Important Quotations Explained
1. During the four years since his puppyhood he had lived the life of a sated aristocrat; he had a fine pride in himself, was even a trifle egotistical, as country gentlemen sometimes become because of their insular situation.
This quotation is from the beginning of Chapter I, “Into the Primitive,” and it defines Buck’s life before he is kidnapped and dragged into the harsh world of the Klondike. As a favored pet on Judge Miller’s sprawling California estate, Buck lives like a king—or at least like an “aristocrat” or a “country gentleman,” as London describes him. In the civilized world, Buck is born to rule, only to be ripped from this environment and forced to fight for his survival. The story of The Call of the Wild is, in l arge part, the story of Buck’s climb back to the top after his early fall from grace. He loses one kind of lordship, the “insular” and “sated” lordship into which he is born, but he gains a more authentic kind of mastery in the wild, one that he wins by his own efforts rather than by an accident of birth.
2.He was beaten (he knew that); but he was not broken. He saw, once for all, that he stood no chance against a man with a club. He had learned the lesson, and in all his after life he never forgot it. That club was a revelation. It was his introduction to the reign of primitive law, and he met the introduction halfway. The facts of life took on a fiercer aspect and, while he faced that aspect uncowed, he faced it with all the latent cunning of his nature aroused.
This quotation is taken from late in Chapter I, “Into the Primitive,” just after Buck has been beaten repeatedly by one of his kidnappers. Each time he is clubbed, Buck leaps up to attack again, until finally the man knocks him unconscious. This incident is Buck's introduction to a new way of life, vastly different from the pampered existence that he led in the Santa Clara Valley. There, civilized law, and civilized morality were the ruling forces—symbolized by the fact that his first master, Judge Miller, is a judge. In the wild, though, Buck comes to terms with “the reign of primitive law,” in which might makes right, and a man with a club (or a powerful dog) can do as he pleases to weaker creatures. In this scene, Buck is mastered by the man with the club, but he learns his lesson well and soon comes to master others.
3.And not only did he learn by experience, but instincts long dead became alive again. The domesticated generations fell from him. In vague ways he remembered back to the youth of the breed, to the time the wild dogs ranged in packs through the primeval forest and killed their meat as they ran it down. . . . Thus, as token of what a puppet thing life is the ancient song surged through him and he came into his own again. . . .
This quote, taken from Chapter II, shows that as Buck fights for survival in the harsh world of the Klondike, he relies increasingly on buried instincts that belonged to his wild forebears. The role of this atavistic development—“atavism” refers to the recover y by an animal of behaviors that belonged to its ancestors—points to one of the central themes of London’s novel, namely, the way that primitive instincts and urges persist beneath the veneer of civilization. Throw a soft, civilized creature (human or animal) into the wild, London suggests, and if he survives, he, like Buck, will come to depend on the same instincts that guided the life of his primitive ancestors. “The ancient song,” in his phrase, is only waiting for the right opportunity to emerge.
4. A pause seemed to fall. Every animal was motionless as though turned to stone. Only Spitz quivered and bristled as he staggered back and forth, snarling with horrible menace, as though to frighten off impending death. Then Buck sprang in and out; but while he was in, shoulder had at last squarely met shoulder. The dark circle became a dot on the moon-flooded snow as Spitz disappeared from view. Buck stood and looked on, the successful champion, the dominant primordial beast who had made his kill and found it good.
These words constitute the final paragraph in Chapter III, describing the climactic battle between Buck and Spitz. The paragraph marks the moment that Buck comes into his own by vanquishing and killing his great rival, and then taking Spitz’s place as the team's lead dog. He has left his life as a pampered pet far behind—now he is “the successful champion . . . the dominant primordial beast.” Throughout the novel, London suggests that life in the wild is defined by a struggle for mastery, and the Buck-Spitz duel is the central example of this struggle, the moment when Buck establishes himself as a master of the kill-or-be-killed ethic of the wild.
5. [Each] day mankind and the claims of mankind slipped farther from him. Deep in the forest a call was sounding, and as often as he heard this call, mysteriously thrilling and luring, he felt compelled to turn his back upon the fire, and to plunge into the forest. . . . But as often as he gained the soft unbroken earth and the green shade, the love of John Thornton drew him back to the fire again.
This quotation is from Chapter VI, “For the Love of a Man,” and it depicts the tension building within Buck during his time with John Thornton. Thornton is the ideal master, and his relationship with Buck represents a perfect partnership between man and dog. London tells us that this is the first time that Buck has truly loved a human being. Yet, at the same time, it is clear that Buck’s destiny lies in the wild, and so he is torn between the urges that pull him away from humanity and his intense loyalty to Thornton. That love, it becomes clear, is the only thing tying him to the world of men—which means that when Thornton is killed, there is nothing left to hold him, and he embraces his destiny as a wild creature.
关于英语的读书笔记 英语是我们现在十分关注的语言。下面要为大家分享的就是，希望你会喜欢！ 关于英语的读书笔记篇一：《傲慢与偏见》Many people simply regard Pride and Prejudice as a love story, but in my opinion, this book is an illustration of the society at that time. She perfectly reflected the relation between money and marriage at her time and gave the people in her works vivid characters. The characters have their own personalities. Mrs. Bennet is a woman who makes great efforts to marry off her daughters. Mr. Bingley is a friendly young man, but his friend, Mr. Darcy, is a very proud man who seems to always feel superior. Even the five daughters in Bennet family are very different. Jane is simple, innocent and never speaks evil of others. Elizabeth is a clever girl who always has her own opinion. Mary likes reading classic books. (Actually she is a pedant.) Kitty doesn’t have her own opinion but likes to follow her sister, Lydia. Lydia is a girl who follows exotic things, handsome man, and is somehow a little profligate. When I read the book, I can always
1 J ack London was born in San Francisco on January 12, 1876, the illegitimate son of Flora Wellman, the rebellious daughter of an aristocratic family, and William Chaney, a traveling astrologer who abandoned Flora when she became pregnant. Eight months after her son was born, Flora married John London, a grocer and Civil War veteran whose last name the infant took. London grew up in Oakland, and his family was mired in poverty throughout his youth. He remained in school only through the eighth grade but was a voracious reader and a frequent visitor to the Oakland Public Library, where he went about edu-cating himself and laying the groundwork for his impending literary career. In his adolescent years, London led a rough life, spending time as a pirate in San Francisco Bay, traveling the Far East on sealing expeditions, and making his way across America as a tramp. Finally, temporarily tired of adventure, London returned to Oakland and graduated from high school. He was even admitted to the University of California at Berkeley, but he stayed only for a semester. The Klondike gold rush (in Canada’s Y ukon Territory) had begun, and in 1897 London left college to seek his fortune in the snowy North. The gold rush did not make London rich, but it furnished him with plenty of material for his career as a writer, which began in the late 1890s and continued until his death in 1916. He worked as a reporter, covering the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 and the Mexican Revolution in the 1910s; meanwhile, he published ov er fifty books and became, at the time, America’s most famous author. For a while, he was one of the most widely read authors in the world. He embodied, it was said, the spirit of the American West, and his portrayal of adventure and frontier life seemed like a breath of fresh air in comparison with nineteenth-century V ictorian fiction, which was often overly concerned with what had begun to seem like trivial and irrelevant social norms. The Call of the Wild, published in 1903, remains London’s most famous work, blending his experiences as a gold prospector in the Canadian wilderness with his ideas about nature and the struggle for existence. He drew these ideas from various influential figures, including Charles Darwin, an English naturalist credited with -developing theories about biological evolution, and Friedrich Nietzsche, a prominent German philosopher. Although The Call of the Wild is first and foremost a story about a dog, it displays a -philosophical depth absent in most animal adventures. London was married twice—once in 1900, to his math tutor and friend Bess Maddern, and again in 1905, to his secretary Charmian Kittredge, whom he considered his true love. As his works soared in popularity, he became a contradictory figure, arguing for socialist principles and women’s rights even as he himself lived a materialist life of luxury, sailing the world in his boat, the Snark, and running a large ranch in northern California. Meanwhile, he preached -equality and the brotherhood of man, even as novels like The Call of the Wild celebrated violence, power, and brute force. London died young, on November 22, 1916. He had been plagued by stomach problems and failing kidneys for years, but many have suggested that his death was a suicide. Whatever the cause, it is clear that London, who played the various roles of journalist, novelist, prospector, sailor, pirate, husband, and father, lived life to the fullest. 1
英文读书笔记- 学习心得 （文章一）：英语小说读书笔记Books and Novels Books and Novels Books and Novels Books and Novels （文章二）：英语读书笔记 （1）、Good Spirit Makes You Brave --After reading ?A New Year's surprise?良好的精神让你勇敢的——在阅读?新一年的惊喜? A New Year’s surprise by John Milne is a wonderful story. It tells us how a girl called Kaya could defeat a robber who had a gun in his hand. And she is only 17 years old! Kaya used her courage and wisdom to beat the robbers. Finally she became a superstar because of her excellent deed. After reading this book, I thought about my life. Sometimes I was brave but sometimes I was a coward. People always have their own weak side. Some people often show how brave they are and how strong they are, but when a disaster es, they always run away quickly and scream more loudly than any other people. So, we should try our best and show our bravey when something or somebody is in danger. Something happens out of the blue and you don't have much time to think about it, so remember: whatever anything happens, don't evade it, but treat it as a challenge. Someday you will find you can solve the problem and you are the winner! Good spirit makes you be brave, if you really want to learn how to be a brave man or woman, you must have a good spirit, and you must try to face anything and to do everything with your courage and wisdom. Well, life is always full of frustrations, but you must know how to solve your problems, and you must be brave. But what can make you be brave? Only good spirit! 新一年的惊喜由约翰?米尔恩是一个精彩的故事。它告诉我们一个女孩叫卡娅可以打败一个强盗手里有枪。和她只有17岁!卡亚用她的勇气和智慧来击败强盗。最后她成为了一个超级巨星,因为她出色的契约。读完这本书,我想到我的生活。有时我很勇敢,但有时我是一个懦夫。人们总是有自己的弱点。有些人经常显示他们有多么勇敢,他们有多强,但当灾难来临时,他们总是跑迅速和更大声尖叫比任何其他的人。所以,我们应该尽力和显示我们的bravey当某人或某事正处于危险之中。发生的蓝色和你没有多少时间去想它,所以记住:无论发生什么事,不要躲避它,但是把它当作挑战。总有一天你会发现你可以解决这个问题,你是胜利者!良好的精神使你是勇敢的,如果你真的想要学习如何成为一个勇敢的男人或女人,你必须有一个良好的精神,你必须努力面对一切,尽全力与你的勇气和智慧。嗯,生活总是充满了挫折,但你必须知道如何解决你的问题,你必须勇敢。但是什么会使你勇敢吗?只有好的精神! （2）、The Old Man And The Sea The Old Man and the Sea is one of Hemingway's most enduring works.Told in language of great simplicity and power,it is the story of an old Cuban fisherman,down on his luck,and his supreme ordeal——a relentless,agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream.Here Hemingway recasts,in strikingly contemporary style,the classic thene of courage in the face of defeat,of personal triumph won from los.Written in 1952,this hugely successfully novella confirmed his power and presence in the literary world and played a huge part in his winning the 1954 Nobel Prize for Literature. The novel is very famous in the world, so lot of people like this novel. We also studied it in our Chinese class, Hemingway's novel are always interesting I like his novel much, also in his novel we can learn a lot by his meanings. It’s really a good novel for people to read. 老人与海是海明威的作品最持久。告诉在语言伟大的简易性和强大,它讲述的是一个老古巴渔夫,放在他的运气,和他的最高折磨——一个无情的,痛苦的战斗与马林鱼远在墨西哥湾流。在这里,海明威重新解释,在引人注目的当代风格,经典的thene勇气面对失败,个人的胜利赢得了从洛杉矶。写于1952年,这非常成功的中篇小说证实了他的力量和存在的文学世界,起到了举足轻重的作用在他赢得了1954年诺贝尔文学奖。这部小说是在世界非常有名,所以很多人喜欢这本小说。我们还研究了它在我们的中文课,海明威的小说总是有趣的我喜欢他的小说多,还在他的小说中我们可以学到很多,他的意思。那是一个非常好的小说供人阅读。（3）、If I have a bright day, “如果我有一个美好的一天。” Helen Keller was born just 19 months, blind due to illness, soon after the impact of the hearing. From then on she is on the long night of darkness and silence through the world. Long-term life of the blind, made her eyes bright and extremely valuable. She can not be the same as ordinary people feel the joy of life, we can not enjoy this beautiful world full of fun and can only use their hands to touch her delicate to regret and frustration, but she never give up.
Charlotte's Web 一．内容简介： 《夏洛的网》是美国作家E.B.怀特所著的三部被誉为“二十世纪读者最多、最受爱戴的童话”之一。 在朱克曼家的谷仓里，快乐地生活着一群动物，其中小猪威尔伯和蜘蛛夏洛建立了最真挚的友谊。然而，一个最丑恶的消息打破了谷仓的平静：威尔伯未来的命运竞是 成为熏肉火腿。作为一只小猪，悲痛绝望的威尔伯似乎只能接受任人宰割的命运了， 然而，看似渺小的夏洛却说：“我救你。”于是，夏洛用自己的丝在猪栏上织出了被 人类视为奇迹的网上文字，彻底逆转了威尔伯的命运，终于让它在集市的大赛中赢得 特别奖，和一个安享天命的未来。但，这时，蜘蛛夏洛的生命却走到了尽头…… 二．作者简介： E.B.怀特(1899-1985)生于纽约蒙特弗农，毕业于康奈尔大学。也许你对美国作家E.B. 怀特（E.B.White）感到陌生，也许你对《Charlotte's Web》（《夏洛的网》）不是 很熟悉，但是一提起一部电影《精灵鼠小弟》，你马上就知道了，这部电影就是根据E.B. 怀特（E.B.White）的书改编拍摄的。他还有一部童话叫《吹小号的天鹅》。三．读书笔记 №.1 - "But it's unfair," cried Fern. "The pig couldn't help being born small, could it? If I had been very small at birth, would you have killed me? 【译文】"可是这不公平，"芬哭叫着。"这头猪愿意让自己生下来就小吗，它愿意吗？如果我生下来时也很瘦小，你就会杀死我吗？" 【评注】正是这句话触动了我们作为人类最敏感的神经，生命有其存在的权利——这 样简单的道理，却是由一个小女孩讲给世界上的大人们。也不禁让人感叹：Why do
Book Report Title of the book: __________________________________________________ Author: __________________________________________________ Illustrated by: __________________________________________________ Main Characters: Give a brief description of each character: 1.________________ ______________________________ 2.________________ ______________________________ 3.________________ ______________________________ Write a summary about the story. ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ Did you like the book? Why or why not? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ This book was... Circle one. easy to read Just right to read a litttle difficult too hard
英文读书笔记 篇一：英语小说读书笔记 Books and Novels Books and Novels Books and Novels Books and Novels 篇二：英语读书笔记 1、Good Spirit Makes You Brave --After reading ?A New Year s surprise?良好的精神让你勇敢的——在阅读?新一年的惊喜? A New Year’s surprise by John Milne is a wonderful story. It tells us how a girl called Kaya could defeat a robber who had a gun in his hand. And she is only 17 years old! Kaya used her courage and wisdom to beat the robbers. Finally she became a superstar because of her excellent deed. After reading this book, I thought about my life. Sometimes I was brave but sometimes I was a coward. People always have their own weak side. Some people often show how brave they are and how strong they are, but when a disaster comes, they always run away quickly and scream more loudly than any other people. So, we should try our best and show our bravey when something or somebody is in danger. Something happens out of the blue and you don t have much time to think about it, so remember: whatever anything happens, don t evade it, but treat it as a challenge. Someday you will find you can solve the problem and you are the winner! Good spirit makes you be brave, if you really want to learn how to be a brave man or woman, you must have a good spirit, and you must try to face anything and to do everything with your courage and wisdom.
Study on the Causes of Buck’s Returning the Wild 摘要：本文运用马克思主义辩证关系原理，科学地探索了巴克回归自然的内因和外因，并对人类进行了深刻的反思。淘金热是巴克转变的一个间接原因，也是一个大背景。巴克凭着先天优势在残酷的不断变化的环境中，学得了重要的生存法则，即“适者生存”。由此发现，虽然外部环境在不断变化，但巴克凭着自己的能力掌握规律，以另一种方式生存。这表明外因在一定程度上影响了事物的发展，而事物的发展是由内因决定的。 关键字：内因;外因；生存法则；适应能力。 Abstract: On the basis of Marxist dialectic, this passage makes a study on the internal and external causes of buck’s returning to the wild, and makes a reflection of human beings as well. Prevailing phenomenon of seeking gold is an indirect cause as well as a big backdrop of the time. Buck, learning against his superior advantages, learned a critical law of existence, that is, survival of the fittest. In this sense, in spite of the various environments, Buck mastered the law against his own adaptability and led a different way of life. That indicates the external causes have an effect on the development of things, while it is the internal cause that decides the final implementation of things. Key words: external causes; internal causes; law of existence; adaptability 1.Introduction: The call of the wild, one of the representative works, written by Jack London, reveal many realities and truths that deserve ponder and study. On the ground of Marxist dialectic, we choose to the causes, internal and external, that push Buck to return to the wild. Any implementation of phenomenon is formed by the combined effect of internal and external causes, thus, to know the process and results of development in things, finding out the reasons is necessary. At the same time, thoughts should not be confined in things themselves, but touch the lessons and experience hiding in the development of things, that is, in the call of the wild, we should see the illumination from Buck’s shift of life, and make self-reflection. In this sense, reflection on human beings being the third part of this passage, apart from external causes and internal causes. 2.External Causes 2.1 The Found of Yellow Metal It is a direct reason that leads to Buck′s hardship. It is the found of gold that increase the demand for dogs of strong muscle and long hair, which can according make them pull sled protect them from frost. Also it is the found that offers Manuel, one of the gardener′s helpers an opportunity to reduce his debt, that is to sell Buck. Buck was betrayed and forced to begin his shift of life. 2.2.The Big Contrast in Living Conditions Buck had lived the sun-kissed santé clara valley，where was beautiful and peaceful. “It stood back from the road, half-hidden among the trees, through which glimpses could be caught of the wide cool veranda that ran round its four sides. The house was approached by graveled drive ways which wound about through wide spreading lawns and under the interlacing boughs of tall poplars. At
英文读书笔记 comments: wuthering heights is a well-written tragedy of love. after reading the whole story i would like to talk about the main characters of the story —catherine earnshaw and heathcliff. catherine earnshaw and heathcliff do love each other very much but they do not have the right attitude towards love which leads to the tragedy. in catherine 's life she made a very foolish decision---marrying to edgar. in fact her love for edgar can never be compared to that for heathcliff. she did so because she thought the wealth of edgar would be useful to help heathcliff. but in reality it did not work. she did not have a good understanding of love which is something pure and saint. if anyone add any purpose into love love itself lost its meaning. catherine ' s wrong decision hurt two people who love her and even destroyed the happiness of their offspring. heathcliff is a man full of retaliation. he loved catherine very much but what he did on the contrary added to the misery of catherine. in my opinion if he really
Chapter 7: The Sounding of the Call Summary John Thornton pays off his debts with money he earns from the bet, and he sets off to the east to find a fabled lost mine that is supposed to make a man rich. Together with his other dogs and his friends Pete and Hans, he and Buck wander in the wilderness, hunting and fishing and living off the land, until they reach a shallow place in a valley full of gold. The men earn thousands of dollars a day panning for gold, and the dogs have nothing to do. Buck begins to feel wild yearnings. One night, he springs up from sleep with a start, hearing a call from the forest. He dashes through the woods and finds a timber wolf, one-third his size. Buck begins to circle the wolf and make friendly advances, but the wolf is afraid. Finally, the two show their friendship by sniffing noses, and the wolf leads Buck away through the forest. They stop to drink, and Buck remembers John Thornton. The wolf encourages him to keep following, but Buck starts back toward the camp. When he arrives, Thornton is eating dinner, and Buck showers him with affection. For two days, he never allows Thornton out of his sight. Then, he hears the call more loudly than ever and is haunted by recollections of his wild friend. He begins to stay away from the camp for days at a time, hunting his own food. Buck has two identities at this point: one as sled dog in Thornton’s camp, another as wild hunter in the forest. He kills a bear and fishes for salmon the river; when the moose come in the fall, Buck hunts them eagerly. He cuts a bull away from the pack to kill him and finally brings him down after four days. Then he heads back to the camp. On the way, he feels a strange stirring in the wilderness, of something new abroad, and he feels a premonition of calami ty. His feeling is proven correct when he finds Thornton’s dog Nig and one of the dogs bought in Dawson, both dying on the trail. As he approaches the camp, he sees Hans lying facedown, arrows covering him. He peers out to where the lodge had been and sees Yeehat Indians dancing in the wreckage. Buck charges, cutting their throats with his fangs and killing several of them. The Indians scatter, and Buck finds the rest of his camp, including Thornton, dead. Buck mourns his dead master but feels pride at having killed the Yeehats. Henceforth, he will not fear men unless they carry weapons. He hears the call of the wolf again. His ties to Thornton broken by death, he heads off to follow it. He finds the pack, and one wolf lunges for his throat, but he breaks its neck easily. Three others try but pull back. After half an hour they all draw back, and one of them approaches Buck in a friendly manner. Buck recognizes him to be the wolf he encountered in the woods. Buck joins the wolf pack, and the Yeehats notice a difference in the local breed of timber wolves as years pass. They also tell of a Ghost Dog that runs at the front of the pack, singing songs and leaping above his fellows. They tell of a haunted valley—where Thornton lies dead—where an evil spirit dwells, and where, every year, Buck comes and mourns for a time beside the stream before loping away to rejoin the pack.