Jack London Lesson Plan: The Law of Club and Fang in Call of the Wild & White Fang

Explore Jack London's brutal world with a comprehensive lesson plan on 'The Law of Club and Fang.' Perfect for middle and high school literature, this resource guides students through analyzing theme, tone, and character development in *The Call of the Wild* and *White Fang*. Activities include close reading, identifying poetic devices like cacophony and personification, and a creative writing prompt where students apply London's literary techniques.

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Lesson Plan: The Law of Club and Fang

Subject: Literature and Composition (MCT Level 4)

Focus Texts: The Call of the Wild & White Fang by Jack London

Time Allotment: 90 minutes

Materials Needed:

  • Copies of The Call of the Wild and White Fang
  • Notebook or journal for writing
  • Pen or pencil
  • Highlighters (optional)
  • A printed copy of the "Selected Passages" section below (or have the books bookmarked)

I. Learning Objectives (5 minutes)

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

  1. (Grammar of Literature) Analyze "The Law of Club and Fang" as a central theme and recurring motif that drives character development in both novels.
  2. (Poetry of Literature) Identify and explain how London uses poetic devices, specifically personification and harsh consonant sounds (cacophony), to create a visceral, primitive tone.
  3. (Writing of Literature) Apply these concepts by writing a short, original scene from an animal's perspective, demonstrating an understanding of the "Law of Club and Fang" and incorporating London's literary techniques.

II. Introduction & Discussion: What is "The Law"? (15 minutes)

This part of the lesson is a guided conversation to establish a shared understanding of the core theme.

  1. Opening Question: Let's start with a big idea from these books. Jack London writes about the "law of club and fang." In your own words, what is this "law"? It isn't a written law, so what kind of law is it?
    • Teacher's Note: Guide the student toward concepts like "survival of the fittest," "might makes right," the rules of nature, and the conflict between instinct and civilization.
  2. Comparative Thinking: How does this "law" affect Buck in The Call of the Wild compared to how it affects White Fang in his story?
    • Is the law the same for both?
    • Buck learns the law as he moves from a civilized life to a primitive one.
    • White Fang is born into the law and must learn to adapt it to the world of men.
  3. Personal Connection: Can you think of any "unwritten rules" in human life that feel similar to the "law of club and fang"? (e.g., in sports, business, or social hierarchies?) This helps connect the literary theme to real-world understanding.

III. Grammar of Literature: The Theme in Action (20 minutes)

Here, we will perform a close reading of specific passages to see how London builds this theme sentence by sentence.

Selected Passages:

  • The Call of the Wild, Chapter 2: "He was beaten (he knew that); but he was not broken. He saw, once for all, that he stood no chance against a man with a club. He had learned the lesson, and in all his after life he never forgot it. That was the first theft. It marked the decay or going to pieces of his moral nature, a vain thing and a handicap in the ruthless struggle for existence."
  • White Fang, Part 3, Chapter 2: "The aim of life was meat. Life itself was meat. Life lived on life. There were the eaters and the eaten. The law was: EAT OR BE EATEN. He did not formulate this in his mind, however. He felt it. It was an instinct, a completely unformulated law of being."

Analysis Activity:

  1. Read the passage from The Call of the Wild aloud.
  2. Discussion Questions:
    • What exactly is the "lesson" Buck learns here? Is it just about avoiding a club? (Guide to: It's about power, hierarchy, and abandoning old morals.)
    • London calls Buck's "moral nature" a "handicap." Why would morality be a handicap in the Klondike?
    • How does this single event change Buck for the rest of the book? It's a turning point.
  3. Now, read the passage from White Fang aloud.
  4. Discussion Questions:
    • How is this description of "the law" different from Buck's? (Guide to: It's more instinctual, less of a learned lesson—"He felt it.")
    • Look at the short, powerful sentences: "The aim of life was meat. Life itself was meat. Life lived on life." What is the effect of this style of writing? (Guide to: It feels primitive, direct, simple, and brutal.)

IV. Poetry of Literature: The Sound of the Wild (20 minutes)

Now let's zoom in even closer and look at how London uses language like a poet to make us feel the "law of club and fang."

  1. Concept 1: Cacophony. This is a literary term for using harsh, jarring, or clashing sounds—often with consonants like K, T, G, D, P, and B. It makes the writing feel rough and violent.
    • Let's re-read the Call of the Wild passage. Notice the hard sounds: "beaten," "broken," "chance," "club," "handicap," "ruthless struggle."
    • Reading it aloud, how do these sounds make you feel? Do they sound soft and gentle, or harsh and aggressive? London does this on purpose to create a tone that matches the violence of the scene.
  2. Concept 2: Personification. This is giving human qualities or actions to inanimate objects or animals. London uses this to show us what the dogs are thinking and feeling.
    • In the passage, Buck's "moral nature" is described as something that can decay or go "to pieces." Morality is an abstract idea, but he makes it sound like a physical object that can break.
    • Think about other places in the books. Does London describe the cold, the hunger, or the forest as if they are characters? (e.g., "The cold stabbed at him.") How does this help us understand the struggle for survival? It makes nature itself an enemy.

V. Writing of Literature: Your Turn to Write (25 minutes)

This is your chance to be Jack London. You will write a short scene (1-2 paragraphs) from the perspective of an animal. This animal can be a stray cat in a city, a squirrel in a park, a wolf in the woods, or any other creature you choose.

Your Writing Challenge:

Your scene must demonstrate the "Law of Club and Fang" in action. This doesn't have to be a bloody fight; it can be about stealing food, establishing dominance, or learning a hard lesson about survival.

Your Literary Toolbox:

You must include the following two elements in your scene:

  1. Cacophony: Use at least one sentence with harsh, hard consonant sounds to describe a tense or aggressive moment.
  2. Personification: Give a human quality to a non-human thing (e.g., hunger, the wind, a shadow, another animal).

(Student works on the writing assignment. The teacher is available for questions and guidance.)

VI. Conclusion & Share (5 minutes)

Let's wrap up by sharing and reflecting.

  1. Read your scene aloud.
  2. Let's identify where you showed the "Law of Club and Fang."
  3. Point out your use of cacophony and personification. How did using those tools help you create the mood you wanted?
  4. Final thought: After analyzing London's writing so closely, what do you appreciate most about his style?
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