Throughout history it has always been shown that nature can overcome man. Natural disasters such as Earthquakes and blizzards are just two examples of how nature overcomes man. It is shown that man is no match to nature because the humans do almost always end up dying to the hands of nature. Man, can also die to nature because of how nature controls the seasons. We rely on nature to rain to help grow crops, and without it none of the food would grow. Also, if the temperature gets too hot or too cold and we are not clothed properly, then we would die to the hands of nature. Usually, nature is more powerful than man. There can not be a balance between man and nature because of man’s ignorance, arrogance, and inexperience and it is shown through …show more content…
Ignorance is found when the man ignores the old man’s words of advice about bringing a companion, “The man had been very serious when he said that no man should travel alone in the country after 50 below zero” (72). This shows ignorance because the man knows not to travel alone in the wild when the temperature is below 50 degrees, but he still goes there anyway because he is ignorant. Nature ends up overcoming man because of this, because had he brought a companion then he would not have died to the hands of nature. Inexperience is found in this story when the snow crashes down on his fire, “The snow fell without warning upon the man and the fire, and the fire was dead” (73). If the man was experienced, he would have known not to build the fire under the tree that was filled with snow. This is a prime example of inexperience because he would not have died if he was experienced. Arrogance is found in this passage after he ignores the man from Sulphur Creek’s life, “Well, here he was; he had had the accident; he was alone; and he had saved himself” (72). This shows arrogance because he has not got through the wild yet, and he is already saying that he is amazing. The arrogance led him to believe that he was better than nature, but then nature ends up killing him. To conclude, in the short story, “To Build a Fire” shows examples …show more content…
The first example of ignorance is found when Hal, Charles, and Mercedes decide to cross the frozen pond even though it is spring, “The bottom’s likely to drop out at any moment. Only fools, with blind luck of fools, could have made it” (69). Hal, Charles, and Mercedes were told that they would die if they continued, but they did and they died. They died in nature because of their inexperience ignorance and arrogance. A second example from the call of the wild is an example of inexperience and it is found with Hal, Charles, and Mercedes when they overfeed the dogs, “It was inevitable that they should go short on dog food. But they hastened it by overfeeding the, bringing the day nearer when underfeeding would commence” (63). This is an example of inexperience because if Hal, Charles, and Mercedes were experienced then they would have known to spread out the rations for the dogs instead of overfeeding and then underfeeding the dogs. This resulted in the dogs being fatigued for the days that would follow and is one of the reasons that the three of them and the dogs all died. Third is arrogance and is found when Hal, Charles, and Mercedes are talking to John Thornton and he tells them not to continue their journey and Hal says, “That’s because you’re not a fool, I suppose. All the same well go on to Dawson” (69). Hal thought that he was better than
The bond between humans and nature, it is fascinating to see how us has humans and nature interact with each other and in this case the essay The Heart’s Fox by Josephine Johnson is an example of judging the unknown of one's actions. She talks about a fox that had it's life taken as well as many others with it, the respect for nature is something that is precious to most and should not be taken advantage of. Is harming animals or any part of nature always worth it? I see this text as a way of saying that we must be not so terminate the life around us. Today I see us a s experts at destroying most around us and it's sad to see how much we do it and how it's almost as if it's okay to do and sadly is see as it nature itself hurts humans unintentionally
During his speech he was ignored and laughed at after working so hard and battling to be heard, but once he spoke of equality someone from the crowd became upset. “You sure that about ‘equality’ was a mistake?” (1220). Some are born with access and advantages, but some have to go through hurdles to get what they want. “I spoke automatically and with such fervor that did not realize that the men were still talking and laughing until my dry mouth, filling up with blood from the cut, almost strangled me.” (1219). This places a challenge on the white men in the area that an intelligent black boy who they thought nothing of yet still considered him voiceless and moronic. This chapter alone worked off of a single scene of how the narrator was indeed an invisible man in his youth, not knowing which way to turn, but remembering the words his grandfather said from his deathbed carrying on throughout his years. “Son, after I’m gone I want you to keep up the good fight. I never told you, but our life is a war and I have been a traitor all my born days…” (1211). Neither the culture nor the crowd wanted to accept what was given, doing anything to repress someone from attempting to reach a goal. It is a way to discourage one due to others feeling you aren’t good enough or have the will and drive. The theory applied may help readers see something that we would not see unless we
In Sophocles’ play, Oedipus, the King, there are various instances where Oedipus tries to escape his destiny—enlightenment—only to discover the truth that he cannot. Similarly, in Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” the prisoner travails to understand and adjust to his newly visited environment. In both works, the men first had to realize their ignorance before they could begin to acquire knowledge and true understanding of the complexities of the human condition. Specifically, in Oedipus, the King, it was Oedipus’ illusion of himself as a man unequaled in leadership whereas in “Allegory of the Cave” it was the prisoner’s initial refutations of enlightenment being shown him until he realizes its intellectual, spiritual, and social significance.
...lf-confidence. The Scarecrow was the one who believed that he had no brain even with him coming up with brilliant and clever solutions to the many problems that they faced on their journey. The tin man believed that he didn’t have a heart, but cries when bad things are brought upon the creatures they come to encounter. The lion believed that he had no courage even though he was the one brave enough to continue the journey, he always stated how brave he was and pushed forward even when the others did not want to. A famous quote from Carl L. Bankston III of Salem Press stated that "These three characters embody the classical human virtues of intelligence, caring, and courage, but their self-doubts keep them from being reduced to mere symbols of these qualities” (). This is an important quote because it highlights the self-confidence that Baum explored in his story.
The main arguments in The End of Nature is that as a result of human cons...
His defiance and yearning for truth are inborn, but have been repressed by a culture that strives for ignorance. Works Cited Bradbury, Ray. A. A.
Man has destroyed nature, and for years now, man has not been living in nature. Instead, only little portions of nature are left in the world
nature is not as in the plant and tree kind of nature, but on the nature of man at a
Socrates explains that akrasia is not possible through his reasoning of doing something that is negative is the cause of ignorance. Socrates explains that we never subconsciously do what is bad (Aristotle on Weakness of Will).Ultimately, Socrates claims if one knows good, they will pursue it and that if one does what is wrong, it is done involuntarily out of ignorance (Arrington 18). When Socrates reasons and expresses his explanation in the Protagoras and Meno, the question of weakness of will is brought up and his reaso...
Some include laughing with white teeth, laughing under the terrible burden of destiny, and laughing like an ignorant fighter (Sandburg). Personification is used to describe Chicago as a young man laughing carelessly, because he has not faced any serious problems, making him ignorant. “Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has never lost a battle” compares Chicago to a human that has not had experience with facing problems and so they laugh at others facing problems not knowing what it is like (Sandburg line 27). Ignorance is the effect of inexperience. Through literary devices, this poet has used characteristics of a person growing to describe the cultivation of
One characteristic of Naturalism in literature is that the characters in a story are described as being conditioned or controlled by the environment in which they are in; in essence man versus nature. In “To Build A Fire”, the man travels in the Yukon at a bone-chilling 75 degrees below zero. The environment in this story is used to portray a harsh, unforgiving landscape that can ultimately control ones fate if they don’t take the necessary precautions as the man did in this story. He didn’t think the environment could pose such a danger that any situation he encountered in it would get out of his control. Even with the advice of an old-timer to the area who advised him to take a partner at 50 below 0. It illustrates that the environment may seem under ones control, but one should never let their own perception of control interfere with the realization of the reality that no one runs nature other than “mother nature”. This is not to say that the environment was set out to hurt the man, rather, the environment was indifferent to what was going through it and ultimately what happened to the man. In essence, nature is revealed in this story to have no heart, compassion, or emotions regarding its actions. In this quote nature can be seen to control an action which is out of the individuals control: “In a seemingly safe, solid spot, the man falls through the snow and wets h...
The theme of ignorance is vital for this story. It is woven throughout and evident in all the characters. It is first displayed through the protagonist, John Harker. It is his innate lack of knowing that puts him in a deadly situation: “Do you know that to-night, when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil in the world will have full sway? Do you know where you are going, and what you are doing?'; (5) This was the protagonist, Jonathan Harker’s second encounter with strangers, in a strange land, in which he was confronted in this manner. He had three such encounters, all of which he nonchalantly dismissed. During his first encounter, the people simply refused to answer any of his questions. In his third encounter, strangers made the sign of a cross and pointed at him. During all of this, Jonathan had no clue why these people were acting in this strange way, nor did he have a notion to question why. Even though he is oblivious to the reasons for their behavior, he blindly continues on the path the strangers warned him not to go on. Another depiction of this ignorance is shown through Dr. Seward and Dr. Van Helsing as they work on a patient, Lucy Westerna. After the doctors diagnosed Lucy as being “somewhat'; bloodless and the pricks on neck were discovered, they immediately dismissed the idea of the pricks being the cause of this loss of blood. “It at once occurred to me that this wound, or whatever it was might be the means for this manifest loss of blood; but I abandoned the idea as soon as formed, for such a thing could not be.'; (131) These doctors had knowledge, but their own ignorance interfered even though all the signs of what was going on were clear.
Not only does ignorance have a negative impact on people, it is also “the root and stem of all evil” (Plato), which can destroy a person. To start off, self-superiority can cloud a person’s judgment; making it evident that intelligence can easily be lost to arrogance. To add on, anger and the human tendency to make rash decisions can also contribute to ignorance, resulting in eventual downfall. Lastly, unconscious attempts to blind yourself from the truth can result in the committing of major sins. Tragedy occurs in “Oedipus the King” when ignorance causes disastrous events, proving that lack of knowledge can result in their misfortune.
Karen Rhodes analyzed to build a fire in a cultural context. He believed "London's works were written so that he could survive in a world he increasingly came to see as "red in tooth and claw""(1). It is obviously the story of a man fighting the stresses of Nature. According to Rhodes, to build a fire was drawn from the year London spent in Canada's Yukon Territory. London depicted arctic and very cold conditions throughout the story. Rhodes believed to build a fire represented London's Naturalistic Flavor. "It pits one man alone against the overwhelming forces of nature"(Karen Rhodes, 1). He also believed to build a fire can either be interpreted as the Pioneer American experience or can be read as an allegory for the journey of human existence (Karen Rhodes, 1). According to Rhodes, there are two versions of to build a fire; the first one was written in 1902 while the second one was written in 1908. We are studying the 1908 version." It has come to be known as everyman trekking through the Naturalistic Universe"(Karen Rhodes, 1). To build a fire is indeed the story of a man trekking through the universe alone except for his dog. The man's death at the end was the culmination of the story. " His death came through no lapse of observation, no lack of diligence, no real folly but the nature of himself and his environment" (Karen Rhodes, 2). I think his is a fine criticism of London's to build a fire. London had made use of his life experiences in writing the story.
Sadly, this is often forgotten and we choose to control nature, rather than coexist with it. I believe that Pi explained this perfectly when he stated his thoughts about adaptation. In order for all of us to survive, we must know how to adapt to situations and work together with others; not only applying to humans, but to the natural world as well. With nature being such a prominent force in the world, it becomes very important that society learns to coexist and work together with this power.