The Fire Inside 

The danger of arrogance 

That which inspires arrogance is ignorance, caused by the heart's blindness.

Saeed Malik

    Arrogance can be a very dangerous thing. To Build a Fire by Jack London showed me just how dangerous it can be. Although in a very different setting from what I’m used to, To Build a fire taught me how much arrogance can cost someone, however small it might seem in the moment. It also taught me how arrogance can be applied to my life. I started reading To build a Fire expecting a small story about a man who struggles but eventually prevails in building a fire (which was an act of arrogance in itself). What I got was a gripping tale of struggle and danger. As the story went on, and the plot kept getting deeper and deeper, each turn leading in a different direction, I kept having to remind myself of what the book was telling me “don’t believe that you know everything”. Reading this with the class was a blessing disguised as a chore because although it took longer, I felt I could better understand the themes of ignorance and how they could relate to me even in a small way. As the class kept talking arrogantly, we ended up staying longer. It was a simple yet effective way of reminding me not to be the ignorant protagonist in the story, believing his own foolish instincts instead of letting the older, wiser leaders surrounding him tell him what to do. A week ago, I might have told you that ignorance is bliss, and that you’re lucky to have it, but now, after reading To Build a Fire I would definitely tell you otherwise.