Ishmael Essay

Analysis Of Ishmael
Analysis of Ishmael
1) I do agree with what Ishmael (Quinn) saying in the above quote. Ishmael is saying that people
are not ignorant of the fact that they are destroying the world, they are just egotistical and thinking
only of themselves. "I'm sure he knows that any species in the wild will invariably expand to the
extent that its food supply expands. But as you know, Mother Culture teaches that such laws do not
apply to man." (133) If the Takers don't change the way they live destruction will continue to exist
and humans having their minds set, cant change it. "The rule of that law was and is sufficient.
Mankind was not needed to bring order to the world" (146). Ishmael is explaining how humans
believe that the world was created for...show more content...
I think the quote " Obviously Mother Culture must be finished off if you're going to survive, and
that's something the people of your culture can do. She has no existence outside your minds.
Once you stop listening to her, she ceases to exist." (144) really emphasizes Quinn's message
because its says that people can stop being ignorant and realize whats happening to our world.
Also, the quote "Within your culture as a whole, there is in fact no significant thrust toward
global population control. The point to see is that there will be such a thrust so long as you're
enacting a story that says the gods made the world for man." (137) helps define Quinn's message
by telling readers that if they don't except the fact that the world was made solely for them, they
will have no control over what happens to the world. These quotes important to Quinn's ideas
because it could help change the minds of readers and help educate them. Quinn is trying to let the
reader know that if their ways do not change and they don't realize they are always right there will be
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Ishmael Essay
Ishmael
The book Ishmael, which was written by Daniel Quinn, is an adventure for the human mind and for
society as a whole. Throughout the book Quinn explores many factual scientific principals, but the
intent of the book is not to give one a lecture on science. The intentions of Quinn are to discuss and
examine the beginnings and also the history of our ecologically dominating culture in which we live
in. In this book, Ishmael is a telepathic, highly educated gorilla who explores with his fifth pupil the
stories of the Takers and the Leavers. The Takers is a society in which man has freed himself from
living day to day, through this wondering if he will be able to find food tomorrow. Takers believe
that through technology they can...show more content...
The Leaver culture is not an "uncivilized" one. This culture of the Leavers is a great contrast to that
one of that that Takers have.
To the Takers point of view, the world before them seemed to be chaotic, messy, and in need of
some straightening out. The basic premise of the Takers philosophy is that man is in conflict with
nature, and this position at the apex of evolution can only be maintained by completely and totally
conquering the world. An example of this is when Ishmael explains, "We're destroying the world
because we are, in a very literal and deliberate way, at war with it" (Quinn 130). The Takers that the
natural law does not apply to man and his science and technology offer protection from the hunger,
sickness, and certain death, in which all other species in the wild suffer from. Therefore man is free
to act with malice toward the world without any consequences from these actions in which he does.
As a society of Takers, what can we do to curb the destruction of our planets resources? As Ishmael
states, "What were you expecting a magic word that would sweep all the nastiness away?" (Quinn
250). Here, Quinn is saying that our culture's destructive tendencies are not something that will self
correct it self or just simply disappear. He also reminds us that all of our industrial and agricultural
accomplishments have been based on inventions. Therefore, that is there inventions and

Essay about Ishmael
Ishmael Daniel Quinn's Ishmael is the story of one man's quest for knowledge and his desire to
"save the world". Answering a simple ad in the paper of a teacher looking for students (p4), the
narrator is sent on an incredible philosophical journey. The teacher our narrator expects is not that
which he finds, however, as our titular character Ishmael, so aptly named by Walter Sokolow (p18)
as he sensed the gorilla's almost divine presence, is that teacher. This teaching is made possible by
Ishmael's miraculous telepathic way of communication (p21). Ishmael's name, originally Goliath due
his size and presumed demeanor (p14), I find incredibly fitting as he, like Abraham's eldest son,
appears to be sent from the heavens though in this...show more content...
The Leavers do not exempt themselves from the laws of competition while the Takers do. The
Takers, in exempting themselves from these laws, exterminate and remove all forms of competition
in their way. In a lesson where the narrator role–plays as a Taker trying to convince Ishmael, a
Leaver, to live his life–style (p222) he comes upon the conclusion that being human is living on
your own terms rather than the gods' and this is what separates us from the animals (p225). It is
Mother Culture who teaches this since the day we're born (p37), that we should live on our own
terms rather than the gods' and that we know good and evil and evil is living by chance. Thus, Takers
are on a quest to find the one right way to do things and hence all our laws and such contrivances
come into being. Controlling the world and the universe is the primary goal of the Takers so they
no longer have to live in any sort of fear and as such they are a culture of the new whereas the
Leavers are a culture of tradition (p205). Quinn relates "culture" to a mother because of its nurturing
qualities and "among Leaver peoples, Mother Culture explains and preserves a life–style that is
healthy and self–sustaining. Among Taker peoples she explains and preserves a life–style that has
proven to be unhealthy and self–destructive" (p148). That explanation is what sets the two groups in

Major Themes Of Ishmael
The book Ishmael, was very eye–opening in the way that I look at the world and it was able to give
me a whole new perspective. There were many themes that were incorporated into the book, but there
were three themes that really stood out to me. Captivity, civilization, and the inherent goodness of
man are all major themes that need to be addressed.
The fact that the author used a gorilla as the teacher made the message so much more empowering,
than if it were a human, because it symbolizes an outside source looking in. A gorilla is not a part
of the taker culture, so that is why Ishmael was able to create an insight that was so in depth, that a
human, a part of the taker culture, would not be able to recognize on their own. Because Ishmael is a
...show more content...
The book says how we were put on this earth to conquer it and make it our own paradise, but
because of us being imperfect beings, we are bound to ruin it. On the contrary, it is argued that
man's only flaw is that we do not know how we "ought to live." The answer is provided by the
ways of nature, but as takers, we refuse to abide by the laws of nature and live as civilized beings
in no need of the gods to tell us how to live. It is argued that the beliefs of man as being inherently
flawed is due to our destructive behavior. We do not give ourselves enough credit for being human.
Man is perfectly capable of living in harmony with the earth without destroying it if we took
responsibility for our treatment of it. This has to do with the inherent goodness of man. Humans,
before the time of modern civilization, did live in harmony with the earth and took only what they
needed from it, just like the animals now. Mankind taking over the world used to not even be part of
the question, but then evolution continued and we somehow started to believe we have a purpose
here. To rule the earth. We think we are building up the world, but we are actually destroying

Ishmael Reflection
The novel, Ishmael composed by Daniel Quinn examines the process of regurgitating the importance
of perception of humanity. Daniel Quinn goes into depth of its importance in an intimate way. As a
result, all through the novel the perspective of perception is that he looks at the fundamental
capacity of the human species and how the organization became dysfunctional. We are ancestors to
the earth and also the roots of its approaching devastation. Ishmael is a teacher and presents himself
as someone who is a good example to society. He desperately tries to explain ways of bringing light
upon both economical and social change. His principle will is to save humanity which challenges
the audience with his intellect, pride, and offers...show more content...
45).Although, Takers are brought to light as negative people, Quinn reassures the reader that their is
humanity in us.Takers is the Group that introduced agriculture and modernized living in our lives. In
comparison to modern society, although one lives in a society that is filled with war, disasters, and
distribution of humanity, mankind is still filled with good. " The most meaningful activity in which
a human being can be engaged is one that is directly related to human evolution. This is true because
human beings now play an active and critical role not only in the process of their own evolution but
in the survival and evolution of all living beings."This quote supports that humankind are the most
intelligent species on the planet today. Ishmael shows that The median amongst takers and leavers
would unquestionably be the most ideal mentality for humankind. A median where man attempts to
better himself and humankind while still striving to sustain modern liifestyle. Man has worked
wonders with the acknowledgment that nothing is impossible. We have constructed various
landmarks, structure, and technology that twist the laws of nature themselves. We should be able to
continue to strive in this manner but still consider in sustaining our humanity. Next, Takers are
indicates who can truly improve the world . As humankind overcame nature, they have ALso
destroyed it.They have

Ishmael : The Whale Summary
Ishmael, the narrator, announces his intent to ship aboard a whaling vessel. He has made several
voyages as a sailor but none as a whaler. He travels to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he stays
in a whalers' inn. Since the inn is rather full, he has to share a bed with a harpooner from the South
Pacific named Queequeg. At first repulsed by Queequeg's strange habits and shocking appearance,
Ishmael eventually comes to appreciate the man's generosity and kind spirit, and the two decide to
seek work on a whaling vessel together. They take a ferry to Nantucket, the traditional capital of the
whaling industry. There they secure berths on the Pequod, a savage–looking ship adorned with the
bones and teeth of sperm whales. Peleg and Bildad, the Pequod's Quaker owners, drive a hard
bargain in terms of salary. They also mention the ship's mysterious captain, Ahab, who is still
recovering from losing his leg in an encounter with a sperm whale on his last voyage. The Pequod
leaves Nantucket on a cold Christmas Day with a crew made up of men from many different
countries and races. Soon the ship is in warmer waters, and Ahab makes his first appearance on
deck, balancing gingerly on his false leg, which is made from a sperm whale's jaw. He announces
his desire to pursue and kill Moby Dick, the legendary great white whale who took his leg, because
he sees this whale as the embodiment of evil. Ahab nails a gold doubloon to the mast and declares
that it will be the prize for the first man

Ishmael: Summary
This novel starts off with the narrator finding an ad that stated "teacher seeks pupil, must have an
earnest desire to save the world (Quinn, 1.4). The man becomes intrigued by this ad, and replies
to the person that posted the ad. The narrator thought that he would be taught how to save the
world in a normal classroom, yet when he arrived to the "classroom", he has seen a gorilla in the
cage. This gorilla was named Ishmael, and on the outside of his cage it said "with man gone, will
there be hope for gorilla? (Quinn, 1.9)". In the beginning the narrator was quite upset about the fact
that he was going to be taught by a gorilla. Yet,the narrator will learn a lot from Ishmael. The way
that they communicate is telepathically. When Ishmael was younger, he got caught, and was put
into captivity. He started out living in captivity in a zoo, and ended up being purchased by Walter
...show more content...
Leavers live a lot better compared to Takers. In the Leaver societies "crime, mental health, suicide,
and drug addiction are great rarities (Quinn, 8.146)". This is because Leavers are too primitive to
have all of these things. These many things are a part of an advanced culture, in other words, these
are things that are a part of a sustainable society. All of these ideas from Leavers that were put
together, the narrator concluded that this was the "Noble Savage Theory"(Quinn, 8.146).
Humans are a part of nature is another main topic. The narrator in the book learns a lot about how
humans contribute to a lot of the disruption of the Earth. Anything that we do will affect the Earth. It
was mainly what Ishmael was talking about throughout this entire book. Ishmael, talked a lot about
how Takers, and Leavers affect the Earth, especially the Takers society. Humans are entitled to rule,
that may not necessarily be true. Some may think that they do not have to follow certain rules, and
will break not knowing the consequences that it will

Ishmael Character Analysis
One of the tragic parts of Ishmael's novel was his detailed description of how these orphaned, lost
children are taken advantage of as boy soldiers. These boys were young and easily influenced.
There were many factors that led them to their lives as killing machines. They were brainwashed
both mentally and physically. First, mentally by being manipulated to a certain way of thinking.
The first time Ishmael introduces his life as a boy soldier is in chapter 12. First, a village that is
occupied by the army, which is fighting against the RUF, rescues Ishmael and his friends. The rebels
then start heading toward the village and this is when Ishmael and the rest of the boys are recruited.
They are first given a speech by the Lieutenant, the speech...show more content...
The previous quote proves that he was manipulating them emotionally and building killers out of the
boys' loses and anger. Aside from the emotional and mental manipulation, there are many physical
forms that took place in the upbringing of these children's lives as soldiers. For example, the first
time the boy soldiers went into war against the rebels they were given while tablets that "boosted"
their energy, which resulted in an increase in desire to kill. The kids became addicted to these
"magical" energy boosters that made them killing machines that neither felt pain nor mercy, "In the
daytime, instead of playing soccer in the village square, I took turns at the guarding posts around
the village, smoking marijuana and sniffing brown brown, cocaine mixed with gunpowder, which
was always spread out on the table, and of course taking more of the white capsules, as I had
become addicted to them (Beah

Ishmael
Ishmael is the protagonist of the story. His role is important because he is the one who wrote this
memoir. He was raised as a poor kid without an education. He live in Mattru Jong with his brother
Junior, father, and stepmother. His mom lives in a different place with his brother Ibrahim. Ishmael
loves to spend time with his family. He doesn't like to be separated from the people he loves the
most. Junior is the protagonist's brother. He is always watching out for Ishmael and does his best
to stay together. He traveled with Ishmael and their friends until the place they were at got attacked
by the rebels and separated them. Ishmael went one way and his friends went the other way. Junior's
role is important because he because was always...show more content...
He gave them drugs which made lose their innocence. Ishmael remembers that his mission was to
kill every rebel on sight. The corporeal taught them to be soldiers didn't teach them how to feel bad
for everything after a kill because the boys don't feel bad after killing the rebel boys. His role is
important because he turned into wild animals that be bad all the time. But he made Ishmael meet
nurse Esther.
Nurse Esther was the nurse that would listen to Ishmael's stories and she helped him become the
person he was meant to be instead of the kid soldier. She was important because she makes Ishmael
feel relieved by telling his stories. She was always there for him after he was brought to the
hospital. She was like his brother Junior.
These characters are so important in this story because they all influenced Ishmael. Junior did his
best to watch over him. The rebels caused the war making Ishmael and his friends run away. The
man whose tribe is near the ocean helped them regenerate their health. He gave them food and
helped heal their feet. The corporeal made them kid soldiers and made them kill any rebel that is
spotted. And finally, nurse Esther helped Ishmael regain his health and helped relieve him the
painful memories from being kid

Ishmael Essay

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