"Ishmael"

Anthropology
Biology > Zoology
English > Analysis

"Ishmael"

A discussion about the famous novel "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn and its main theme concerning the places of gorilla and man in the world.

1,289 words () | 1 source | APA | 2002 United States

Paper Summary:

The discussion in this paper centers around two important questions proposed in the novel: "With man gone, will there be hope for gorilla?" and "With gorilla gone, will there be hope for man?" This paper examines what the author, Daniel Quinn, attempts to tell us through these questions. It is doubtless that no shortcut to advancing toward the better community of life exists. Finally, the paper concludes that people should spread the belief that the world isn't made for us takers, and takers are not exempt from the law of life but belong to the community of life.

From the Paper:

"The world has been dominated by those people who admire civilization or " takers" as the author, Quinn (1992), calls them in this book Ishmael. Takers' ideology is "the world was made for man to conquer and rule, and under human rule it was meant to become a paradise" (Quinn, 1992, p. 82) and has been supported by people everywhere in the world. To them, it appears that takers' lives, which center around civilization, technology and productiveness, has been the greatest, the most efficient and the only right way to live."