Intellectual Reasoning vs. Instinct It has been said from Plato onward that man’s reasoning is his highest faculty and makes him superior to animals. In the short story "To Build a Fire‚" by Jack London‚ man’s intellectual reasoning ability is regarded as “second class” to that of the survival mechanism that is embedded within humans and animals alike. This survival mechanism is sometimes referred to as instinct. If solely depended on‚ man’s intellectual reasoning may be clouded‚ imprudent and
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The book “To Build a Fire” by Jack London is a short story that embodies the idea of naturalism. Naturalism utilizes the environment to show how apathetic this world can be.In the book it reveals that if you are not careful when you are making your decisions you will die and in addition to that London wrote it to also demonstrate on how humans can sometimes depend on nothing but themselves to survive. This short story took place in the Arctic. In the book‚ the newcomer decided to
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Jack London “To Build a Fire” Man was created intelligent and as a result he was to assert dominance over all animals; both on land and in the sea. This intelligence has been used by man to make advancements in various fields such as medicine‚ technology and many more. This creativity has seen man improve his way of life to an extent where he has come to believe he can handle anything thrown at him by Mother Nature. Animals on the other hand‚ were created with instinct which man has been able
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Midterm Expository Essay; "To Build a Fire" The powerful story "To Build a Fire" by Jack London‚ is about the struggles ’the man’ faces with nature. The man is supposed to be an average person‚ and although some people may hesitate they are as ignorant and arrogant as the man‚ many people do not understand the power of nature. The story is about the man traveling into the woods‚ armed with technology‚ but he just doesn’t understand how truely powerful nature can be to his survival. Nature has
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with dignity and integrity‚ and he wove these elemental ideas into stories of high adventure based on his own firsthand at sea‚ or in Alaska‚ or in the fields and factories in California.” In 1908‚ Jack London composed a short story‚ “To Build a Fire” about a man attempting to survive in his quest along the Yukon River against hazardous weather conditions. Throughout the London’s description‚ it is expressed how the man chooses to ignore the evidence of danger‚ such as the cold weather
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In “To Build a Fire” by Jack London the man and the dog start off as traveling friends‚ but then they realize they have different perspectives on survival techniques. Whereas the dog knows it is way too cold to be on a hike‚ the man takes it as a little adventure. Even though the man thought he was prepared to hike at these blistering temperatures‚ he found out he was not as prepared as he thought he was. The man tries to defeat Mother Nature but finds out the hard way he is just not prepared enough
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thrilling short story “To Build a Fire” demonstrates this conflict with the story of a lone traveler as he makes his way up the Yukon in despicable conditions. His journey through the winter tundra is treacherous and life-threatening‚ but despite the danger he boldly continues his journey until he physically cannot move. London’s masterpiece is an excellent assistant in proving why nature is far more powerful than any single human being could ever be. In “To Build a Fire‚” London uses the setting
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To Build a Fire This story is by American author Jack London. The story is considered a prime example of the naturalist movement and of a Man vs. Nature conflict. It is also considered to be a reflection of his own life after his experiences in the Yukon Territory. This story demonstrates negative interactions because the man has not and does not prepare him for this journey. He is not respectful of the nature he can’t control‚ and he ignores the advice of those far more experienced than he.
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The short story “To Build a Fire” by Jack London is a short story about a man traveling along the Yukon River in the bitter winter weather. While warned against traveling alone in the frigid cold‚ he travels out to meet his companions at a remote camp many miles away‚ with only his native Husky dog. Overcome by mother nature‚ he eventually dies along the way‚ leaving his dog to complete the journey alone. This story displays how the forces of nature can surprisingly overwhelm even the most confident
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“To Build a Fire” Essay Humanity is just a part of nature; if it ceased to exist everything would go on as if it never did exist. Nature’s uncaring for humanity is displayed in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” with the man and nature not doing anything to help him survive. This is shown in “To Build a Fire” when the man fell in the ice‚ tried to start a fire for the second time‚ and when he freezes to death. Nature did not help the man when he fell in the ice‚ it simply did not freeze the water
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