Book Talk - I Am Malala

The Call of the Wild - Classic sem. 2

The Call of the Wild

The Call of the Wild by Jack London is considered to be a classic due to it being a timeless book; a book that can be related to at any age at any time.  The Call of the Wild is about survival, something that everyone can relate to, whether it's at school, work, or literally out in the woods.  This book is relevant to today in that it makes the reader think 'what would I do if I were him?' or ' what if I had to survive in the wild'. A reader can have these questions no matter what time period it is.  Another reason why this book is considered a classic is because it illustrates a man and his companion's (dog) relationship, which a vast number of people across the world can easily relate to due to dog being widely popular.

The Call of the Wild does introduce a new idea into society.  Its new idea is the idea of being stranded in the wilderness, having to fend for yourself and survive.  This is an idea that many people at the time have wondered, the 'what if I got lost in the woods?', and if that person did how would he or she react.  Furthermore, it introduces the use of dogs to help the main character survive.  This was the first book at the time that went into depth about how a person managed to survive and his thoughts in the wilderness.  Another idea that was introduced to the rest of the world was the use of dogsleds. Only a few people actually used dogsleds as a mode of transportation, so the book allowed the reader to gain knowledge about something he or she had not known before.  

The response to the release of The Call of the Wild was exhilarating, interesting, and unbelievable. America and the rest of the world felt exhilarated when the book was read due to the fact that Thornton, the main human character, befriended Buck, a seemingly wild canine.  This also brings in the other two responses, interesting and unbelievable.  The readers could not believe that a wild canine and a ordinary human could created a relationship as close as Buck and Thornton's.  Most everyone who has heard or read this book thinks that their relationship and dependency on each other is greatly interesting.  Furthermore, there were a lot of people reading The Call of the Wild when it first came out, because of the radical storyline and idea of befriending a wild animal, becoming so great of companions.

The Call of the Wild fully captures the time period of the early 1900s.  It captures the early 1900s because many new and seemingly outrageous inventions and ideas were being made and discovered. Some examples of these inventions and ideas were the Ford Motor Company produced the first automobile, Mary Anderson invents windshield wipers, and The Wright Brothers fly at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.  To emphasize this idea, The Call of the Wild brings a whole new idea into 1903 and to subsequent years; that idea is creating a bond with a wild animal, relying on that animal, and in general spending a great deal of time out in the wilderness, with that animal or not.  In addition, The Call of the Wild greatly gives the readers an insight into how the wintery terrain of the Klondike and Alaska were at the time.

By writing The Call of the Wild, Jack London is trying to emphasize that the wilderness is not all barbaric and desolate.  He's trying to illustrate a sense of naturalism.  London is trying to show how a wild animal can be friendly to and get along with a human.  Ultimately, London is also showing how it is okay to stray from the norm; not everyone would go and do what Thornton did in his book.  London wanted to show the reader how real-life was in the Canada and Alaska, and give the reader an insight to the hardships the people and animals of those regions faced.  

Gulliver's Travels - Classic

Jonathan Swift wrote Gulliver’s Travels in 1726.  This book is seen to be a classic due to its uniqueness.  The book is unique because of the plot: a man who tells stories about being attacked and harassed by tiny people.  It has lasted the test of time because it is an example of Swift's use of satire.  Gulliver's Travels has humor and can be interpreted numerous ways, which allows various readers to enjoy it.  Also generally speaking, Gulliver's Travels is a well-written book that goes into the mind of Jonathan Swift and how he thinks.  Doing this, Swift uses magnificent imagery in a way that the world has not seen before.  For example, he observes the little people having many rebellions upon the breaking of an eggshell.  Describing this unique way of thinking attracted a great audience towards Swift's work.  

Gulliver's Travels brings new ideas to American literature.  It emphasized the idea that humans are not meant to know everything and that there is a natural limit to understanding everything.  Swift makes a great effort to make this known to those who believe they know everything.  Furthermore, Swift highlights the importance of self-understanding; realizing who you are and how you are portrayed to others.  This is just one of the lessons that Gulliver learns throughout the book.  Gulliver's Travels also introduces the question of whether physical power or moral righteousness should be a determining factor in social life.  Gulliver is constantly faced with question of if he should physically oppress and harm the little people or do what is right and let them be.  The stories told while Gulliver is described to be a giant is a totally new idea as well.  A piece of literature has never examined life from a giant's point of view while focusing on the relationship of the little people. 

Gulliver's Travels was more accessible than many other books from the early to mid 1700s. With that being said, this shows how widely it was published and that their was a demand for this radical book at the time; it had been a piece the masses were eager to read.  American's response to reading Swift's work was a great realization of themselves and the way they are living their life with the people around them.  

Gulliver's Travels captured the conflict that took place within England throughout the early 1700s.  These conflicts were over the differences in religion.  Swift captures these differences and gives innuendoes to these conflicts all throughout the book. For example, Swift includes Gulliver being convicted for treason while not doing anything related to the church or religion.   Furthermore, this book represents the Enlightenment and the way of expressing new and radical ideas through writing and publication.  However, Swift does still capture the English monarchical system in Gulliver’s Travel.

When Jonathan Swift wrote this book, he wanted to illustrate how his mind worked and what he thought others should realize.  He wanted the realization that no one is omniscient, that one person does not know everything about everyone.  Swift saw this ideology among many people while writing this book.   He also wanted Gulliver’s Travels to be easily read among all of masses, which it was.  Gulliver’s Travels being a simple read, along with demonstrating early England and having a great message is why it is considered a classic in today’s world.