To Build A Fire Argument Essay

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Jack London’s short story “To Build a Fire” exemplifies the idea of man's intellect is valued more than that of instinct, but this short story provides evidence that instinct should be valued more than intellect. Moving through harsh freezing weather a man and a dog travel together, the man relying on intellect and the dog with instinct, in the ending of the short story the man dies after his use of intellectual mistakes over his instinct whereas the dog lives using instinct over intellect. The man started his journey with the intellectual judgement of the temperature,“Fifty degrees below zero meant 80 degrees of frost. Such facts told him that it was cold and uncomfortable, and that was all”(London 65). Using his intellect of the temperature he ignores the instinct his body gives out and keeps moving in the freezing weather. The dog trailing behind the man using only its instinct,“The animal was worried by the great cold. It knew that this was no time for traveling. Its own feeling was closer to the truth than the man's judgement”(London 66). The dog using his instinct knew it was too cold for traveling which was correct whereas the man using intellect made a mistake on the actual temperature…show more content…
The man heres ice cracking and sends the dog forward to test his knowledge, “The dog did not want to go. It hesitated until the man pushed it forward”(London 68). The dog does not know that there are hidden pools of ice but felt his instinct that it was not a safe route to take. The dog was right not to go, but unfortunately stumbled into a pool of ice. The dog's instinct was to immediately get the ice off his paw because it was freezing. The man used his intellect to help the dog so he wouldn't form a sore foot. The dog did not know the ice, if left alone, on his paw would provide him with a sore foot, the dog just knew to get warmth fast. The dog knew if it was warm it would be

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