Rules of Living

The call of the wild is a story about a dog. However, the story also vividly describes the life in the primitive North where people rushed for gold and fortune.

Buck, a dog which was belonging to a judge, was kidnapped and sold to North. Then he became a member of a dog-team pulling a sled. In the days of pulling the snow-sled, he learned the rules of living—obedient to the law of nature and obeys the master. Only in this way, Buck can live. And finally, he found a basic instinct hidden inside him, which enabled himself to survive the difficult environment. At the end of the story, Buck returned to the embrace of nature. This is all about The call of the wild.

The competition which exists in the human society and the spirit what people have is a reflection of ancient wild. It brings a desire to conquer all things. Just like Buck, before he joins the team, he never thought about that he will be in a crowd of dogs and struggling to survive. But Buck is very brave in the tough days and never gives up. When he found he must be faced the rules of living, the unyielding wild in the deep of himself was quickly wake up.

Well, in today's competitive society, the outcome just in a moment, It caused people can not have hesitation when we face to the every crisis, only to accept bravely, and eventually conquered crisis. So, I think Buck’s spirit is very worth for us to admiring, no matter how difficult the crisis or how bad the environment which we must be face to. But nowadays, many young people have rarely attack, frustration or achievements. They want to avoid all the things what they must be face to them in their future life.

However, on their own road of growth, young people will encounter setbacks and difficulties inevitably. They also should overcome their shortcomings and give play to strong points with the indomitable will. And only in this way, young people will safety living in this competitive society, and never give up when they have any problems.

In a word, we always want to know that in our life there will be happiness and safeness. And finally we will like Buck, experienced numerous setbacks, stride across the hardest problem and return to the hug of nature. We must believe our own ability all the time.

 

第二篇：野性的呼唤 英文阅读报告

A Report on 《The call of the wild 》

Introduction

At the beginning of this century, many new writers emerged with the introduction of many new ideas. Jack London stories successfully reflect the contradictory views of man’s nature and destiny in and against the wild, and his "fight to survive" notion has gained him and his works timeless popularity, particularly, the Call of the Wild

   His most famous novel is the call of the wild . Although it is a story about a dog, Buck, it vividly depicts the life in the primitive North where people rushed for gold and fortune.  Buck, used to belong to a judge, was kidnapped and sold to North. Then he became a member of a dog-team pulling a sled (雪橇). In the days of pulling a snow-sled, he learned to conform to the law of nature and obey the master. Finally, he found a basic instinct hidden inside him, which enabled himself to survive the tough environment. This is the call of the wild.

Brief introduction

About the author, Jack London (Jan 12, 1876—Nov 22, 1916)

Jack London (1876-1916) is an American worldwide renowned novelist, journalist and social activist. His representative works include the Call of the Wild, Martin Eden, Son of the Wolf, White Fang, etc.

He is said to be a natural child. In 1889, he began working 12 to 18 hours for a day at Hickmott’s Cannery. In 1894, he spent 30 days for vagrancy in the Erie County Penitentiary at Buffalo. After many experiences as a hobo and a sailor, he returned to Oakland and attended Oakland High School. He contributed a number of articles to the high school's magazine. His first published work was an account of his sailing experiences.

 His novels successfully reflect the contradictory views of man’s nature and destiny in and against the wild.

The Call of the Wild (1903)

The Call of the Wild is London’s most-read book, and generally considered his best, the most masterpiece of his so-called “early period”. The story was set in 19^th-century Klondike Gold Rush, in which sled dogs were bought at generous prices.

Buck was a domestic dog in Judge Miller’s home and living a comfortable life until he was sold secretly by the poor gardener and became a sled dog. Buck was a Bernard dog weighed one hundred and forty pounds, tall, strong, and heavy muscled. He couldn’t accommodate to the harsh condition at first. And he wanted to fight, to escape, to go back to his cozy home, but in vain.

The man in red taught him the law of stick and club—one must first adjust himself to his surroundings and learn the rules, and only after that he can do what he wants to do. The club of the man in red called back Buck’s nature as a dog.

When he firstly served for François and Perrault, two couriers, he showed his superior ability to adapt to the environment and his smartness to learn everything he wanted to learn. Curly’s death astonished him and taught him to be cautious. And before he had recovered from the shock caused by the tragic passing of Curly, he was harnessed as a sled dog and step by step wanted to be the leader. But the leading dog, Spitz, was already an excellent one, who also considered Buck as enemy and potential competitor. At last, when Spitz once punished him, hurling backward Buck, he knew the time had come. He killed Spitz and took his place.

When they pulled into Dawson, Buck was sold as useless thing to three gold diggers, who weren’t veteran in sledding and even didn’t know how to get to their destination. Food was eaten up half way. So Charles, one of the three, decided to kill Buck when he couldn’t get up. However, when he aimed at Buck, John Thornton sprang upon him, knocked him down and told him that if Charles stroke Buck, Thornton would kill him.

Thus, Thornton took Buck away. He was the only true friend of Buck. But Buck was a thing of the wild, especially when the calling of wolf from the hills. Once when he came back from hills, he found that Thornton was killed by Indians.  Buck became a nut and killed those headsmen and stayed with Thornton for two days and nights, never leaving Thornton out of his sight. And then a nearby wolf howl captures his ears, and he follows the sound to an approaching wolf pack, battling several of these creatures to prove his worth.

When you read the story, you will feel that Buck is a man instead of a dog, struggling with his fortune and conforming to the law of nature.Though short, it is really a thrilling story. What you never forget is the tough life in the nature, the brave and crafty dog. Maybe the wild is calling you to go ahead.

My understanding

Buck He sings a song of the younger world, which is the song of the pack." (Chapter VII The Sounding of the Wild) When the last sentence vanished from my eyes, I can still perceive an echo of a song - a wild song, which knocks up my dizzy mind that always cheerfully sink into the so-called civilized world without questioning. Wild, is no longer a symbol of the law of jungle but a headspring where streams out love, passion, bravery, loyalty, friendship, venture, competition and tolerance all these virtues can easily be found in the Call of the Wild.

 is a cruel, cunning and intelligent image in the Call of the Wild. He killed Spitz to take the leadership, learned apace to sleep under snow and learned fast to steal food without being punished. But in my opinion, Buck in the wild, just as a man in the society, must do what he had done for survival. Jack London compared human to Buck and told us that we must adapt ourselves to the society——learning the rules, learning the necessary knowledge and keeping forging ahead, otherwise we’ll lag behind and be obsolete. That is the life.

The Call of the Wild conjures up a lost world, filled with people and place names that were so common at the turn of the twentieth century, but which have since faded away into history, lost and forgotten. It is by reading Buck's story that one can once more remember life as it was, digging up this hidden wealth from deep caves of time.

However, who can fully guarantee that we have not overlooked some essential wild-endowed virtues? Especially, nowadays, it seems more crucial for us to stop looking at the post-industrialized world and to ponder for a while. When cheats, betrayals, lies, lusts and crimes stuff a materialized society, whether London uses this novel to help himself escape the reality or warn the earthy people, to us, modern man, is all the same. One day when I happen to stand on the top of a grand mountain to observe a boundless prairie enveloped by the sapphire firmament and combed by gusts of the rhythmical west wind, a morning sun sprinkles me her warmth and brilliance in a graceful way, however, at that moment, I am afraid that I cannot appreciate these beauties, I am a lost " civilized man" then.

Summary

All in all, the call of the wild is really a masterpiece.  He sings a song of the younger world, which is the song of the pack." When you read the story, you will feel that Buck is a man instead of a dog, struggling with his fortune and conforming to the law of nature.
Though short, it is really a thrilling story. What you never forget is the tough life in the nature, the brave and crafty dog. Maybe the wild is calling you to go ahead.
While writing for only 16 years throughout his life, London produced an amazing body of work among which, White Fang, Martin Eden, the Valley of the Moon are representative.

At last, i want to say "Please, please do not let come true while we are still able to answer the call of the wild."