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To Build A Fire Essay

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Analysis of “To Build a Fire” “To Build a Fire”, written by Jack London and published in 1908, is a short story showing what happens when mankind tries to overcome nature. The theme of the story, survival’s connection to the story, and what the main character is fighting in the story are all topics to be addressed in this analytic essay. First and foremost, however, is the theme of “To Build a Fire”. The theme of this story appears to be mankind’s inability to overcome nature (The Editors of Encyclopǣdia Britannica, 2017). The ignorant man in the story has no name and is therefore representative of the ignorant human. He refuses sound advice and ultimately fails in his attempt to be better than nature. In this process, the man is struggling …show more content…

Well, the temperature as recorded in the book was 75 below zero, which would require the man to make a fire whenever he and his dog stopped. The man was taking a scientific approach to the situation, so he was underestimating the natural world and only brought a few matches with nowhere near the necessary protection against the cold. The man thought he could make it, and he nearly did. Unfortunately his body started to freeze, beginning with his fingers, nose, and, after he fell in a puddle, his feet. His dog had also fallen in, and started to get ice on his paws, but bit it off, a sign that the dog knew more about the environment than his ignorant owner. As the man went on, he tried again to make a fire, but his hand failed him, resulting in him burning his hands and losing all hope of living, He eventually became desperate, his body slowly shutting down, and sees his dog is well equipped. In one final, desperate attempt the man grabbed the dog and had it in his mind to kill the animal in hopes that the warm carcass would be able to warm up his hands to be functional again. The only issue was that his hands weren’t functional, so the man could not grab his knife and kill his dog. He finally let go, and began to admit that he should’ve listened to the advice. The man forced himself to his feet and began running, not knowing if he was even going in the right direction towards his destination. He ultimately lost this battle, and

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These quotes show that the man in "To Build a Fire" knows exactly what to do, where to step, what to look for, and what to listen for. And that the dog was forced to play its role in helping the man through the journey. Again this shows that these characters have a "superhero and sidekick"

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In the below-freezing temperatures, he encounters challenges that are associated with survival of the fittest. He is left with no strength to fight for himself and perishes at the hands of nature's ruthless and unforgiving power. Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” demonstrates the goal to survive in the cold while using naturalism, realism, and foreshadowing in the fight for survival. London presented an understanding of what might happen in the future of the book. The foreshadowing tactics he used gave us an insight into what is going to happen next: “Usually

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At that time of year, the weather temperature is about 75 below zero degree. It's completely unable to survive in that circumstances, that's what an old man from California was keep saying to him but he never listen to him. He'd already made his mind to travel with his dog in that freezing weather. He was planning to meet some fellows in a camp on the other side of the place.

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Compare and Contrast "Powder" v.s. "To Build a Fire" "Powder" and "To Build a Fire" are stories that both put another being at risk because of selfishness. Each story involves extreme cold, snow, and danger. Each story also has a person in charge who puts another in an unsafe situation. The son in "Powder" and the wolf dog in "To Build a Fire" both know the men with them are not making good decisions.

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Ordinary Stories are not Fit for Telling Thomas Hardy once stated, “A story must be exceptional enough to justify its telling; it must have something more unusual to relate than the ordinary experience of every average man and woman.” This quotation means that oftentimes in life what makes us extraordinary, are those unusual events we face in life. This quotation is valid because everyone’s experiences build up their character, however when an experience is that exceptional, they stand out. Everyone’s journeys are different, but it is the unique ones that grab people’s attention.

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Annotated Bibliography Burnham, Douglas. " Gottfried Leibniz: Metaphysics." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Accessed April 25, 2018.

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Argumentative Essay In “To Build a Fire,” the story of an unnamed man traveling along the Yukon Trail with a dog is told. Throughout the story, the man’s death is foreshadowed. The husky that he is traveling with has a natural instinct and understands, seemingly more than the man, that traveling the Yukon Trail in the freezing cold temperatures is extremely dangerous. The man soon learns how cold it is when he spits.

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People usually suffer the consequences of these traits eventually at least at one point in their lives. The story’s plot and tragic ending shows that these traits can leave humanity susceptible to danger. The ignorance to danger and the overconfidence of the man is applicable to many of the views on worldwide issues today. For instance, to somewhat resonate with the power of nature expressed in the harsh weather in “To Build a Fire”, global warming can be considered. Many people remain ignorant to the issue, or put up a “we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it” attitude.

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The narrator describes the Yukon Territory as 75-degrees below freezing and being a highly treacherous for anyone to travel alone (2). By introducing this hostile environment, London creates tension in the reader as they begin to question the man’s safety in the freezing cold temperatures, After the man falls into the river and starts to freeze to death, he builds a fire in order to survive. As the fire grows and the warmth spreads, the snow on a tree falls, knocking out his fire. Through struggles such as this one, suspense is created due to the severity of the danger the man faces and the risks involved in the

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How to Build a Fire Are you willing to risk your life just for a visit? Well this Yukon newcomer just happened to pick the wrong day to go on his 9 hour journey to visit his friends. He got hypothermia, frostbite, numbness in his fingers, and a crystal beard to emphasize the coldness. “It was seventy-five below” as said on the sixth paragraph and the fifth sentence and the freezing point is 32 above zero, that means one hundred and seven degrees of frost obtained. I think that Jack London kept reminding us how cold it was to emphasize it and to show what nature was putting him through by torturing him.

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The dog is guided by his natural instincts, and the man, on the other hand, relies on his human judgment to make

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The beautiful yet deadly Yukon winter is a dangerous place for a lonely traveler. Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” depicts such a beautiful yet dangerous place. In this story, a man must travel a long distance across the frozen tundra and risk freezing to death in the elements. However, this man is not familiar enough with his environment to understand the danger he faces. Throughout this short story, the author uses specific word choices, or diction, to create a somber, fatalistic, and irate mood.

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There is a debate about using prescribed fires. Prescribed fires are fires that help reduce the catastrophic damage that wildfire creates. prescribed fires work most of the time, but they can be faulty at some points. That's why some people don't agree with using prescribed fires. Even though they sometimes don't work, they can be really helpful when they do work.

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While London’s stories have many insights into naturalism, they also look into realism. The unnamed man in “To Build a Fire”, believes he has control of his situation and that he will react appropriately to any event that befalls him, whereas naturalism suggests that fate decides a character’s decisions, making them act accordingly. Both of these literary devices are shown contrasted throughout the story. The man states his headstrong thoughts on his predicament after falling through the ice, “All a man had to do was to keep his head, and he was all right” (London 8). This is a very realistic approach, however, as fate changes for worse, he begins to lose his

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884 Words | 4 Pages

To Build A Fire is a short tragic tale by Jack London that narrates about a man’s last days on the earth. The story’s protagonist is passing through the sub-freezing land of the Yukon when he becomes the victims of an unforgiving and harsh force of nature. Before embarking on the journey, the man is warned against walking alone on such severe weather conditions and even if his instincts also warn him, he decides to ignore all the signs and his conscience and to follow his ego. He makes several attempts to light a fire but does not make it. It is after several attempts that the man finally gives in to the forces of nature and awaits his now evident death.

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