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Section/Pages: first half of the novel
Members Present: Charles, Ryan, and Alex

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Section/Pages: CHAPTER 13-16
Members Present: all

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Name: Ryan Carney
Email: 25054rc

Name: Alex Marcis
Email: 25250am

Name: Charlie Clague
Email: 25066cc

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Read!

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Section/Pages: 1-12
Members Present: All

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Give good insight during group discusion

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1 Brainstorm a LIST OF THEMES for the book thus far. Then, select one theme from the list and find at least three pieces of textual evidence to support it. 1

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The group overall had another great discussion. Everybody contributed their thoguths with regards to this particular section of the book and many early arising themes were discussed.

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Overall Reflection: Meeting was very productive and friendly. Talked about the best parts of the section, the less fun parts, and teh journey that Bill Bryson is taking.

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Allow all to have a fair chance to speak

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What was discussed for this section:

Bryson and Katz decided to split up for a month over the summer ---> will they return together?
Bryson starts to realize that the goal of finishing the trail in the summer is unlikely --> would he go on?
Bryson learns about the several murders that occured in the area he's in ----> will this scare him away? would it scare you away?
Bryson gains a sudden burst of energy to complete the trial entirely on foot ---> will he end up doing it?
Bryson notices that the nature in the US is designed for people to drive to it ---> does this seem true in the US today? can you really drive anywhere to or through nature?
Bryson imagines himself being mauled by an animal ----> bryson has imagined a lot of things from him sleeping in a tent to getting attacked by an animal. If you did the same, would you still want to go on this trip after thinking about what might happen to you?
The woods seem to have a lot of stories that Bryson describes in the novel -----> can one make an analogy of the woods being just like life, saying that there is beauty in nature, fear in nature, human beings in nature, and so many other things that combine to make one great world, and it can all be seen in this trail.
There is a light house on the summit of a mountain where there is no coast ----> can this be significant at all in our novel or themes?
Bryson meets a hiker on the trail who is adamant about using technology while hiking ----> can we once again bring Bill Bryson back to Chris McCandles and how he wanted to travel the wilderness without any sort of technology?

Scribe: Alex Marcis

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The meeting went well although we didn’t have much material to cover. The meeting provided a good introduction and preperation to jump into this book and fully explore the exploration of Bill Bryson. By making some predictions, we can analyze what he will do in the future and try and see why we initially thought these things.

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1) Can we predict if these materials will prove to be useful during his trip

- His materials will help him but he osen’t have enough knoledge to allow him to survive. He have the mindset needed to go out into the woods (too laid back and ignorant). He isn’t fully ready for the hardships of the AT.

2) What prediction can we make about some of the things he might experience (maybe some foreshadowing?)

- The foreshadowing he explained in the beginning, may happen, at least some of it. He will most probably have encounters with wildlife but because of the bear on the cover, he will probably have an encounter with a bear. He will probably need to find someone else to walk with him in order to keep him sane and help him in his experience. He may be sorta an odd personality but could have good outdoor knoledge.

3) Have you ever experienced any of the things Bill talked about during his voyage/what will happen?

- Clague has experienced some encounters of an animal. When a raccoon brushed against the tent when we heard an animal going through a cooler in our campsite.

Scribe Clague

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Questions prompting discussion:

“Were there any moments in the first half of the novel you found humorous? as there were many”

“Were there any connections you made from this text to a similar text we read?”

“How does attitude affect someone’s ability to perform under strenuous circumstances? and provide an example from the book”

“Should Bryson bring Katz along with him and if not why would u say no?”

First, charles shared a moment of the book that he found humorous. It was when Bryson went to the wilderness store and was secretly making fun of the guy helping him thinking he’s a nerd and an idiot, yet decides to continue with his purchase and spends thousands on gear and other things he will need to complete his hike.

Second, we all made the connection of Bryson to Chris McCandless; although Chris did not realize it, they were both in over their head and unprepared for the journey that awaited them. We are told the stories of the three men before Chris who died tying to survive in Alaska, and we are shown a similar parallel when Bryson hears that 9 men who tried to hike the AT before him met their demise.

Thirdly, we discussed the feeling of paranoia Bryson had when it came to encountering a bear. This fear came from countless horror stories in which the smallest mistake killed someone. As a result, Bryson pondered all the small mistakes he could make that could lead to his death. We wondered how this paranoia could hurt him in the future. It wrong to be naive, yet, having very little to no confidence in yourself is just as detrimental.

Finally, we as a group were shocked by the fact that Bryson continued on with Katz as his partner in the woods. From the moment we are introduced to him we see him as a gluttonous and ignorant man. Having companionship in the woods is extremely important for if you are alone then you could go insane, however, having someone actively ruin your plans, and take your resources is far worse.

Scribe: Carney

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Sections Ch. 17-21
Group members present: All

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To summarize, the meeting in itself went very well. It was nice to end this very captivating book and wrap up with some final discussion questions before moving on to the next book. Overall, we all very much enjoyed this story of Bill and his friend Katz and took a lot away from it.

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- What are some final thoughts about the book or some future predictions that Bill will endeavor to?

The final thoughts were overwhelmingly positive as we all absolutely loved the book. We all thought that it truly captivated the reader with its humor but also with the deep insight Bryson was able to incorporate throughout. After reading the wikipedia page, we found that this book was actually very hard for Bryson to write due to walking being incredibly boring. However, some how he made this book very captivating.

We know from the final chapter that he continues to hike. This goes to show the shear power that the outdoors can have on someone, one mark which will never fade with time is the beauty of nature and the wilderness, and absolute fascination.

- What are some major messages that we took away from this story?

One of the major messages we took away is the idea of determination. Of course with a hiking book there will be determination but specifically determination of the common man. These two guys were the embodiment of common, both overweight and out of shape but some how were able to trek around 880 miles. Another theme included is conservation. The wilderness is being threatened by deforestation and commercialism. Bryson really emphasizes the idea that the beauty which inspired him is under attack and more awareness must be made known in order to stop it. Finally, the idea of not having to be perfect but still being fulfilled is extremely prevalent in this text. Although they didn't reach the final destination, they were still satisfied. They were only 80 miles out from the ultimate goal but they were real with themselves and said we have to stop. This we found to be comforting knowing that its ok to fail sometimes.

- Is friendship really a beneficial thing or can it lead to problems?

Friendship while causing many problems for Bill, led to his ultimate success. While Katz did destroy most of the food and cause them to almost get into a fight, there was still that fraternal aspect there which we think, saved Bill from going insane. Without that strong friend there supporting him, even indirectly, made all the difference.

Scribe Charles Clague