Question

Read the excerpt from Part 2 of “To Build a Fire.”

And all the time the dog ran with him, at his heels. When he fell down a second time, it curled its tail over its forefeet and sat in front of him, facing him, curiously eager and intent. The warmth and security of the animal angered him, and he cursed it till it flattened down its ears appeasingly.

Using context clues as a guide, what does it mean “to appease”? Check all that apply.

to calm
to soothe
to anger
to satisfy
to tease

Answer 1

taking into account this context, it could be said that "to appease", in this case used as an adverb "appeasingly", might mean to calm, to soothe. the term is related to how the dog was able to calm him down. at first its actions seem to bother him but then he might give in and "flattered down its (the dog) ears" as a gesture to thank it for being there when he felt the second time.

Answer 2

In this excerpt from Part 2, of "To Build a Fire", by Jack London, using the context clues as a guide the meaning of "to appease", is to calm and to soothe. This is the man's first time in North Canada. It is winter and the land is covered by ice and snow. The man understimates the power of nature. The dog is with him. He is first angered by it, but when it flattens down its ears and he calms down.