Question

How does jack londons essay "the human drift" compare to other naturalist works such as Stephan cranes short story" the open book"

Answer 1

Both works examine the position, roles, and aspirations of humans in the natural world, ruled by natural principles. In "The Human Drift" London talks about humanity's enormous and continuous effort to sustain and survive, in the face of natural phenomena, which are not always friendly - or rather, they are completely indifferent toward people, and the circumstances often have hostile appearances. People have migrated to better places, in search of food; they have fought and killed animals and other people; they have improved their means of growing food; they have industrialized; they have invented socialism; they have improved war technology. Eventually, they will have to stop breeding, as to prevent overpopulation. But whatever they do, they will have to go extinct, just like so many times in the unknown history. They may try to tame the nature, but they will never succeed.

Crane's story "The Open Boat" deals with the same topic: Man vs. Nature, or even better: Man immersed in Nature. The four people who survived a shipwreck are spending days and nights in a tiny boat, surrounded by the endless ocean. At first, they think Nature is punishing them, by letting them hope before it decides to drown them. Slowly, they start having a more accurate, stoic, existentialist view: Nature doesn't take them into account. They are absolutely insignificant. Whether they live or die is only a matter of chance. They will do their best to survive, of course; but they aren't able to tame the nature.

Answer 2

Answer:

“The Open Boat” was inspired by Crane’s real-life experiences and his struggles of being stranded in the Atlantic Ocean. The most notable difference between “The Open Boat” and “The Human Drift” is the structure. While the former is a short story and is based on the writer’s experiences, the latter is an essay comprising an argument and factual details. 

“The Open Boat” makes use of elements such as diction, imagery, and pacing that help the reader to experience the same passage of time that the characters do. On the other hand, “The Human Drift” is a persuasive expository text, which makes use of a series of conclusions. These conclusions become premises for further conclusions about social theory and human development from prehistoric times to modern times.

These works also share some similarities. Like London’s “The Human Drift,” Crane’s story is interspersed with naturalist elements. In both of these works, the most important theme is nature. 

Crane personifies nature, giving the sea divine and animalistic qualities. The story establishes the harsh fact that man is only mortal and at the mercy of nature’s whims. In ”The Open Boat,” the narrator portrays the changing moods of nature by describing the sea in different ways. Early in the story, the sea “snarls” and “bucks like a bronco.” Later, the sea merely “paces to and fro.”

Similarly, in London’s “The Human Drift,” the focus is on nature. Man and all his wanderings are fueled by the basic need to satiate hunger. Thus men and entire civilizations drift and eventually settle where nature lets them survive, as shown in these lines:

Man, like any other animal, has roved over the earth seeking what he might devour; and not romance and adventure, but the hunger-need, has urged him on his vast adventures.