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What trait did you admire the least

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He makes also a list of the good and evil aspects of his situation and he finds that there are many things to be thankful for, even though his condition is very bad. his companions did not survive but he is alive and this is a sign of the will of God and this thought makes him stronger.

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Strangers, Savages, and the Unknown (Explain in your own words)

Giani  Giulia

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At the beginning of the novel, what is Robinson Crusoe's attitude towards God and religion?

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The Footprint

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Defoe has his hero practice 2 different types of writing in the novel. One is the journal that Crusoe keeps for a few chapters until his ink runs out. The other is the fuller type of storytelling that makes up the bulk of the novel. Both are in the 1st person voice, but they produce different effects. Why does Dofoe include both types? What does a comparison between them tell us about the overall purpose of the novel?

Alessia Montoli

In Defoe's novel "Robinson Crusoe" the narrator and the main character are the same person. He decided to write the whole storytelling in the first person voice to give a realist vision of the adventures and of the period of isolation Crusoe made. His story makes all real in front of the eyes of the readers and this allows to give a moral, in addition to tell a beautiful story: not to give up because every situation can be overtake. Sometimes the narrator seems to be only a spectator or witness, he gives us one perspective of the story choosing himself what he wants to communicate. Crusoe in the narration sometimes repeats the same thing but he never slows down the rythm of the story. From the narration we can understand the real personality of Crusoe without he told that us explicitly.

Defoe has his hero keep for a few chapters a journal. This is a direct story of his sensations that puts the readers in Crusoe's shoes, living with him his experience on the island. In his journal he wrote down everything that happened to him in the first months and his improvements. But when he found out that the ink was coming to an end he decided to record only particular events in his life, not those of every day. In the description of the objects he created, he describes only the principal aspects and their utility rather how beautiful they are. Maybe he wrote a journal to keep himself in contact with the reality or maybe to get people know his story of isolation and finding himself when he would go back home

The storytelling is a succession of narrative and reflective sequences, in which Crusoe inserts comments and judgements. The journal has the only purpose of description.

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Crusoe expresses very little appreciation of beauty in the novel. He describes the valley where he builds his bower as pleasant, recognises that some of his early attempts at pottery making are unattractive, and acknowledges that Friday is good-looking, but overall,he shows little interest in aesthetics. Is this lack of interest in beauty an important aspect of the character of Crusoe, or of the novel?

I think that Robinson Crusoe expresses very little appreciation of beauty ecause he is more interested in describing his adventure and everything he's going through, rather than the landscapes that there are around him; this is also one of the fondamental features of the adventure novel, a literary genre written in prose which focuses on other things like the description of the events and indeed of the adventures of the main character more than the aesthetics. So, the lack of interest in beauty is both a part of Robinson's character (that prefers talking about his experience than expressing his opinion about what sorrounds him) and a characteristic of this book's literary genre, namely the adventure novel.
SARA GOEGAN

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Contentment vs. Desire and Ambition (Explain in your own words)

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The Sea

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In your opinion, why did Crusoe want to keep a journal?

Di Maio Giorgia, 4^BL
During all the time, in which Robinson stayed on the island, he decided to keep a journal. In this one he wrote everything he did, when and how he did it. In my opinion, first, this journal could be an amusement for Robinson himself: when he writes it, he can relax and think about all the things he was able to do and, also, be proud of himself. It's a way not to drive him mad, because, in my opinion, he writes a journal not to feel alone too, because it' like to speak with someone else and write like someone will read it.
Second , because of his personality, he is in the habit of keeping everything under control and keeping a journal is a good way to do it, because he can analyse all the negative and positive aspects of being on an island and of the things he does. Indeed, the journal is one of the few things he can control: first, the shipwreck,  then the earthquake and the illness weren't his choice, unlike the journal.
Finally, he can also use it as a calendar, in this way he can be aware of the time he's spending on the island and not to be also as isolated in the time, as he is isolated in the space.

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Money.

Matilde Marazzini.

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Could Crusoe be considered a "racist"?

Martina Lombardo, 4bl
Yes, I think that Robinson  Crusoe could be considered a racist. In the novel he symbolises the typical English colonist, searching for richness and with the certainty that white people are superior compared with black people. A clear example of his discriminatory behaviour  is the relationship with Friday, the black person found on the island. Since their first meeting, Robinson introduces himself with the name of Master and gives him the name Friday, not asking what his real name was. Then he imposes his western culture and religion, considering him as his servant. When he talks about people with coloured skin, he always uses racialist words (savages, negroes, poor, ignorant creatures), which often dehumanize the natives. The fault of this behaviour is certainly the background of the novel: it takes place in a society where slavery was an ordinary fact without any moral issue and where the white Christian people were considered superior and better compared with any other different ones.

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Christianity and Divine Providence (Explain in your own words)
Christianity: Robinson is not a religious man. He is first rebellious, then changes his mind and apologies to God for his sins, and then converts himself to Christianity. At the beginning of the novel there is Crusoe's rebellion: disdain of his father's plan for him. Crusoe then suffers the vicissitudes of fate – a series of misfortunes that land him on the deserted island. Once there, he is finally regretful for his sins and undergoes a serious conversion. Crusoe turns into a teacher, as he converts Friday upon meeting the guy.
Divine Providence: The book begins with the choices that led Crusoe to the island.  As he learns to struggle with his existence, he starts thinking that the  shipwreck on the island was God’s punishment and that he has ruined his life. As he adjusts to his new situation, he begins, viewing the situation, though not ideal, as God making the best of a bad situation Crusoe created by his own choices.
Finally, Crusoe  believes that the wrecking on that island wasn’t a punishment, nor a salvage job, but rather the best possible route he could have traveled.   It was a manifestation of God’s severe mercy.  Wrecking on that island was the best possible thing that could have happened to him. :)

Luca Libonati

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What trait did you admire most in Robinson Crusoe? What trait did you admire the least?

Sara Invernizzi, 4^BL
Personally, I think that the trait I admire most in Robinson Crusoe is courage. Since the beginning he showed his audacity to refuse his father's suggestions, deciding to follow a friend of him to London. He wasn't afraid to leave everything and to depart toward the unknown.    Despite the fact that he had already been shipwrecked in the first trip, he decided to depart another time, without losing heart. He proved his bravery more than once: he killed a leopard, fought against savages and cannibals...and he was able to survive.      Instead the trait I admire the least is his presumption that he could live alone. In my opinion the human being  is "done" for the relationships with other people, not to live lonely.  After his establishment on the island, Robinson looked like a happy man (most of time), even though he stayed alone for many years. I sincerely think that it was a false emotion. In fact when he knew Friday, he was happier and he began to grow fond of him.
Good work. Try to work on the few grammar mistakes.

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Crusoe's virtues tend to be private: his industry, resourcefulness, and solitary courage make him an exemplary individual. But his vices are social, and his urge to subjugate others is highly objectionable.After being shipwrecked, Crusoe eventually assesses his situation and realizes that he has been thrown by the sea at an inhabited island, he is completely alone end he has to survive.
First at all he takes some provisions by the ship and he builds a camp and than he starts thinking about himself and religion; over the days he discovers the island but also his fears, is limits and his faith too.

The voyage is also a spiritual voyage that helps him to "grow up", he has to be courageous, intelligent and enterprising to survive in that conditions.

He makes also a list of the good and evil aspects of his situation and he finds that there are many things to be thankful for, even though his condition is very bad. his companions did not survive but he is alive and this is a sign of the will of God and this thought makes him stronger.

Alice Stoppini

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Thistle to book suggests that religion is the foundational force in a person's life.

While religion is an important part of life, this book suggests that we should be tolerant of other religions and cultures.

Discuss in a paragraph or two.

Religion is one of the most important elements in the whole story. It can be considered part of the development and change of Robinson Crusoe, from his initial situation as atheist to the moment of his conversion: it happened in a very hard moment of Robinson's life, in a situation of illness and loneliness in an unknown island. He realises that his condition is caused by sin and fault that he committed in his life till that moment. So Robinson stops crying about his current situation and starts to thank God for saving him from the shipwreck that brought him to the Island, he also thinks about his previous adventures and recognises all the deeds of mercy that God granted him. From that moment the protagonist starts having a profound sense of God's presence and understands that he manifests everywhere.        The novel rappresents the bond between men and religion: the presence of God and his creation becomes a element of salvation for the man during the hardest times of his life. Thanks to the faith the man can find the force to deal with all the adversities of life.                              If the creation of God is one of his signs of existence and mercy the devoted man should respect and contemplate it. It means that, as an example, there should be respect between different populations with differents cultures and beliefs because we all should be part of the merciful creation of the same God.

Ortiz Constanza 4BL

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Society, Individuality, and Isolation (Explain in your own words)
Society: When Robinson were on the island lives entirely as an individual apart from society and is forced to struggle against nature to survive. He becomes self-sufficient and learns how to make and do things himself, discovering ingenuity he didn't know he had. Thus, one could say that being separated from society leads to Robinson becoming a better person. So he was quite far from the society.
Individuality: Robinson prioritizes his sense of individuality over his family and society at large. He gets exactly what he asks for  when he finds himself stranded alone on his island. Robinson comes around to liking his individual existence on the island so much that, at times in the novel, it is unclear whether he even wants to be rescued and returned to society.
Isolation: He feels lonely in Brazil, and then is literally isolated , when he is stranded on his island all alone. His only companions are his animals and, while he learns to enjoy life on the island, he still feels a deep desire for the human companionship that he lacks. Thus, the novel values individuality, but also shows the dangers of narcissism and isolation that may come with it. He live 28 years alone so he adapted him on the island.
Proietto Valentina 4 BL

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Robinson Crusoe is a religious or spiritual allegory - justify your answer

I think that Robinson Crusoe is a religious allegory. The whole story referes to the puritan doctrine, whose followers believed that they could let themselves free from the original sin through working and praying.
At the beginning of the novel Robinson's father tries to convince his son to not sail and stay home because of the misfortune he would meet in his voyages. Crusoe doesn't listen to his father and so follows his instinct and his thoughts, but then through terrible storms he realizes that he made a mistake and begins to regret.
Throughout the novel Robinson succeeds in being free from the original sin and finally he earns the salvation.

Cristina Ciovati

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Crusoe spends much time on the island devising ways to escape it. But when he finally does escape, his return to Europe is anticlimactic. Nothing he finds there, not even friends or family, is described with the same interest evoked earlier by his fortress or farm. Indeed, at the end of the novel Crusoe returns to the island. Why does Defoe portray the island originally as a place of captivity and then later as a desired destination?

At the beginning of the story Defoe portrays the island as a place of captivity because Robinson in the first chapters perceives his isolation only as a punishment. Some months later he recognizes that God created all the human beings and starts to turn an uninhabited island into a satisfying place, so he begins to appreciate the situation of loneliness. According to me the situation changes when one day he finds a footprint on the shore , from that moment he sees the other humans as invaders of his new home: the island. When he returns to Europe the people for him represent only the loss of solitude. For this reason at the end he just wants to return to the island, where he could be in peace alone. So  the description of the island, made by Defoe, at the beginning and at the end is different because Robinson changes his mind on the concept of “home”.

SARA RIMOLDI 4BL

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Advice, Mistakes, and Hindsight (Explain in your own words)