Read the following extract and complete the following steps. He was a comely handsome Fellow, perfectly well made; with straight strong Limbs, not too large; tall and well shap’d, and as I reckon, about twenty six Years of Age. He had a very good Countenance, not a fierce and surly Aspect; but seem’d to have something very manly in his Face, and yet he had all the Sweetness and Softness of an European in his Countenance too, especially when he smil’d. His Hair was long and black, not curl’d like Wool; his Forehead very high, and large, and a great Vivacity and sparkling Sharpness in his Eyes. The Colour of his Skin was not quite black, but very tawny; and yet not of an ugly yellow nauseous tawny, as the Brasilians, and Virginians, and other Natives of America are; but of a bright kind of a dun olive Colour, that had in it something very agreeable; tho’ not very easy to describe. His Face was round, and plump; his Nose small, not flat like the Negroes, a very good Mouth, thin Lips, and his fine Teeth well set, and white as Ivory.* After he had slumber’d, rather than slept, about half an Hour, he wak’d again, and comes out of the Cave to me; for I had been milking my Goats, which I had in the Enclosure just by: When he espy’d me, he came running to me, laying himself down again upon the Ground, with all the possible Signs of an humble thankful Disposition, making a many antick Gestures to show it: At last he lays his Head flat upon the Ground, close to my Foot, and sets my other Foot upon his Head, as he had done before; and after this, made all the Signs to me of Subjection, Servitude, and Submission imaginable, to let me know, how he would serve me as long as he liv’d; 3. LITERARY ANALYSIS (200-250 words): [60 pts] Analyze the text. Identify the topic of the extract, discuss the treatment of the topic, etc. You can also briefly quote or paraphrase from the extract to support your claims. Our group thought that the main theme shows prejudice in the following statements: he had all the Sweetness and Softness of an European in his Countenance too His Hair was long and black, not curl’d like Wool; his Skin was not quite black, but very tawny; and yet not of an ugly yellow nauseous tawny His Face was round, and plump; his Nose small, not flat like the Negroes[JŠ1] These statements show how the British upper class in the 17^th century might have stereotyped people of other cultures and colours. It clearly shows that not only a specific appearance was expected but also a different behaviour or attitude. [JŠ2] This was all challenged when encountered a real person of colour. The physical appearance came to surprised mostly by the skin tone “not quite black”, by the hairstyle “not curl’d like Wool” (AKA Afro) and by other features “nose small, not flat like the Negroes”. More importantly, there is an unexpected attitude [JŠ3] as described in the first part: “he had … sweetness and softness of a European” showing that maybe only white people are expected to be soft and sweet. Unlike the “savages”. As we see above the prejudice is very clearly shown in the text as has been explained. We are of the opinion that if such a statement was written nowadays, it would not be published as such prejudice would be viewed as racism[JŠ4] . However, this is not to say that prejudice does not exist in today’s society. [JŠ5] We also wanted to have a go at answering the other two questions (not to be the teacher’s pets but just to try and practise and, hopefully, get valuable feedback, too). Thank you! 1. LITERARY AND CULTURAL CONTEXT (80-100 words min.): [20 pts] Place the text into the literary context of the period. Identify literary movements and cultural trends of that time, and discuss the significance of the author and his/her work.[JŠ6] [JŠ7] This is an extract from a book by Daniel Defoe. It was written in 17th century. This was a very popular novel that started a very new trend in writing. He was a trader, writer and a spy. The impact of his book was extreme as it showed a very different side of writing and it offered people the adventure. His book was translated into many languages. In the beginning, we can see England of 17th century and how the trade worked and also it shows the danger of pirates while travelling for business. It also portrays an English man as a hero who is strong enough to survive the worst. He is strong-willed, resourceful, unbeatable, very successful and rich in the end. Very positive, motivational and likeable story for all readers. (And some of this British pride has been clearly surviving in Brits for centuries …) 2. THE CONTEXT OF THE NOVEL (80-100 words min.): [20 pts] Place the extract into the context of the novel. Briefly summarize relevant aspects of the narrative, setting and characters and comment on the main themes. This extract is taken from the second part of the book. Robinson Crusoe is stranded on the island for some years and throughout the discovery of the island, he has an encounter with cannibals. Robinson sees how they are ready to eat one of their captives and he saves his life. They become companion to each other and during the time they spend on the island, Robinson becomes Friday’s teacher. Teaching him English language, religion and other customs and skills. Friday displays loyalty and friendship as he is grateful for having his life saved. [JŠ8] ________________________________ [JŠ1]This is great. Though it needs to be inserted in the text below. [JŠ2]Good - what kind of attitude? Identifying and labelling (with referencing evidence) is exactly the thing that this type of exercise calls for. [JŠ3]How unexpected? Specific language is appreciated. [JŠ4]More certainty is OK: is it or is it not racism? State so. [JŠ5]Different topic, stay focused just on one topic. [JŠ6]It is very impressive that you managed to write an answer to each of the questions! [JŠ7]At the state exam, this type of questions calls for hard date and context: definitions, years, social context, anything relevant from history and connected to your claim. [JŠ8]Very good contextualization. You can also score extra points by identifying themes - what do these actions point to? Which themes they demonstrate?