The man in the story is…
Why is the man out in the cold?
The man's companion is…
What is the man’s relationship to his companion?
The man is able to successfully start a fire after breaking through the ice.
What happens to the man while he tries to dry his feet?
What does the man realize in his most desperate moment?
Why does the man try and grab the dog?
Which of the following best describes a central theme of the text?
Which quotation from the text best highlights the man's ignorance to the potential dangers of nature?
The author's descriptions of the cold weather suggest that —
Which of the following quotations develops the fire as a symbol of survival?
How does the narrator's point of view develop the short story's tone?
How does the man’s attitude toward the old-timer change throughout the story?
Fill in the blanks. . .
At first, the man thinks the old-timer is . After the man travels further into the woods, he . Finally, the man .
“It did not lead him to meditate upon his frailty as a creature of temperature, and upon man’s frailty in general, able only to live within certain narrow limits of heat and cold [...]”
Which word can BEST replace “frailty” to keep the sentence's meaning?
“He had hoped to get into camp with the boys at six o’clock, and this would delay him an hour, for he would have to build a fire and dry out his foot-gear. This was imperative at that low temperature—he knew that much; and he turned aside to the bank, which he climbed."
Which word is the BEST synonym for “imperative” in the sentence?
Which TWO sentences BEST characterize the man as arrogant?
What does the fire symbolize in the story?
"A foot of snow had fallen since the last sled had passed over, and he was glad he was without a sled, travelling light. In fact, he carried nothing but the lunch wrapped in the handkerchief. He was surprised, however, at the cold. It certainly was cold, he concluded, as he rubbed his numbed nose and cheek-bones with his mittened hand."
Which of the following BEST describes the man’s attitude toward nature?
Consider the quote below from another Jack London short story "The Law of Life"
"All men must die. He did not complain. It was the way of life, and it was just. He had been born close to the earth, close to the earth had he lived, and the law thereof was not new to him."
Explain this quote in your own words: What is "The Law of Life" according to London?
Then, connect: How is the Law of Life illustrated in "To Build a Fire"?
1-3 sentences:
Compare/Contrast Chris McCandless with the main character/narrator of To Build a Fire. Make a quick list. . . . . How are they similar and/or different?
Epigraphs from start of Chapter 2
Epigraph 1: "Jack London is King"
Alexander Supertramp
May 1992
(^ graffiti carved into a piece of wood discovered at the site of Chris McCandless's death)
Epigraph 2: "Dark spruce forest frowned on either side the frozen waterway. The trees had been stripped by a recent wind of their white covering of frost, and they seemed to lean toward each other, black and ominous, in the fading light. A vast silence reigned over the land. The land itself was a desolation, lifeless, without movement, so lone and cold that the spirit of it was not even that of sadness. There was a hint in it of laughter, but of a laughter more terrible than any sadness—a laughter that was mirthless as the smile of the Sphinx, a laughter cold as the frost and partaking of the grimness of infallibility. It was the masterful and incommunicable wisdom of eternity laughing at the futility of life and the effort of life. It was the Wild, the savage, frozen-hearted Northland Wild." (Jack London, White Fang)
1-3 sentences: Why does Krakauer include these epigraphs at the start of Chapter 2? What do they show about Chris McCandless?
Consider both epigraphs directly in your response.
"I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in a magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time." - Jack London (his personal Credo published shortly before his death in 1916)
"Two years he walks the Earth. No phone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes. Ultimate freedom. An extremist. An aesthetic voyager whose home is the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return, 'cause "the West is the best." And now after two rambling years comes the final and greatest adventure. The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking bring him to the great white north. No longer to be poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild.” - Alexander Supertramp (credo, carved into plywood, found in the bus)
In a mini paragraph, respond to the prompt below:
Consider Jack London's Credo.
How are McCandless's own beliefs similar/different?
Cite at least 1 specific detail from McCandless's life/credo and at least 1 specific detail from London's stories or his Credo here to support your response (2+ quotes total, 6+ sentences)