Diction In The Call Of The Wild

The diction of a poem or story can change how the reader can visualize what the author is saying. Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Stephen King are a few very famous authors that use diction to add more to their stories. Think about it, without diction, many of great stories from the past and present all use great word choice. Diction can be the difference between reading the story and visualizing the story. Both “Call of the Wild” by Jack London and “Wolves” by John Haines both take place during the time of the Klondike Gold Rush. Each story both shows just how harsh it was for both the men and the wolves by showing the beauty and brutality of the wolves in the Klondike. John Haines lived in Fairbanks, Alaska while he was writing, so in a

What is more important in a wolf? Beauty, or brutality? Jack London perfectly portrays this in his novel “Call of the Wild” by using excellent word choice. When Jack London uses diction, or word choice, he can compare the beauty of the wolves in the Klondike and the savageness of them. London shows that the savage wolves did not care if they were on the ground, or wounded, they would attack and kill them. The specific word choice used to describe the gore scenes adds to the brutal environment of the Klondike. London can achieve the savage tone that is in “Call of the Wild” by describing it in detail. It was Buck’s first day at Dyea Beach after being kidnapped. He did not know what to expect, and was shocked by the savageness of the huskies there. “There was no warning, only a leap in like a flash, a metallic clip of teeth, a leap out equally swift, and Curly’s face was ripped open from eye to jaw.” (London - Page 15) The quote is so gory that the reader can picture how savage the huskies were in the Klondike. London uses the detail of how the huskies teeth were, and how they attacked, which showed that it definitely was a brutal environment. The savage tone was only shown more in the way how London described how Curly was killed. He could have said that Curly was just killed, but chose to describe in an almost disgusting way how Curly’s face was ripped open

The answer is yes, and both John Haines and Jack London show this in their works of literature. Both “Call of the Wild” and “Wolves” tones and meanings both show that wolves can be savages, but can also be beautiful at the same time. The authors of these stories used diction to convey this to the readers. Without these authors, American readers would not be as mystified of the beauty of wolves. So, what’s more important in a wolf, beauty or