Notes

Imagine you don't have a house, warm clothes, or food you can buy at the grocery store. Imagine you have to catch everything you need to eat and make furs to wear to keep you warm. Imagine, in the midst of all that, you are being hunted. Now, imagine it is very, very cold.

Human beings have come a long way through the past centuries. For our ancient ancestors, life was about survival. Some of them had to survive in extremely harsh environments, lands of ice, and snow. Take a moment to think about what you would do if you lived in an icy wilderness, and had to fight every day to survive. What would your life be like?

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

“Tour the Kremlin” (Faces July 2013)

“For the Dogs” (Faces October 2013)

“The Sky is Low, The Clouds are Mean” by Emily Dickinson

“Thy Breath be Rude” from As You Like It, by William Shakespeare

“Dust of Snow” by Robert Frost

Part IV of the Introduction to Seven Icelandic Short Stories

“Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll

The Meaning of the Wilderness
For all of human history, mankind has struggled with the wild. Early humans had to hunt and gather food, confront predators, and learn to deal with a wide variety of environments. Even today, events like hurricanes, tornados, and snowstorms remind us that for all our progress, we are still very small in the eyes of nature. Yet, despite the fear that the wilderness can instill in us, it also fascinates us.

In this unit, we will look at how we struggle with nature and the wild, particularly the wild in lands of ice and snow. We will look at how we are in conflict with the wild, but also how the wild can help us find meaning. For the poets in this unit, the wild is a reminder that we are mortal, and that we must make meaning with our brief lives. Nonfiction selections will explore our relationship to animals, as well as civilized places that have carved out a frozen world. Mostly, we will focus on the story of a dog who struggles, not only with the external forces of nature and wildness but with the wildness inside himself.