from JACK LONDON, "TO BUILD A FIRE"
             "Day had broken cold and grey, exceedingly cold and grey, when the man turned aside from the main Yukon trail and climbed the high
             earth-bank, where a dim and little-travelled trail led eastward through the fat spruce timberland. It was a steep bank, and he paused for breath at
             the top, excusing the act to himself by looking at his watch. It was nine o'clock."
             The opening sentences of Jack London's "To Build a Fire" contribute very effectively to the story's larger
             design. For instance, the very first word, "day," symbolizes the beginning of the main character's last day of life. In like manner, at the story's
             end, as this man is dying, the sun is setting. Next, London immediately sets the mood for the story as he describes the day as "cold" and
             "grey." The use of these adjectives establishes a dark, gloomy atmosphere, one that is most relevant to a story about a man freezing to death.
             Following the first mention of these adjectives, London again employs them, preceding them with a key adverb, "exceedingly." Such phrasing is
             doubly effective: first, London is reinforcing the eerie, damp atmosphere he has already established. Also, however, he is implying that the
             weather conditions are not only miserable but also severe and possibly perilous as well. Unfortunately, the protagonist shows little concern for
             these extreme conditions. And, as a result, instead of sticking to a familiar trail, he takes to a decidedly less worn path that lies on a "high" and
             "steep" earth-bank. Here again London uses adjectives figuratively, as "high" and "steep" both imply the danger to which the character is
             subjecting himself. Furthermore, London's use of the term "earth-bank" is appropriate as well, since this man's every step draws him ever closer
             to his everlasting union with the earth. Climbing the bank, the man stays on the "dim and little-travelled trail" that leads "eastward thro...