2C Jack London

Jack London was born in San Fransisco in 1876, and is best known for his books White Fang and The Call of the Wild. He spent time in his young adulthood as a vagrant, a cannery worker, a laborer, a sailor and a gold prospector (to name a few!), but he really wanted to go to U.C Berkeley and get a higher education. London eventually got the chance to go, but dropped out 6 months later. He was essentially self-educated; much of what he learned was from reading books at the library. London was also one of the first Americans to make a true living on writing alone.

Sources
http://www.jacklondon.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_London
http://www.getyourwordsworth.com/WORDSWORTH-JackLondon.html
http://saintmaryschs.org/pix/Reading/Dan%20San%20Souci%20Jack%20London%20photo.jpg
http://www.parks.ca.gov/DEFAULT.ASP?page_id=24220
http://www.erbzine.com/mag12/1272.html
http://www.erbzine.com/mag12/1273.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhNojX6DoV8&feature=related

How it connects with my study of humanities.

• Jack London wrote many novels, articles and essays that impacted the way people thought of certain issues at the time- which impacts how we think now, as well. He wrote a lot about animals, showing them in a more understanding and humane way, which was probably less common in the late 1800s/early 1900s. He also wrote with a very socialist slant in his younger years, as his experience with poverty had made him sympathetic to others in the same condition. He also lectured about about women's suffrage and socialism.

A. Observation: What did you choose? What do you see or hear or feel or think of in the choice you made? What is the subject of the work? If you chose a 'thing' what is the work made of and what techniques (colors, lines, shapes, textures)does the creator use? Be specific in your description. If you chose a place, be specific in your description of what you see or hear. Talk to your reader as though they cannot see the item but somehow must draw a painting of what you see or hear.

• I chose author Jack London, who wrote many stories about humans and animals interacting with each other and survival in the wilderness. His stories tend to have themes of individuality and survival of the fittest, and in a sense capture the pioneering spirit of the mid/late 1800s. Much of his inspiration was drawn from his time spent in the Klondike, where the conditions were harsh. His stories are filled with adventure and are thrilling in their constant struggle between man/animal and the environment.

Clip from the movie White Fang

B. Interpretation: What is your choice about? Give specific examples to support this statement in 2 sentences; do so in a way that teaches us something about your choice. Make Paulo Freire proud!

• Jack London is an example of how someone can change their circumstances if they have the drive and the opportunity to do so. London was fortunate that he had a basic education and the ability to read, because this allowed him to become successful despite having no college degree. A turning point in his life was when he was arrested for 30 days for vagrancy. He made a decision to change the direction his life was going, and start his writing career.

C. Judgment: What led you to your choice? What do you think or feel about this choice? Why do you feel this way? Support your thoughts with specific observations.

• I chose Jack London because he is a local historical celebrity, and although I've been to Jack London State Park, I never knew much about him. Jack London grew up in poverty, and much like Paulo Freire, he developed a socialist view and believed education was a way out. However, what made him different is that although he joined the socialist party and voiced many of their views, it seems he really didn't do much to help others in poverty, aside from doing some lectures and mentioning it in his writing. He played into the game of making money to be rich as much as any capitalist. He became absorbed with his ranch and once said, "I write for no other purpose than to add to the beauty that now belongs to me. I write a book for no other reason than to add three or four hundred acres to my magnificent estate." Once he was older, he complained about the "ineffective" laborers that he employed on his ranch, and was ambivalent towards socialism. This to me seems hypocritical; you would think he would be more understanding towards laborers, seeing how he had difficult laboring jobs. I also think if he was truly sympathetic to the plight of others, he would have done some philanthropic work, to better the lives of others with his money, rather than focus on his ranch. It's as if he forgot where he came from, and what initially drove him to become a success.

Jack London on his ranch in Glen Ellen

D. Questioning: What else would you like to know about this choice? When completing the question section, lead your audience into the question by stating a fact you do know, yet you still have the related question. This way, both your audience and you will have an educational experience.

• I know Jack London had a huge library - 15,000 volumes! I am wondering if Jack London State Park is in possession of his library still, and if so, is it available for the public to view?

Using your classmates work from last week, tell us one thing you learned from 1 student. Is this one thing some common experience you share or some experience that is completely different than what you experienced? Is this one thing related to our class theoretical foundation and if so, how? Is that one thing related to historical or cultural context of this country or a different one? Link that persons blog to this entry (eg cut paste that blog entry here)

• I read Mayra's page about the Exploratorium. I learned that it was founded by Frank Oppenheimer, who felt that it was necessary for people to utilize all their senses in order to understand and learn about the world around them. This relates to our class, because humanities is something that deffinatley uses more than just sight. In order to learn more about other cultures, one must be willing to use every means necessary to learn and understand. For example, we use our ears for music, our mouths to sample new food, our eyes to view a painting. Oppenheimer's idea of using the senses turns us into active learners.

http://miloshumanside.blogspot.com/2009/02/2b-san-francisco-exploratorium.html

2b The San Francisco Exploratorium

http://www.exploratorium.edu/h

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGMj4sIGYc0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXfVSAPzkcE&feature=related

3)
The San Francisco Exploratorium connects me to my studies of humanities because it helps people that go to it better understand how things work. People learning how things work are more likely to learn how those things help the world run. Basic science projects help a person understand difficult things. Some people shy away from things that look difficult to understand but once they see how they work people realize that it was never hard at all. The Exploratorium also goes into showing people about the earth and how it sustains life. It shows various aspects of the world such as plant life, insects, the night sky, water in fundamental ways.

4)
a. I chose the San Francisco Exploratorium. You can touch, create and imagine in this place. It’s great to play and learn all at the same time. Frank Openheimer founded the Exploratorium after his experience with his brother on the Atom Bomb. He was a physicist and also a rancher. He understood that for others to understand they had to not just see from far away but to touch and feel hear and even smell. He created a fun environment of science. There are science experiments everywhere you see. Things you can step into like in a bubble hoop big enough for a person to be inside of. There are lots of people exploring things they have never seen and like children want to touch and be a part of to understand.

b. The Exploratorium teaches people difficult things with basic concepts that they can understand better. Possibly giving them things to aspire to learn more from and become.

c. When I was in Elementary school I went to it and haven’t gone since. I remember it being a great experience because as a 12 year old you want to explore not only by hearing a teacher talk about something in a classroom but by experiencing the thing itself. I feel great about my choice because it had me thinking about when I went and how my mother experienced the time with me as well, she was chaperone. It was a great time of nothing but exploration and realizing how simple things that looked difficult to understand weren’t. It’s an amazing place to go to and just walk around only watching others play and learn.

d. I learned that Frank Oppenheimer founded the Exploratorium after his experience with his brother the ‘Father’ of the Atom bomb J. Robert Oppenheimer. I’d like to know how he came up with what would be a part of the Exploratorium.

5) Dawnyel wants to learn more about her small town within it is where her family resides. Its funny to think about because I live next door in Sonoma and it’s a pretty small town too but unlike Dawnyel my whole family does not live here so I don’t have stories from buildings where my parents got married or anything like that. I want to go back to the small town in Mexico that my parents were married and touch the walls of my Grandparents house. Knowing that because it is so incredibly rural it will probably never lose its small town feel. It relates to our class because she is learning about what surrounds her right outside her parent’s home. Her own history and she is who she is. I personally think its related to her personal history and the small town USA context.
http://2apetaluma.blogspot.com/