Jack London was an American man of many talents, including that of an author, journalist, and social activist, despite having minimal education. However, he has arguably been most recognized for his short stories and novels that focus on the harsh, cold climates created by Mother Nature. London focused on a deeper level of wilderness, and the literary devices of his work are peppered throughout each of his novels and short stories, including The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and “To Build a Fire.” His name was John Griffith Chaney and he was born on January 12, 1876 in San Francisco, California. His mother, Flora Wellman, was unmarried while his father, William Chaney, was a man of many trades, and worked as a lawyer, journalist and also worked in the field of American astrology. London's father was never permanent in her life, and as a result, her mother married a man named John London, and the three moved to the Bay Area before settling in Oakland. Jack grew up in a blue-collar, working-class family, but struggled throughout his adolescence due to the lasting impact of his father's absence. As a result of his troubled childhood, London had a variety of jobs, comparable to his father's, and was never able to hold down one for very long. From oyster piracy to working on a trawler in the Pacific to finding work in a cannery, London's exploits inspired him. Whenever London found free time, he practiced writing. His writing career began in 1893, when his mother encouraged him to submit a story based on his adventures of surviving a typhoon on a sealing trip, despite having only an eighth-grade education. Two......halves of paper......Biography Channel website. March 28, 2014. http://www.Biography.com/people/jack-london-9385499"The Makers of Fire." White Fang, by Jack London; Part III Page 1. PageByPageBooks.com. nd Web. 30 March 2014./White_Fang/Part_III_The_Makers_Of_Fire_p1.html>.London, Jack . "To light a fire." Literature An introduction to fiction, poetry, theater and writing. Twelfth ed. Boston: Pearson, 2005. 127-136. Print.Ricco, Nathaniel. “American Dreams: Jack London's 'The Call of the Wild'.” The DailyBeast, 25 January 2013. Web. 08 February 2014. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/01/25/American-dreams-the-call-of-the-wild-by-jack-london .htmlTimes, The New York. "JACK LONDON PLAGIARISM CASE."JACK LONDON PLAGIARISM CASE - View article - NYTimes.com. The New York Times, November 24, 1906. Web. April 8. 2014.