Jack London 1876 1916 How old was he

Jack London 1876 -1916 How old was he when he died?

Family n Background Information Born in San Francisco Father William Chaney: astrologer Mother Flora Wellman: “cold” Step-father John London: poor farmer Helped by step-sister and servant “Aunt Jenny” Went to work at 10 years old Quit school at 15 to work full-time in factory (salmon cannery) n Used books to escape life n n n n

Life of Adventure n Several odd jobs—many of them at sea Oyster pirate Fish patrol Seaman on whaling schooner n Returned to high school at 19—passed entrance exam to U of Ca @ Berkley One semester Lacked finances

Klondike Gold Rush n Jack London in the Kondike n Joined the gold rush to help support his mom after John London died n Returned home because of illness (scurvy) n Ideas for writing gained here

Political Ideas n Arrested for vagrancy in 1894 -one month in jail n Fought for poor—Socialist n Shared wealth—never quit working; worried about money

Finally earned money writing n Published over 50 novels; letter writer; speaker n Call of the Wild/The Sea Wolf n “Great Earthquake and Fire” (San Francisco) written for Collier’s magazine paid 25 cents/word-2500 word article

Adult/Family Life

Married n Bessie May Madden-April 7, 1900 n Later divorced (1905)—different interests

Children n Joan—born January 15, 1901 n Bess—born October 20, 1902 n Third child died at birth

Married (2 nd time) n Charmain Kitterage-November 19, 1905 n Adventures at sea together n Built large ranch in California

Jack London’s Admonition n Write what you see!

Jack London’s Style n Helps reader become involved because he experienced what he wrote about n Used vivid language Adverbs Adjectives Unusual word order Repetition n Stories are based on experiences-reality based n Life and death situations

Primary Source n Eyewitness Accounts—autobiography n Diaries, letters, news accounts, photos, art

Secondary Source n Written by someone with no direct experience with events of person’s life n Using information from other sources

Famous Books from Jack London n Websites of Jack London n Jack London on line collection

Miscellaneous n The Story of an Eyewitness n Today in Literature n Klondike Rush n Jack London Introduction n King of Mazy May n Power Point n Mazy May n The Call of the Wild

Brainstorm (Before Reading) n Is “manliness” based on strength and bravery? n What is a “Gold Rush”? n What are the differences between the ways adults behave and the ways teenagers behave? n In this story a young boy does the right thing because he has a good heart. Think about a time when you performed a good deed with no thought of reward. What motivated you? How did you feel? n Please answer these questions on the back of your work packet. Thank you!

After reading: n In what ways do the events in the story cause a teenager to act like an adult? n What are three qualities in Walt that help him defeat the stampeder’s? n How would you describe living in the setting of the story?

Story of an Eyewitness- Jack London n Brainstorm: Think/pair/share n Have you ever been an eyewitness to a memorable event, such as an accident, a fire, a flood? n How did you feel at the time? n Did everything happen too fast for you to notice the details, or did every detail become locked in your memory?

Quiz—”The Story of an Eyewitness” n 1. Why was it so difficult to control the fires that broke out after the earthquake? A. The earth kept moving n B. Everyone was too scared to stay and fight the fires n C. There was smoke everywhere n D. There was no water, and the roads were blocked. n

n 2. What case the greatest damage to the city of San Francisco? A. n B. n C. n D. n Thieves Tremors Fires Floods

n 3. Buildings were dynamited mainly to… n A. stop the spread of fire. n B. Clear the streets for trucks. n C. Prevent them from falling. n D. Stop thieves from entering.

n 4. Why was the government setting up tents and serving meals in Union Square just four and a half hours before it caught fire? A. No one could go any farther without food. n B. No one thought the fires would spread so quickly. n C. Everyone wanted to help as much as possible before the fire came. n D. There was nowhere else to go. n

n 5. Jack London was surprised that most people reacted to the earthquake with such A. courtesy. n B. yelling n C. meanness n D. Hysteria. n

n 6. The wind racing into the city on all sides was caused primarily by the… A. earth’s movements. n B. dynamite explosions set off by firefighters. n C. vacuum created by the fire. n D. Movements of the collapsing buildings n

n 7. The main job of the soldiers in the city was to A. n B. n C. n D. n protect the banks Arrest criminals prevent looting Keep people moving

n 8. At the end of the article, London predicts that the A. n B. n C. n D. n Fires will return. City will be rebuilt. People will starve Refugees will riot.

n 9. A n A. n B. n C. dear book is a book that is. . Old. Tattered. Treasured.

n 10. Someone near a conflagration would feel its A. Mood n B. Heat n C. Tremors n

n 11. Someone who is compelled to act feels n A. Forced. n B. Watched. n C. Bold.

n 12. A dog would be a menace if it likes to n A. Bark. n B. Play. n C. Bite.

n 13. Refugees are people who n A. Flee from their homes. n B. Go on vacation. n C. Fight fires

n 14. Why was Jack London called on to report on the San Francisco fire? n 15. What is the difference between a news story and a feature story? “The Story of an Eyewitness” was an example of which?