The Existential Theme of London’s To Build A Fire Essay -- Build Fire

The Existential Theme of London’s â€Å"To Build A Fire"  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Jack London’s short story, â€Å"To Build a Fire,† is the tragic tale of a man who decides to travel alone through the hostile environment of the Yukon in sub-freeing temperatures and falls victim to the unrelenting and unforgiving power of nature. During his journey, the man gets his feet wet as he falls through the ice into the water of a hot spring (London 122). Because of the severity of the cold, some â€Å"one hundred and seven degrees below [the] freezing point,† the man’s life depends upon his ability to promptly light a fire to keep his feet from freezing (122-23). After one, half-successful fire-starting endeavor, and several other pitiful attempts, the hopelessness of the man’s lone struggle against the hostile environment of the Yukon begins to become apparent. After a lengthy episode of panic in which the man tries desperately to return the feeling to his extremities by â€Å"running around like a chicken with its head cut off† (128), the man at last â€Å"grows calm and decides to meet death with dignity . . .† (Labor 66). The story’s central theme is one portrayed by many existentialist writers—that man lives a solitary existence which is subject to the relentless, unforgiving forces of nature; an ever so subtle part of this theme is that it is man’s goal to find meaning in his existence. The word existentialist, as well as the subject of existentialism itself, evades definition. Davis McElroy points out this problem by comparing the act of defining existentialism to the act of trying â€Å"to explain human existence in a single sentence . . .† (xi). For the sake of brevity, perhaps a short, simple definition would be best; according to the American Heritage Dictionar... ...s artful placement of irony within the story. Works Cited â€Å"Existentialism.† The American Heritage Dictionary. 3rd ed. New York: Dell, 1994. Hendricks, King. Jack London: Master Craftsman of the Short Story. Logan: Utah State U P,   Ã‚  Ã‚   1966. Rpt. In Jack London: Essays in Criticism. Ed. Ray Wilson Ownbey. Santa Barbara:   Ã‚  Ã‚   Peregrine, 1978. 13-30. Labor, Earle. Jack London. New York: Twayne, 1974. London, Jack. â€Å"To Build a Fire.† Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry and Drama.   Ã‚  Ã‚   6th ed. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New York: Harper Collins, 1995. 118-29. McElroy, Davis Dunbar. Existentialism and Modern Literature. Westport: Greenwood, 1968. Perry, John. Jack London: An American Myth. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1981. Walcutt, Charles Child. Jack London. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 1966.         

Biography of Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was a very influential man in the South African society. Throughout his life he had his ups and downs. He went from being in jail for life, to being the president of South Africa. In his life he had one dream and goal, which he never gave up on, even when he was faced with extreme adversity. Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 in a village near Mthatha in the Transkei, called Mvezo, to Nonqaphi Nosekeni and Henry Mgadla Mandela. When his father died in 1927, Rolihlahla became the ward of Jogintaba Dalindyebo, the Paramount Chief, to be made to assume high office. Rolihlahla dreamed of playing his own part in the freedom struggle oh his people from hearing the elder’s stories of his ancestor’s valour during the wars of resistance. Soon he was going to school to get an education at a local mission school, and soon he was given the name Nelson. Soon he was sent through many schools through the years and enrolled at the University College of Fort Hare, and there he got his Bachelor of Arts Degree. At the end of Nelson’s first year at college, he started to become involved in a Students’ Representative Council boycott against the university’s policies, and soon he was told to leave Fort Hare and to not come back unless he accepted election to the SRC. Nelson Mandela grew up in a system of Apartheid. The whites were treated as the best race of all. Also the white are the ones who led the government. In South Africa, whites were considered a minority. Throughout Nelson’s life, the black people were treated worse than everyone else. Growing up Nelson Mandela could only go to schools for the blacks. Apartheid was developed after World War II by the Afrikaner-dominated National Party. The racial groups were classified into four, Native, Asian, coloured, and white, and residential places were segregated, sometimes by means of force. The government segregated, medical care, beaches, education, and other public services, and the government gave the blacks worse services and the whites better services. Nelson spent his whole life trying to change this racial segregation. Nelson was in a group of 60 people called the African National Congress. He was a leader with William Nkomo, Sisulu, Oliver R Tambo, Ashby P Mda. The group set themselves to the task of creating this group into a mass movement. Soon they formed the African National Congress Youth League. Nelson impressed everyone with his hard work and was elected as the league’s National secretary. The group soon set out to try to change how the government was working and the laws of apartheid it was putting on the people. The African National Congress launched a campaign for the Defiance of Unjust Laws. Nelson was elected Volunteer-in-Chief, and travelled the country organizing resistance to discriminatory legislation. This Campaign was determined as defiance and Nelson and 19 others were brought to trial. Nelson was charged of contravening the Suppression of Communism Act and given a suspended prison sentence. Soon after the end of the campaign, Nelson was also not allowed to attend gathering and had to stay in Johannesburg for six months. Nelson still led resistance movements, against the government. During all of the ‘50s, Mandela was victim of many forms of repression. He was arrested, imprisoned, and banner. On March 1956 a five year banning order was enforced against him. During the whole of the ‘50s, Mr Mandela was the victim of various forms of repression. He was banned, arrested and imprisoned. A five year banning order was enforced against him in March 1956. The government was paying a lot of attention to Nelson and had to move from place to place to not be detected by the all of the informants that the government had and all the police spies. To evade detection Nelson had to have a number of disguises ranging from a laborer, to a chauffer. Nelson soon spent some time abroad for several months. When he returned to South Africa, he was charged with illegal exit of the country, and incitement to strike. Nelson decided to be his own defense in his trial. One thing he said in the trial was, â€Å"I detest racialism, because I regard it as a barbaric thing, whether it comes from a black man or a white man. † He lost his trial and was sentenced to five years in prison. When Nelson was brought back to Pretoria in July 1963 he encountered Thomas Mashifane. He then knew that their hide out had been discovered by the authorities. Nelson and ten other were then charged with sabotage. The trial in court for them lasted for 8 months. At the end of Nelson’s statement he said, â€Å"I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die. † All but to of the accused people were sentenced to life in prison. There Nelson was faced with many prisoners and prison warders who influenced him, and he also influenced them. While he was in prison, Nelson rejected all the offers made by his jailers for a shortened sentence as long as he accepted the Bantustan policy by recognizing the independence of the Transkei and agreeing to live there. Nelson was released on February 11, 1990. He then set out wholeheartedly, wanting to complete the goals he and other tried to do years ago. After being banned for decades the African National Congress had its first national conference. Nelson was elected president while his great friend Oliver Tambo was elected as the organizations National Chairperson. Nelson Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on 1993, after his life that symbolizes the triumph of the human spirit. He was awarded this on behalf of all South Africans who suffered and sacrificed so much to bring peace to South Africa. The era of Apartheid ended on April 27, 1994. Nelson voted for the first time in his life then. After all his ups and downs, and all the adversity he faced, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as President of South Africa.

Personal Narrative The Forest Of Laughter - 1107 Words

The Forest of Laughter As our first camping trip, we were quite new to the outdoors. This was the first time we have ever really did anything outdoors except for going on hikes other than that we were quite an indoor family. My dad happened to have the greatest idea of going camping but we really did not know how to do a lot of stuff when it comes to outdoor activities especially setting up a tent. I remember when we first picked out where we were going camping, I did some research on the history of this forest. Of course my parents decided not to do any research on this place at all. As I typed it into my laptop, several videos and websites came up. I clicked on one of the videos where it says, Staying The Night In The Forest of†¦show more content†¦The world felt like it was spinning around and around. I eventually got so scared I ran back to the tent but it was too quiet and I started yelling, â€Å"MOM! DAD!† Then I heard someone screaming from inside the tent. I opened up the tent to find my sister scrunched up in the corner screaming and covering her ears. â€Å"Leslie it s me your brother, chill!† I yelled so she could hear me. I grabbed her and pulled her into my arms so I could comfort her. She finally stopped screaming and I got her to tell me what happened. â€Å"I turned around and there was a big black figure standing behind me and then all of a sudden I hear, WOOOSH. Then everything went black. When I finally got up I was in the tent. I went outside to see where mom and dad were but they were nowhere to be found, † she said with a terrified look on her face. By the way she looked, I could tell that she was not playing a prank on me like most of the other times. It just seems like I could trust her just this one time. â€Å"We have to go looking for them,† I told her. â€Å"What if the thing comes back, what if it’s not done? It might want more?† she said while trembling. â€Å"I have an idea don t worry.† I said trying to lighten up the situation. â€Å"Let s use light,† she said, â€Å"it might affect it.† I took her word for it and grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out to the fire and said, â€Å"Come on there is a forest guide center not far from here, I remember how to get backShow MoreRelatedAs You Like It a Romantic Comedy1658 Words   |  7 Pagesinvolving weightier issues and themes: personal identity; the importance of love in human existence; the power of language to help or hinder communication; the transforming power of poetry and art; the disjunction between appearance and reality; the power of dreams and illusions). As you like it is a romantic comedy. It is full of sunshine, love, laughter, and song. The predominant mood of the play is one of cheerfulness, light-hearted gaiety, and laughter. 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