Law-of-Life1

“TheLawofLife”JackLondonJackLondon:HisLifeandWork•BorninSanFranciscoonJanuary12,1876.•Eearlypoverty:exaggerated•Fromage13,menialanddangerousjobs•Joinedanorganizationofunemployedandgotarrestedin1893.Struggledtosurvive.•Formaleducation:oneyearinhighschoolandonetermattheUniversityofCaliforniaatBerkeley•BelievedintheutopiansocialismofMarxandthedarkerviewsofNietzscheandDarwinism.•1897-98:writingfulltime:adisciplinedandcarefulcraftsman.•Popularnovels:TheCalloftheWild(1903)TheSeaWolf(1904)MartinEden(1909)•Themesofhiswork:strongandweakindividualsinthecontextofirresistablenaturalforcessuchastheseaorthedesert);violence•Hediedin1916ofdiseasesanddrugs.•Hisreception:thebest-sellingAmericanauthoraroundtheworldby1916.largeamount.Greatlyadmired.AmericanNaturalismMajorFeatures•Humansarecontrolledbylawofheredityandenvironment.Andsincetheyarecontrolled,theylackfreedomoftheirownwill.•Theuniverseiscold,godless,indifferentandhostiletohumandesires.Lifebecomesastruggleforsurvival.•Thenaturalistsdismisstherealistsasfartoo“genteel”.Theyfindreallifeattheviolent,sensational,sordid,unpleasant,anduglyaspectsoflife.Theywriteaboutthelifeofpovertyandcrime,andalloftheseotheraspectsoflifethatarenottoopleasanttoconsider.•“Pessimistic”or“materialisticdeterminism”•Keythemes--survival–“managainstnature”--violence–“managainsthimself”–“brutewithin”eachindividualiscomprisedofstrongandwarringemotionssuchasgreed,power,andfightforsurvivalinanamoral,indifferentworld.--determinism---anindifferent,deterministicuniverseCharacters•AnEskimotribe:–OldKoskoosh–Koskoosh’ssonandfather.–Amoose–Zing-ha–Sit-cum-to-haPlot•Isthereanyplotinthisstory?Ifso,whatisit?Part1:Wintercome.Thetribehadtomakealongtialtosurvive,whiletheprotagonist,oldKoskoosh,wasleftalonebecauseofhisoldage.Part2:OldKoskooshdidnotcomplain,becauseheunderstoodthatcomparedwiththespieciesandtherace,individualhastheleastimportance.Hebegansinkintomedications.Part3:OldKoskooshsankdeepintothepast.HerecalledthetimeofgreatfamineandthetimeofplentyaswellaswhathesawwhenhewasyoungwithZing-ha:howamoosefoughtwithawolfpack.Explanationandinterpretation:•Helistened,whowouldlistennomore.OldKoskooshknewwhatwasgoingtohappen.Whilehewasstillaliveandlistening,hewouldsoondieand“listennomore.”Thenhishandcreptoutinhastetothewood.Italonestoodbetwixthimandtheeternitywhichyawneduponhim.Theword“eternity”heremeansdeath.Theoldman’slifedependedonthissmallpileofwoodthatcouldsupplywarmthandkeepthewolvesaway.Whenthewoodburntout,Death,withitsmouthopen,wouldquicklyswallowhim.Naturewasnotkindlytotheflesh.Shehadnoconcernforthatconcretethingcalledtheindividual.Herinterestlayinthespecies,therace.AccordingtoDarwin’stheoryofsurvivalofthefittest,thelivingbeingshaveadaptedtotheenvironmentinthelonghistoryofevolution.Inthatlongprocess,accordingtothenaturallaw,onlythesurvivalofthegroup,ofthespecies,hassignificance.Naturedoesnotcareforindividualsurvival.Onlythegroupthatfitstheenvironmenthasachangetocontinue.survival–“managainstnature”TheoldIndianwassittingalonethereinthesnowandwholelandiscoveredbyendlessblanketofsnow.Whenthelaststickhadsurrenderedupitsheat,thefrostwouldbegintogatherstrength.Firsthisfeetwouldyield,thenhishands;…Inthisstory,snowisobvioustheindicatorofthecoldness.Whenthewholetribewasleavinghimaloneandhissonalsowalkedaway,theoldmanfeltmorehelplessandcoldness.Insuchextremecoldnesssituation,theoldmanjustwaswaitingfordeath.•violence–“managainsthimself”–“brutewithin”•Hisdaughter'sdaughterwastoobusytowasteathoughtuponherbrokengrandfather,•Forawhilehelistenedtothesilence.Perhapstheheartofhissonmightsoften,andhewouldcomeback…determinism---anindifferent,deterministicuniverse•Hedidnotcomplain.Itwasthewayoflife,anditwasjust.•Itwasthelawofallflesh.Naturewasnotkindlytotheflesh.Herinterestlayinthespecies,therace.•Tolifeshesetonetask,gaveonelaw.Toperpetuatewasthetaskoflife,itslawwasdeath.•Itwasthesameeverywhere,withallthings.OpinionsofUnderstanding:•Inhisrecollectionsofthepast,oldKoskooshrecalledtheepisodeofamoosebeinghuntedbywolves.Whatdoyouthinkisthereasonthatthisepisodewasrecalled?•WhatdoesKoskooshdointheend?(filmclip:TheSnowofKilimanjaro)Ishehappyorishesad?•Whatis“thelawoflife”?Themes•Impactofnatureandviolence•Theweakandthestrong•Individuallifeandeternalrecurrence•JoyfulaffirmationDiscussion•(1)WhatdoyouthinkoftheIndiantraditionofabandoningtheirsicklyelders?Wasitthewriter’sintentiontorevealandcondemntheinhumaneandinhumanpractice?Discussion•(1)WhatdoyouthinkoftheIndiantraditionofabandoningtheirsicklyelders?Wasitthewriter’sintentiontorevealandcondemntheinhumaneandinhumanpractice?•thewriter’scentralconcernistoprovideanillustrationandtoexplainoneidea:thathumanbeingsare“determined”by“thelawofnature”–thelargerforcesoftheuniverseaswellastheirownbiologicalnature.Theideaexpressedintheshortstoryistypicalinnaturalisticliterature.Whatis“willtolife”,“willtopower”?(whatlife?Whatpower?)Inwhatway,humanbeingsandanimalsresembleeachother?IfyouareOldKoskoosh,willyouthinkthesamewayabouthumanbeingsanddeath?首先要孝順父母，尊敬兄長，其次要言行謹慎而有信用。Ofallrules,thefirstisrespect,foryour