Singapore River

A day with Clouds

Singapore River

The photos were taken when I visited to Raffles Place.

While I was shooting some photos with the Singapore River background, a ferry-boat was passing by.

Without hesitating, I found myself taking photos one by one.It was about 5 p.m.
The sunlight was covering the river and other bank over here, over there, before it was going to disappear.
Sunlight, River, Ferry-boat, Passengers (tourists), Buildings, Trees, Bridge, Clouds and Shadows.
Each shows their strengths , Yeah .. I will be happy if you get something from these.

The Sea Wolf by Jack London

Fig.1 Jack London in 1914

Book name is The Sea Wolf, the novelist is Jack London. The plot is mainly on a sealing schooner, seal-hunting vessel with two or more masts. There were competition and struggling between leader and followers, and among ship crews. The title is The Sea Wolf.

This fiction was first published in 1904 (see fig.2) . This is year 2011. So the content of this book was over 100 years. The genre of this book is fiction, realistic fiction. The author, Jack London, composed especially human behaviour. Good and Bad, Light and Dark.

He presented the life from other point of view from different angle. He showed that life is full of problems. Readers can observe the meaning of life. Reading this book can make the readers to broaden their horizons and their beliefs. This book is intended to Young Adult readers. But not as other YA books, the main characters are not young adults nor children. This point can make YA to try this fiction.

The plot is ……

The 35 years old gentleman, Humphrey Van Weyden, travelled by a new ferry steamer, after the ship collided with another ship and he, Van Weyden was survived by a sealing schooner. Unfortunately, the caption did not send him to the nearest port nor pass-by ship. Humphrey was sent to the life of cabin-boy, the lowest crew in that ship: washing the dishes, peeling everlasting potatoes.

The schooner name was Ghost, her master; the captain was called Wolf Larsen. Wolf Larsen had no respect for human life. The dead man meant nothing to him. He used his strength to win his men, the crews of his ship. He responded badly to his enemy. His crews viewed him as the cruellest man in the world. In his cabin, there was a bookshelf and the author painted him as a book-lover Captain. Wolf Larsen read the books; he discussed the literature with Hump. At that time, he was a lion, not a wolf. Hump had changed a lot. In the past, he was little man. In his life, he had not been working hardly for his living. But now on Ghost, he gradually understood the meaning of life. He also saw the lives of other; he faced with so many problems.

The length of Ghost was 90 feet, width 23 feet; there were 22 peoples (crews and seal-hunters). Captain could not solve problem of money-theft. There was no lawyer on board to sue the thief. No doctor, no nurse. The people on vessel have to cure themselves, to protect themselves. There was no place for so called gentlemen on that ship. All were in bad moods.

When Captain Wolf Larsen wanted to tell about literature, about books, about life, he discussed with Hump, a bookish. At that time, Larsen paid respect to Hump.

The arrival of Maud Brewster, a poet, she was also a castaway and was also survived by Ghost. She was not taken to nearest port. Wolf Larsen was afraid to delay his schedule. Hump tried hard to escape from Captain Wolf Larsen. There, the two literatures discussed literature. Captain Larsen tried to enter their conversation. But in vain.

Fig.2 First Edition Cover

In this book, the main character is the sea, ocean. The story was on a schooner, seal-hunting ship. The plot pictured struggling with each other, literature, definitions of life, seal-hunting, fighting to each other, killing to each other, attacking with other schooner. There was a chief on the schooner, captain; he used his strength to do work to his crews.

This book can be read as fantastic fiction.

For those who think deeply can read (define) this fiction as realistic fiction, because some the points in this fiction are existed nowadays … like stronger eat weaker.

The more interesting thing is the author, Jack London, had been worked as a crew in one seal-hunting vessel for 7 months, Perhaps, he composed this fiction from that experience.

Jack London preferred self-reliance and independence life. That is why this book is based on some real experience, for young adult reader, to become or trying to become adult, to become mature, they can have new knowledge, new thinking, can compare with today perspective, can know more about human life.

This book was famous in his time, and is still criticized by many people and is still read nowadays, therefore I would like to say if you have not yet read this book, you should try it and should guide young adult near you to read it at least once.

 

After reading this fiction, the readers can

Understand why one has to influence over other ,Wonder life is full of difficulties, Realize human beings are to solve those problems ,Think the definition of moving and Have so many questions to ask to elders

Reference images
1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jack_London_1914_Sunset_Magazine.jpg
2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sea-wolf_cover.jpg


  Arkyal (22 Sept, 2011)