The Call of the Wild

Jack London

Think. Connect. Infer. 9/2/15

1. What scene or scenes from the novel stands out most in your mind? WHY? What does the author do to ensure that the scene(s) will stand out?

2. What qualities does Buck embody that we would consider heroic? What qualities does Buck display that show him as a villain? How does the author intend for us to view Buck?

Think. Connect. Infer. 9/2/15

3. Get into your small groups. Introduce yourselves, beginning with the student whose birthday occurred most recently, and go around the circle clockwise.

4. After all students have introduced themselves, share what you remembered from yesterday’s class.

5. Discuss the answers to today’s questions for The Call of the Wild and take notes on things you learn.

Write down the problems, difficulties, and frustrations you had with the novel.

(Note: Problems, difficulties, and frustrations build PERSEVERANCE!)

6. Discuss these difficulties to see if they occurred with others in your group.

7. Discuss what you think caused the difficulties (style, subject matter, content, language…)

Themes• There are a few celebrated themes unique to this

novel this year (achieving primal dominance over others and over circumstances, for example). Leaving those aside, consider 4 large themes we will address all year :

»Perspective»Loyalty (including its opposite, betrayal)»Boundaries»Identity/acceptance

• Brainstorm examples from the novel (textual evidence) that illustrate each theme. Draw inferences to substantiate your analysis.

The Epigraph HP

• Discover what an epigram/epigraph is.

• Read the epigraph again, and analyze its meaning together.

• Discuss the relationship of the epigraph at the beginning of the novel to the novel as a whole.

Epigraph in Chapter 1 HP

“Old longings nomadic leap, Chafing at custom’s chain;Again from its brumal sleep Wakens the ferine strain.”

Your Goal: HP

• Be ready and able to analyze the author’s purpose of the epigraph. This will encompass its meaning and precise placement in the novel.

On your index card, please write and complete the following 2 statements:

1. The best thing about Jack London’s novel The Call of the Wild as a summer reading assignment was _______________ because…

2. The worst thing about the assignment was______________________ because…

Epigram Becomes Epigraph:

An epigram is a little poem or clever statement, but an epigraph is a specific kind of epigram: a witty statement that's inscribed somewhere, such as on a building or at the beginning of a chapter or book.

Revised Constructed ResponseAn epigraph is a brief poem or quotation

from another work of literature placed at the beginning of a novel or novel section in order to introduce a theme. Analyze the epigraph at the beginning of Jack London’s The Call of the Wild (taken from the first stanza of "Atavism” by John Myers O’Hara). How does this epigraph thematically represent the novel as a whole? Use evidence from the text, classroom notes, and classroom discussions to support your thinking.

Epigraph in Chapter 1: ‘Into the Primitive’ HP

“Old longings nomadic leap, Chafing at custom’s chain;Again from its brumal sleep Wakens the ferine strain.”

Stanza 1 from “Atavism” by John Myers O’Hara (1902)

What Questions Do I Ask? p. 5

1. What’s with the title of the poem?2. What theme is being introduced with the

epigraph?3. What is the relationship between ‘atavism’ and the

theme of the novel?4. Why did London use this poem as an epigraph for

his novel?5. How is Chapter One, “Into the Primitive,” related to

the epigraph?6. Why did London only use the first stanza of the

poem as an epigraph?

What Questions Do I Ask? p. 3

1. What’s with the title of the poem?2. How does the title of the chapter relate to the

epigraph?3. What is the relationship between the novel and

the epigraph?4. Why does London choose to use this specific poem

or stanza?5. Did Jack London base the novel The Call of the

Wild on the epigraph? The whole poem?6. What theme or themes does the epigraph convey?

What Questions Should I Ask?1. Re-read the prompt, and then carefully read the

sample response. Note anything you don’t understand, go back to it, and work with it until you get it.

2. Examine the list of questions you compiled with your group. Which questions prove relevant in the sample response? WHAT IS MISSING from your question list??

3. Examine the sample again and list its essential elements. What is it made up of?

4. Find questions that will ‘get at’ those elements—that will elicit the content in the sample.

5. See if you can generalize the questions enough so that they are applicable to your own epigraph-related T-DA, coming up when we read Bradbury.

My Response

Jack London’s choice of epigraph, the first stanza of the poem “Atavism” by John Myers O’Hara, clearly highlights a dominant theme that emerges from The Call of the Wild: the power of primal instincts in drawing ‘their own’ into the wilderness. As the poem’s title refers to character traits reflecting distant ancestral yearnings, so the lines themselves speak directly to London’s theme. “Old longings nomadic leap,/Chafing at custom’s chain” initially prepares the reader to meet the those longings in Buck, who is introduced at first as a thoroughly civilized dog living “the life of a sated aristocrat” on his master’s California estate (London, 4). O’Hara’s powerful verbs “leap” and “chafing,” though, suggest a dramatic and disturbing change which will launch Buck from his comfortable life into “the Primitive” identified in Chapter One’s title.

That violent wrenching from a life of ease into one of abuse gives birth to a savagery in Buck as he has “accumulated a fund of wrath that boded ill for whoever first fell foul of him” (9). His wrath, however, cannot withstand the club, which London describes as “…a revelation. It was his introduction into the reign of primitive law” (13). From his initiation into the violence and treachery of men in Chapter One, London takes Buck through a pattern of relative ease, or “brumal sleep,” to the sudden brutality of an awakened “ferine strain.” While Buck adapts to each new situation, even under the direction of a lesser dog in Spitz, he nevertheless finds within himself a quality which his tenure as a pampered pet has never revealed. He is “…preeminently cunning” as he waits for an opportunity to challenge the leader “with a patience that was nothing less than primitive” (42).

While there is both struggle and respite for Buck throughout his journey, the qualities which hark back to the time of Buck’s prehistoric visions await only the appropriate circumstances to reveal the primitive beast within. The power of that instinct, interrupted though it is by something wonderful in his love for John Thornton, nevertheless repeatedly calls him away, enticing him to explore a world that has been there all along, sometimes overlapping, sometimes parallel to his own. In the end, it is the brutality of humans that destroys John Thornton, Buck’s last reason to resist the call, and his atavistic longings for the stark dominance of the natural world fully awaken his “ferine strain.” The epigraph’s theme has become Buck’s overpowering reality as he answers “the call of the wild.”

Essential Elements1. Topic sentence referring to prompt with properly

punctuated titles (and correctly spelled authors’ names)2. Precise quotations using a variety of devices to embed them

into the analysis (including useful transitions!)3. Analysis showing each quotation’s purpose—what does it do

related to the prompt/thesis?4. Logical, chronological order for quotations 5. Synonyms and indirect references to important words from

prompt/thesis to maintain focus6. Direct connection between 2 works mentioned in prompt7. References to text that are not direct quotes8. A conclusion drawn from the analysis and addressing the

prompt

My Response, RevisedJack London’s choice of epigraph, the first stanza of the

poem “Atavism” by John Myers O’Hara, clearly highlights a dominant theme in The Call of the Wild: the power of primal instincts to draw ‘their own’ into the wilderness. As the poem’s title refers to character traits reflecting distant ancestral qualities, so the lines themselves speak directly to London’s theme. “Old longings nomadic leap,/Chafing at custom’s chain” initially prepares the reader to meet the those longings in Buck, who is introduced as a thoroughly civilized dog living “the life of a sated aristocrat” on his master’s California estate (London, 4). O’Hara’s powerful verbs “leap” and “chafing” suggest a dramatic and disturbing change which will launch Buck from his comfortable life into “the Primitive” identified in London’s Chapter 1 title.

That violent wrenching from a life of ease into one of abuse gives birth to a savagery in Buck, shown in the reference that he has “accumulated a fund of wrath that boded ill for whoever first fell foul of him” (9). His wrath cannot withstand the club, which London describes as “…a revelation. It was his introduction into the reign of primitive law” (13), revealing Buck’s consciousness of entering a world where former rules do not apply. From his initiation into the violence and treachery of men in Chapter 1, London takes Buck through a pattern of relative ease, or “brumal sleep” as the poem phrases it, to the sudden brutality of an awakened “ferine strain.” While Buck adapts to each new situation, even under the authority of a lesser dog in Spitz, he also finds within himself a quality which his tenure as a pampered pet has never revealed. He is “…preeminently cunning” as he waits for an opportunity to challenge the leader “with a patience that was nothing less than primitive” (42). While there is both

struggle and respite for Buck throughout his journey, the qualities which hark back to the time of Buck’s prehistoric visions around a caveman’s campfire lie dormant until circumstances require him to reveal the primitive beast within. The power of that instinct, diluted though it is by a wonderful love for John Thornton, nevertheless repeatedly calls him away, enticing him to explore a world that has been there all along, sometimes overlapping, sometimes parallel to his own. In the end, it is the brutality of humans that destroys John Thornton, Buck’s last reason to resist the call, and his atavistic longing for the stark dominance of the natural world fully awakens his “ferine strain.” The epigraph’s theme has become Buck’s overpowering reality as he answers “the call of the wild.”

Extrapolate questions to elicit the essential elements of a prompt response:

1. What is the common theme of each work? 2. What textual evidence and explanation support the

theme? Which quotations and which less direct references will I use?

3. Where are the connections between the texts?4. What textual evidence supports those connections?5. What are the most important words in the prompt and

what are some synonyms?6. What transitional words/phrases will be useful in

addressing the prompt? (These may need to wait-don’t forget!)

7. What conclusion can be drawn from the analysis?