Model Compare And Contrast Essay
Compare Contrast Essay Topic: Robinson Crusoe And The Tempest
How we live and where we live affects the way people relate to each other and the things we do. Both Robison and Prospero find themselves in the wilderness and unsophisticated islands. At these islands they are able to exercise power over the boondocks and mastery over the environment. The positions we imagine ourselves in makes us do things to fulfill our desires. At first they were all alone but after saving their servants they immediately became masters.
Prospero is desolated and the circumstances force him to revenge on his own. He is bitter and claims that Caliban his laborer tried to rape his daughter. Alternatively Caliban claims that he tried to rape her because his master treated him unjustly. The motives for revenge and control makes Prospero mistreat his servants. Moreover, he has some kind of master-slave affiliation with his other servant Ariel a witch; in return for Prospero’s rescuing him from Sycorax.
However, Robinson Crusoe does everything to avoid violence; the idea of an associate on the island pleases him so much that it makes him spill blood to save Friday. The thought of being all alone scares him to an extent of spilling blood. In beginning it was easy for him to live alone, but after he rescued Friday it becomes hard to let go. Friday was not only his laborer but also his companionship they helped each other to grow into better persons. Both of them need a slave to perform duties on their behalf. While Robinson spills blood for companionship and someone to help him around; Prospero wants to use the laborer to execute his vindicate to fulfill his thirst for revenge. His thoughts and motive for revenge control his lifestyle, and how he handles his servants.
After Crusoe escape from the pirates he lands in an island that has no human inhabitants. Servitudes hit him and sharpen his mind on how to survive and utilize his skills and knowledge. While on this island Robinson is afraid of savages and wild animals, he is forced to hang about in a tree to feel safe and protect himself. He works hard and comes up with ideas on how to conquer the problems that the island presents. However, he lacks weapons to hunt and kill organisms for his food this makes him susceptible. This shows that the personality of a man resides in his capacity for improvement in the perspective of the material world.
The tools that Robinson possesses from the vessel improve his life a great deal. It makes his life easier and he does not feel lonely as before. He uses these tools to improve his lifestyle; he uses them to build a room in a fissure and a defensive hedge. Robinson rears goats and grows corn crop. As he grows he becomes accustomed to the environment and is motivated to build a home on the other part of the island. Crusoe saves Friday from the cannibals and makes him his companion and his laborer. This makes him a master and gives him authority to direct Friday.
On the hand Prospero uses his power and abilities to revenge instead of doing well. He forgets that if it was not for Caliban acquaintance with the island and Ariel’s magic, it would be very hard for him to control the island. Actually, if it wasn’t for Miranda’s presence, Prospero might have given up everything. These people help him in his daily activities this makes him their master because he is above them all and he believes he is the one who saved them.
According to Robinson a character endures by his wits and his cultural upbringing enables him to succeed throughout conflicts with his opponent. He believes that once a person detaches himself from the civilized world to live in an island, this island turns into a diminutive society that reflects the bigger city. At this island of desolation he is forced to use his imagination to be able to survive. On the other hand the politics, beliefs, morals and the supernatural activities play a great deal on how Prospero rules. How he handles his slaves is driven by his greed for power and revenge. However, his power becomes insignificant because he can only rule his servants. They both demonstrate the features of greediness, colonization and the diverse religion in the British society. They both inform its readers on the social and political issues which in reality affects the simple island settings and the ability to shorten positions.
Both stories center their life history on slavery which plays a great deal in their lives. Robinson Crusoe and The Tempest incorporate this theme in different ways but still bring out the same effect it has on the different characters. In the tempest everybody is made to believe that they are in control of their lives while in reality it is Prospero. By doing this he makes people imagine that they are in control and is able to manipulate their way of life. His actions are driven by the urge to revenge to fulfill his desires which is a very selfish motive. He finds consolation by tricking people. Robinson Crouse nevertheless, finds reassurance in the word of God, and thus avoids making rash decisions such as destroying the barbarians. However, he is always in the run to shun away from violent confrontations with the savages.
Prospero imagines himself as a boss therefore Ariel his main slave has no freedom and wishes to obtain it by leaving his master in the shortest time possible. Prospero doesn’t recognize the fact that without the two slaves he cannot be able to survive or rule. He also uses Ariel to trick his followers into believing that they are in control while in real sense they are all under his authority. Nonetheless, Robinson’s servant refuses to leave his master; he even accepts to die instead of going back home though Robinson still treats him as his slave. This is because of the relationship Friday Crusoe’s servant has with his master; it is more of a friendship than slavery. While Prospero laborers loathe him and wish to get rid of him Friday refuses to abandon his master. He cannot imagine starting life a new in some other place and with new people in a more civilized world where people behave differently depending on their surroundings. He finds it hard to move to another land where people are many and have different beliefs. By now he is used to living with Crusoe and following his rules thus it makes it even harder for him to move out and start life a new.
Where a person lives, the people’s attitude towards them plays a great role in shaping their lives. For instance, Caliban; in the tempest, emerges as everybody’s laborer given that he is monstrous in his own level, underneath himself. This is because he tried to rape his master’s daughter even though he tried to defend himself. He states that his master attitude towards him drove him to rape his master’s daughter, to feel good about himself.
Despite the lack of power everyone of the higher caliber enforces their authority on him and forces him to labor for them. This makes them imagine that they are in control and are more powerful compared to him. To illustrate this and fulfill their selfish motives they enforce their authority on Caliban. This shows that to be termed as powerful in this island a person requires having slaves to labor for him or her. The fact that Caliban terms himself as a slave and tried to rape his master’s daughter makes everyone look down on him and this affects his way of lifestyle.
Both Friday and Caliban are taught the local language but with absolutely different intentions. Robinson’s main intention to teach Friday his native language is to have someone to converse with. Whereas, Caliban is taught to speak this language as much as he is required to follow the orders. The way these two masters treat their slaves is very different and they completely change the way slavery is viewed in the two stories.
The place where people live and the how they imagine themselves plays a great deal on how they treat each other. Although slavery is viewed in a negative way all around the world Robinson choose to view it otherwise in a more positive way. He treated his laborer as a helper and a companion; he is free to do things as he pleases because that’s what Robinson believes in. However, in the tempest slaves are forced to carry out malicious plans by their master. They have no freedom to make their own decisions and their master uses their knowledge to satisfy his malicious motives. The environment itself allows these things to take place as they set their minds on their cultures and political life.
How we imagine ourselves to be matters on the way we are going to treat people from different races; who we feel they are less superior to us. In The Tempest, Caliban is regularly mocked about his looks and also referred to as a beast. This makes him feel unworthy and makes him think of rape. This is all that is needed to develop a utopian society. But if he has the power he can be able to move far away to obtain his freedom.
Nonetheless, Robinson Crusoe instead of wallowing in his problems he finds what he needs to survive in the island and uses it to carry on with life. Not only does he grow mentally but also physically nonetheless, Crusoe’s island depicts the European society. The rules governing the place we live in and its surroundings matters a lot on how we develop both mentally and physically. It also plays a role on how we treat our slaves and people from different races. Robison proves that it is possible to work with a servant and be friends unlike in the tempest where Prospero views slaves as lesser people in society. He living in the island alone also made him develop both mentally and physically, the island shaped his life. The surroundings, things people do and imagine shape up their lives.
References
Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe Volume 1 of Bring the Classics to Life: Level 3. juba: EDCON Publishing Group, 2008.
Murphy, Patrick M. The Tempest: Critical Essays. MB R0M canada: Routledge, 2001.
Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide. MB R0M: Routledge, 2012.
Widdowson, Peter. Literature The New Critical Idiom. MB ROM: Routledge, 2013.