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77 lines
4.9 KiB
77 lines
4.9 KiB
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Robinson Crusoe was written by Daniel Defoe. The novel was first
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published in 1719. It tells the story of a young explorer who becomes marooned
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on a deserted island. His experiences of the island change his outlook on life.
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Daniel Defoe was a short story writer that came from an poor family.
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Defoe was poor for most of his life and made his living as a butcher and a
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writer. Defoe mostly wrote short stories and political essays. Robinson Crusoe
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was a combination of two short stories. Many believe Defoe used Robinson
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Crusoe to portray himself in a certain ways. The description was almost
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identical to his own and after his wife left him, he felt as if he was marooned
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on a deserted island.
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The story takes place in the 1700s on a deserted island somewhere off the
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coast of Brazil. The island is fairly large in size and has a small shore. The
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interior of the island has many trees, wild pigs and other small animals and a
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small cave in which Crusoe stores food.
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I walked about the shore lifting up my hands. Look around,
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I see nothing but water, a forest, and the remains of my
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ship. At first, I was afraid of wild animals but after some
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exploration of the land, the only animals I had seen were
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wild pigs, squirrels, and some small birds.
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The only possessions that Crusoe retrieved from the remains of his ship were a
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small knife, a box of tabacco, a pipe, and a small book that would later become
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his journal.
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Robinson Crusoe was a young and stubborn explorer. He was extremely
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tall and strong. His stay on the island changed him from a mean, stubborn man
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to an open-minded protestant.
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Standing at six feet, two inches and having my long, thick
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brown hair back in a ponytail, I felt as if I was eight feet
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tall. Without the permission of my parents, I was still
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sailing away from the misery. I held the cargo box is my
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strong arms, waiting to board my beautiful ship.
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Crusoe became a skilled craftsman and was an extremely religious man due to
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his stay on the island. Being the only man on the entire island, he established a
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faith in God. He also became more articulate from writing in a journal daily.
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Overall, his stay on the island changed Crusoe's life greatly.
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As the story begins, Robinson Crusoe defies his parents and sets out to
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sea. Crusoe encounters a series of violent storms at sea and ends up in Africa.
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He sets out on another voyage and is captured by the Sallee, a group of pirates.
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Luckily, he manages to escape and board a Portuguese ship and sail to Brazil.
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While in Brazil, Crusoe purchases a large sugar plantation. After leaving Brazil,
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he encounters another storm in which his ship is destroyed and he is marooned
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on an island as the only survivor.
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On the island, Crusoe gathers food and builds a small shelter. He writes in
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a journal to keep account of his stay. Crusoe becomes a skilled craftsman and
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begins to feel a spiritual connection with God. He also builds a small boat that
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he uses to sail around the island.
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After living on the island for fifteen years, Crusoe discovers that savages
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had landed on the island and that they perform human sacrifices. Crusoe helps a
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prisoner escape from these savages. He names the prisoner Friday and teaches
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him english. Together, they build a new boat and attempt to leave the island.
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However, Friday learns his father is a prisoner of the savages. Crusoe and
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Friday return and rescue his father and a Spaniard. The four men board a
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passing boat and gain control of it. Crusoe sails back to his native land to learn
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his sugar plantation has made him rich. He sells the plantation and marries. As
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the novel closes, Crusoe is persuaded to take a final voyage, back to the island.
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Robinson Crusoe is written using an English dialect. The narration of the
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novel is simple, informal and extremely easy to understand. However, Defoe
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uses verbose descriptions for characters.
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He was a comely, handsome fellow, perfectly well made,
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with strong limbs, not too large, tall and well-shaped, and
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I reckon he was about twenty years of age. The color
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of his skin was not quite black, but very tawny; and yet
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not of an ugly, yellow, nauseous tawny, as the Brazilians
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and Virginians, and other natives are; but of a bright kind
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of a dun olive color that had in it something agreeable,
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though not very easy to describe.
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This is a description of Friday. Defoe does an excellent job of introducing the
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character. This paragraph makes a clear picture of Friday to the reader.
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The theme of the novel is that nature can change the way a man thinks
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and his outlook on life. Crusoe was a nasty young man who hated his family
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and his life as the story began. After being stranded on an island for over fifteen
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years, nature changed his outlook on life. Crusoe became grateful for what he
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did have and wanted to make the best out of it. He developed a stronger will
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power and became more opened minded. He also thought more about the better
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aspects of his life and had faith in God.
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Words: 897
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