Intellectual Reasoning vs. Instinct It has been said from Plato onward that man’s reasoning is his highest faculty and makes him superior to animals. In the short story "To Build a Fire‚" by Jack London‚ man’s intellectual reasoning ability is regarded as “second class” to that of the survival mechanism that is embedded within humans and animals alike. This survival mechanism is sometimes referred to as instinct. If solely depended on‚ man’s intellectual reasoning may be clouded‚ imprudent and
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Jack London : Biography "You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club" (BrainyQuote). This is one of Jack London’s more well known quotes. Jack London was born as John Griffith Chaney on January 12‚ 1876‚ in San Francisco("Jack London"). His mother was Flora Wellman and his father was suspected to be astrologer William H. Chaney‚ who denied his paternity and abandoned London’s mother(Wilson). London was suckled‚ or nursed‚ by an ex-slave named Virginia Prentiss‚ who
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In “War” by Jack London‚ the setting taking place in a war and the steamy temperature is significant to the text because it develops the tone in the story which is concerned. First‚ the setting taking place in a war develops the tone because it is very hot where the war is taking place‚ the heat is almost unbearable. The narrator is constantly battling the heat in the story. Jack London writes‚ “The ban of his cavalryman’s hat was fresh stained with sweat. The roan horse under him was likewise wet
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John Griffith “Jack” London was born on January 12‚ 1876 in San Francisco‚ CA. Although London originally had the surname Griffith‚ when his mother married John London later in 1876‚ the couple had the infant’s name changed to London. London worked many different‚ unique jobs in his youth. His occupations ranged from pirating for oysters on San Francisco Bay to running for mayor of San Francisco on the socialist ticket. London became an author to escape the drudgery of a potential life as factory
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ways and for numerous different reasons. Jack London wrote stories in a way that was specific to him‚ as well as writing stories for reasons that were distinct to him and his experiences. His short stories‚ "Love of Life" and "To Build a Fire"‚ display some of London’s distinctive style. London’s naturalist and determinist writings were shaped by his time in the Yukon during the Alaskan Gold Rush. London’s stories also featured strong thematic meanings. Jack London’s deliberate style was affected by
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Jack London is one of the greatest American authors of all time‚ and more specifically one of the greatest Regionalism literature. He short story “To Build a Fire” displays many of the characteristics of this subgenre of Realism. There is a strong emphasis on the harshness of nature to man and how man must fight to survive and the main character is of a lower class. Also there is a simple language that is realistic to the characters and setting. These characteristics combine to create one of the
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those three works‚ “To Build a Fire” by Jack London‚ “The Fish” by Elizabeth Bishop‚ and “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin is the loss of something significant. Each story or poem has a different way of ending peacefully and handling the loss. The narrator in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London‚ experiences the loss of fire. The wise man told the narrator that he should not go out in the Yukon by himself. There were many failed attempts by the narrator to build a fire to keep him‚ and his dog
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“To Build a Fire” Essay “To Build a Fire” demonstrates numerous examples of the philosophical theory of naturalism that “the universe is indifferent to human beings‚ and people are at the mercy of natural forces over which they have little control”. According to this statement‚ human life is very fragile. The fact that this story takes place in the Yukon region‚ one should know that the natural forces are at its strongest. This would cause an intelligent person to prepare‚ but not in this case
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Jack London once said‚ “The proper function of man is to live‚ not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.” This quote is a good representation of who Jack London was as a writer and a person. He worked hard at what he believed in‚ never backing down from challenges or new adventures‚ so he could potentially spark his imagination with new ideas to write about. Unlike most people‚ Jack knew at a young age that he wanted to write‚ though his writing initiated
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sometimes that change is dramatic it changes how you think‚ how you act. Buck happened to go through one of these drastic changes‚ but it changed him for the better and not worse at least that’s how he sees it. In the book “The call of the Wild” Jack London writes about Buck just a normal dog‚ and how the switch from living in a wealthy house in Santa Clara Valley‚ to a moving camp of sled dogs changed him over the course of a year. At first he was a regular dog who thought he was the center of attention
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