Into Thin Air

Overall, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer was a very touching book that taught me many lessons that I can carry into my own life. Krakauer was originally hired to go on this journey to write an article for Outside magazine. In the end, an article was not enough to describe the hardships, tragedies, and loses that he faced. Krakauer then wrote Into Thin Air to go into graphic detail about his experience conquering Everest. He has lead detailed research since the article was published to get as much information as possible. Krakauer believes that his life changing experiences need to be shared with everybody.

The twist about this book is that the first chapter is Krakauer's expedition team reaching the summit. It may through you off a bit when reading since you had not read about any of the climb yet. Usually while reading a book about climbing a mountain, the climax of the book is when they reach the summit; however, if the summit is in the first chapter, the climax of this book is another moment worth remembering. Although Krakauer is foreshadowing what is to come, the tragedy has barely started.

The book starts to pick up pace around chapter eight. At this point, the team starts their acclimation process. Hall, the leader of their team, orders everyone to spend two nights at Camp One, then three nights at Camp Two, then head down and return to Base Camp. Throughout the next few days, Krakauer discovers many nuances about climbing that he was not aware of before he started. "Even without unleashing the worst it could dish out, the mountain had sent us scurrying for safety" (163). This was their feeling for the next couple of chapters. Encountering many unseen obstacles, the team moved forward on their journey to the summit.

From this point on, many people experience close to death moments or in some cases, death. Krakauer reaches the summit, but loses all of his oxygen. His venture down the mountain is a brutal walk. He sees many people struggling, but he is too ill and weak to help them. As what is left of his team gets closer and closer to the bottom of the mountain, it becomes much easier. Multiple people are escorted off the mountain by helicopter and rest continue their journey. On May 13th, they begin their final descent. Once they reach the bottom Krakauer has a very difficult time discussing what has happened. He feels as if he could have saved more lives. This experience was not easy for him or anyone else on his team.

Trust, loyalty, and drive are words that can mean numerous things to different people. I have learned a lot about these three simple words from Krakauer's experience. I think that these are three things that not only  helped him succeed on the mountain, but can help everybody in their lives. They are things that are so simple, yet very complex. If you can master them as well as Krakauer, you can climb over any mountain you will face in life.

Men Vs. Women

I think everyone should stop and take a moment to realize the work that women do. Although some women get credit for their accomplishments, others do not. The duties women fulfill are sometimes exploited or overlooked. "If Men Could Menstruate" by Gloria Steinem and "The Great Lawsuit" by Margaret Fuller bring up many eyeopening points about regards to women. One comparison made in both articles is blacks and women. This makes a lot of sense to me because you can tell that both are not treated the same. I believe that all people should be treated equally.

The article "If Men Could Menstruate" took a more serious topic and turned it into something light and at points, hysterical. The fact that men would go around and brag about menstruating and think of it as a hierarchy is the point that stuck with me the most. "Menopause would be celebrated as a positive event, a symbol that men had accumulated enough years of cyclical wisdom to need no more". This statement shows that men would turn this into a different ordeal than women do. Women deal with the problems that come and the troubles they face, but would men do the same?

The second article "The Great Lawsuit" was quite confusing to me. It was written so long ago that the language is not the same as we use today. The statement that made this article click in my mind was "All men are privately influenced by women". This is very true in every mans life. All men are influenced in one way or another by a woman. Whether that woman is a grandmother, mother, aunt, sister, or friend, they learn many great things from them. Women are wise people and I do not feel that they always get the credit they deserve. Next time you see an important woman in your life, tell her thank you. It will make her feel good about the wonderful things she has done in life.