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;







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.















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.
























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.


Claim: We can see an unusual description of a man by another man.

Why? [JŠ1] The description is very detailed and tender, almost as if he was describing a person he
is attracted to. [JŠ2] But on the other hand, Robison is basically assessing him as a piece of
goods to be traded. He uses expressions like: “handsome Fellow, strong Limbs, something very manly
in his Face, the Sweetness and Softness, his Forehead very high, sparkling Sharpness in his Eyes,
very good Mouth, his fine Teeth”.[JŠ3]

Therefore, he either described him this way because he was simply astonished to see another man
after so many years, or maybe he was really practical to think like that. It gives the impression
that in the person of Friday, Robinson sees the qualities that he could potentially use for his own
benefit.[JŠ4]

So, based on the evidence, the description seems[JŠ5]  to resemble the one of a slave being
presented on a market. Thus, it’s evident that Robinson immediately perceived him as an inferior
person. It didn’t even seem to cross his mind that Friday could be his partner or just a friend.
Even Friday clearly situated himself in the position of servant when he dropped to the ground and
put his head underneath Robinson’s foot as a sign of submission.[JŠ6]


                                              Michaela Řejhová, Táňa Tomanová, Kristýna Trokšiarová
________________________________

 [JŠ1]Very good starting point - but it needs to be a sentence.

 [JŠ2]Really interesting - just add a short quote or two as evidence.

 [JŠ3]Explain - why are these descriptions so evaluative and then again state how they support
their claim.

 [JŠ4]If discussing two possibilities, one needs to clearly choose one.

 [JŠ5]Go for stronger language! No need to be modest here.

 [JŠ6]Concluding / summarizing sentence?