Monday, October 16, 2006

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe - Part 15

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Robinson Crusoe and Friday get many surprises as they battle cannibals. The action explodes as they are forced to think and act quickly to save lives. Crusoe continues to be amazed at the strength of Friday's character and his incredible loyalty.

Monday, October 02, 2006

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe - Part 14

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Crusoe builds his friendship with Friday, teaching him english, Christianity, hunting with a gun, and working with tools. The two men develop a deep and trusting bond once Crusoe gets over his struggles with suspicion and doubts about Friday's intentions. We find ourselves at that part of the novel that best illustrates what many critics of Defoe's novel say is a glorification of English colonialism and empire. To be sure, that is part of what is going on in the book. However, there is more to it than that. Defoe, at times, seems close to sowing seeds of doubt about the English world he lived in and its beliefs about its place in the world. Pay very close attention to the conversations between Friday and Crusoe. They move in directions entirely unanticipated by Crusoe. He is constantly surprised by how loyal, intelligent, and civilized Friday turns out to be in his very deepest nature.