1. The Call of the Wild
Pre-Reading Intro.

2. The call of the Wild Setting End of the 19th century (late 1800’s)
Thousands of people are heading for the goldfields in Canada and Alaska in hopes of getting rich.
The rest of Americans are at home in a time of growth and change
The population of the U.S. increased more than 50% between (mostly due to immigration from Europe).
In addition, this is a time of Industrialization – Americans began using machines to do their work.
Small factories became larger and produced more goods, which created more jobs
At home, machines helped with everyday tasks.

3. The Call of the Wild Anthropomorphism
Formal name for giving human qualities to animals
This word comes from the Greek words for “human” and “form” – to anthropomorphize something is to give it human form, or human characteristics.
In The Call of the Wild, Jack London writes about his main character, the dog Buck, as if the dog were human.
London doesn’t have Buck speak or walk upright, but he does give the dog human thoughts and emotions.
As readers, we are able to connect closely with Buck because we feel the same types of human emotions as him.