Thursday, October 16, 2008
Welcome My Fellow Classmates and Teacher
Welcome to the “Call of the Wild” weblog. The weblog communicates a critical understanding of “The Call of the wild” by Jack London. This blog includes an investigation of this novel including personal commentary, expository analysis, bibliographical review, and resource links. To begin I have expanded on four significant points, which are based around the major ownerships that the main character, Buck was involved with. I felt that these four points changed and added to Bucks life each in there own way making them significant. To further come, is a Apologia and a Explication of one of Polti’s Thiry-Six Dramatic Situations followed by a personal reflection. I hope you are interested and I wish you happy reading.
Monday, October 13, 2008
The topic of life could be compared to a rose. It contains many layers of petals and changes due to the setting around it whether it is summer when it flourishes or winter when it waits for a time to blossom once more. The life of Buck contains four significant layers of peddles which mold and shape him. They consist of the various owners that he faces being a sled dog in Alaska. These owners treat Buck very differently revealing a new aspect of his life to him as he passes through the hands of each owner, until he is the owner of himself facing the unforgiving truth of freedom.
Owner One
Perrault and Francois were the introduction to Buck’s life. They “were fair men, calm and impartial in administrating justice, and too wise in the way of dogs to be fooled by dogs” (16). These two men introduced Buck to the great Alaskan wilderness as a sled dog. The first triumph that Buck needs to overcome is the first real aspect to his life, trying to fit in with the rest of the pack. He learns the first lessons of his life in this ownership. He learns that when you live with others in the harsh landscape of Alaska there are two rules which all the dogs live by, consisting of the law of the club and fang as well as the survival of the fittest. The law of club and fang is the basic rule that if you know you can’t over throw them don’t bother trying, and survival of the fittest if relatively self explanatory.
Buck is tested by these rules day by day. He learns quickly how to survive and gains experience by learning from his mistakes and the mistakes of others. However like in almost everyone’s life jealousy is present being the cause for many rivals. Buck’s uncanny progression both physically and mentally threatened the leader of the pack, Spitz because he was subject for replacement. This rivalry ended in blood shed and the death of Spitz because “Buck possessed a quality that made for greatness – imagination. He fought by instinct, but he could fight by head as well” (47). Buck was rightfully proclaimed leader of the pack.
Perrault and Francois run a tight schedule and in doing so almost wipe Buck and his team clean of life. “Buck and his mates arrived at Skaguay. They were in a wretched state, worn out and worn down” (61). It is in this town that Buck is sold off to a new owner and is left to discover the second part of his life, sheer survival.
Buck uncovers the first layer of his life finding that it teaches him the basic rules and ways to live by in his current setting, similar to most of us growing up learning from trial and error.
Buck is tested by these rules day by day. He learns quickly how to survive and gains experience by learning from his mistakes and the mistakes of others. However like in almost everyone’s life jealousy is present being the cause for many rivals. Buck’s uncanny progression both physically and mentally threatened the leader of the pack, Spitz because he was subject for replacement. This rivalry ended in blood shed and the death of Spitz because “Buck possessed a quality that made for greatness – imagination. He fought by instinct, but he could fight by head as well” (47). Buck was rightfully proclaimed leader of the pack.
Perrault and Francois run a tight schedule and in doing so almost wipe Buck and his team clean of life. “Buck and his mates arrived at Skaguay. They were in a wretched state, worn out and worn down” (61). It is in this town that Buck is sold off to a new owner and is left to discover the second part of his life, sheer survival.
Buck uncovers the first layer of his life finding that it teaches him the basic rules and ways to live by in his current setting, similar to most of us growing up learning from trial and error.
Owner Two
Having an owner like Perrault and Francois helped Buck survive by providing the proper amount of food rations and rest relating to there schedule. However this new ownership lacked almost every quality that Perrault and Francois possessed causing Buck to experience the next layer of his life. The layer of sheer survival where Buck is forced to push his body to near death limits. There’s a time in everyone’s life of bad happenings and painful emotion and this is the time that Buck experiences this.
Hal, Charles, and Mercedes were inexperienced owners which only thrived off of the idea of gold hidden in the mountains of Alaska. “Buck staggered along at the head of the team as in a nightmare” (73). These owners over feed Buck and his team leading to near starvation down the road. Buck learns that he can no long count on his current owners to help him survive and realizes that he is on his own. As Bucks body is depleting each day without proper nourishment his mind grows strong as it is the only thing keeping him alive after weeks of pulling. He tells himself to keep going refusing to give up which furthers Bucks perseverance. It wasn’t until the dogs wondered into the Thornton’s camp that Buck and only Buck was relieved of his retched owners, do to the justice of another man. Buck was freed from Hal, Charles, and Mercedes but had to watch his fellow comrades descend onto thin ice where they were sure to perish.
To escape these bad happenings and painful emotion we are eventually rescued by the people around us, which is how Buck meets his favorite and last human owner.
Hal, Charles, and Mercedes were inexperienced owners which only thrived off of the idea of gold hidden in the mountains of Alaska. “Buck staggered along at the head of the team as in a nightmare” (73). These owners over feed Buck and his team leading to near starvation down the road. Buck learns that he can no long count on his current owners to help him survive and realizes that he is on his own. As Bucks body is depleting each day without proper nourishment his mind grows strong as it is the only thing keeping him alive after weeks of pulling. He tells himself to keep going refusing to give up which furthers Bucks perseverance. It wasn’t until the dogs wondered into the Thornton’s camp that Buck and only Buck was relieved of his retched owners, do to the justice of another man. Buck was freed from Hal, Charles, and Mercedes but had to watch his fellow comrades descend onto thin ice where they were sure to perish.
To escape these bad happenings and painful emotion we are eventually rescued by the people around us, which is how Buck meets his favorite and last human owner.
Owner Three
John Thornton was the name of the epithetical man who saved the life of Buck and nurtured him back to the life he was familiar with. John shows a new aspect of life to Buck that he had never truly seen before in the frigid Alaskan territory. John showed Buck compassion, friendship, and love. “Other men saw to the welfare of their dogs from a sense of duty and business expediency; he saw to the welfare of his as if they were his own children, because he could not help it” (81). With John came a group of friendly dogs as well and “to Buck’s surprise these dogs manifested no jealousy toward him” (81).
John like the others shares the same need to find Alaskan gold but goes about it in a smart and efficient way. John lets Buck venture off on his own in the woods when he is busy panning and digging. On these adventures Buck feels the instincts of his ancestors living in the wild without an owner. It is on these lone adventures that Buck learns the common phrase “it’s too good to be true” and he learns to never let your guard down.
While adventuring, John and the rest of the dogs are killed by a tribe of local natives called the Yeehats. Buck is thrown into a rage upon the Yeehats demonstrating a force never seen by natives throughout the wilderness. The story is told from the few that managed to escape the desecration of Buck. The Yeehats deemed him a legend for expressing such power and never again entered the valley where john was killed, in fear that the “Ghost Dog” will seek revenge once again.
Buck learns some valuable life lessons that would help anyone survive their life. He learns that when placed in an upbeat situation never to let your guard down because it can be taken from you in an instant. He also learned out of instinct how to act on an event which gains him a legendary status.
John like the others shares the same need to find Alaskan gold but goes about it in a smart and efficient way. John lets Buck venture off on his own in the woods when he is busy panning and digging. On these adventures Buck feels the instincts of his ancestors living in the wild without an owner. It is on these lone adventures that Buck learns the common phrase “it’s too good to be true” and he learns to never let your guard down.
While adventuring, John and the rest of the dogs are killed by a tribe of local natives called the Yeehats. Buck is thrown into a rage upon the Yeehats demonstrating a force never seen by natives throughout the wilderness. The story is told from the few that managed to escape the desecration of Buck. The Yeehats deemed him a legend for expressing such power and never again entered the valley where john was killed, in fear that the “Ghost Dog” will seek revenge once again.
Buck learns some valuable life lessons that would help anyone survive their life. He learns that when placed in an upbeat situation never to let your guard down because it can be taken from you in an instant. He also learned out of instinct how to act on an event which gains him a legendary status.
Owner Four
Buck is left to face the unforgiving truth of freedom. Most people think that by setting an animal free into the wild they are doing it a favor not realizing that the wild is a very unforgiving place. Buck is left to fend on his own learning the ways of the wild on his own at first. He tracks moose taking weeks to get a meal. Buck completes the final aspect of his life being his own owner fending for himself. He learns that life isn’t easy, no longer having someone to provide him with food and shelter. He experiences a part of life that we all must face at one time or a later and that is that when we wander off from the nest, life is difficult but it eventually gets easier as you adapt to your surroundings. And that is exactly what Buck did, he adapted. He learned the ways of the wild and led the wolves of the forest. “The years were not many when the Yeehats noted a change in the breed of the timber wolves; for some were seen with splashes of brown on head and muzzle, and with a rift of white centering down the chest similar to that of Buck’s. But more Remarkable than this, the Yeehats tell of a Ghost dog that runs at the head of the pack” (117).
Buck learns many of the great lessons of life and unfolds like a summer rose. And as he sheds each peddle he learns a new lesson. The first being that of the survival of the fittest and how to pick your fights based around the law of club and fang. The second being that your mind set is one of the key aspects of surviving. And third that freedom although positive in some ways it is very contradicting because the place that you are being set free into is often a harder life. By using these lessons he is able to live in harmony with the wild and gain the status of a legend.
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