Robinson Crusoe Essay Research Paper Almost everyone

Robinson Crusoe Essay, Research Paper

Almost everyone has heard of or read Daniel Defoe.s novel .Robinson Crusoe.. .Robinson Crusoe. is an inspired novel of adventure: The story of a man.s faith, courage and ability to survive on an uninhabited island facing all of the forces of nature and to emerge triumphant over hardships and adversity. Defoe.s novel is a story of an English sailor marooned for twenty-seven years on a deserted Caribbean island surviving by his wits: hunting for food: rescuing a savage from a cannibals. feast and, finally, emerging as a symbol of man.s ability to survive ultimate tests of nature. What few people knew, however, is that Robinson Crusoe actually existed. His name was Alexander Selkirk and Daniel Defoe borrowed his real life adventure to create Robinson Crusoe. There are even some people today on the Island of Tobago in the Caribbean Sea that proclaim that they are the hereditary descendents of Crusoe. Alexander Selkirk.s adventure did not take place on a deserted island in the Caribbean Sea. His lonely island was Juan Fernandez in the Chilean Sea far off in the Pacific Ocean.

Alexander Selkirk was born in the year 1676 in Largo, Scotland, the son of a fairly prosperous tanner and leather worker. Selkirk was an adventurer and defiant, and did not want to spend his life making shoes. In 1695 he ran away to sea and by 1703 was the Master of the Galley. Later he joined the famed William Dampier on an expedition in the Pacific whose sole purpose was preying on Spanish merchant ships. After spending time in the Pacific raking Spanish towns they were preparing to go home to England, but their ship had suffered considerable damage in battle. Selkirk felt they needed to repair the ship before setting off, the captain disagreed. In September of 1704 after a quarrel with his Captain, Selkirk refused to go any further and requested that he be put ashore on the, uninhabited island of Juan Fernandez, four hundred miles west of Valparaiso, Chile. Once he was on shore he realized what he had done. He thought others in the crew would join him, but none did. He then changed his mind and begged the captain to take him back. The captain refused, and he found himself alone on the island. It was fortunate for Selkirk because his ship later sank and most of the crew was lost, but at the time he didn.t know that.

After about two years on the island he finally saw a ship and ran to the shore, he then realized it was a Spanish ship and they opened fire on him. They went ashore to search for him, but turned up nothing, and returned to the ship without him.

Selkirk was able to domesticate some goats and cats he found and these were his only companions through out his stay of almost four and a half years. Selkirk remained there until February of 1709 when he was discovered by Captain Woodes Rogers in the sailing ship “Duke” whose pilot happened to be Dampier. In spite of his long castaway, Selkirk was appointed Mate by Rogers and later given command of a captured prize ship.

Selkirk did not return to England until 1711 where he met the essayist, Richard Steele, who wrote up his story in a publication, “The Englishman” (1713). Selkirk became quite a celebrity in his hometown and although he married, he never quite recovered from his stay o the island. He spent much of his time alone, and didn.t feel comfortable living indoors. He built a sort of cave behind his father.s house that he stayed in much of the time. He also trained two cats to do tricks, like he had on the island. He lived the life of a recluse but later went to sea again. He died at sea from a fever off the coast of Africa in 1721 at the age of forty-five. At the time of his death he was master.s mate on the English man-of-war Weymouth.

Early 18th-century writers such as the British essayist Sir Richard Steele or Daniel Defoe might have related the story of his solitary adventure in their own stories.

Quick to try and capitalize on the potential tourist attraction of the name, the Chilean government changed the name of Juan Fernandez to Robinson Crusoe Island and a nearby island to Selkirk Island. In fact Selkirk Island is virtually a massive, rugged volcanic pile of rock uninhabited and Robinson Crusoe Island has only a small population of six hundred people, mostly working as lobster trappers. There are many hotels and tourist attractions on the island.

The island itself with its remoteness, rugged topography and mild climate has made it a paradise for botanists. Waterfalls trickle down the steep mountains. During storms, these often grew into raging falls, sweeping rocks and trees down the mountains with them. The water is very cold, the beach rocky and cold winds sweet down into Cumberland Bay, bringing frequent showers. To Selkirk it must have been very lonely and despairing.

Robinson Crusoe was first published in 1719. It tells the story of a young explorer who becomes marooned on a deserted island. His experiences of the island change his outlook on life. Defoe extended the stay on the island, and also moved the island from off the coast of Chile to just off the coast of Venezuela. Even though Robinson Crusoe is a fictional character, many aspects from Selkirk.s life helped inspire the novel.

Daniel Defoe came from a poor family. Defoe was poor for most of his life and made his living as a butcher and a writer. Defoe mostly