The Importance Of Survival In To Build A Fire By Jack London

Although exploring and crossing the wild environment is popular, “what makes wilderness survival situations so fundamentally different from pop-culture contrivances is simply this: These things are not fake”(Fedarko, Kevin). Many people try to cross severe terrain, whether for recreation and for work. The conditions can become extreme and survival is not guaranteed. In “To Build a Fire” a fiction story by Jack London, a man tries cross the Yukon to reach his camp. He goes through many obstacles and has to face many challenges. In “Learning About Survival Where Aron Ralston Outwitted Death” a short story by Kevin Fedarko, a man crosses the Canyonlands National Park. He struggles to survive mother nature and her elements. In both of these stories, …show more content…
The use of personification allows the reader to better comprehend the life threatening situation. Although it has been days since he has seen the sun, “he [knows] that a few more days [will] pass before that cheerful orb, due south, [will] peep above the sky-line” (London). This quote suggests that the the sun is absent and only darkness remains. The man is surrounded by a certain gloominess but also has hope that overpowers the dark. His use of words like cheerful, helps the reader realize that the man still believes that he will make it out alive. As the man hikes the cold, dark trail, the sun is “to far south on its winter journey to clear the horizon”(London). This shows that the man is still full of hope, yet there is a lingering sense of loneliness that makes the setting desolate. The personification of the sun is used to help the readers better understand the details and mood of the surrounding setting. The desolate feeling …show more content…
When Fedarko uses metaphors, he creates a more vivid image of the arid setting. As the man walks along the trail, he looks up to see the “dust-broom winds and night skies that burn with the milk-glow of more stars than [he has] ever seen”(Fedarko). This example shows that the setting is very dry and hot. The winds are like dust-brooms and the sky is metaphorically burning. These metaphors are used to make the reader realize the temperature is scorching. As he continues on his journey, he hikes “into the west fork of Blue John Canyon via a wide wash carpeted in white sand and lined with cream-colored sandstone walls”(Fedarko). He is comparing the canyon to a carpet to help the reader see how desolate and bare the atmosphere is. The reader can imagine a old carpet as the landscape, which is usually worn-out. When it becomes dark and all the animals have gone to sleep, he realizes that “silence can actually carry weight” (Fedarko). He is saying that silence is powerful and makes a big impact on the surroundings. The mood shifts, the setting fills with darkness and leaves an ominous feeling to the environment. The reader has a better description of what something actually looks like if they have something they can compare it too. Fedarko uses metaphors to convey a bare and bleak setting of the Canyonlands National