Alaska Paragraphs

1. Alaska Paragraphs

2. What should I write in my Alaska paragraph/s? • Name and define the biome/s present in London’s novel. • Describe (briefly) the climate, landscape, and kinds of plant and animal life present in this biome. • Describe (briefly) examples of this that we see in the novel, using passages from the text to prove your point.

3. What’s wrong with this paragraph about the biome of Alaska? Jack London’s Call of the Wild is set in the cold, inhospitable biome of Alaska. It is a frosty, frigid place made of ice and rock where nothing can survive for long. Nothing grows up there, nothing lives except for the miners and their dogs, all of whom are eventually killed off by the cold. The only way to survive for any length of time is to turn into a savage beast like Buck. The author says, “The dominant primordial beast was strong in Buck, and under the fierce conditions of trail life, it grew and grew” (London 27). Even then, nobody lives for long in the Alaskan cold.

4. How is this one better? What is still wrong with it? Jack London’s Call of the Wild shows a desperate struggle for survival in the cold, inhospitable biome of Alaska. Much of Alaska is rocky Arctic Tundra, land that is “…where the subsoil is permafrost, or permanently frozen soil.” It is frozen for much of the year, and “…tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons.” We can see the intense cold in the novel at one point where the narrator casually observes in the midst of Buck’s competition to pull a frozen sled, “…it was sixty below zero…” (London 64). However, life can survive there in many forms, including the miners who we see come to Dawson City for gold. Moreover, not all of Alaska is considered to be frozen tundra. The interior of Alaska is considered to be a Boreal Forest Biome, which is mountainous and often still cold, but it is more friendly to living things. Forests can grow, water comes from both rain and snowmelt, and for parts of the year, the days last a long time, “Add to the availability of water the fact that the short summer has extremely long day length at the northerly latitudes and you have a situation for explosive plant growth in the summer. Still the growing season is short, usually less than 3 months.” We see this biome in several parts of the novel.

5. What is STILL missing from these paragraphs? Jack London’s Call of the Wild shows a desperate struggle for survival in the cold, inhospitable biome of Alaska. Much of Alaska is an Arctic Tundra, land that is “…where the subsoil is permafrost, or permanently frozen soil.” It is frozen for much of the year, and “…tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons.” We can see the intense cold in the novel at one point where the narrator casually observes in the midst of Buck’s competition to pull a frozen sled, “…it was sixty below zero…” However, life can survive there in many forms, including the miners who we see come to Dawson City for gold. Additionally, life appears in the desperate forms of predators like the savage huskies that attack Buck’s camp at one point, as well as prey like the snowshoe rabbit Buck chases, “…like some pale frost wraith, the snowshoe rabbit flashed ahead.” As dangerous as the arctic tundra is, life can survive there if one is savage enough. Moreover, not all of Alaska is considered to be frozen tundra. The interior of Alaska is considered to be a Boreal Forest Biome, which is mountainous and often still cold, but it is more friendly to living things. Forests can grow, water comes from both rain and snowmelt, and for parts of the year, the days last a long time, “Add to the availability of water the fact that the short summer has extremely long day length at the northerly latitudes and you have a situation for explosive plant growth in the summer. Still the growing season is short, usually less than 3 months.” Many things can live in this region, and we see this biome in several parts of the novel, such as when Buck is travelling with the unprepared trio of Mercedes, Charles, and Hal. The narrator says, “The ghostly winter silence had given way to the great spring murmur of awakening life…the sap was rising in the pines. The willows and aspens were bursting out in young buds…Crickets sang in the night…woodpeckers were booming and knocking in the forest. Squirrels were chattering, birds singing, and overhead honked the wildfowl…” This vibrant environment may be dangerous, but an adapted beast like Buck can survive there.