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To Build a Fire

Jack london.

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88 To Build a Fire Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best to build a fire topic ideas & essay examples, 📌 most interesting to build a fire topics to write about, 👍 good research topics about to build a fire, ❓ to build a fire essay questions.

  • “To Build a Fire” a Story by Jack London Another of the details that support the postulation that the main idea of the story is that assumptions can kill is the inability of the main character to recognize his limitations.
  • “To Build a Fire” by Jack London: Literary Analysis The author’s choice to use nature as the antagonist portrays an understanding of a force working against the main character, the man, as he struggles to endure in the cold.
  • Man’s Doom: “To Build a Fire” by Jack London The man’s fallacy of not appreciating the realities again becomes evident in the fact that he decides to build the fire “under the spruce tree,” instead of building it “in the open”..
  • Man-Animal Conflict: “To Build a Fire” by Jack London Out of a variety of the elements depicted in the story, the greatest impression is made by the conflict between the man and his wolf dog.
  • “To Build a Fire” and “White Snow” by Jack London In order to analyze how patterns in writing occurs, I take the example of Jack London and the following paragraph will analyze the two short stories written by the author, ‘To Build a Fire’ and […]
  • “Open Boat” and “To Build A Fire” Comparison Similar to the theme of natural forces, in ‘The Open Boat,’ Crane describes the plight of four men who have been shipwrecked and are isolated on the ocean in a tiny dinghy.
  • Exploring Futility in “The Chrysanthemums,” “To Build a Fire,” and “The League of Old Men” The article explores the symbolism of Elisa as the main character in Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” and especially her representation of the ignored and oppressed women of her time.
  • Courting Futility in “To Build a Fire,” “The League of the Old Men,” and “The Chrysanthemums” London’s “To Build a Fire” quite likely the most famous of the author’s short stories tracks the trail of a lone wanderer in the Yukon Territory at the turn of the 20th century.
  • “To Build a Fire” by Jack London: Man and Nature By describing the protagonist’s challenges and his death at the end of the story, the writer emphasizes the power of nature and its indifference towards an individual’s life.
  • Nature and Man in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London In conclusion, it should be noted that the theme of the struggle between man and nature is a wonderful aesthetic approach.
  • “A Blizzard Under Blue Sky” by P. Houston and “To Build a Fire” by J. London The nature is one of the greatest mysteries of the world; the value assumptions about the place of individuals in nature and their relationship to their canine companions is the issue discussed in two nice […]
  • “To Build a Fire” by Jack London The protagonist of the story is the man who “was a newcomer in the land, a chechaquo, and this was his first winter” and he is the prime tool at the hands of the writer […]
  • ‘The Open Boat’ and ‘To Build a Fire’ In fact, the hard language in the narration and the twists and turns of the story make the man seem like a sideshow.
  • Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” The dog that accompanies the man is also indifferent to the man even though it seems to be have more aware of the danger posed by travelling in that kind of weather than the man […]
  • Naturalism in Jack London’s To Build a Fire and The Call of the Wild The validity of such an idea can be well explored in regards to the literary legacy of one of America’s greatest writers Jack London, as the extreme naturalism of many of his short stories and […]
  • A Struggle With Nature in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”
  • The Role of Setting in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
  • Character That Display the Theme of Nature Versus Nurture in “To Build a Fire” and “White Fang” by Jack London
  • Intellect vs. Instinct in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
  • Overconfidence and Arrogance in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
  • Comparing the Two Versions of “To Build a Fire”
  • An Analysis of the Setting and Theme in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
  • The Awakening Journey in “Young Goodman Brown” and “To Build a Fire”
  • The Man’s Portrait in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”
  • The Theme of Perseverance in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
  • “To Build a Fire” as a Representation of Authors Attitude to Klondike Gold Rush
  • Analysis of Traveller in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”
  • Human Flaws and the Importance of the Open Mind in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”
  • Significance of Words “Dying” and “Death” in “To Build a Fire”
  • The Elements of Naturalism in the Short Story “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
  • The Three Principle Themes in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”
  • Nature in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”
  • The Relationship Between Humankind and Nature Portrayed in London’s “To Build a Fire”
  • The Harsh Reality of Life in “To Build a Fire,” “Genesis of the Tenements,” and “Men in the Storm”
  • Choices and Responsibility in London’s “To Build a Fire” and Crane’s “The Open Boat”
  • Comparison and Contrast of “To Build a Fire” and “The Open Boat”
  • The Notion of Realizm in “The White Heron” and “To Build a Fire”
  • The Definition of Nature in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
  • Realism in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” and Stephen Crane’s “A Mystery of Heroism”
  • The Fight of Survival in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
  • “To Build a Fire”: An Environmentalist Interpretation
  • The Disregard and Discredit of Women’s Intelligence as a Result of Perception in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
  • Biographical Criticism in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
  • Man’s Struggles in the Domination of Nature in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
  • Fighting Nature: Animalistic Instinct in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”
  • Comparison of Krakauer’s “Into the Wild” and London’s “To Build a Fire”
  • Life Theme in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”
  • Character Analysis of the Main Character in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
  • Evident Social Darwinism and Determinism in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”
  • A Symbolic Interpretation of “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
  • The Importance of the Dog to Understand the Theme in “To Build a Fire”
  • The Theme of Existentialism in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London and in the Film “Up in the Air”
  • Chain Smoking: Causal Links in “To Build a Fire”
  • Stability of Characters in “To Build a Fire” and “The Tell Tale Heart”
  • An Analysis of the Winter Wonderland in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”
  • Foreshadowing in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
  • How Does “To Build a Fire” Reflect Key Naturalist Beliefs?
  • What Was the Temperature in “To Build a Fire”?
  • What Is a Chechaquo in “To Build a Fire”?
  • What External and Internal Forces Must the Man Struggle Against in “To Build a Fire”?
  • What Happened to the Matches in “To Build a Fire”?
  • What Does the Man’s Failure in “To Build a Fire” Symbolize?
  • What Is the Irony in “To Build a Fire”?
  • What Was the Man’s Biggest Mistake in “To Build a Fire”?
  • What Do the Man and Dog Represent in “To Build a Fire”?
  • Why Does the Man Die in “To Build a Fire”?
  • Why Did Not London Give the Man a Name in “To Build a Fire”?
  • What Happened to the Man at the End of the Story “To Build a Fire”?
  • What Motivates the Dog in “To Build a Fire”?
  • What Is the Goal of the Author in Writing the Story “To Build a Fire”?
  • What Does the Snow Symbolize in “To Build a Fire”?
  • What Is the Foreshadowing in “To Build a Fire”?
  • What Is the External Conflict in “To Build a Fire”?
  • What Is the Relationship Between Man and Nature in the Story “To Build a Fire”?
  • What Does the Boys Symbolize in “To Build a Fire”?
  • How Many Attempts Did the Man Make in “To Build a Fire”?
  • What Is the Climax in “To Build a Fire”?
  • What Was Unusual About the Man’s Journey in “To Build a Fire”?
  • What Is the Man’s Fatal Flaw in “To Build a Fire”?
  • Where Was the Man Going in the Story “To Build a Fire”?
  • What Does the Man Finally Learn From His Experience in “To Build a Fire”?
  • How Is the Conflict Resolved in “To Build a Fire”?
  • Who or What Is the Antagonist in the Story “To Build a Fire”?
  • What Is the Plot of the Story “To Build a Fire”?
  • Why Is the Man Out in the Cold “To Build a Fire”?
  • Who Is the Main Character in the Story “To Build a Fire”?
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To Build A Fire Essay Sample

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Pets , Nature , Fire , Dog , England , Thinking , Literature , London

Words: 1200

Published: 02/09/2020

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Jack London's short story "To Build a Fire" tells the tale of a man and his dog, who attempt to survive in the Yukon. The harsh weather soon leaves them stranded, leaving them to take different methods to keep themselves alive. The attempt to build a fire takes up the majority of the story, as the man attempts to keep himself warm. The conflict between instinct and logic is told through symbolism and metaphor; the protagonist learns all too well that relying on logic is foolhardy, and that instinct must also be a component to his survival. Nature is shown to be an incredibly heartless and unfeeling entity – something to survive rather than work with. In this way, “To Build a Fire” is about the relationship between man and the natural world, and how his own acclimation to civilization has prevented him from learning how to survive. The protagonist is a man of logic, experiencing his first winter in the Yukon; he does not have any practical experience in the rough terrain of that area, and so he is operating by his own deductive reasoning, and not through memory. The man is incredibly stubborn; he refuses the old man's advice to not go alone throughout the Klondike, as he feels he can make it on his own. The man is also irresponsible, risking the fire that he creates several times for the sake of small details or his own quirks. The first time, he shortsightedly pulls at branches and leaves in order to keep a fire going under a pine tree, but that brings snow down upon it. Next, he risks all of his matches to create the fire, but then picks at a piece of moss and puts out the fire. All of these actions are borne of desperation, and eventually lead to his untimely demise. With this main character, London explores the relationship between man and nature – the omniscient narrator in the work allows us to understand the mistakes the man makes (such as going out in the cold in the first place), as well as see the consequences of these mistakes. Here, nature is shown to be a cold, unfeeling creature, as it gives him no quarter for his errors – every mistake he makes sets him back further and lessens his chances for survival. What is perhaps most significant is the man’s inability to fully recognize the danger he is in; it is not until his fire is extinguished that he starts to truly become worried: "It was as though he had just heard his own sentence of death” (London, 1902). The man is representative of London’s treatment of human hubris; he believes he can easily navigate nature, but the short story and the storm itself prove him quite wrong. The dog, on the other hand, was a creature of instinct, as he simply relied on what he felt to be true about surviving in the Yukon. Here, the man’s wolf dog is the other half of the equation; he is a "big native husky, the proper wolf dog, gray-coated and without any visible or temperamental difference from its brother the wild wolf" (London, 1902). The dog itself is almost a spiritual creature, as it is much more in tune with nature, and its successes highlight the man’s failures. The dog is patient and loyal, always sticking with the man no matter what foolish decisions he makes. The dog's own preparedness for the environment makes it much more likely to survive; it has a wonderful sense of smell, and can naturally stand colder weather much better than the man can. As loyal as the dog is, it knows exactly when to give up; right when it knows the man is going to die, it heads "in the direction of the camp it knew, where were the other food-providers and fire-providers" (London, 1902). The dog is part of nature still, and as such it is just as indifferent to the man as the elements are. All through the story, the dog seems to know instinctually what it needs to do to survive, as it will "merely obey the mysterious prompting that [arises] from the deep crypts of its being" (London, 1902). The implication given by London is that the man lacks the preternatural instincts for survival that the wild dog has, as man has domesticated himself with his focus on civilization and escaping the necessities of survival. To that end, the dog is much more well-equipped to survive in the wilderness than man. Nature, as a force, is almost the third character in this story; the man and the dog attempt to defeat it, both using different methods. It does not intend to maliciously destroy the man and the dog; but its benign hostility is something that needs to be addressed. At every turn, nature seeks to disempower the man and make him responsible for his mistakes. By being so relentless, London shows the reader that nature does not have the power of sympathy, and is infinitely more powerful than man is. The power of nature is clearly beyond the two characters; they will certainly not make the environment warmer. All they can do is alter their reactions to nature, which the man refuses to do. This is the true lesson; nature is an immovable object, and one can either adapt to survive (as the dog does), avoid the situation altogether (as the old man implores the traveler to do), or die foolilshly (as the man himself eventually does). In conclusion, "To Build a Fire" is a tale of the battle between logic and instinct. Man does battle with nature here and loses, mostly due to his own stubbornness and pride – the main character does not pay enough credence to nature’s command of his surroundings, which leads to his death. The man, reasoning the usefulness of a fire, or even killing the dog to keep warm, still makes stubborn mistakes when these actions do not work out. The dog, on the other hand, simply knows more about nature in its veins than the man does, leaving it with the ability to survive. Nature tests both characters to see how they will attempt to survive, and the dog wins out through its use of instinct. The dog, being a much more primal creature and more in tune with nature, manages to survive while the inexperienced man freezes to death. Jack London, in his short story, seeks to illustrate the lack of control and power we have over nature, and the mistake in thinking we have it.

Works Cited

Gair, Christopher. Complicity and resistance in Jack London's novels: From naturalism to nature. Vol. 22. Edwin Mellen Press, 1997. Hendricks, King. "Jack London: Master Craftsman of the Short Story." 1966. London, Jack. “To Build a Fire.” 1902.

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To Build a Fire Jack London

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Critical Analysis of to Build a Fire by Jack London

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Published: Mar 18, 2021

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Introduction, book analysis.

  • David C. (August 12, 2009). David Cobham Showreel - To Build A Fire. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjAKmscLdfE
  • To build a fire book. Copied right: https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/to- build-a-fire.pdf

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Jack London was a prolific author known for his adventure stories set in the wilderness. One of his most famous works is the short story "To Build a Fire," first published in 1908. The story follows an unnamed protagonist as he [...]

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To Build a Fire

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Summary: “to build a fire”.

“To Build a Fire” is a short story by American writer Jack London. It was published in Century Magazine in 1908, and this guide references the 1908 edition. An earlier version of the story was published in Youth’s Companion in 1902. It is one of London’s many adventure stories based in the Klondike, where he prospected as a young man. There are six film versions of the story.

The story is set during the 1890s gold rush in the Klondike region of the Yukon. At daybreak, an unnamed man turns off the main Yukon trail to follow a seldom-used trail through spruce timberland. It is winter and the sky is clear, but there is no sun. In a few days, the sun will again appear above the horizon.

He looks back at the path of the Yukon river, which is covered with several feet of ice and snow. In the distance, he sees the “dark hair-line” (1) that is the main trail. The man is unmoved by the landscape. As a “newcomer in the land” (2), his unaffectedness is not attributable to experience. Rather, he is not imaginative. He is “quick and alert in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in the significances” (2). It is far below freezing, but this doesn’t compel him to consider his own human frailty.

Carrying onward, the man spits, and it freezes before hitting the ground. He’s on his way to a prospector camp, “where a fire would be going, and a hot supper would be ready” (2). He has his lunch tucked against his skin and smiles when he thinks about taking a break to eat it. His lunch is the only thing he carries.

A large husky follows behind the man. The dog’s instinct tells it that it is too cold to be traveling. It is 75 degrees below zero. The dog expects the man to find shelter and start a fire. The dog’s fur and the man’s beard are both frosted. The man chews tobacco. When he spits, the juice remains on his chin and turns his beard amber. He checks his watch and calculates that his pace is four miles per hour. At 12:30 pm he should arrive at the forks, where he plans to eat lunch.

There are no tracks on the trail. It has been a month since anyone has followed this path. The man acknowledges that he has never felt such intense cold. He uses his mittened hand to rub his exposed nose and cheeks, but they again go numb as soon as he stops rubbing. He doesn’t consider frosted cheeks to be a serious health concern.

The man notes the subtle changes in the snow-covered creek’s formation and is careful where to place his feet as he walks. He knows there are springs that bubble up and could cause him to step through the ice and into water. This is a great danger and compels him to walk carefully.

Two hours pass and he continues to look for signs of under-ice pools. At one point, he senses this danger and tries to coax the dog into walking in front of him. The dog won’t do it, so the man pushes it forward. The ice breaks, and the dog’s legs get wet. The dog’s instinct compels it to lick away the ice. The man helps to remove the ice from the dog’s fur.

It is noon and there is still no sun; the day is as bright as it will be. The man arrives at the forks and is pleased with his pace. He is confident he will make it to camp by six o’clock that evening. He pulls out his lunch, exposing his fingers, which quickly become numb. He tries to eat his biscuit, but his “ice-muzzle” (6) prevents him from biting into it. Because he has stopped moving, his toes go numb inside his moccasins. He stamps his feet and waves his arms until feeling returns. He remembers an old man who warned him about how cold it could get in this country. Though he laughed at the man, he now realizes the truth of his words. He builds a fire and thaws his face over it. The dog enjoys the fire while the man eats his biscuit.

The man continues down the trail, much to the disappointment of the dog, who wants to remain near the fire. The man’s ancestry doesn’t instill in him a true understanding of the cold; however, the dog’s lineage does provide this understanding. The dog is essentially the man’s slave and does not care about the man’s welfare. The man makes whipping sounds, compelling the dog to follow him away from the fire.

The man’s foot breaks through the ice, and he becomes wet halfway to the knees. He is angered because this will delay his arrival in camp by an hour. He climbs up an embankment and starts a fire. Because his feet are wet, he is in serious danger; therefore, he “work[s] slowly and carefully” (8) at the fire’s construction. Failure to construct an adequate fire could lead to his death. 

He has to take off his mittens to build the fire. Because he is no longer walking briskly, his blood circulation weakens, and his extremities quickly go numb. His wet feet are beginning to freeze, and his nose and cheeks are already frozen.

The fire is now burning, making the man feel safe. He recalls the old man’s advice that no one should travel alone across the Klondike when the temperature is colder than 50 below zero. He feels proud that, despite this advice, he has saved himself and is successfully making the transit by himself. His fingers are “lifeless” (10), and he struggles to hold a twig. He starts to remove his ice-covered moccasins, but from above the over-weighted tree boughs dump snow on the fire, snuffing it out. He realizes that removing twigs from the lower branches had caused the avalanche of snow to fall.

The man feels “as though he ha[s] just heard his own sentence of death” (10). He now understands that he should have followed the old man’s advice about not traveling alone across the Klondike. Though he figures he will lose some toes, he knows he must try to rebuild the fire. He’s losing dexterity in his fingers but manages to lift twigs and bits of moss. The dog watches, hoping for fire.

The man tries to pull a piece of birch bark from his pocket but cannot grip it. He uses his teeth to pull on his mittens and uses all his power to beat his hands against his sides. He feels envy when he sees the dog sitting in the snow, “its wolf-brush of a tail covered warmly over its forefeet” (11).

Sensation begins to return to the man’s fingers. He removes his hand from its mitten to grab the birch bark. He tries to light the bark, but his fingers are again numb, and he drops the matches into the snow. He “devot[es] his whole soul to the matches” (12). Because he no longer has a sense of touch, he tries to fully rely on his vision to retrieve the matches. He again puts on the mitten and scoops the matches into his lap.

The man manages to get a match to his mouth, which he finally manages to light by scraping it against his leg. However, the smoke goes into his nose, causing him to cough and drop the match, which falls to the snow and goes out. He again acknowledges that he should’ve listened to the old man’s advice about traveling with a partner.

In a desperate move, he removes his mittens and manages to get all his remaining matches into his hands. He scratches the matches against his leg and all 70 are ignited at the same time. Though he can’t feel his flesh burning, he can smell it. Deep below his skin, he starts to feel the pain. Still, he holds onto the matches and attempts to light the bark. His endurance fails and he drops the matches, which sizzle in the snow. However, the bark has been lit. He places twigs and dry grasses on the bark. A piece of moss falls directly into the flame. With shivering hands, he tries to poke it away, but he causes the fire to break apart and go out.

He looks at the dog, which “put[s] a wild idea into his head” (13). Recalling a survival story in which a man survived a blizzard by crawling into a steer’s carcass, he decides he will kill the dog and bury his hands inside its body for warmth. He calls the dog to him, but the dog senses the danger and does not obey the command. The man crawls toward the dog, and it moves away from him.

The man uses his mouth to put on his mittens and stands up. His standing position, as well as “the sound of whip-lashes in his voice” (14), compel the dog to come to him. The man reaches for the dog, but he has no feeling in his hands and cannot grab it. He uses his arms to hold the dog against him, and it struggles to get away. The man realizes that he has no means of killing the dog. Because he has no feeling in his hands, he cannot use his knife. He releases the dog, and it moves 40 feet away, where it watches him.

In an attempt to regain feeling, he again beats his hands against the side of his body. This doesn’t work and a fear of death becomes increasingly present. He becomes panicked and starts running along the trail. The dog follows him. He runs “blindly, without intention, in fear such as he had never known in his life” (15). He is no longer shivering and thinks about running all the way to camp. He also thinks that he will soon freeze to death. He clings to the hope that he will reach the boys and they will save him. In the back of his mind, the thought remains that “he would soon be stiff and dead” (15).

As he runs, it’s strange to him that he cannot feel his feet. He realizes he doesn’t have the endurance and starts stumbling. He sits down to rest and regain his energy. Surprisingly, he is no longer shivering. This briefly comforts him, but he then understands it is because he is becoming completely frozen. He imagines his frozen dead body and again starts running. The dog continues to follow him. The man falls and the dog looks at him, “curiously eager and intent” (16). The dog’s apparent well-being angers the man and he curses it.

The cold begins to fully consume him. He goes another 100 feet and falls, feeling “his last panic” (16). Resigning himself to death, he considers how to best die with dignity. He hopes to sleep his way into death, noting that there are worse ways to die than freezing. He imagines the boys finding his body, and then imagines himself alongside the boys when they make this discovery. In another vision, he tells the old man that he was right. He “drowse[s] off into what seemed to him the most comfortable and satisfying sleep he had ever known” (17). The dog waits for him until it realizes that no fire will be made. It catches the scent of death, howls under the stars, and makes its way toward camp, hoping to find others who will provide it with food and fire.

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Hero Essay: Who Is a Hero and How to Write About Heroes

Hero Essay: Who Is a Hero and How to Write About Heroes

In academic writing, few topics are as inspiring and thought-provoking as the hero essay. A hero essay lets us think about what makes someone a hero and why they matter to us or the world. You might write about someone from history, a person making a difference today, or even a made-up character from a story. Writing an exceptional hero essay takes some thought and planning, but it can be a great way to share your ideas.

What is a Hero Essay?

A hero essay is a piece of writing that looks at what it means to be a hero. It usually focuses on one person who shows heroic qualities. The goal is to explain why this person is a hero by looking at what they've done, what kind of person they are, and how they've helped others.

How to Write a Great Story About Your Hero

To write a really good hero story, you need to plan it out. Here's how you can do it:

  • Pick your hero: Choose someone you really look up to, real or made-up.
  • Do your homework: Learn all you can about your hero's life, what they've done, and what problems they've faced.
  • Find their best qualities: Figure out what makes this person heroic.
  • Make your main point: Clearly say why you think this person is a hero.
  • Plan your essay: Organize your ideas into a beginning, middle, and end.
  • Use clear examples: Show how your hero acted in heroic ways.
  • Think about their effect: Talk about how your hero has helped other people or made the world better.

When you're thinking about how to describe a hero, look at both what they do and who they are inside. What makes them want to help others? How do they inspire people? Asking these questions can help you paint a full picture of your hero.

To organize these complex character traits and their manifestations, consider using Aithor to map out your hero's qualities and their corresponding actions.

How to Make a Good Outline for My Hero Essay

A good outline helps you organize your essay. Here's a way you could set up your hero essay:

  • Start with something interesting to get the reader's attention
  • Give a little background about your hero
  • State your main idea about why they're a hero
  • Describe what makes them heroic and give examples
  • Talk about the big things they've done
  • Discuss the hard things they've faced and how they dealt with them
  • Explain how the hero has made a difference for people or the world
  • Sum up your main points
  • Remind the reader why this person is a hero
  • End with something to make the reader think

You can change this outline to fit your hero's story better if you need to.

Ideas for Writing a Great Paper About Your Hero

Picking the right person and topic for your hero essay can make a big difference. Here are some ideas to consider:

  • Unexpected heroes: Write about someone who isn't what most people think of as a hero but who has made a big difference.
  • Personal heroes: Talk about someone close to you, like a family member or community member, who you think is a hero.
  • Everyday heroes: Focus on people who do small, kind things that add up to big changes.
  • Historical heroes: Look at how someone from history still matters today.
  • Anti-heroes: Write about people who do good things in ways that aren't always simple or easy to understand.

When thinking about how to start a hero story, you might want to begin with an important moment in your hero's life. This can get the reader interested right away.

Tips on How to Write a Hero Story

To push your hero essay from good to great, try these tips:

  • Start strong: Get the reader's attention with a strong first sentence or a short story.
  • Show, don't tell: Use words that help the reader picture what your hero did.
  • Balance praise with reality: Talk about your hero's mistakes too, to make them seem more real.
  • Give clear examples: Use specific stories to show why your hero is heroic.
  • Incorporate dialogue: If you can, include things your hero or others have said.
  • Show how they've changed: Talk about how your hero has grown over time. 
  • Share what we can learn: Discuss what others can learn from your hero.

When pondering how do you spell heroic, remember that it's not just about spelling it right. It's about using words that show why your hero is special. Use words that show you admire them, but don't go overboard.

Aithor can help you choose the right words and spell them correctly so your writing strikes the right balance between eloquence and authenticity.

Hero Essay Examples to Read

Reading other people's hero essays can give you good ideas for your own. Here's a short excerpt of a student's essay about their personal hero:

When I think about heroes, I don't think about people with capes or superpowers. Instead, I think about my mom coming home tired from her night shift at the hospital. She's been a nurse for as long as I can remember, and it's a hard job.

I remember one time when I was about 10 and really sick. Mom had just worked two shifts in a row. She must have been so tired, but she still sat by my bed. She put a cool cloth on my forehead and told me funny stories to help me feel better. When she tucked me in that night, her eyes looked sleepy, but she still smiled. She brushed my hair back and said quietly, "We'll get through this together, sweetie."

That's just how my mom is. She's not perfect - she often burns toast, and sometimes she gets too into her favorite TV shows. But her kindness and hard work are real. She might stay late at work to help a scared patient or volunteer at the animal shelter on her days off. Mom taught me that being a hero isn't about doing big, flashy things. It's about showing up, being kind, and making things better in your own small way. To me, that makes her the biggest hero I know.

Final Words

Writing a hero essay helps you understand what makes someone a hero and gives you the opportunity to discuss people who inspire you. If you choose your subject carefully, plan your essay well, and use clear examples, you can write a story that really means something to people who read it.

Remember, the best hero essays do more than just say nice things about someone. They help us understand what it really means to be heroic. As you start writing, try using writing tools like Aithor to help you organize your ideas and focus on telling your hero's story clearly and powerfully. From outlining to final edits, Aithor's comprehensive features support every stage of writing your perfect hero essay.

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  1. To Build A Fire Theme Analysis Essay Example

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  2. (DOC) To Build a Fire Summary

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  3. Analyzing Wilderness Survival in Jack Londons To Build a Fire Free

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  4. 002 Essay Example To Build Fire Winning Essays And Artwork From High

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  5. To Build a Fire: Summary & Analysis Free Essay Example

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  6. Critical Analysis Of To Build A Fire By Jack London: [Essay Example

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COMMENTS

  1. To Build a Fire by Jack London: [Essay Example], 517 words

    Jack London was a prolific author known for his adventure stories set in the wilderness. One of his most famous works is the short story "To Build a Fire," first published in 1908. The story follows an unnamed protagonist as he attempts to survive in the harsh Yukon wilderness, where he faces the unforgiving cold and other natural obstacles.

  2. To Build A Fire By Jack London English Literature Essay

    In Jack London's "To Build a Fire," he reveals how a man goes through a harsh winter in the forest facing multiple obstacles along the way. He has to depend on what he thinks he should do when problems arise instead of thinking intuitively and beyond the obvious. Before the unnamed man left on his expedition he was warned by an old timer ...

  3. "To Build a Fire" by Jack London

    Introduction. Jack London's "To Build a Fire" has been greatly considered to be the foremost example of the naturalist movement and the conflict between man and nature. The protagonist of the story is the man who "was a newcomer in the land, a chechaquo, and this was his first winter" and he is the prime tool at the hands of the ...

  4. "To Build a Fire" by Jack London: Literary Analysis Essay

    Exclusively available on IvyPanda®. In the story "To Build A Fire," Jack London presents a bitter conflict between man and nature in the harsh Yukon Trail environment. The author's choice to use nature as the antagonist portrays an understanding of a force working against the main character, the man, as he struggles to endure in the cold.

  5. To Build A Fire Summary & Analysis

    The dog is surprised that the man sits in the snow and does not make a fire. The dog cries out, longing for a fire. It expects the man to curse, but there is only silence. Later, the dog moves near to the man, but it smells death. It waits longer, howling, while the stars shine in the sky.

  6. To Build a Fire Study Guide

    To Build a Fire study guide contains a biography of Jack London, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. To Build a Fire literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of To Build a Fire.

  7. To Build a Fire Analysis

    The story is a strong example of the naturalist movement in literature, which was first developed by the French author Émile Zola. "To Build a Fire" is the best-known of London's works and ...

  8. To Build a Fire Essays

    Analysis of "To Build a Fire" "To Build a Fire", written by Jack London and published in 1908, is a short story showing what happens when mankind tries to overcome nature. The theme of the story, survival's connection to the story, and what the main character is fighting in the story are all topics to be addressed in this analytic essay.

  9. Naturalism in Jack London's "To Build a Fire"

    The short story "To Build a Fire" by Jack London is a prime example of naturalism in literature. Naturalism is a literary movement that emerged in the late 19th century and early 20th century, focusing on the portrayal of life as harsh and indifferent, shaped primarily by natural forces. In this essay, we will explore the elements of naturalism ...

  10. "To Build a Fire" a Story by Jack London

    The short story describes the actions the actions the man took to meet up with his associates and how they contributed to his misfortune. Get a custom essay on "To Build a Fire" a Story by Jack London. Throughout the events in the story, the man remembers various flashbacks of advice given to him by a man from Sulphur Creek, which revealed ...

  11. Naturalism in To Build a Fire: [Essay Example], 672 words

    In conclusion, Jack London's "To Build a Fire" is a masterful example of naturalistic literature. Through the use of vivid descriptions, symbolic imagery, and the portrayal of man's insignificance in the face of nature, London effectively conveys the naturalistic theme of the story.

  12. To Build a Fire Part I Summary and Analysis

    Essays for To Build a Fire. To Build a Fire literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of To Build a Fire. Chain-smoking: Causality in "To Build a Fire" Realism: Compare and Contrast; Literary Naturalism: A Comparison of Maggie: A Girl of the Streets and To ...

  13. 88 To Build a Fire Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

    Man's Doom: "To Build a Fire" by Jack London. The man's fallacy of not appreciating the realities again becomes evident in the fact that he decides to build the fire "under the spruce tree," instead of building it "in the open".. Man-Animal Conflict: "To Build a Fire" by Jack London.

  14. To Build a Fire Summary

    Essays for To Build a Fire. To Build a Fire literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of To Build a Fire. Chain-smoking: Causality in "To Build a Fire" Realism: Compare and Contrast; Literary Naturalism: A Comparison of Maggie: A Girl of the Streets and To ...

  15. To Build a Fire Essays and Criticism

    In ''To Build a Fire'' London has employed a controlled artistry to present the theme that was struggling to life in ''In a Far Country.''. Now that London's everyman has become ...

  16. Essays on To Build a Fire

    Conclusion In conclusion, writing an essay on Jack London's "To Build a Fire" can be a complex and demanding task. However, with the help of resources like GradesFixer essay examples, the process can become much more manageable. By understanding the different types of essays that can be written, such as character analysis, literary analysis ...

  17. The Existential Theme in Jack London's "To Build A Fire"

    At the conclusion of the story we finally see the man come to the realization, in a round about way, that it was best to meet his fate with dignity, thus giving meaning to an otherwise meaningless and cruel death. ... This existential theme in "To Build a Fire" is not likely to be a mere coincidence, but instead appears to be part of London ...

  18. To Build A Fire Essays

    Jack London's short story "To Build a Fire" tells the tale of a man and his dog, who attempt to survive in the Yukon. The harsh weather soon leaves them stranded, leaving them to take different methods to keep themselves alive. The attempt to build a fire takes up the majority of the story, as the man attempts to keep himself warm.

  19. To Build a Fire Essays

    A War Against Nature: Instinct in "To Build a Fire" Caroline Elizabeth Kaseburg 12th Grade. To Build a Fire. "But man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself.". This quote by Rachael Carson evokes the internal struggle of man in his yearning to survive against the incessant onslaught of nature.

  20. Critical Analysis of to Build a Fire by Jack London

    The 'To Build a Fire' adventure tale about a man's futile effort, at seventy-five degrees below zero, to travel ten miles of the wilderness of Yukon. At 10:00 a.m., the unknown actor plans to arrive at a camp by lunch, where others wait. This comparatively brief trip is unfortunately impossible by unexpected complications.

  21. To Build a Fire Summary and Study Guide

    Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of "To Build a Fire" by Jack London. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

  22. To Build a Fire Essay

    Pensacola: A Beka Book, 2009. Summary Major Ideas To Build a Fire is a short story by Jack London. To Build a Fire is about a man hiking in the Yukon with only a dog to accompany him. The man finds himself in a perilous situation as the cold attempts to take his life. The man is unsuccessful in building a fire and perishes.

  23. Hero Essay: Who Is a Hero and How to Write About Heroes

    Conclusion. Sum up your main points; Remind the reader why this person is a hero; End with something to make the reader think; You can change this outline to fit your hero's story better if you need to. Ideas for Writing a Great Paper About Your Hero. Picking the right person and topic for your hero essay can make a big difference.