Build a Fire by Jack London. Specifically, it will answer the question: Why did the traveler die? Jack London's disturbing story illustrates the difficulty of traveling in adverse conditions, but more, it shows the foolishness of not listening to advice from people who have more experience and knowledge. The traveler dies because he is arrogant, stupid, and does not listen to the advice of others, or even his traveling companion -- a dog that is smarter than he is.
Jack London's story tells the tale of a newcomer to the Alaskan wilderness who is determined to make his way through the frozen Yukon in the depths of winter. In one word, this man dies because he is stupid. He is a newcomer to Alaska "this was his first winter" (London), and he disregards the advice of other, more seasoned Alaskans before he sets out on his journey. London also notes…...
mlaReferences
London, Jack. "To Build a Fire."
"On the other hand, there was no keen intimacy between the dog and the man. The one was the toil slave of the other, and the only caresses it had ever received were the caresses of the whip lash..." (London 347). The implication is the dog could have saved the man if there had been some trust between the two, which again carries out London's appreciation of the animals and the elements. This man could have learned from both, but he chose not to, and paid the ultimate price, which leads to the irony of the story, and the arrogance of the man. Each character's irony is important to the development of the story and the character. The irony with the man in the Yukon is his dog, who "knew" it was too cold to travel, and would have warned him, had the man been kinder to the dog.…...
mlaWorks Cited
London, Jack. The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and Other Stories. Eds. Labor, Earle, and Robert C. Leitz. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Man vs. Nature in "To Build a Fire"
hile man would like to believe in his strength and wisdom, there are times when he must comes to terms with the harsh reality of his weakness. In Jack London's short story, "To Build a Fire," we see mankind in perspective to nature. Mankind would like to believe that he controls the world and the events in it but the opposite is true. hen he is left alone with his own devices, he actually does not stand a chance against the forces of nature. London's message in the story is that human beings are temporary and insignificant in the grand scheme of nature; while people may think they are lords over their environment, nature is a more powerful force that must be understood and respected if humans are to survive and prosper.
The vast artic wilderness demonstrates London's point perfectly. Robert Spiller claims that…...
mlaWorks Cited
Baskett, Sam. "Jack London." Modern American Literature. Curley, Dorothy, ed. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co. 1979.
Jack London. "To Build a Fire." The Heath Anthology of American Literature. New York; D.C.
Heath and Company. 1990.
Abraham Rothberg. The Call of the Wild: Introduction. New York: Bantam Classics. 1981.
Fire Hazards of Trusses: Sample Report
Structures often play the important role when a building is on fire. Upon many reviews, there are a lot of fires claiming for lives of the inhabitants of the building, but there are also some cases, which had taken the firefighters' lives as well. Such cases should not have happened, but limited information of the building's structures and length of fire could have caused it.
Chesapeake automobile warehouse happened to be a fatal case of fire (NFPA, 2002). The 12-year-old building was constructed under lightweight wood trusses. There were two steel frames and another brick construction located at the building. The trusses were built using the combination of wood and metal plates that joined them altogether.
On Monday morning, March 18, 1996, the repair shop operated as usual. The employees were coming along to start their first day of the week, taking up service works along the…...
mlaBibliography
A&R Truss Company. Mar 2001. Frequently Asked Questions About Roof Trusses. A&R Truss Company. November 20, 2002. http://www.artruss.com/faqroof.htm
Brannigan, Francis. Brannigan on Building Construction. Dec, 2001. Know Your Enemy #17. Firehouse.com. November 20, 2002. http://www.firehouse.com/brannigan/2001/0712.html
Federal Alliance for Safe Homes. Blueprint for Safety Glossary. 2001. Federal Alliance for Safe Homes. November 20, 2002. http://www.blueprintforsafety.org/bluepages/glossary.html .
National Fire Protection Association. 2002. Truss Collapse. NFPA Homepage. November 20, 2002. http://www.nfpa.org/Research/FireInvestigation/AlertBulletins/TrussCollapse/TrussCollapse.asp
The codes also serve as a model, in themselves, of an integrated, comprehensive regulatory framework for public safety in buildings.
ibliography
http://www.dallascityhall.com/building_inspection/construction_codes.html
http://www.dallascityhall.com/building_inspection/pdf/OnlineApplications_manual.pdf
http://www.dallascityhall.com/building_inspection/required_inspections.html
City of Dallas uilding Code (2006)
City of Dallas Fire Code (2006)
http://www.dallascityhall.com//pdf/uilding/Chapter52ooklet.pdf - p. 10 Enforcement
Annual check not required, Questions arise about what city could have done to ensure safety
MICHAEL GRAELL and RENDAN M. Dallas Morning News, July 27, 2007.
Dallas to add more safety inspectors, MARK WROLSTAD and SELWYN CRAWFORD.
Dallas Morning News. February 22, 2003.
Code violations shut down homeless shelter. CYNTHIA VEGA. WFAA-TV. Thursday, December 11, 2008
Team didn't have roof work inspected, Cowboys were contractor for '08 project; inquiry may take months
RANDON FORMY. Dallas Morning News. May 5, 2009....
mla
What attracts me about the Thatcher philosophy is that it inspires students to learn by treating them as valued participants in the community, and it assumes that students wish to contribute to that community through scholarship and hard work. Taiwanese schools are often praised by foreigners for their strong emphasis on communal obligations. While I appreciate the sense of being part of something larger than myself, the type of challenges offered by Thatcher seem a better balance of the spirit of communalism and individualism. A student can work hard on camping trip to serve the needs of his or her fellow students but the rigor of the tests of living in the outdoors will reveal inner sources of strength that can be personally enriching. The student can help feed his or her fellow campers, and take home the confidence that he or she knows how to build a fire.
I…...
Personal Statement
Thank you in advance for your consideration of the personal statement of a young person who is talented in music and the arts and has a passion to learn the business side of life. I have a story to tell about how I moved from uncertainty and resentment to a sense of youthful maturity, and how with these 18 years behind me I have a perspective that focuses in on my future, which I know will be bright and productive. I deeply appreciate you listening to what I have to present in this essay.
Growing up without a father is not a unique challenge. I'm sure millions of children have faced that issue; but I was an only child at the age of 4 when my parents split up, so without siblings I sometimes struggled. Anger was my response to many of the times when I needed an older brother…...
Advancements in Pumpers:
The modern history of fire pumpers can be traced back to the late 19th century, when fire pumpers such as the Ronald steam-powered, horse drawn pumper was used. In many areas, private horse-team owners were relied upon to pull these pumpers when the fire bell was rung. The early 1900s saw the popularization of gasoline engine and chain driven fire pumper. Today, fire pumpers are technological marvels. Many are built on custom truck platforms, but they are upgraded to meet the specifications of the fire departments they are being built for. These are built for high durability, with upgraded suspension, tires, brakes, transmission, alternator, and cooling systems. The speed limiter is typically removed, and adjustments are made to accommodate the long idling periods ("History of the Fire Engine").
The electronics are also typically custom designed. These include visual and audible warnings. They also often include a two-way radio that…...
mlaWorks Cited
"Choosing a Handline Nozzle." Akron Brass Company. n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. .
Gilbert, D. "History of Fire Hose
." Crown Shop Talk. n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. .
"History of the Fire Engine." History of Firefighting. n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. .
104).
In Ancient Israel, the use of fire is also part of the tradition of warfare. For example, we are not sure whether the prophet Elijah is stating that the fire hurled against the Moabites is divine, or simply falls down upon the enemy from Israelite war machines: "If I am a man of God," Elijah replied, "may fired come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!" Then the fire of God fell from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men (2 Kings 1:12, New International Version).
Similarly, since most ancient gates were nothing but fortified wood, when the armies of Israel set out to use siege warfare, the rules for such are outlined in Deuteronomy 20: 10-20; however, use of flaming arrows, lit pots of oil shot from frames arranged on the outsides of walls -- more like a slingshot than a catapult, in fact, although "Abimelech…...
mlaREFERENCES
Bradford, a. (2000). With Arrow, Sword, and Spear: A History of Warfare in the Ancient World. Praeger.
Crosby, a. (2002). Throwing Fire: Projectile Technology Through History. Cambridge De Vaux, R. (1997). Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions. Erdmans.
Partington, J. (1998). A History of Greek Fire and Gunpowder. Johns Hopkins University
Press.
Construction Systems and Fire Behavior
The fire destruction menace is an accident that lives with the societies on a daily basis and as long as there are activities within any building, there are predispositions to fire accidents without exclusion. This comprises the domestic buildings, high commercial buildings and even the office blocks within the city. There are procedures that can be followed while putting up a building or renovating a building that will ensure there are enough measures that help in the eradication of fires or at least suppression of fires when one breaks out.
One such system is the general rule of having effective fire separation within the building which could be between one floor and another or even within the same floor. This is rarely the case since even where such systems are put in place, they are often imperfect in nature and inmost cases not existing at the attics…...
mlaReferences
CFBT-U.S., (2014). Commercial Fire: Durango, CO. Fie Behavior Case Study. Retrieved April 20, 2014 from http://www.cfbt-us.com/pdfs/cs_0002_durango_co.pdf
Frassetto R., (2012). Understanding Building Construction Types. Retrieved April 20, 2014 from http://www.firefighternation.com/article/truck-co-operations/understanding-building-construction-types
Gregory Havel, (2013). Construction Concerns: Unpredictable Fire. Retrieved April 20, 2014 from www.fireengineering.com/articles/2013/08/construction-concerns-unpredictable-fire.html
Most of the time he had to beg for food in the villages. One of the most striking and touching descriptions in the whole story is at the end of the Tatar's monologue when he was asking himself about the way to find means of living with his wife in Siberia: "Now, when his whole body was aching and shivering, he ought to go into the hut and lie down to sleep; but he had nothing to cover him there, and it was colder than on the riverbank; here he had nothing to cover him either, but at least he could make up the fire..." (Chekhov, 1892).
The contradiction in views, between the old man and the young Tatar on one hand and the old man and Vassily Sergeyich, the ex-gentleman wit a sick daughter, is not coming to any resolution at all. Everyone remains convinced the other one is…...
mlaWorks Cited
Chekhov, a. Short Stories. In Exile. 1892.
Essay Topic Examples
1.The Importance of Building Codes in Fire revention:
This essay would explore how building codes and regulations contribute to fire prevention, the evolution of such codes, and the role they play in the design and construction of fire-resistant structures. It would also discuss the effectiveness of these codes in reducing fire incidents and protecting lives.
2.Advancements in Fire Detection and Suppression Technology:
This topic would focus on the latest innovations in fire detection systems, such as smoke alarms and heat detectors, and suppression technologies, including water mist and gas-based systems. The essay could assess how these technologies have improved fire safety and prevention across various settings.
3.The Role of ublic Education in Enhancing Fire Safety:
This essay would examine the impact of educational programs and public awareness campaigns on fire prevention. It could explore the strategies used to disseminate fire safety information and how they have influenced…...
mlaPrimary Sources
NFPA. \"NFPA 1: Fire Code.\" National Fire Protection Association, current edition.
USFA. \"Fire in the United States.\" United States Fire Administration, current edition.ICC. \"International Fire Code.\" International Code Council, current edition.Drysdale, Dougal. \"An Introduction to Fire Dynamics.\" Wiley, current edition.FEMA. \"A Guide to Fire Safety Engineering.\" Federal Emergency Management Agency, current edition.
ire Safety
Six people died and several more were severely injured in the 2003 Chicago Loop high rise fire, at the Cook County Administrative Building. Around 2,500 government employees work in the building, which was built in the 1960s and bought by the county in 1996. Officials now believe that many of the fire's casualties could have been prevented had the building fire safety codes been up-to-date and had proper protocols for evacuation been followed by the Chicago ire Department. Although the building did have an official fire evacuation plan, it was not followed, and although evacuation drills were conducted four times a year, the evacuation procedure was chaotic and disorganized. Conflicts of interest related to political ties between the mayor's office and the building management company may be partially responsible for the building's inadequate safety features such as its lack of a sprinkler system. In addition to the building's safety…...
mlaFire safety officials arrived in good time, but even their evacuation and fire fighting protocols were not followed. For example, Captain Michael Gubricky elected to fight the fire from the southeast stairwell, which was the building's smoke tower. The smoke tower is in place mainly to offer an evacuation route because of the increased ventilation. The Captain's decision was unwarranted, given that the smoke tower is supposed to be used as an evacuation route and only as a last resort for fighting the fire. Fighting the fire from the smoke tower was not only dangerous, it diverted fire fighting attention that needed to be given to the persons trapped in the building's other stairwells. Some of the victims reported that firefighters did not listen when they were told that people were trapped in other stairwells. Firefighters failed to search the southeast stairwell, not believing that anyone was trapped there. In general, evacuation procedures were chaotic.
The role of fire safety codes is to provide a clear-cut set of rules and guidelines in case of emergencies such as this. The fire safety code becomes irrelevant if it is not followed or when its guidelines conflict with the procedures practiced by the fire department. For example, only those persons located dangerously close to the fire should have been evacuated in this case; in the future, no orders should be given for a full evacuation unless the fire department itself orders one. Building tenants should known which stairwell is the smoke tower.
Furthermore, building fire safety codes should reflect the local precinct's protocols for safety and evacuation. The security officers in the building should be thoroughly briefed on the proper protocol. Drills should be regular and consistent as well. Furthermore, the fire department should make it a priority to take over the building's public address system so that evacuation orders are clear too. Fire safety officials should work with building managers regularly to ensure that codes are met, that the building is safe, and that security officers and tenants alike are familiar with the basics of fire safety. The city of Chicago and all other cities should consider diverting funds to the renovation of pre-1975 buildings. Above all there is no excuse for the lack of override system for the stairwell doors, one feature that could have alone prevented the six deaths.
"Forecasts by Moody's Economy.com now use a 20 percent drop in median
existing-home prices from their 2005 peak as a baseline, with prices
weakening through at least mid-2009" (Shinkle, 2008, p. 44). Moody's
director of housing economics Celia Chen, states in the same report that
the 20% decline is the good news and that the bad news is that it could
easily be more than that. The worst-case scenario is a lot more than that.
"You want the darkest? Forty percent, she says. There's your apocalypse"
(Shinkle, p. 45).
Websites that track foreclosures indicate that "the US-wide total of
loans foreclosing was running at 2.5 million in 2007, up by 70% from about
1.5 million in 2006" (Dumas, 2008, p. 23). The problem is that the teaser
rates that were initially set in 2006 will reach their peak in 2008,
ultimately affecting another approximate 1.5 million mortgages, with
another round in 2009. The spring 2009 cumulative total of over 4 million
foreclosures is a…...
mlaReferences
Aldrich, P.; (2008) UK banks preparing to access BoE's emergency liquidity
scheme, Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group Limited 2008, accessed May18, 2008 at ey/2008/05/16/cnbank316.xmlAltfest, L.J.; (2008) What the subprime mess means to you, MedicalEconomics, Vol 85, No. 2, p. 24http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/mon
As the different standards and safety equipment, will help to quickly extinguish any possible flames. This is the key to increasing safety standards, as the various systems will protect the structure as much as possible against such events.
Are there fire plans, fire drills, fire brigades or any other human life safety support to the installed systems?
Yes. The City of Honolulu Fire Department will maintain and support the different fire safety standards for the building. Where, they will have fire brigades, plans and resources available to deal with any kind of situation being faced. ("State of Hawaii Fire Code," 2010)
What is your assessment of the structures readiness for a fire emergency?
Given the fact that the building is considered to be of historical significance for Hawaii. The various fire safety systems and procedures are superior to other structures, as the city / state will utilize the building for various government offices.…...
mlaBibliography
State of Hawaii Fire Code. (2010). State Fire Council. Retrieved from: http://hawaii.gov/dags/bcc/comments/approved_state_fire_code_2010.PDF
Fisher, J. (2010). Walking Tour of Historic Honolulu. About.com. Retrieved from: http://gohawaii.about.com/od/oahusights/ss/honolulu_walk_a_7.htm
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