John Baptist de La Salle, entitled, "The Seed Years," we are given an account of de La Salle's radical sacrifice in which he gave up everything for the sake of educating the poor of France. Acting as St. La Salle, Bro. Leo Kirby, FSC, writes, "I gave up my salaried position to a poor pirest, and I gave away my money to feed teh hungry. From that time on, I got much closer to the children they taught. I could now truthfully say, 'We Brothers'" (25). Here, we get a sense of how important self-sacrifice is in the life of a Christian. Only when one "takes up his cross"--or dedicates himself to a cause greater than himself--can he truly begin to experience God's kingdom of love on earth.

That said, I would like you to discuss one theme (a unifying idea or subject of a given text) portrayed in "The Seed Years". Support your discussion with back-up from the text; use quotes and format them properly (as modeled for you above)! Notice above how I discuss the theme of self-sacrifice as being an important part of the Christian's call to duty and relate it to De La Salle's life using a quote from the chapter.

Please be thorough and thoughtful in your response. This blog should be at least one paragraph in length, but may very well exceed that length, especially if you get involved in your discussion of the theme you choose. Always ask yourself "how" and "why" when discussing the points you make about a particular theme. When you insert quotes, you must interpret what the author means by them.

This is due Tuesday, March 17, 2009 by class-time.

Brother Rob Peach, FSC

Meeting a Saint: I, John Baptist de La Salle

Bros:

In Chapter One of I, John Baptist de La Salle, entitled, "Roots and Wings," the author speaks in the perspective of De La Salle, telling us of his upbringing and the initial spark that led De La Salle from the "clerical" duties of the priesthood to the founding of something that he "wouldn't have touched the project with the tips of [his] fingers" if he knew where it would lead him (Kirby 21).

In a well-developed paragraph, due by classtime on Wednesday, March 11, I would like you to give a personal response to the beginnings of De La Salle's story. Questions to consider:

• What are some observations about his early life that strike you as interesting or odd?
• What defines "vocation" according to what you read of De La Salle's early life?
• How does De La Salle experience God in his life according to the voice of Brother Leo Kirby, FSC, who wrote the essay in the persona of De La Salle?
• How does De La Salle's early life and call to the priesthood and later to the mission asked of him by Adrien Nyel parallel an Old Testament story of God's call to a prophet? (be specific)
• Why is De La Salle relevant to your own life today? From the little you've read, what about his life could you make relevant to your own?
• What was the role of suffering in shaping De La Salle's knowledge of and approach to everyday life?

If you should at all refer to something in the text, please format as follows: Speaking as the person of De La Salle, Bro. Leo Kirby, FSC, writes, "Adrien Nyel, who later became a good friend of mine, was by experince and nature an originator of projects. I guess he was the spark; I was the bush he set afire. Together, I think, we made a pretty good team" (Kirby 21).

The above quote is placed in quotation marks with an introductory phrase (Bro. Leo Kirby, FSC, writes...) and is cited with the last name of the author and the page number from which you took the author's quote in parantheses, followed by a period.

In order to respond on this blog, you will click the header, I, John Baptist de La Salle, then click the"post comment" link at the bottom of this prompt. You will then type your response with a heading that is formatted as follows:

Your Name

Bro. Rob Peach, FSC

Rel 011.05

March 11, 2009