Losing Matt Shepard Analysis - 2050 Words

David Mattera Professor Boemo Expository Writing 101: LP December 2, 2008 The Complexity of Simply Dying At first glance, the concept of death seems simple; one tries to live as long as possible, and when the time comes, he goes. However, there is much more to it than that. There is everything that leads to a person’s death and there is the aftermath. In her article â€Å"Losing Matt Shepard: Life and Politics in the Aftermath of Anti-Gay Murder,† Beth Loffreda talks about the outcome of a gay young man named Matt Shepard being murdered, and how he became lost in the wake of the movement that followed. Similarly, Jon Krakauer retraces the story of a young man named Chris McCandless who died in the Alaskan wilderness in his piece â€Å"Into the†¦show more content†¦The most intriguing, and challenging to understand, aspect of a person’s death is his final thoughts. That is one bit of information that is impossible for someone to find out no matter how he researches. A person’s final thoughts are the most complex because they are the accumulation of all of one’s life and decisions. One can only wonder what regrets the deceased came up with or what they might have wanted to do differently. The little details are often the most challenging to gather, and even when they are gathered they can still be difficult to understand. The experiences one goes through in life can be hard for another to understand if they have never been through a similar experience. A challenge arises for writers to try to comprehend what the deceased experienced in life, and then to convey it so their readers can understand it as well. Even if immense description is provided, a reader might still not be able to imagine what a certain experience is like. For example, Matt Shepard was â€Å"viciously and repeatedly [beaten] with a .357 Magnum† (Loffreda 368). One can try and imagine how painful that would be, but unless it happens to the reader, he cannot know what it is like. Chris McCandless had to make his own fire, catch his food, sleep in t he freezing cold, and starve. Most Americans have never had to gather their own wood and build a fire from scratch lighting it with a single match; they are used to just turning on the gas to their fireplaceShow MoreRelatedGay College Student At The University Of Wyoming ( Bio )1429 Words   |  6 PagesWyoming, Matthew Shepard was a young, gay college student at the University of Wyoming (bio). Studying political science, Shepard â€Å"wanted to pursue a Foreign Service career after college† (bio). On October 6, 1998, Shepard met Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson at a local bar in Laramie, Wyoming (bio). Unaware of the two men’s true motivations, Shepherd left the bar with McKinney and Henderson and drove away with them to a rural area in Laramie (bio). Eighteen hours later, Matt Shepard was found barelyRead MoreGay College Student At The University Of Wyoming1447 Words   |  6 PagesMatthew Shepard was a young, gay college student at the University of Wyoming ( Worthen). Studying political science, Shepard â€Å"wanted to pursue a Foreign Service career after college† (Worthen). On October 6, 1998 Shepard met Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson at a local bar in Laramie, Wyoming (Worthen). Unaware of the two men’s true motivations, Shepherd left the bar with McKinney and Henderson and drove away with them to a rural area in Laramie (Worthen). Eighteen hours later, Matt Shepard was foundRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 PagesEDITOR PRODUCTION MANAGER PRODUCTION ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE MARKETING MANAGER ASSISTANT MARKETING MANAGER MARKETING ASSISTANT DESIGN DIRECTOR SENIOR DESIGNER SENIOR MEDIA EDITOR George Hoffman Lise Johnson Carissa Doshi Dorothy Sinclair Matt Winslow Amy Scholz Carly DeCandia Alana Filipovich Jeof Vita Arthur Medina Allison Morris This book was set in 10/12 New Caledonia by Aptara ®, Inc. and printed and bound by Courier/Westford. The cover was printed by Courier/Westford. This