One central theme with which London seems preoccupied in White Fang is the theme of the nature of life. The theme was much on the minds of 19th-century readers and thinkers. In 1859, Charles Darwin advanced ideas that came to be popularly understood as "survival of the fittest"-that life was a struggle, and that only the powerful and strong survived (and, in some applications known as "social Darwinism," perhaps only they deserved to do so). About a half-century later, London publishes this novel, which may be read as a "taking to task" of such "social Darwinism." London's story seems to posit that life is more than a "bleak and materialistic" (III.5) struggle where only power matters. The "redemption" that White Fang undergoes at Weedon Scott's …show more content…
If London's novel explores the meaning of life, it also quite clearly explores the meaning of civilization. One way in which it does so is through the character of Beauty Smith. Beauty Smith stands as an argument against the misrepresentations of Darwinism noted above-i.e., the justification of the weak and powerless' exploitation at the hands of the strong and powerful; and an attempt to free individuals from the responsibility to exercise their own volition by an appeal to a pre-determined destiny. We are told that Smith is the product of harsh experiences. Like White Fang, his clay has been roughly molded. Even so, Smith has had and presumably still has choice about how to respond to his environment-a choice, for instance, whether or not to "vindicate" his existence by tormenting men and beasts less powerful than he. White Fang, in order to survive, does not. This marks the sharpest contrast between the two characters. It also heightens the novel's overarching reflections on the struggle of life, however, for even as Smith is wrongly exercising his power, White Fang is rightly exercising his to continue to live: "He had too great vitality. His clutch on life was too strong" to continue to resist Smith. Ironically, he demonstrates power through submission. Thus, if Smith truly were a civilized man, he would know to treat White Fang
Dog has been “man’s best friend” for ages. Around Franklin County, almost everyone owns a dog. Since many owners are farmers, people in the Franklin County area need a dog who will be loyal, can herd livestock if need be, and is obedient to its master. The best breed of dog that fits this description is the Blue Heeler, also known as the Australian Cattle Dog. Though these dogs are better suited for the rural areas, many people in the city own them as well. Sprightly yet independent, the Australian Cattle Dogs are great companions for single people and families alike. Blue Heelers are the all-around best breed of dog in Franklin County.
... middle of paper ... ... He did not turn into an animal, who only thinks of survival, but he shared his food with the people he loved. Therefore, one can conclude that one can see the theme of inhumanity through survival.
When there is any amount of accepted cruelty being enacted upon a people, change and development occurs immediately so that balance is restored or created. In the novel, the society had conformed to rules and beliefs regarding the value of an individual, “You did what you had to do [and you succeeded]” (Bradbury 145). The people had been forced to act and live in a way that is seen as cruel to us, but normal to them. However, the found order and internal stability of the novel’s setting is admirable to society today in the here and now. Certain examples of changing an entire civilization’s culture regarding the treatment of others in the real-world are able to glorify the statements proclaimed in Fahrenheit 451. In South Africa, there had been a primarily segregative ruling system, entitled Apartheid for the majority of its recent history. However, it was immediately changed and altered once the people of the nation began to experience and realize the identified cruelty that had been placed upon the indigenous South Africans. Immediate change and reorganization of South African society and government occurred. One can presume that change and development, of any society and culture, can be linked to the cruelty, pain, and suffering that is wanted to be stopped or changed. Yet, when there is a different idea of what is wanted, and what is considered to be cruel, a unique reality and set of situations occur, as presented in Ray Bradbury’s
During the Harlem Renaissance, many literary works concentrated on celebrating African American heritage. However, many other writers also began concentrating on the darker theme of naturalism. Nella Larsen’s Quicksand illustrates many elements of this movement. These include a biological determinism, where man is conceived of as controlled by his primitive animal instincts and a sociological determinism, whereby the weak are destroyed and the strong survive in a world of struggle and chance. Helga Crane, Larsen’s protagonist in Quicksand, illustrates the elements of both biological and sociological determinism in her inability to suppress her natural animal instinct to flee uncomfortable situations, and to comfortably conform in either of her opposing communities.
As this essay has discussed, it is difficult, even erroneous, to attempt to address the notions of civilisation and wild as distinct from one another. The poet continually juxtaposes and interposes the concepts, inviting us to interrogate what exactly constitutes ‘civilisation’ and what determines its separation into the definition of ‘wild’. This tenuous relationship is typified through the character of the Green Knight, whose liminality disrupts and defies attempts to define him as either one thing or the
The survival of the fittest is an absolute truth in the conditions of the modern world.” This is, obviously, a highly nationalistic and Social Darwinist view, which might have arisen from Primrose’s race and the British conquests that had occurred before and during his time, which could have convinced him of Social Darwinism. Another example of Social Darwinism is illustrated in Martial Henri Merlin’s speech in 1910: “We went to new territories. We went there by the virtue of the right of a civilized, fully developed race to occupy territories which have been left fallow by backward peoples who are plunged into barbarism and unable to develop with the wealth of their land.” This is also a Socially Darwinist view which might have developed due to the same reasons as that of Archibald Primrose.
...ghout the novella is that even though we are humans and not animals, if we continue to repress each and every aspect of our own primitive needs and instincts, we will completely lose them. We will not be able to function in any world except the one we live in, making us extremely and very dangerously vulnerable. We need to, instead, embrace these instincts as our ancestors did to help them survive in their own unique, yet brutal environments. We can never revert fully back to Primitivity as Buck did, that would cause absolute chaos. We do however, need to utilize certain aspects of these natures, the ones that can help us survive, give us special intuition, and allow us to come closer to ourselves and understand what it means to be a truly free and independent human being in a world that is entirely too dependent on altering everything that humans need to embrace.
In conclusion, Douglass’s main argument throughout his novel was that slavery was inhumane for both parties; the slave and the slave owner. Douglass illustrates that slavery was an evil that could turn the nicest soul into a soul red with rage, as he experienced firsthand. Throughout his novel Douglass is able to use analogies to compare slavery to animal behavior, and vivid detail to put the reader in his shoes and view it from a slaves perspective. By using these rhetorical elements, Douglass is able to more fully explain the dehumanizing effect slavery has on its subjects, and just how lucky he was to be able to educate himself and escape what he called, “a den of hungry lions.”
to place as Jack London said in the White Fang, “ It was because men,
...e power was derived from the fear of physical harm, from the mental darkness of ignorance, and from the moral degradation of perpetual servitude and unjust punishment, Frederick Douglass refused to fall prey to this immoral system, resolving instead to fight back against it, using the righteousness of his own moral compass, the strength of own his soul, and the ability of his own mind. In the Narrative, the reader sees a slave who has become a man; a once vulnerable being that has taken control of his own destiny, and in the process has overcome and exposed the morally bankrupt system that is slavery. He answered an institution whose foundation was rotted with the toxic poison of power and inhumane control, with the steadfast conviction that justness shall prevail over immorality, that education shall prevail over ignorance, and that love shall prevail over hatred.
“Man masters nature not by force but by understanding. This is why science has succeeded where magic failed: because it has looked for no spell to cast over nature”. From the beginning of time man and nature has been in conflict with one another because, as a whole, there is no cooperating. Each one tirelessly wants its way. The Man is fighting for dominance and nature w never yielding its authority. In American Literature, many authors illustrate this theme in their writing. Specifically the writers Jack London in The Law Of Life, Stephen Crane The Open Boat and Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Fin. Each explores the relationship between humans and nature but with slightly different methods. Mark Twain uses nature in a realistic way, Jack London in a naturalistic way and Stephen Crane constitutes a combination of both.
In conclusion, the key to survival in dire and drastic situations comes from deep within every human. Every individual will go through changes in order to adapt and survive the harsh conditions and challenges they are put through. In order to survive, one must be ready to give up their morals, one must find a way to keep their mind fresh and sane, and one must be ready to compromise and sacrifice. Most humans are generally very civilized under normal conditions, but when the need to survive becomes the top priority the wild animal inside everyone takes over. The author, William Golding, of Lord of the Flies once wrote, “Maybe there is a beast....maybe it's only us” (80).
White-tailed deer, also known as the whitetail, is native to the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. What are the things called antlers and what are they made of? Deer antlers are made of bone. They grow from pedicles, bony bumps found on the heads of all deer, and they drop off after the mating season ends.
London's male protagonists and antagonists repeatedly confront nature as a hostile force, testing their courage and strength in times of danger. For instance, in The Call of the Wild, London writes “It marked his adaptability, his capacity to adjust himself to changing conditions, the lack of which would have meant swift and terrible death. It marked, further, the decay or going to pieces of his moral nature, a vain thing and a handicap in the ruthless struggle for existence” (London
The white tiger is one of the biggest in the cat family. The white tiger is long it can grow up to 3.3 meters long and weigh as much as 300 kilograms hard to carry. Subspecies of the white tiger like Sumatran Tiger, Amur(or Siberian) Tiger, Indian (or Bengal) tiger, south china tiger, malayan tiger,indo-chinese tiger,bali tiger,javan tiger,caspian tiger thats extinct theres nine subspecies of the white tiger.A lot of subspecies are endangered or extinct because people hunt them for their fur to make jackets or sweaters and destroying their habitat.Some tiger cubs don’t live to be an adult because around half of the cubs die around 2-3 years of age.The cubs leave their mother at around 2 years old they live a long time because their mom taught them what they would know from eating to hiding from people.A group of tigers is called ambush or streak because the group may be hunting.You probably thought these tigers can’t swim because they are in the cat family but if you do you are wrong because ...