Free Essays on Jack London

Jack Griffith Chaney was born on January 12th to his mother Flora Wellman and his father William H. Chaney who denies his paternity and abandons the family a few months later. Most of California’s records were destroyed in the earthquake of 1906 so there is no real evidence as to who was the biological father. (Wikipedia) A year later, Flora married a widower, John London and Jack adopts his surname â€Å"London†. At the age of two, the London family moved to Oakland after their son suffered a near fatal case of diphtheria and continued to live within the city though they moved to different locations. During this time he attends West End Elementary in 1882 and then enrolls in Cole Grammar School in 1887 and two years later (at the age of 15), he graduates as an 8th grader. (Wilson) Jack now devotes himself to full time work, at first odd jobs including paper routes, sweeping out saloons and setting up bowling pins. (Pal) He gets his first real seaman job in 1893 w hen signing about a schooner, Sophia Sutherland. The vessel sails for seven months along the coast of Hawaii, Japan and the Bearing Sea. After returning home in November, he wins a first prize award of $25 for â€Å"best descriptive article† in the Morning Call. The article was entitled â€Å"Story of a Typhoon off the Coast of Japan†, a work that was obviously written while at sea. (Wilson) In 1985, London attends Oakland High School and works as a Janitor as he graduates in only eighteen months. (Wilson) Also while attending, he writes articles for the school newspaper, The High School Aegis. (Pal) A few months later, London continues his education by enrolling in the University of Berkley at California but can only stay for the fall semester due to financial pitfalls. Throughout the next two years, his letters to the editor are frequently published in the local San Francisco papers. London takes a trip to the Klondike for the Gold Rush, accompanied by his broth... Free Essays on Jack London Free Essays on Jack London Jack Griffith Chaney was born on January 12th to his mother Flora Wellman and his father William H. Chaney who denies his paternity and abandons the family a few months later. Most of California’s records were destroyed in the earthquake of 1906 so there is no real evidence as to who was the biological father. (Wikipedia) A year later, Flora married a widower, John London and Jack adopts his surname â€Å"London†. At the age of two, the London family moved to Oakland after their son suffered a near fatal case of diphtheria and continued to live within the city though they moved to different locations. During this time he attends West End Elementary in 1882 and then enrolls in Cole Grammar School in 1887 and two years later (at the age of 15), he graduates as an 8th grader. (Wilson) Jack now devotes himself to full time work, at first odd jobs including paper routes, sweeping out saloons and setting up bowling pins. (Pal) He gets his first real seaman job in 1893 w hen signing about a schooner, Sophia Sutherland. The vessel sails for seven months along the coast of Hawaii, Japan and the Bearing Sea. After returning home in November, he wins a first prize award of $25 for â€Å"best descriptive article† in the Morning Call. The article was entitled â€Å"Story of a Typhoon off the Coast of Japan†, a work that was obviously written while at sea. (Wilson) In 1985, London attends Oakland High School and works as a Janitor as he graduates in only eighteen months. (Wilson) Also while attending, he writes articles for the school newspaper, The High School Aegis. (Pal) A few months later, London continues his education by enrolling in the University of Berkley at California but can only stay for the fall semester due to financial pitfalls. Throughout the next two years, his letters to the editor are frequently published in the local San Francisco papers. London takes a trip to the Klondike for the Gold Rush, accompanied by his broth... Free Essays on Jack London The story of â€Å"To build a Fire† by Jack London is about one mans lack of ability to survive under extremely harsh conditions. I found this story to be unappealing and a very boring read. I felt that Jack London wrote it more like an instruction manual of survival than a story, as he repeatedly attempts to teach the reader survival techniques such as building fires, avoiding dangerous springs, and navigating a creek. This idea is especially prevalent in the latter part of the story, when the main character continuously refers to what the old-timer on Sulphur Creek had told him about travel in the Yukon, especially alone. As his situation proceeds to grow worse, the narrator thinks more and more about survival ideas that he had learned or that the old-timer had told him. The story even goes as far as killing animals and using their fur as warmth in order to thaw out from the frostbite. This idea is also evident with Jack London’s character development or the narrator. He purposely created him simplistic and this enabled Mr. London to talk about survival. This concept holds true all the way to the point that we, the readers, do not even learn the narrators or the dogs name. London also tells the readers that his character â€Å"was without imagination† and â€Å"he was quick and alert in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in the significances.† By not being held down by character development and deep thought by the character, London is able to constantly discuss the what to do and what not to do while in a severe environment. While you can argue this was a story of a naà ¯ve man traveling foolishly through the Yukon, one that attempts to take on nature and loses badly. Yes, this story does involve the aspect of the ignorance of man and their arrogance toward nature and peoples advice. This is portrayed by the narrator through thoughts like, â€Å"any man who was a man could travel alone.† This point is also reaffirme...