Exploring Themes in 'To Build a Fire'

Choose one of the following prompts and use the text to support your answer regarding the themes of To Build a Fire by Jack London.

Prompt 1: Survival and Nature's Indifference Question: In "To Build a Fire," the protagonist faces the harshness of nature in the Yukon. Discuss how the theme of survival is portrayed in the story, citing specific examples from the text that highlight the protagonist's struggle against the natural elements. Textual Evidence: Provide direct quotes or references from the story to support your analysis. North Carolina Ninth Grade English Standards: RL.9-10.1, which focuses on citing textual evidence to support analysis and inferences. Prompt 2: Hubris and Consequences Question: The protagonist in "To Build a Fire" exhibits a sense of overconfidence and hubris. Explore the theme of hubris and its consequences in the story. Cite evidence from the text to illustrate how the protagonist's arrogance contributes to his predicament. Textual Evidence: Include specific quotes or references from the story that demonstrate the protagonist's overconfidence and its impact. North Carolina Ninth Grade English Standards: RL.9-10.3, analyzing the impact of the author's choices regarding how characters respond to challenges. Prompt 3: The Power of Instinct vs. Intellect Question: In "To Build a Fire," there is a conflict between the protagonist's instincts and his intellectual decisions. Explore the theme of the power struggle between instinct and intellect in the story. Cite passages from the text that showcase instances where the protagonist relies on either instinct or intellect and discuss the outcomes. Textual Evidence: Provide direct quotes or references from the story to support your examination of the protagonist's choices. North Carolina Ninth Grade English Standards: This prompt aligns with the standard RL.9-10.2, which involves determining a theme or central idea of a text and analyzing its development over the course of the text.