By Jack London

Jack London - BrainPop  BrainPOP | Jack London BrainPOP | Jack London

Jack London  Born in San Francisco on January 12, 1876  His family was very poor and he had to leave school after 8 th grade to work and help support his family  He was a big reader and went to the library often to read books and learn new things

Jack London  Jack London was an adventurer and held many different jobs Pirate Whaler who went sailing to Japan Hobo – traveling across the United States  Eventually, he became sick and returned home to finish high school and spent a semester at college  In 1897 he left college to head up to Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush

Jack London  In 1897 he left college to head up to Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush  He did not become rich, instead he learned all about the adventures of living in the Arctic and began his career as a writer

The Call of the Wild  Published in 1903  Jack London’s most famous novel  The story is told from the perspective of a dog named Buck and his adventures and life living in Alaska  This book helped make Jack London the most famous writer of his time period in the world  People loved his adventure stories

American West in the 1890’s  What do you think of when you think of the American West in the 1890’s?

The Spirit of the American West  Jack London and his stories embodied the “spirit of the American west” and living life on the frontier – the line between civilization and the wild, unexplored parts of America – specifically Alaska

Setting of the Story  Place: Santa Clara Valley, California (for a short time) Alaska Klondike region of Canada ○ Northland (snow) vs. Southland (sun)  Time: 1890’s

Santa Clara Valley

Alaska

Klondike Region

Where would you rather live?  Would you rather live in the snowy Northland or sunny Southland?  How is the Santa Clara setting different from Alaska and the Klondike region?

Anthropomorphism  Giving human qualities to non-humans  Jack London wrote the story from the perspective of Buck, a dog  This technique is known as anthropomorphism

Plot  Buck, the main character and protagonist of the story, is a dog who lives a happy, comfortable life in Santa Clara  He is kidnapped from his owner and sold as a sled dog and sent to Alaska  Buck has to fight for survival and becomes uncivilized and goes back to his wild, primitive, animalistic roots

Klondike Gold Rush  Klondike Gold Rush Klondike Gold Rush  The Quest for Gold in the West The Quest for Gold in the West

Dog Sledding  Welcome to Discovery Education Player Welcome to Discovery Education Player

Characters

Buck  A powerful dog, half St. Bernard and half sheepdog  He is stolen from a California estate and sold as a sled dog in the Arctic.  Buck gradually evolves from a pampered pet into a fierce, masterful animal, able to hold his own in the cruel, kill-or-be-killed world of the North.

Characters  Judge Miller - Buck’s original master, the owner of a large estate in California’s Santa Clara Valley.  Manuel - A gardener’s helper on Judge Miller’s estate. Manuel kidnaps Buck and sells him in order to pay off his gambling debts.

Buck

Spitz  Buck’s enemy and the original leader of Francois’s dog team.  Spitz is a fierce animal—a “devil-dog,” one man calls him—who is used to fighting with other dogs and winning  He doesn’t care about right or wrong

Francois and Perrault  French-Canadians who buy Buck and use him as a sled dog to carry mail

Hal  An American gold seeker, Hal comes to Canada in search of adventure and riches.

Mercedes  Charles’ wife and Hal’s sister.  Mercedes is spoiled and pampered  She is meant to represent spoiled, civilized women who do not belong in the wild or wilderness

Charles  Hal’s brother-in-law and Mercedes’ husband. Charles shares their inexperience and poor planning.

Hal, Mercedes, and Charles  They are inexperienced, terrible masters, as they run out of food during the journey and fight among themselves.  Hal and his companions are meant to represent the weakness of overcivilized men and to embody the man-dog relationship at its worst.

John Thornton  Buck’s final master, a gold hunter experienced in the ways of the Klondike.  The perfect man – dog relationship  They both love each other deeply and save each others lives

Other Dogs  Dave - A dog on Buck’s team  Sol-leks - An older, more experienced dog on Buck’s team.  Curly - A friend of Buck’s, met on the journey to the North.

Themes: Survival of the Fittest  Only the smartest and the strongest can survive in this world  BrainPOP | Natural Selection BrainPOP | Natural Selection

The Power of Instinct  Human beings as well as animals have natural instincts passed down through the genetic code.  Animal instinct is very important throughout the story.  Buck's ability to listen to his instinct makes him more and more powerful and draws him more and more deeply towards the wild – why the story is named Call of the Wild

Civilization vs. Wilderness  Civilization: human society Includes: ○ Science ○ Culture ○ Government  Wilderness: a wild region where only animals live Examples: ○ Forests ○ Deserts ○ Mountains.

Power  All of the dogs have power, and must use it in order to survive  The dogs can give up their power to a bigger and stronger dog and hope that that dog will protect them.

Dogs  The Wild Side of Dogs The Wild Side of Dogs