Chris McCandless rejects a traditional path of success and instead defines success on his own terms through freedom, experience, and personal meaning. Reflect on what success means to you at your current stage in life. In the response, explain how success is currently defined (grades, college acceptance, achievements, happiness, etc.) and where those ideas come from. Then, consider whether that definition truly reflects personal values or if it is shaped by expectations from family, school, or society.

 

    At this moment in life my success is measured by many different things: grades, music, and experiences. I have just finished taking my SAT and i'm waiting for my grade, this determines a lot for my future. It is what decides what scholarships I can get, and what colleges I can go to. My GPA is also part of this, so I see them as a big part of whether I'm succeeding or not. Music is also a big part of my life's success, I want to do it for a living so making a good portfolio is big for me. How complex of a song I can play, and how well I write a song all decide how good I'm doing in life. Finally experience, this is the most important part of how well I see my success. Through experience like finding a job, learning how to cook, playing concerts, etc, I believe that I can take what I've learned and transfer it to other places in my life to become more successful.

We read chapter nine and ten.

I learned about Everett Ruess's life.