Monday, February 25, 2013

Please write a short paragraph describing Daniel Defoe's Robinson's character, including his origins, his reasons for travelling, kind of journey, response to situations and the writer's aim.

Robinson Crusoe is the protagonist of Daniel Defoe's novel of the same name, published in 1719. He is an adventurous man, who sets sail to explore despite his father's request that he pursue a career in law. He is also fearless almost to a fault, undertaking a sea voyage that results in being shipwrecked on an island for 28 years. In addition to being adventurous, Crusoe is also religious by the novel's end. Having avoided death in the shipwreck, he thanks God for his circumstances, and he carries with him one book: the Bible. Finally, Crusoe is resourceful. Once on the island, he builds himself a habitation in a cave, hunts, and cultivates his own food.
Despite these exceptional qualities, Crusoe is not perfect. He keeps a quasi-slave, Friday, whom Crusoe saves from cannibalism. Crusoe teaches Friday English, and tells him to call him "master." For this reason, some scholars call Crusoe an exemplar of colonialism.

No comments:

Post a Comment

What is the theme of the chapter Lead?

Primo Levi's complex probing of the Holocaust, including his survival of Auschwitz and pre- and post-war life, is organized around indiv...