Up the Slide By Jack London and A Glow in the Dark By Gary Paulsen Comparing Literary Works.

“Up the Slide” By Jack London

and “A Glow in the Dark”

By Gary Paulsen

Comparing Literary Works

Types of NarrativesFictional Nonfictional

Made up PlotImaginary

CharactersImaginary

Setting

Real EventsReal PeopleReal Places

Both NarrativesCan have conflictCan use real life detailsCan be adventure talesCan show excitement through interesting details

Presents a sequence of events that take place in a certain setting

Nonfictional NarrativeA nonfictional narrative may include the thoughts of another person if the author interviews that person about what was in his or her mind at the time of the event and reports what that person says.

Vocabulary Tier 2

exertion – energetic activity; effortmaneuver – series of planned stepsascent – the act of climbing or risingdescent – the act of climbing downsustain – keep up, maintaindiffuse – spread out widely in different

directions

Vocabulary Tier 3SymbolToneInferenceNonfiction passageFictional passageProtagonistPlot

The Big QuestionIn both of these narratives, an individual struggles against his fear of natural dangers.

Can all conflicts be resolved? Use this sentence starter to develop your ideas. “Nature’s beauty can mislead. It often hides dangers for those who ……”

Jack London1876-1916Jack London was the most popular novelist and short story writer of his day. His exciting tales of adventure and courage were inspired by his own experiences.

Jack LondonAs a young adventurer, he was seventeen when he sailed with a seal hunting ship to Japan and Siberia. After two years, he returned to high school, vowing to become a writer.

In 1897, London journeyed to the Yukon Territory in search of gold. Although he did not find any, he did find inspiration for writing.

Gary Paulsen1939-Gary Paulsen had a difficult childhood. Because his family moved often, he never spent more than five months in any school.

Gary PaulsenOne cold night, Paulsen went into a library to get warm. The librarian gave him a book and a library card. “It was as though I had been dying of thirst and the librarian had handed me a five gallon bucket of water,” he says. “A Glow in the Dark” is from Woodsong, an account of his experiences as he trained for the Iditarod, a dog sled race in Alaska.

“Up The Slide”Background

The Yukon Gold Rush caught Hollywood’s attention. Among the many movies made about the Yukon Gold Rush, on stands our: Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush. Made in 1925, this silent classic pits a character known as the Little Tramp against a brawny prospector and the rigors of the Yukon itself. Somehow finding humor in the grim Klondike experience scenes of the starving tramp eating a leather shoe and scuffing with the prospector in a cabin that teeters on the edge of a cliff.

“Up the Slide”About the Selection

“Up the Slide” is set in the harsh Yukon landscape. Clay Dilham, 17 years old and overconfident, sets out on his dogsled to get firewood. He leaves behind his experienced traveling partner, Swanson, who is cooking dinner. Although Clay’s youthful exuberance causes him to underestimate the challenge of scaling an icy, snow covered cliff, his agility, strength, and instinctive survival skills enable him to scale the cliff and escape other dangers. In the process, he also discovers a new source of firewood.

“Up the Slide”Setting

The setting in cold and snowy and makes for hard life for Yukon miners. The story takes place in the 1890’s . The Yukon Territory is located in northwester corner of Canada. It is part of the subarctic zone, where the temperatures have been known to plunge to -80 degrees below.

The mountain’s surface has a scarred texture, gullied and gored. The slide was steep and its snow-covered surface slippery. A plunge over the edge meant a 20’ to 50’ fall.

SettingThe trip down was more difficult than the trip up because there is greater danger of sliding down the entire hillside if he loses his footing.

Clay Avoids DeathClay avoids death when he flips over to his stomach, uses his hands as a brake, and at the last moment, drives his legs into an outcropping.

Clay’s Character Traits

confident, brave, determined

resourceful, overconfidentAnxious to finish the journey

youthful exuberanceagile, strong17 years old

In “Up the Slide”Based on the events of “Up the Slide” Clay’s trip took more than two hours.

The tree Clay discovered escaped the eyes of others because it is gray in color and blends in with the surrounding rocks.

The story is in chronological (time) order.

At the end of the narrative Clay is relieved.

During the ascent, Clay must go up the slide.

In “Up the Slide”In “Up the Slide”, Swanson believes the Clay will not return as quickly as he predicts.

Clay Dilham goes down a mountain on his descent.

The act of felling the tree turns out to be easy.

The setting is a story element borrowed from real life.

In “Up the Slide”The Yukon River is a detail that comes from real life.

Swanson believes the Clay will not return as quickly as he predicts.

Clay sells the tree for firewood after he cuts it down.

The story is a fictional narrative that borrows details from real life.

In “Up the Slide”Clay Dilham travels by dog sled.

In “A Glow in the Dark”

Nature holds many different symbolic meanings in literature. It can symbolize infinity and permanence, in contrast to the brief life of an individual. Nature also represents a force resistant to human control and in conflict with human civilization. Nature can be a mystery, reminding people that they cannot explain everything that happens in the physical world.

In “A Glow in the Dark”Gary Paulsen and the dogs had been running all morning and then stopped in the afternoon to sleep. After the author awoke, he spent some time fixing and cleaning the cart the dogs pulled. This took him until the middle of the night. Then he and the dogs were ready to go on their way.

In “A Glow in the Dark”Paulsen describes a frightening light he sees in a forest in the middle of the night while he is practicing a dog sled run. Both he and his dogs are taken aback by the sight, which he feels compelled to investigate. Though it appears to be a ghostly form, Paulsen forces himself to get close enough to find out what it really is – a tree stump glowing form phosphorus.

In “A Glow in the Dark”Details that emphasize that the ride was madness are;

The ride was scary; they started late; it was pitch dark; without his head lamp Paulsen could not see the trail or its hazards; and Paulsen was being battered by tree limbs.

In “A Glow in the Dark”

The noise the dogs make frightens Paulsen because he identifies it as a “death song”.

In “A Glow in the Dark”

Paulsen creates excitement in the narrative by stating that he thinks of the light as a “ghost glow”. Then he begins imagining all the things in his life that had frightened him, such as ghosts and goblins, dark nights, snakes and strange sounds, bodies and graveyards, and death.

In “A Glow in the Dark”

Science Connecton: Phosphoresence is the result of a chemical reaction (chemiluminescence) in which chemical energy is converted to radiant energy. This energy transformation is 100% efficient, with no loss of energy as heat. Bioluminescence is a similar phenomenon that takes place in organisms that have enzymes that take part in such a chemical reaction. Bioluminescence is known to occur in a wide range of organisms, fungi to fireflies to deep sea fish.

In “A Glow in the Dark”

Paulsen is running his dogs to train them.

Paulsen is more curious than afraid after he sees the glowing form .

The mysterious green form turns out to be a tree stump.

In “A Glow in the Dark”

Paulsen is relieved at the end of the narrative.

The narrative is an adventure in chronological (time) order.

To win the Iditarod or any other sled race, the dogs must put forth great exertion.

In “A Glow in the Dark”

Paulsen must run his dogs at night without a light because his head lamp goes out.

Paulsen is curious after he sees the glow.

The strange glowing shape turns out to be a stump.

In “A Glow in the Dark”

The narrative in a nonfiction piece about an event in the author’s life.

Paulsen travels by sled.Paulsen must sustain his courage in order to approach the stump.

EssayWhen facing danger a character’s

actions and decisions can reveal a great deal about his or her personality. In an essay , identify actions and decisions made by the Clay Dilham and Gary Paulsen as they face danger. Do these actions and decisions make them admirable or foolish. Which character do you find more likeable? Why? Support your opinions with examples from the text.