Passage 2 To Build a Fire L705

I. Warm up

1.1 Vocabulary

Vocabulary　Definition

come upon

产生（某种态度或感觉）

to affect somebody with an attitude or feeling

fright [fraɪt]

n. 恐怖；惊吓

a sudden feeling of fear

flatten [ˈflætn]

v. 使（某物）变平

to become flat or flatter

frost [frɔːst]

n. 寒冷

the process of freezing

dignity [ˈdɪɡnəti]

n. 尊严

the quality of being worthy of honor or respect

howl [howl]

v. 嗥叫

（of a dog, wolf, etc.） to make a long, loud cry that sounds sad

1.2 Passage Introduction

美国作家杰克·伦敦（Jack London）的短篇故事《生火》是自然主义文学的经典作品。在阅读这篇故事时，读者可以明显感到大自然拥有人类不可抗拒的巨大力量，对人类是毫不留情的；同时，也很容易看出故事主人公——一位淘金者的固执和对大自然警告的蔑视，最终导致他悲惨的结局。故事里主要有两种冲突：人与自我的冲突；人与大自然的冲突。后者就是自然主义文学的主要特征。

这篇短篇主要讲述了一个生存的故事，向读者展示了自然可能是非常危险的。如果无视这一点，盲目自信，且忽略他人的经验，很可能会遭遇灭顶之灾。人无法控制自己的命运，这是自然主义文学想要揭示的中心主题。

1.3 Reading Skills

1.3.1 Skimming

This text is an excerpt from To Build a Fire. Readers are advised to pay attention to the themes of the short story and how the author develops the themes through detailed description of the protagonist’s actions and his surroundings. Usually, a story reveals more than one theme.

The first few paragraphs reveal the major theme—a life-and-death struggle with nature. Meanwhile, two characters show up: the man and the dog. This indicates that attention should be paid later to the interactions between the characters.

A series of actions, taken in fear to fight against death, elaborates the theme. What the reader should pay attention to is the suspense—whether would the actions lead to the man’s rescue? The man’s inner thoughts are also important factors to continue the story, for it can be told through the thoughts if the man is losing control of his body.

The interactions between the man and the dog reveal another theme: Man vs. Animals. The man feels frozen while the dog feels warm and secure; the man dies while the dog survives. Man vs. Nature and Man vs. Animals are two themes that naturalism is principally about.

1.3.2 Find the Keywords

A certain fear of death came upon him. He realized that it was no longer a mere problem of freezing his fingers and toes, or of losing his hands and feet. Now it was a problem of life and death with the circumstances against him. The fear made him lose control of himself and he turned and ran along the creek bed on the old trail. The dog joined him and followed closely behind. The man ran blindly in fear such as he had never known in his life. Slowly, as he struggled through the snow, he began to see things again—the banks of the creek, the bare trees, and the sky.

The running made him feel better. He did not shake any more. Maybe, if he continued to run, his feet would stop freezing. Maybe if he ran far enough, he would find the camp and the boys. Without doubt, he would lose some fingers and toes and some of his face. But the boys would take care of him and save the rest of him when he got there. And at the same time, there was another thought in his mind that said he would never get to the camp and the boys. It told him that it was too many miles away, that the freezing had too great a start and that he would soon be dead. He pushed this thought to the back of his mind and refused to consider it. Sometimes it came forward and demanded to be heard. But he pushed it away and tried to think of other things.

It seemed strange to him that he could run on feet so frozen that he could not feel them when they struck the earth and took the weight of his body. He seemed to be flying along above the surface and to have no connection with the earth.

His idea of running until he arrived at the camp and the boys presented one problem: he lacked the endurance. Several times he caught himself as he was falling. Finally, he dropped to the ground, unable to stop his fall. When he tried to rise, he failed. He must sit and rest, he decided. Next time he would merely walk and keep going.

As he sat and regained his breath, he noted that he was feeling warm and comfortable. He was not shaking, and it even seemed that a warm glow had come to his body. And yet, when he touched his nose or face, there was no feeling. Running would not bring life to them. Nor would it help his hands and feet. Then the thought came to him that the frozen portions of his body must be increasing. He tried to keep this thought out of his mind and to forget it. He knew that such thoughts caused a feeling of fright in him and he was afraid of such feelings. But the thought returned and continued, until he could picture his body totally frozen. This was too much, and again he ran wildly along the trail. Once he slowed to a walk, but the thought that the freezing of his body was increasing made him run again.

And all the time the dog ran with him, at his heels. When he fell a second time, the dog curled its tail over its feet and sat in front of him, facing him, curiously eager. The warmth and security of the animal angered him. He cursed it until it flattened its ears. This time the shaking because of the cold began more quickly. He was losing his battle with the frost. It was moving into his body from all sides. This thought drove him forward. But he ran no more than 100 feet, when he fell head first.

It was his last moment of fear. When he had recovered his breath and his control, he sat and thought about meeting death with dignity. However, the idea did not come to him in exactly this manner. His idea was that he had been acting like a fool. He had been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. He was certain to freeze in his present circumstances, and he should accept it calmly. With this newfound peace of mind came the first sleepiness. A good idea, he thought, to sleep his way to death. Freezing was not as bad as people thought. There were many worse ways to die.

He pictured the boys finding his body the next day. Suddenly he saw himself with them, coming along the trail and looking for himself. And, still with them, he came around a turn in the trail and found himself lying in the snow. He did not belong with himself any more. Even then he was outside of himself, standing with the boys and looking at himself in the snow. It certainly was cold, was his thought. When he returned to the United States he could tell the folks what real cold was.

His mind went from this to the thought of the old man of Sulphur Creek. He could see him quite clearly, warm and comfortable, and smoking a pipe.

“You were right, old fellow. You were right,” he murmured to the old man of Sulphur Creek.

Then the man dropped into what seemed to him the most comfortable and satisfying sleep he had ever known. The dog sat facing him and waiting. The brief day ended in a long evening. There were no signs of a fire to be made. Never in the dog’s experience had it known a man to sit like that in the snow and make no fire. As the evening grew darker, its eager longing for the fire mastered it. With much lifting of its feet, it cried softly. Then it flattened its ears, expecting the man’s curse. But the man remained silent. Later, the dog howled loudly. And still later it moved close to the man and caught the smell of death. This made the animal back away. A little longer it delayed, howling under the stars that leaped and danced and shone brightly in the cold sky. Then it turned and ran along the trail toward the camp it knew, where there were the other food providers and fire providers.

II. Text Structure

Fill in the blank based on the context.

III. Character Analysis

Write down any of your analysis on characters in To Build a Fire, for example, which personality the character has, whom he/she represents, and what kind of relationship he/she has with other characters.

The man

The dog

The old man of Sulphur Creek

The boys （the friends waiting in the camp）

IV. Theme

Match the following sentences from the story with their corresponding themes.

Sentence

1. Maybe, if he continued to run, his feet would stop freezing. Maybe if he ran far enough, he would find the camp and the boys.

2. Several times he caught himself as he was falling. Finally, he dropped to the ground, unable to stop his fall. When he tried to rise, he failed.

3. “You were right, old fellow. You were right,” he murmured to the old man of Sulphur Creek.

4. As the evening grew darker, its （the dog’s） eager longing for the fire mastered it.

Theme

A. Respect for nature

B. Civilization vs. primitivity

C. Man can be defeated by nature

D. Pride and arrogance

V. Rhetorical Analysis

Read the sample exercise, complete the rhetorical analysis and translate the sentences below.

Sample

He pushed this thought to the back of his mind and refused to consider it. Sometimes it came forward and demanded to be heard.

修辞 personification

分析 The thought that said he would never get to the camp and the boys is described as an annoying person who haunts the man.

翻译 他把这个念头抛之脑后，拒绝考虑。但是它却时不时冒出来，要求他听一下。

1. Slowly, as he struggled through the snow, he began to see things again—the banks of the creek, the bare trees, and the sky.

2. He had been running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

3. The brief day ended in a long evening.

4. A little longer it delayed, howling under the stars that leaped and danced and shone brightly in the cold sky.

VI. Language and Style

6.1 Language Focus

Adverb Clauses 状语从句

Adverb clauses, like adverbs, modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, and whole groups of words. They always begin with subordinating conjunctions. Generally, there are 9 types of conjunctions.

和副词一样，状语从句修饰动词、形容词、其他副词以及句子。状语从句需要从属连词引导。通常会把状语从句分为9种类型。

9 Types of Conjunctions（9种连接状语从句的连词）

time/situation（时间）：when, while, after, before, until, since

例句 Before you go, turn off the radio.

翻译 你走之前，把收音机关上。

place（地点）：where, wherever

例句 Air will be heavily polluted where there are factories.

翻译 有工厂的地方，空气受到了严重污染。

manner（方式）：how, as, as if, as though

例句 We must behave as if everything were normal.

翻译 我们必须表现得像一切正常一样。

concession（让步）：although, though, even though, while

例句 While the large universities have many advantages, I still prefer a small college.

翻译 虽然大型综合大学有许多优势，我还是倾向于小学院。

cause（原因）：because, since, as

例句 Because we couldn’t get the engine running, we had to row back to the dock.

翻译 因为我们发动不了引擎，所以只能划船回码头。

condition（条件）：if, unless

例句 If you ask him, he will help you.

翻译 如果你请求他，他会帮助你的。

result（结果）：so, so that, so...that

例句 It looked so stormy that we decided to stay home.

翻译 外面看起来要下暴雨了，所以我们决定待在家里。

purpose（目的）：so, so that, in order that

例句 You should clear the doorway so that others can enter.

翻译 你应该把门口收拾干净好让其他人进来。

comparison（比较）：than, as...as

例句 Come as quickly as you can！

翻译 以你最快的速度过来！

Adverb Clauses in To Build a Fire

It seemed strange to him that he could run on feet so frozen that he could not feel them when they struck the earth and took the weight of his body.

分析 “That he could not feel them when they struck the earth and took the weight of his body” modifies and indicates the result of “frozen” feet.

翻译 他的双脚陷在土里并支撑着他全身的重量，已经冻僵到毫无知觉，在这样的情况下依然能跑起来对他来说也是十分惊异的。

When he fell a second time, the dog curled its tail over its feet and sat in front of him, facing him, curiously eager.

分析 “When he fell a second time” modifies and indicates the situation or time when the dog curled its tail over its feet.

翻译 当他第二次跌倒时，这只狗坐到他面前，尾巴卷曲在脚上，好奇又渴望地看着他。

Adverb Clauses Drills

Choose the best replacement for the underlined part in each sentence.

1. Before the Declaration of Independence was endorsed on July 4 of 1776, it was not actually signed until August 2.

A. Before

B. Since

C. Because

D. Although

2. It will be impossible for any of you to get seats at the concert, because you leave now and the people who are not ready yet take a separate car.

A. because

B. unless

C. provided that

D. since

3. Adding hot milk isn’t necessary when making hot chocolate from my mother’s homemade mix, because one of the ingredients is dry milk.

A. because

B. while

C. although

D. even if

4. San Francisco Bay’s Golden Gate Bridge appears in lots of films, wherever it often gets destroyed in action and monster flicks.

A. wherever

B. which

C. where

D. whereas

5. The city of Houston, Texas, is about sixty miles inland, while being the third largest foreign-trade port in the United States.

A. is about sixty miles inland, while being

B. although about sixty miles inland, is

C. being located about sixty miles inland makes it

D. which is about sixty miles inland, although it is

6. Fans were very excited to see the final installment of the Royal Battleground trilogy. Hundreds of eager viewers lined up outside the theater days in advance.

A. Fans were very excited to see the final installment of the Royal Battleground trilogy; in fact, these fans were so excited that they

B. In order to ensure their viewing ability for the final installment of the Royal Battleground trilogy, hundreds of eager viewers

C. Fans were so excited to see the final installment of the Royal Battleground trilogy that they

D. Fans of the Royal Battleground trilogy, excited to see the final installment of it, numbered in the hundreds and

7. The Oarfish has long been featured in Japanese folklore as a predictor of earthquakes. Their predictive power comes from living close to the ocean floor. With that proximity to the sea bottom, Oarfish can pick up the sensitive vibrations of tectonic plate movement.

A. floor, where they

B. floor; with that proximity to the sea bottom, Oarfish

C. floor; Oarfish, because they have such a close proximity to the sea bottom,

D. floor, where, because they have such a close proximity to the sea bottom,

8. Between 1872 and 1900, mongooses were introduced into most of the Caribbean islands. They were introduced in order to protect sugar cane fields.

A. islands

B. islands; they were introduced

C. islands and the mongooses were introduced

D. islands; their introduction was

9. In 1977, Jann Wenner moved the magazine’s offices from San Francisco to New York City, there he began developing a slicker, more commercial style of magazine and began cultivating relationships with major advertisers.

A. there

B. then

C. where

D. so

10. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was escorted into Washington D.C. by an early incarnation of the Secret Service, because credible threats had been received against him.

A. because

B. however,

C. additionally,

D. while

6.2 Language Analysis

Read the sample exercise, complete the language analysis and translate the following sentences.

Sample

And at the same time, there was another thought in his mind that said he would never get to the camp and the boys. It told him that it was too many miles away, that the freezing had too great a start and that he would soon be dead.

语法标签 代词，定语从句，宾语从句

翻译 同时，他的脑袋里闪过的另一个念头却对他说他到不了营地，也回不到同伴中间，他们之间相隔数英里，寒冷对他的打击太沉重了，他很快就会死掉。

1. His idea of running until he arrived at the camp and the boys presented one problem: he lacked the endurance.

2. Then the man dropped into what seemed to him the most comfortable and satisfying sleep he had ever known.

3. Then it turned and ran along the trail toward the camp it knew, where there were the other food providers and fire providers.

6.3 Style and Tone

Fill in the blanks based on the italic hints provided in the following passage.

In To Build a Fire, Jack London places 　1　 （Whom?） in a 　2　 setting （one or two adjectives to describe the setting） that tests to the limits of his ability to survive in the wilderness. This short story is typical of 　3　 （a literary genre）, a particular strain of scientific realism.

The style of this particular brand of realistic fiction depends on the cold, objective presentation of details that respects the force and power of nature and reduces the individual to a position of relative insignificance. 　4　 （a rhetorical device） is an important element which London uses to illustrate and emphasize the style. The reader could see in the story over and again a picture of the merciless environment the protagonist must endure, so that the reader can almost feel the severe and deadly cold of the environment. Through the use of such vivid imagery, London guides the reader toward the story’s major theme: 　5　 （theme）.

London’s story also depends for its effect on situational irony and various rhetorical devices. An ironic strain that runs throughout the story is the man’s sense of superiority to nature and animal （the dog） and contempt for the old-timer on Sulphur Creek. The irony is dramatic in that the reader does not realize that the old man was right until the very end of the story, where the man murmurs before his death, “You’re right.”　6　 and ______ （two rhetorical devices） are mainly employed to reveal the horror the man feels. The man feels he was like a chicken cut off its head, and the idea of losing the battle with frost haunts him time and again. The devices, no doubt, dramatize the conflict between the man and nature, and between the man and himself.

With his classic style, Jack London has created a tragic tale, dispassionate but unforgettable, which illustrates the naturalistic theme—man’s vain struggle in nature which is both hostile and indifferent to his sufferings.

VII. Exercises

7.1 Vocabulary

Matching

Match the words with their synonyms.

______ 1. come upon　　A. pride

______ 2. fright　　B. wail

______ 3. flatten　　C. fearfulness

______ 4. dignity　　D. fall upon

______ 5. howl　　E. flat

7.2 Text Comprehension

Short Answers

Read each of the following questions, and then write short answers.

1. In this passage, what does the man represent?

2. What does the dog represent? Why would the author include the dog as part of his tale about the man?

3. What delusion does the man have? Support your answer with details from the passage.

4. What do you think the old man of Sulphur Creek had told the man? Support your answer with details from the passage.

5. Why are we not told the man’s or the dog’s name?