The%20Call%20of%20the%20Wild%20Jack%20London

1
The Call of the Wild Jack London
Menu
Introduction Background Discussion Starters
2
The Call of the Wild Jack London

• Images provided by Jupiter Images and
  Shutterstock.

3
The Call of the Wild Jack London
4
The Call of the Wild Introduction
In a harsh and hostile environment like the Yukon
Territory,
survival is the ultimate challenge.
5
The Call of the Wild Introduction
If strength, courage, and adaptability are the
keys to survival,
then our hero, Buck, stands a pretty good chance.
6
The Call of the Wild Introduction
When Buck is stolen from his comfortable home in
California and sold as a sled dog,
he ends up working in the bitter cold of Alaska
and Canada.
7
The Call of the Wild Introduction
Its not just the climate thats changed.
The rules seem to be different, too.
8
The Call of the Wild Introduction
In this new environment, Buck has to change the
way he

• sleeps

• eats

• relates to humans

• interacts with other dogs

9
The Call of the Wild Introduction
Buck is smart, tough, and alert.
He learns quickly how to survive as a sled dog.
He even challenges Spitz, the lead dog.
10
The Call of the Wild Introduction
No sooner has Buck adapted, though, than things
begin to change again.
New owners,
heavier loads,
dangerously thin ice
none of these changes will make life any easier
for Buck. Or will they?
11
The Call of the Wild Background
In August 1896, goldand lots of itwas
discovered in Rabbit Creek in the Yukon Territory
of western Canada.
12
The Call of the Wild Background
When news of the find reached the United States,
the Klondike gold rush was on.
13
The Call of the Wild Background
The gold prospectors, known as Klondikers,
faced harsh conditions

• temperatures 20 degrees below zero

• starvation and malnutrition

• long journeys on foot

• hundreds of pounds of supplies to transport

14
The Call of the Wild Background

• About 100,000 people started out in hopes of
  reaching the Klondike River and finding gold.

• Of these, only about 30,000 completed the trip.
  The rest either stopped somewhere along the way,
  turned around, or died.

• Very few found their fortune, because locals had
  already taken most of the good claims.

15
The Call of the Wild Background
The indigenous people of Alaska and Canada began
using sled dogs more than 1,000 years ago.
They depended on these dogs for

• protection

• transportation

• hunting

• companionship

16
The Call of the Wild Background
In the late 1800s, settlers and explorers started
using the dogs to help them explore remote areas,
deliver mail, and look for gold.
17
The Call of the Wild Background
Certain purebred dogs are commonly used as sled
dogs.
Siberian huskies
Alaskan malamutes
Samoyeds
18
The Call of the Wild Background
Huskies, malamutes, and Samoyeds have a
protective outercoat and an insulating undercoat,
that helps them tolerate temperatures as low as
70 F.
19
The Call of the Wild Discussion Starters

• Discuss (1)
• The Call of the Wild is an unusual book because
  it is told from the point of view of a dog.

• How do you think dogs view the world?
• How does a dogs perspective differ from a
  humans? In what ways are the perspectives
  similar?

20
The Call of the Wild Discussion Starters

• Discuss (2)
• As Bucks primitive, animal nature becomes
  stronger, he feels a longing to live as a wild
  animal instead of as a domesticated one.

• Do humans, like dogs, sometimes hear the call of
  the wild?
• What do you do when you feel the need to get
  closer to nature?