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By Jack London
Jack London - BrainPop
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 8th 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 jobsPirateWhaler who went sailing to JapanHobo – 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)AlaskaKlondike 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
The Quest for Gold in the West
Dog Sledding
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
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
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