Question

Open Book Assignment: White Fang (part 1, chap 1)
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Select ten powerful words/phrases/imagery from the following paragraph which describe the
Northland Wild and explain their effects in a sentence. 10x2=20
men
Dark spruce forest frowned on either side the frozen waterway. The trees had been stripped
by a recent wind of their white covering of frost, and they seemed to lean towards each
other, black and ominous, in the fading light. A vast silence reigned over the land. The land
itself was desolation, lifeless, without movement, so lone and cold that the spirit of it was not
even that of sadness. There was a hint in it of laughter, but of a laughter more terrible than
any sadness-a laughter that was mirthless as the smile of the sphinx, a laughter cold as
the frost and partaking of the grimness of infallibility. It was the masterful and
incommunicable wisdom of eternity laughing at the futility of life and the effort of life. It was
the Wild, the savage, frozen-hearted Northland Wild

Answer 1

The ten phrases and the explanation to each are as follows:

1. In sentence 2, "black and ominous": This phrase makes it sound as if something terrible is about to happen.
2. In sentence 3, "vast silence": This phrase contains a sense of desolation and loneliness.
3. In sentence 4, "the spirit of it was not even that of sadness": How awful is it to think of a feeling that is darker and deeper than sadness? To think of a place that causes such a feeling is scary, to say the least.
4. In sentence 5, "mirthless": Conveys a sense of irony. Laughter is supposed to be mirthful. When it is not, we can assume the person - and in this case, the wilderness - has ulterior motives.
5. In sentence 5, "smile of the sphinx": This phrase alludes to the mythological creature that smiles enigmatically as it gives someone as riddle to solve. If unable to solve it, the person is eaten by the creature. This is again quite a scary way to describe the forest, as if it is ready to attack.
6. In sentence 5, "laughter cold as the frost": A cold laughter would be threatening, dangerous.
7. In sentence 6, "masterful and incommunicable": Conveys the idea that something is out of reach.
8. In sentence 6, "wisdom of eternity": Something beyond our human comprehension.
9. In sentence 6, "futility of life": Conveys a sense of smallness, insignificance. Our lives are but a fluke in this universe.
10. In sentence 7, "savage, frozen-hearted": This phrase makes us feel helpless in the face of wilderness. We are powerless beings, and nature should be regarded with respect.

Born in 1876, Jack London was an American author who used his own adventurous life as inspiration for his books. The novel "White Fang" is among his most famous works. As usual, the novel conveys the idea that nature is more powerful than man. Those who do not understand that fact are quickly taught a valuable lesson, which may often cost them their lives. "White Fang" was first published in 1906.

In conclusion, the phrases listed above help convey that sense of helplessness and evoke respect toward nature.

Learn more about "White Fang" here:

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