Mike Tapia “To Build a Fire” Jack London, an American writer in the early twentieth century, wrote one of his many short stories, “To Build a Fire” (1902), that is based on his own experiences and events he witnessed while visiting the Yukon. In the story, “To Build a Fire”, London develops a theme of Man vs. Nature with a panicky tone of concern toward to the male character and his dog while they both face the harsh environment traveling the Klondike to return to camp, which is miles away. London describes the characteristics and actions in the setting to paint a picture of the naturalism in the imagery inside the reader’s mind. This story shows how common sense takes place through tough times and the matter of life and death.
This element kept him likeable, without being too flashy in my opinion. His behavior further backed this up as he was just not mature enough to handle real world situations and consequences. Dave had a few different motivations in this story. His most predominate motivation was to become a man. This led him to his antagonist of the story, the gun.
He started his career of jumping off things by jumping off a bridge in Paterson, New Jersey in protest of a new bridge through a forest area. This is where the buzz of Sam Patch came alive and from that point on his glory and fame kept growing. The author’s underlying meaning of the book to me was how social structures influence us to be a certain way. Sam Patch was supposed to be a mill worker but instead he decided he wanted to jump from very high areas into water. A lot of people at this time were just like him in the way that they were born into their life and struggled to make it better for them.
“There are times when it could save your life, believe me.”’ (Bryson p305) Bryson shows us that it is ridiculous the way we feel the need to “have” things to make our lives complete. This man is convinced that this product could someday save his life and that he absolutely “needs” it to survive in the wilderness. People seem to think that we need gadgets or “state of the art” things, in order to have a meaningful experience. At the beginning of the book, Bryson is attempting to prepare for life on the trail, but trying to be practical about the amount of things he “needs” as well as the cost of all of these items. Bryson’s wit reveals how a person’s “wants” gets in the way of them realizing they don’t need extra man-made items when nature offers so much.
Confident, he points his nose down the mountain, ready for the challenge, ready for the experience, only to lose his balance and tumble halfway down the slope. Beaten but not broken, he rises and proceeds down the slope. The mountain gazes on with its cold eternal stare. It may have won today, but tomorrow is fast approaching. Tomorrow might be all the man needs.
Moments after, Jeff learned that he had to try his best to save Mark, he had to be strong and courageous. His father told him,”If not courage...have enough love for you brother…” Jeff replies with,”What was the name of the of that little town?” Jeff finally found his courage, thanks to all the love he has for Mark. He finally made up his mind to try his best to save Mark. “Can't stop Mark is in trouble!” When he finally made it out of the canyon he got tired and wanted to rest but he continued because he knew how important it was for Mark to get help. Finally, as Jeffs makes it out of the canyon he tries to find a quick way to get to the little town and find help for Mark.
Ralph upholds the responsibility as chief because he knows he has to somehow guide the boys until they were rescued. Although he is afraid of what lay ahead, he becomes brave and takes position with confidence. Apart from taking a risky position as leader, Ralph shows bravery by taking risks so the other boys do not have to. He, for example, went down to the red cliff where the boys think the beast could be hiding. “...[He] realized with surprise that he did not really expect to meet the beast and didn’t know what he would do about it if he did” (Golding 105).
In a letter to Ronald Franz, Chris McCandless writes “the very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure,” a quote that influenced Aron Ralston to spend more of his time in the back country (Krakauer 57). After reading Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Aron Ralston was inspired by Chris McCandless's life; this book greatly affected Ralston's own life. Ralston and McCandless both explored nature to find “encounters with new experiences” (Krakauer 57). They shared a love for the wild, but they lived their lives appreciating nature in different ways. The differences between the two is what makes Ralston a hero and McCandless not.
‘127 Hours’ – a mighty story, a gritty film ‘127 Hours’ is based on a true story that happened in April 2003. 27 year-old hiker Aron Ralston fell into a narrow crevice, therefore pinning his right arm between a rock and a boulder. He was trapped this way for five days, without food and very little water. The movie follows Aron’s story of how he struggles to survive in the end. The movie begins with a lively Aron Ralston (James Franco) getting ready for a hike to the Blue John Canyon in Utah.
Peaks and Valleys: Making Good and Bad Times Work for You At Work and In Life, is the story of a young man who lived in a valley and was somewhat dissatisfied with the way his life was going. The young man was dissatisfied with his career, friends and family. In his discontent he decided to go on a journey to the peak of the mountain hoping to find happiness and success. Peaks and Valleys provide a fantastic approach to visualizing and developing realistic plans to achieve one’s goals. The valley represents the self defeating ways that people give up on ideas that would otherwise be achievable.