The Call Of Jack London
During a time when man had gold fever, and
philosophical views plagued the minds of many, one man took
these views and turned them into great outdoor adventures.
John “Jack” Griffith London, a twentieth century author,
wrote The Call of the Wild, other novels, and short stories
that depict the philosophical views of the time and added
adventure to them by using his own life experiences that
carried thousands of men including himself to the Klondike
in search of gold.
In Winter 1876 San Francisco John and Flora London
shared the joy of childbirth in the celebration of their
only child together. They named the baby boy John Griffith
London, or Jack for short. He became the twelfth child of
his father, for through his first marriage he had eleven
children. Jack London’s family was stricken by poverty.
His father had many trades, however worked mainly in truck
gardening(McCracken 370). After Jack’s graduation from
grammar school, which he attended in Oakland, Jack read many
novels, mainly ones about romance, travel, and adventure.
He took many odd jobs to make ends meet(Comptons Interactive
Encyclopedia).
Jack had ambitions for a life at sea. At age fifteen
Jack London bought a boat of his own, called Razzle Dazzle.
He became an oyster pirate, sailing the San Francisco Bay
robbing oyster beds and becoming a heavy drinker. Jack had
many hard times. He spent some time as a hobo and spent
some time in prison. At the age of nineteen he entered high
school. Hard work enabled him the privilege of attending
The University of California at Berkley. Less than a year
passed and he gave up school to try and support his family
and persue a writing career. He did not sell any of his
work(Kunitz and Haycraft 844).
He joined the gold rush to the Klondike in the summer
of 1897. The group stopped along the Yukon near about the
Stewert River for winter. London became vary ill with
Scurvy and was forced south for survival. Upon his re entry
to San Francisco Jack learned of his fathers death. He
could not find work of any kind, so once again he tried his
hand at writing. His first writing, a story about life on
the Yukon, was accepted by a magazine called Overlan...
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...ty. This is
illustrated in a quote from the book, “His cunning was wolf
cunning...his intelligence, shepherd intelligence and St.
Bernard intelligence.”(London) “London’s unusual subject
allows him to see virtues in return to an aboriginal state
that could not be found if humans were the subject.”(Magill
1148) He also uses the literary element of contrast to
bring effect to his novel. For instance when “Buck is at
his most savage he is also most completely fulfilling his
potential utulizing his brain, muscles, and heart to the
utmost.”(Magill 1148)
Jack London had a life full of ups and downs . He used
ideas of philosophy that affected the world to inspire all
of his writings as well as the ideas of his own experiences
and of the great adventures celebrated in the age of time.
He used ideas of Charles Darwin, racial hierarchy, and the
American Credo of success to inspire his writings. Once he
tried to make it to Alaska himself, so he was able to use
some of what he experienced to add realistic adventure to
his stories. All elements of his life and his era helped
make him one of the greatest adventure writers of the
generations.
Do you ever hear of nature fakers? Well, if not, a nature faker is an author that gives animals, from the wild, human characteristics and personifies them. In Jack London’s novel, The Call of the Wild, he writes about an extremely tough and confident dog, named Buck, who thrives in nature. For his writing in The Call of the Wild, many people accuse Jack London of being a nature faker. Nonetheless, Jack London is a magnificent, talented writer who carries a significant amount of knowledge about the wild and therefore isn’t a nature faker.
John Burroughs accused Jack London for being a ‘’Nature Faker’’. Some Critics even said London animal hero’s are men in fur. There is an article about writers like him that was asked can any writer create a believable and compelling nonhuman character without being a nature faker? Why might Jack London have chosen to attempt this difficult technical feat and what is he trying to communicate to readers through his portrayal of Buck? Richard E. Miller called Jon Krakauer’s critique of London vehemence. Krakauer’s fury was for authors whose life and words don’t line up. Since Mc...
In Jack London’s “To Build a Fire,” the nameless man’s pride cost him his life. Throughout the story, the character exhibits many indications that there is a possibility of his demise. It begins with the character’s inability to ground himself to reality, he observed the events happening around him, but he does not fully grasp the impact they have on him. He is naïve and overconfident, believing he could survive on his own; he does not take advice from an experience man from that country.
Finnegan's Wake is an old Irish tune, but these words were added later for music-hall use during the Victorian era. Some Irish people have objected to them as an English inspired stereotype, but I first heard this song sung by the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, at the Gate of Horn in Chicago, in the late 50s. To me, no one was more Irish than they were. Here it is in honor of Saint Patrick's Day.
As can be seen, the critic Philo M. Blake, Jr.’s opinion of Jack London’s protagonists in the novel The Call of the Wild is not justified. Time and time again, from the incident at the bar, to winning the impossible bet, to risking his own life in the rushing rapids, Buck displayed noble qualities such as loyalty, bravery, and selflessness. In spite of rejecting the culture of civilization and being labeled a “beast” by many, Buck ideally reflects the spirit of true heroism through his courage, noble qualities, and exceptional
A major theme in Jack London’s classic The Call of the Wild is adaptability is essential for survival because Buck goes from an easy life to a harsh environment. Adapting is a brief development that takes days to weeks compared to evolving which takes years and generations. By adapting, an animal or person could transfer from one environment to another. While all organisms can adapt, some individuals adapt better than others. In the book, Buck learns how to act, he reawakens dormant instincts and embraces the inner feral dog to survive the north.
Fang the main character is a gray cub wolf. Wolves in this novels were used
The Turn of the Screw, a ghost story novella by Henry James, was first published in 1898. It is described as a masterpiece in storytelling, and because of how it creates an atmosphere of terror; it is considered a central text in the horror genre. The story is about a guest named Douglas reading to other guests a story from a written record. An unknown narrator remembers some friends gathering at an old house to listen to one another’s ghost stories, and then introduces Douglas, who tells them about a story that involves two children and a governess. As Douglas reads the story, the point of view shifts and the story is narrated by a different character. It is precisely his sister’s governess who narrates her mysterious experience, in which she claims she has a ghost encounter.
Is Jack London a nature faker? That’s an arguable opinion. In my essay I will be stating the reasons why Jack London IS a nature faker. In my research I found that when Jack London went to the Klondike to write his book, “Call of the Wild” he saw many acts of animal cruelty. Jack London did infact state that his encounters with animal cruelty did affect his writing. Also, in his book he shows animals showing strange acts of, “love”, which most dogs do not show like Buck, the dog in the book. In the book it also has many encounters of Buck doing human tasks, such as reading the newspaper and taking the grand kids places. As you can tell, Buck is being humanized.
The fairies and the fairy realm have many responsibilities in this play. The most important of which is that they are the cause of much of the conflict and comedy within this story. They represent mischievousness and pleasantry which gives the play most of its emotion and feeling. They relate to humans because they make mistakes but differ in the fact that they do not understand the human world.
The Call of the Wild, by Jack London, is a classic piece of American literature. The novel follows the life of a dog named Buck as his world changes and in turn forces him to become an entirely new dog. Cruel circumstances require Buck to lose his carefree attitude and somewhat peaceful outlook on life. Love then enters his life and causes him to see life through new eyes. In the end, however, he must choose between the master he loves or the wildness he belongs in.
Have you ever thought about your pet ending up with a whip on their back . Jack London was an adventurous man who visited the Klondike and eventually got the inspiration to write 20+ books .In the book Call of the Wild, Jack London reveals how humans view work animals differently through the perspectives of two characters, Hal and The Scottish Half-Breed.
When we think of civilization, what comes to mind? Some might think of etiquette, compassion, and many other concepts of that nature. These are the things that people have come to accept as proper human behaviors. However, what of our more primitive instincts? Things that are often frowned upon such as pride, gut-instincts, and looking out for ourselves first are some of our most basic human needs. People in the modern world would like to rely more on teamwork and recognition that pride and independence. They prefer to trust logic and scientific reasoning in place of trusting what we believe to be right. They also seem to want us to help everyone around us before we do anything to help ourselves. In London’s The Call of the Wild, primitive nature is not something to be feared and overcome, but rather something to be utilized and fulfilled.
London’s actual name was John Griffith Chaney and he was born on January 12, 1876 in San Francisco, California. His mother, Flora Wellman, was unwed while his father, William Chaney, was a man of many trades, and he worked as an attorney, journalist, and also worked in the field of American astrology. London’s father was never permanent in his life and as a result, his mother married a man named John London, and the three moved to the Bay Area before they established themselves in Oakland. Jack was raised in a blue-collar, working-class family, but struggled throughout his teenage years because of the lasting impact of his father’s absence. As a result of his troubled childhood, London had a variety of jobs, comparable to his father, and he could never keep one for very long. From pirating oysters, working on a sealing ship in the Pacific to finding employment in a cannery, London’s undertakings did inspire him. Whenever London found any spare time, he would practice writing. His career in the writing world sparked in 1893, when his mother encouraged him to submit a story that was based off his adventures of surviving a typhoon on a sealing voyage, despite having only an eighth grade level education. A twe...
Jack London, the author of The Call of the Wild, was a well known journalist, novelist, and explorationist born in the mid nineteenth Century. He began his writing career in the late 1890’s after his experience out west during the Gold Rush. Though the gold rush did not make London rich, it gave him ample material to write about. The Gold Rush was a short period of time in America’s history; during this time almost three hundred thousand gold thirsty men traveled to California trying to strike it rich. Originally published in 1903, soon after the Gold Rush, The Call of the Wild, is one of his novels that formed from his experiences out west. Spending so much time in the wild, Jack London witnessed the struggle for survival and exalted beings