ISALC: ESL 382: Computer Applications - Fall 2000
Hatchet: Student Survival Guide

This is what I knew about how to make a fire before reading Hatchet:

I know many things about fire. There are many useful things we can get from fire. For example, we can't cook without fire because most food needs cooking to be ready to eat. Also, we can get warm from fire. Sometimes people don't know how to use fire; therefore, the result will be so bad for people and nature. About how to make a fire, actually I have only a little idea about that from what I learned when I was camping.

This is why fire was important in Hatchet:

Fire was very important to Brian. He found it was a long process from sparks to fire. From fire he got light, could cook and stay warm. He was very happy when he got a fire after many times trying because he had no idea about that. In the beginning he was looking for some dried grass and wood pieces to use and then he used a spark to make the fire. Also, he had a friendly feeling for fire.

After reading Hatchet and completing my Internet research, this is what I have learned about fire:

Actually I learned from Hatchet many good things. It was how Brian found difficulty, but finally made a fire and that gave me a nice feeling. If somebody needs something important so he has to try and try to get it, he will appreciate it. Fire is important for humans. There are many things we can get from a fire. We can use fire to keep warm, cook, and operate factories. In the beginning, humans used sparks from striking flint against pyrites. Also, there was another way to get a sparks to make a fire by friction, while drilling a hole in wood.

The first humans used fire to get warm and cook. Also there were many other uses like driving animals in hunting, warfare, killing insects, and cleaning the forest of underbrush so berries and animals could be better seen and hunted. Sometime Brian used fire to protect himself from animals. Also fire produces some useful things like ash. Now it easy to get a fire, but in the past, humans found many troubles in making a fire. Also fire was needed more than now. The people now usually use a fire to cook their food and get warm, especially when camping. If the people want to make a fire in weeds or fields they can use dry sticks, and branches for the fire, and they should put stones around it. The people pay attention to keep way their fire away from the trees and dry grass bushes. Also they have to put out a fire before they leave.

Finally we can say that fire is very important for our life. One the other hand, we have to know how to use fire and we have to be careful about a fire so it doesn't hurt others .

Created by: krauss@lclark.edu
Updated: 11/1/00