King Solomines Mines-Survival
"Natural selection conceived of as a struggle for life in which only those organisms best adapted to existing conditions are able to survive and reproduce" (Dictionary.com). In the classic adventure King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard, death and survival were one of the most common happenings of the book. The idea of survival of the fittest occurred non-stop throughout the books entirety. While survival of the fittest favors the strong, sometimes the not so noble survived or the weakest survived. The idea of survival helps make a great action story for in order to survive, adventures and daring actions usual occur in harsh situations. The idea of survival of the fittest plays a large role in the book because of the elephant hunting scene, the witch-hunts, and the escape from the treasure room. One reason why the idea of survival of the fittest plays a large role in the book is because of the elephant-hunting scene. A young Zulu boy named Khiva was violently ripped apart by an elephant attacking Sir Henry. While Sir Henry was running away from the charging beast, he fell and was rescued when Khiva through a spear right into the elephant. As you may imagine, a weak little spear is nothing against a raging elephant.
Another reason why the idea of survival of the fittest plays a large role in the book is because of the witch-hunts. Witch hunting was when chosen tribe members randomly picked out people from a crowd and said they were witches. The penalty for being a "witch"? Immediate Death. The white men witnessed a witch-hunt when they were guests of the evil King Twala. Random people were picked and then killed in front of the king. An example of this is the first person that was chosen. "Suddenly the end came. With a shriek she sprang in and touched a tall warrior with the forked wand. Instantly two of his comrades, those standing immediately next to him, seized the doomed man, each by one arm, and advanced with him toward the king." This shows us part of how the picking of the witches took place and the betrayal of comrades for the safety of ones own life. The poor warrior had no chance in surviving for the second he was chosen, his comrades carried him to his death. This soldier was the weak individual who was killed by the strong. All sorts of important people were lost. People full of knowledge and nobility were not spared including generals of the army. It was a most disturbing site to see. "Almost before the words were uttered, the horrible deed was done. One man had driven his spear into the victim's heart, and to make insurance doubly sure, the other had dashed out his brains with his great club"(149). Because of these examples, one is able to obtain a better understanding about the use of the idea, survival of the fittest. The idea of survival of the fittest plays a large role in the book because of the elephant hunting scene, the witch-hunts, and the escape from the treasure room. The use of the idea of "survival of the fittest" helps make an adventure story a great adventure story. The idea adds flavor and excitement to the story for an extra-added punch of entertainment. One also learns that the idea is used as a creative tool
Some common words found in the essay are:
Witch Gagool, Sir Henry, Twala Random, Rider Haggard, survival fittest, , idea survival, idea survival fittest, Immediate Death, fittest plays role, survival fittest plays, plays role, fittest plays, plays role book, role book, King Solomon's, classic adventure, reason idea, reason idea survival, book elephant, adventure story, elephant hunting,
Approximate Word count = 1324
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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