Question

Which of these excerpts is one of the main arguments in Jack London's "The Human Drift"?

1) The history of civilization is a history of wandering, sword in hand, in search of food.
2) Man early discovered death. As soon as his evolution permitted, he made himself better devices for killing than the old natural ones of fang and claw.
3) In the misty younger world we catch glimpses of phantom races, rising, slaying, finding food, building rude civilizations, decaying, falling under the swords of stronger hands, and passing utterly away.
4) Perhaps most amazing has been the South Sea drift. Blind, fortuitous, precarious as no other drift has been, nevertheless the islands in that waste of ocean have received drift after drift of the races.

Answer 1

The first excerpt represents a key argument in Jack London's 'The Human Drift,' reflecting the recurring theme of struggle and survival in his naturalist writings.

Step-by-step explanation:

One of the main arguments in Jack London's The Human Drift is best represented by the excerpt: "The history of civilization is a history of wandering, sword in hand, in search of food." This argument resonates with the themes present in London's body of work, which often centers around the idea of struggle and the natural world as an indifferent or even hostile force in relation to human striving and suffering. London's naturalist perspective is influenced by the ideas of struggle from writers like Darwin, Nietzsche, and Marx, which is evident in his portrayal of the hardships and the relentless quest for survival and resources within the environment.