Book Club Assignment- Creative Component

Wordle #1
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/6826362/INTO_THIN_AIR_%231

Five Important Words:

1. Oxygen- necessity for human life.

This word is important to the text because a lack of oxygen was a huge component to the novel "Into Thin Air." There is little to no oxygen as you go higher up Mount Everest, so all climbers had to wear working oxygen masks to survive. This passage is an incident that happened to Jon Krakauer and how he lost all of his oxygen and had to battle some obstacles before getting oxygen again. With out oxygen support, every climber would have died of suffocation.

2. Valve- something that opens something else, generally have to turn to open it.

This word is important to the text because the valve is what lead to Jon Krakauer running out of oxygen. Harris, his friend climbing up the mountain with him, had mistakenly opened the valve to release full flow of oxygen. Jon had asked him to tighten it so he could conserve whatever oxygen he did have left, and Harris did the opposite putting him in grave danger. He was in a "hypoxically impaired state" therefore it had just been an accident.

3. Head - large body part on a human that lays above the shoulders and his supported by the neck.

This word is important to the text because Jon is constantly commenting on how his head felt at different parts of the mountain. This certain passage is explaining an accident causing him to quickly lose beneficial oxygen, and this had really messed up his head. As he drained of oxygen, so did his brain. He started feeling extremely light headed, dizzy and nauseous as he tried to recover another tank of oxygen 250 feet below him.

4. Tank- an object that carries or holds something within it.

This word is important to the text because it is the object that carried all of Jon and everyone else's oxygen. With out the tank, no one would have been able to survive. They would carry the tanks full of oxygen on their back, which would be a burden sometimes. Jon made few complaints through out the novel. They would place new tanks at checkpoints up the mountain, because the tanks could only last so long until they ran out of oxygen.

5. Minutes- a matter of time, 60 seconds.

This word is important to the text because it's emphasizing the little amount of time there was to do nearly impossible tasks through out the novel. When Jon ran out of oxygen, he literally had a few minutes to descend 250 feet below him and get another tank of oxygen. It was a miracle that he made it, and time was crucial when on the mountain.


Wordle #2
 http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/6835956/Into_Thin_Air_%232

Five Important Words:

1.Snow: frozen precipitation.

This word is important to the text because it is a serious element on Mount Everest that adds many challenges to climbing it. It adds to how cold it is, makes it hard to tredge and climb on, can turn more icy to make it even more dangerous and get your clothes wet. Also, if an avalanche were to occur, it could completely bury climbers. There were many challenges through out the novel "Into Thin Air" based around snow. Climbers commonly got frost bite if they weren't dressed in the appropriate attire, and even though snow appears harmless, it's not.

2. Nervous: a feeling or emotion; feeling scared, worried.

This word is important to the text because there was a lot of things to worry about while climbing the mountain, and climbers constantly felt very nervous. Climbers are constantly facing near death experiences, and they constantly worry and are nervous on when the next one will be. Many people question why people even climb up Mount Everest due to all the risks, but even though climbers are extremely nervous the whole time, they still love it.

3. Dead- when a living thing is no longer living.

This word is important to the text because there was a lot of death in the novel "Into Thin Air." The sad truth is that many people die on Mount Everest, and it's the serious risk for every climber that go up it. There are many deaths in this novel, and it's quite tragic. It's extremely easy to die on the mountain, and one little mistake can be extremely fatal.

4. Abandoning- to leave someone emotionally or physically.

This word is important to the text because abandonment is a re-occurring theme through out the novel "Into Thin Air." People would rarely need to make the huge decision of leaving someone behind, but it does happen. Generally if a person is too injured or sick to continue up the Mountain, they will call a helicopter to come pick them up, but that wouldn't always work. This applies to the deaths that occur on the mountain. Someone can also abandon some one emotionally on the mountain, with them once being someone's rock then leaving them and treating them like dirt. The mountain "changes people" says Jon Krakauer.

5. Frozen- when something or someone is past the point of cold; surrounded by ice.

This word is important to the text because the climbers while climbing up the mountain literally felt frozen. Even with the warmest jacket and outfit, they were still freezing climbing through the coldest peaks of Everest. People would get serious frostbite, and in some serious cases actually die from being so cold. There's not much climbers could do except for dress as warmly as possible and keep moving.

Persuasive Paragraph- Commercialism On The Mountain

The most interesting theme that came up in the novel “Into Thin Air” was commercialism surrounding Mount Everest and how much people bought into that. This was the most interesting theme because it was crazy to read about how much commercialism could blindside people, how much money the mountain can draw in from the simplest things and how much it has increased over the years. First of all, the mountain’s commercialism constantly blindsided climbers with all of the extra hidden costs and fees. A determined climber would go in expecting to pay around two thousand dollars in total, and end up spending over five thousand. It was insane how the climbers were temporarily blind too what they were spending because of their determination to just climb the mountain.  To continue, another reason commercialism was the most interesting theme in the novel was how the mountain could draw in money for the simplest things. There was a lot of competition between different companies offering services up the mountain, so prices and new deals would constantly pop up. People would be offered deals that made it seem like they were saving money when in reality they were spending more money than they needed to. The deals offered random clichés such as strange keepsakes and little things the climbers didn’t essentially need; therefore wasting their money and making an outrageous profit.  In conclusion, commercialism was the most interesting theme in the novel “Into Thin Air” because of how much it increased over the years. When they first made a business out of climbers going up the mountain, there were next to no costs, but as the mountain increased in popularity, so did the amount of climbers. They started charging way more money each year because they simply could, and as more businesses opened up surrounding the mountain, so did the income of what started off as a small business. Experienced climbers who used to spend next to nothing were very displeased with the amount of money they had to start paying, and it was extremely unfair for them. This is why commercialism was the most interesting theme that came up in the novel "Into Thin Air."

Sources: Image- https://www.google.ca

 -All information in the text was taken straight from the novel "Into Thin Air"

Guest Speaker #7- Harold Albrecht

I was absent on Monday, May 13th, 2013 when Harold Albrecht presented to my future forums class. When I discussed his presentation with my peers who were here, they said very positive things. They all said he was very well-spoken and passionate about what he was talking about. Reading his description was very interesting. Going from a dentist, to a pastor to an MP is very wide spread and a tad odd. Those are extremely different career paths but good for him for being able to achieve all three careers. 80 hours a week is pretty extreme, and I could not see myself in a career with such intensity. He was very interesting to read about and I wish I could have been there to see him present!

Guest Speaker #6- Sarah Leishman

Sarah Leishman is a Child and Youth Worker in Kitchener Waterloo. She went to Mohawk College then Ryerson. Her job description is mainly talking to children up to the age of 18 and their families about any problems they might have (mental/physical abuse, special needs, anxiety, eating disorders etc.) and helps them work through these problems or is just there to listen. A lot of people feel they don't have anyone to talk to about anything, so I believe this is one of the greatest careers out there. The amount of people Sarah Leishman has helped is remarkable, and I truly look up to her and every other Child and Youth Worker around the world for doing what they do. I could definitely consider this as a career path, because I have always been that friend that you can vent to, and I always try my best to give good, helpful advice or just be a shoulder to cry on which is basically what this job is. I love working with other people, and I would take pride in helping other people so much. I have seen Child and Youth Workers a bit in the past and they have definitely helped me out so I would love to do that as well for other people. She was a great speaker who seemed very passionate about her career.

Guest Speaker #5- Amy Beamer

She was one of my favourite speakers by far because I learnt so much about the whole interview process and getting a job. I've recently been searching for a job, and she answered every question I had about the application, interview and hiring process. Everyone could tell from the moment she walked in that she is a very powerful, intelligent person who loves and is good at her job. I learnt how to dress for interviews, how to answer tough questions, and what to do if I do get the job. She definitely knows exactly what she's talking about and it was nice to have a speaker that taught me so much. I would love to have her job or a job similar to hers, I love talking to people and I really enjoyed interviewing students in our Future Forums class. She was a great speaker and I was extremely happy to have learnt so much!

Guest Speaker #4 - Justin Kominar

 
Justin Kominar is a well-spoken developer at Primal. He's an extremely intelligent man who seemed very passionate about his work and everything he does. He started off as a Philosopher, which he briefly talked about. He had shared his love for technology and computer programming, and said he everntually decided to follow that love and make it his career. My father has worked in similar companies to Primal, and I could see myself in a job like this. I would need to work a lot with other people, and I am pretty skilled with certain computers and software. I like the idea of not working a 9-to-5 job, flexible hours is definitely something I would want. He described how you should go into a career field that you love, even if it happens after you follow a different career path. I agree with and appreciate that specific mindset, because many people just go into a career field to make a lot of money or have a lot of power. It was nice to hear someone so down to earth and smart. He showed us Primal, and I believe it will be a very succesful search engine in the future. He was a great speaker and everyone really enjoyed listening to him speak.

April 17th- Comment I Made for "Into Thin Air"

I wasn't able to screen shot the answer, but the topic question was "What effect does stress have on us?" and I responded with :

ArielBishopPayne said 30 minutes ago

Stress is very unhealthy for everyone, it makes people very tired, emotional, and unable to perfom day-to-day tasks because they're stressing about something else.Stress can be caused from a heavy work load, upsetting or traumatizing events, if somethings not going your way etc. and it can be extremely hard to cope with. Some people turn to food, other people to different things, everyone has there own way. Stress is a part of life, some having much more then others. I believe stress makes you perform worse in life, but a little bit of stress can definetely encourage you to get things done and be succeful. It's all about how much stress you have, and how well you can handle it. If some one can handle stress well, then they will be extremely motivated and will probably work better vs. not having any stress at all.

Stress in group situations can be very difficult to cope with, especially when their isn't a prominent leader. It's very difficult to make decisions that every one agrees with, and stress can definetely tear apart a group. Each group member will have ideas but might be afraid to share and this will stress them out, and speaking from personal experience, it isn't easy to deal with. It's especially hard when you don't really know the people you're working with. Stress (depending on the people in the group)can help get a project done quicker, but that's only if the group members work really well together and get along.

I anticipate this novel being filled with a lot of stressful, but I am very excited to read it!