Tuesday, April 8, 2008
SWA #10 Topic Proposal
I chose Jack London's "To Build A Fire" for essay number three. I chose this short story mainly because it is interesting to me and because I have read it many times before. This story takes place along a stretch of the infamous Klondike Trail in the Yukon Territory in Northern Canada. It is a ironic tale about a man traveling alone with his dg in the winter during an extreme cold storm. The terrain and climate present obstacles for the man and his dog and his consequential reactions are what make this story typical as one of Jack London.
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3 comments:
Your topic proposal sounds like a good one, because you are including aspects like climate and terrain, which are not typical historical/cultural pieces of information. I think this will give our essay a unique twist.
Patrick, you have chosen a good story for the analysis and Melanie is right saying that the discussion of the climate and terrain could add an interesting “twist” to a historical cultural analysis. However, that twist will only work if it is relevant to your claim. And your major claim is not clear at all (at least as your topic proposal is formulated now). Also, the discussion of the historical and cultural context is crucial: Why is he traveling just with his dog? What for? Is it his choice? Would he be traveling the same way with the same goals today? Basically, you need to formulate a general claim about the story first and then add historical (including geographical) clues to prove your points. What makes it a Jack London type of stories?
I actually did your peer review on this and I thought this was a great story for you to chose. What impressed me the most about your story is that you actually was revising it during the writing of your paper. I think the story flowed really well.
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