The literary devices discussed include personification, where human traits are given to non-human entities, and metaphor, where comparisons are made through figurative language. The provided texts from Jack London's works mainly use personification and metaphor to describe the harsh Yukon environment, challenging the notion of human belonging. Onomatopoeia does not appear significant in these excerpts.
The question posed involves understanding of literary devices such as personification, metaphor, and onomatopoeia. These terms refer to the ways in which words can be used to convey meaning beyond their literal interpretation, often to add depth, emotion, or vivid imagery to writing. Personification attributes human characteristics to non-human entities; metaphor is a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn’t literally true, but helps explain an idea or make a comparison; onomatopoeia refers to a word that phonetically imitates the sound that it describes.
The passages provided contain numerous examples of personification, such as when the dog's instinct is described as telling it a truer tale than the man's judgment. Metaphors are used to draw comparisons, such as 'a high cold star on a winter's night' to describe a feeling of emotional coldness.
Onomatopoeia, however, does not seem to be prominently featured in the given examples. The man's struggle against the severe cold of the Yukon setting in Jack London's stories, which use personification and metaphor, emphasizes the relentless and indifferent nature of the environment, suggesting that humans may not belong in such an extreme setting.
The probable question may be:
How do personification and metaphor contribute to the depiction of the harsh Yukon environment in Jack London's works, challenging the idea of human belonging? Why is onomatopoeia not prominently featured in the provided excerpts, and how does the absence of this literary device contribute to the overall portrayal of the environment and the human struggle within it?