The Call of the Wild: Chapters Six and Seven

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

If you missed, or want a refresher, on the previous Related Lessons on Chapters One to Five, you will find them in the right-hand sidebar.

Increasingly, Buck has been drawn to the wild — in London's terms — by the "primordial beast" in the dog.

• What do you think the term "primordial beast" means for London?

In the story, London writes that Buck feels a connection to his ancient ancestors and ancient man, whom he often imagines sitting around a campfire. Many believe that today's dogs descended from wolves 100,000 years ago or more, and evolved and were domesticated and became German Shepherds, poodles, and chihuahuas.

Watch 30 Fascinating Differences between wolves and dogs, by Daily Dog Discoveries, and answer the following questions:

• How are dogs' personalities and other traits different from those of wolves?
• If you have a dog or know a dog, what domestic traits can you observe in him or her?
• What wild characteristics, if any, do you see in him or her?

When you have finished answering the questions, you are ready to read the final two chapters of The Call of the Wild. You can use the digital copy of The Call of the Wild, from Project Gutenberg, or you can use a print copy if that is what you have been using for the previous lessons in this series. As you read Chapters Six and Seven, take notes on the characteristics in Buck that are a result of domestication and the traits that are characteristic of a wild animal. You can use these notes later to help you with the activity in the Go! section.

After reading Chapters Six and Seven, move on to the Got It? section to explore the information from the end of the novel in more detail.