ipl-logo

The Ecological Crisis In Jack London's The Valley Of The Moon

773 Words4 Pages

Jack London’s pastoral trilogy composed of his late writing career, Burning Daylight (1910), The Valley of the Moon (VM, 1913), The Little Lady of the Big House (1915) indicates his third transition in literary creation. As Sun Fengrui pointed out, VM could be a moderate method in dealing with social evils instead of radical social critique in his previous works (Sun 2008:86). However, as a writer righteous and loyal to his epoch, Jack London has been striving for justice as well as truth with his pen. His reflections on the crisis of spiritual ecology of capitalist society deserves interpretation and entails further study.
Ecological crisis not only has resided in natural and social fields, but invades into the spiritual realm of human. Spiritual crisis or spiritual emergency is recognized by the American Psychiatric Association as a distinct psychological disorder that involves a …show more content…

London and Charmian’s life experiences have provided an prototype for this novel, which adds autobiographical hue to it. Narrated in the fantastic, artless and autobiographical way, VM, a symbol of an ecological paradise which entails abundant ecological thoughts of the author, though it is held by some critics that the portrait of land in such a detailed manner has ruined the artistic style of VM(Sinclair 134). Nevertheless, as a writer who regards thoughts more important than forms in his writing, London here does not mean to depict land only for style’s sake but rather to emphasize his ecological thoughts. Therefore, instead of focusing on his artistic forms, this chapter counts more on ecological values from London’s land depiction. London has seen the internal relation between land deterioration and humankind’s spiritual

Show More
Related
1365 Words | 6 Pages

Jack London had been an American novelist and is known for works such as The Call of the Wild, which McCandless greatly admired. Chris McCandless had greatly admired Jack London, going as far as carving “Jack London is King” at what came to be the site of his death. The Jack London quote used in the epigraph describes a scene in the forest but uses bitter imagery- yet somehow still romanticises it. “Alex” was unable to ever see past the facade London had built- given that London had hardly ever spent time in the wild himself and most definitely nowhere near as intense as Alaska. This chapter had described how he had been found and this quote leads back to that because though Chris was intelligent, he did not understand that London had to make nature sound beautiful.

Read More
708 Words | 3 Pages

Despite having an arduous life in Canada, he has in part fulfilled his idea of a personal heaven by living in an urban and developed setting; and primarily escaping the judgments of the apathetic islanders. Yet, this idea of a perfect life is incomplete; it lacks “some sweet island woman with whom he’d share his life, of having children and later buying a house” Many times in life, future gratification in unforeseeable, and occasionally — such as in the instance of Max — sacrifices may result in a sense of disillusioned inaptitude. Within this excerpt of the short story “Mammita’s Garden Cove” by Cyril Dabydeen, the author’s complex attitude towards place is conveyed by Dabydeen’s use of repetition, diction, and

Read More
1501 Words | 7 Pages

Butler constructs a narrative that demonstrates courage, resourcefulness and an unconventional religious commitment. The religion in book, Earthseed, is presented as an alternative faith that seeks to respond creatively, productively and humanely to overwhelming fear. In the book, the walls of Robledo, where Lauren lives, are a material expression of the psychology of dogmatic fundamentalism in times of crisis. In a recurring nightmare about the destruction of walls. It took Lauren’s courage to recognize

Read More
698 Words | 3 Pages

In his passage from “Last Child in the Woods,” Richard Louv uses various rhetorical strategies in order to make his audience more supportive of his argument. The passage discusses the connection, or really the separation, between people and nature. On this subject, Louv argues the necessity for people to redevelop their connection with nature. His use of tone, anecdotes, rhetorical questions, and factual examples all help develop the pathos and logos of his piece.

Read More
212 Words | 1 Pages

In choosing to juxtapose the words “dirt roads and grassless yards” (par. 1) and “lush green yards” (par. 1), the author showed the depressing tone. These words compare what the narrator lives in, a poor and dirty environment, to what she does not have, a clean and rich community. Over the course of the excerpt, the tone became more

Read More
867 Words | 4 Pages

Thoreau uses the metaphor of transcendentalism to suggest the importance of finding inner self; Steinbeck utilizes imagery of existentialism to foreshadow the tragedy of the ending; London illustrates symbolism of naturalism to describe aboriginal instincts. Among three masterpieces, Thoreau illustrates some examples of rebirth considering the transcendental concept -- looking of nature, and eventually states the metaphor as internal growth, building a better self; Steinbeck uses the imagery to make a foreseen tragedy for what Lennie does and to show the survival of the fittest – the social structure controls the individuals; London argues an incisive consideration the underlying symbolism of primitive instincts and eventually, he combines with the naturalism and shows the ancestral memory beneath our civilization. Three great writers create a worldview between human and

Read More
767 Words | 4 Pages

Moreover, the natural scenery criticizes Gatsby’s flawed dream: “desolate path of fruit rinds and discarded varos and crushed flowers”; by describing

Read More
479 Words | 2 Pages

In the essay, “A Literature of Place”, by Barry Lopez focuses on the topic of human relationships with nature. He believes human imagination is shaped by the architectures it encounters within life. Lopez first starts his essay with the statement that geography is a shaping force for humans. This shaping force is what creates our imagination; the shaping force is found within nature. Everything humans see within nature is remembered, thus creating new ideas and thoughts for our imagination.

Read More
2141 Words | 9 Pages

1.) I do agree with Louv’s thesis that his generation was outdoors much more than generations after him and that today’s generation is suffering from nature deficit disorder. “Nature-deficit disorder describes the human costs of alienation from nature, among them: diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses” (pg. 36). It is difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of nature deficit order but Louv explores the many causes of nature deficit disorder like parental restrictions, restricted access to natural areas, and technology. These problems did not impact his generation like it has on the latter generations.

Read More
601 Words | 3 Pages

He describes the land outside the city as “unnoticed,” “hidden,” “neglected,” and “isolated.” This differs from the crowded city environment that the speaker did not approve of. The author also portrays the “unfenced existence” of the space, such as a bird flying through the sky or a fish swimming through the sea. Lastly, the speaker concludes with repetition of the word “here.” By using this technique, he displays his excitement for the new land around him.

Read More
1303 Words | 6 Pages

Specifically, the mentions of the changing of the garden from flourished with shrubs and tress to overturned with abandonment. These images of decay perfectly represent the attempt to replicate an English garden on the soil of New England. Readers see Hawthorne’s use of personification throughout his descriptions of nature by bringing lifelike qualities and appearances to their

Read More
551 Words | 3 Pages

Nature is easily projected onto, as it allows for a sense of peacefulness and escapism. Due to its ability to evoke an emotional reaction from the masses, many writers have glorified it through various methods, including describing its endless beauty and utilizing it as a symbol for spirituality. Along with authors, artists also show great respect and admiration for nature through paintings of grandiose landscapes. These tributes disseminate a fixed interpretation of the natural world, one full of meaning and other worldly connections. In “Against Nature,” Joyce Carol Oates strips away this guise given to the environment and replaces it with a harsher reality.

Read More
560 Words | 3 Pages

An client 's response to a crisis can include emotional reactions (fear, anger, guilt, grief ), mental reactions (difficulty concentrating, confusion, nightmares), physical reactions (headaches, dizziness, fatigue , stomach problems), and behavioural responses (sleep and appetite problems, isolation, restlessness). Assessment of the client 's potential for suicide and/or homicide is also conducted. Also, information about the client 's strengths, coping skills, and social support networks is

Read More
1749 Words | 7 Pages

In this poem Henry Longfellow describes a seaside scene in which dawn overcomes darkness, thus relating to the rising of society after the hardships of battle. The reader can also see feelings, emotions, and imagination take priority over logic and facts. Bridging the Romantic Era and the Realism Era is the Transcendental Era. This era is unusual due to it’s overlapping of both the Romantic and Realism Era. Due to its coexistence in two eras, this division serves as a platform for authors to attempt to establish a new literary culture aside from the rest of the world.

Read More
905 Words | 4 Pages

Seamus Heaney is one of the pioneers of the 20th century English poetry. He belongs to the illustrious literary tradition of Ireland, which includes writers like W.B Yeats, James Joyce, Patrick Kavanagh and William Carleton. Seamus Heaney is grouped with the neo-Romantic tradition and the foundation of Heaney’s poetry is the “eco-consciousness of the aesthetic of space”. Heaney’s view of poetry has been ecologically informed and he defines poetry in terms of the natural as well as divine images. Key Words:Ethnic culture, Eco-space,Postcolonialism, Ego-centrism, Celtic tradition, Gaia.

Read More

More about The Ecological Crisis In Jack London's The Valley Of The Moon

Related Topics

Open Document