Robinson+Crusoe

Daniel, Defoe (2006) //Robinson Crusoe.// Shanghai Century Publishing Group.
Summary: ==== Robinson Crusoe went on a voyage to Africa to do business. Unfortunately, his ship wrecked in a storm about forty miles out to sea on an island.His companions all die, save himself, and three animals who survived the shipwreck, the captain's dog and two cats. However, he did not yield to life though it seemed to doom. He carried his life on, and proceeds to build a fenced-in habitation near a cave which he excavates himself. What’s more, he keeps a calendar by making marks in a wooden cross which he has built. He creates tools from stone and wood, and he hunts, grows corn and rice, and raises goats. He also adopts a small parrot. He reads the Bible and becomes religious, thanking God for his fate in which nothing is missing but human society. Time passes quickly in the surprisingly short story, and soon come to the first climax —— the footprint. It’s one of the most famous scenes in the story. A Native American comes off in the climax. Robinson names him “Friday”, which is the day when they first met. From then on, Robinson is no longer alone. ====

Critique: ====I believe the book is appealing for adolesents. I know the story is just a fiction which is not the reality, but I never feel the unrealistic when I read the book. I think it because the story is told in the first person. From its opening words, the reader knows Crusoe is speaking only for himself. In its closing words, //Crusoe//again defines himself alone: "In this vessel, after a long voyage, I arrived in England the 11th of June, in the year 1687, having been thirty-five years absent." I think kids are fond of the adventurous stories very much,also the fantastic storylines in tense atmosphere. In addition, they can definately learn a lot from the book in content areas below.====

Language Arts：

 * ====First-person narration====
 * ====Realism techniques====
 * ====Vivid psychological description====
 * ====Dairy-writing====

Science：

 * ====Survival techniques====
 * ====Agriculture====

Social Studies：

 * ====Social Isolation====
 * ====Man-eating tribes====
 * ====Slavery====

Math:

 * ====Chronology====