30 points

read the excerpts from both stories.

an excerpt from "to build a fire" by jack london

he knew that at fifty below spittle crackled on the snow, but this spittle had crackled in the air. undoubtedly it was colder than fifty below—how much colder he did not know. but the temperature did not matter. he was bound for the old claim on the left fork of henderson creek, where the boys were already. they had come over across the divide from the indian creek country, while he had come the roundabout way to take a look at the possibilities of getting out logs in the spring from the islands in the yukon. he would be in to camp by six o’clock; a bit after dark, it was true, but the boys would be there, a fire would be going, and a hot supper would be ready.

an excerpt from "gumption" by langston hughes

you young folks don’t remember the depression, but i do. no jobs for nobody. that winter there wasn’t a soul working in our house but my wife, and she was evil as she could be. she was doing a few washings now and then for the white folks—before hand laundry went out of style—so we kinder made out. but she didn’t like to see me sitting around, even if i couldn’t find a job. there wasn’t no work to be got in our town, nor any other place, for that matter. we had a couple of roomers, a man and his girl friend; but they were out of a job also. and, like me and my wife, they hadn’t been in town long enough to get any consideration, since the relief folks were hard on strangers. all of us was just managing to get by on beans and mush all winter.