读书笔记与摘录

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe is s novel about the adventure of the protagonist.

Crusoe wants to travel in his life using a ship. His father, on the other hand, is interested in Crusoe becoming a middle-class law guy. He defies his father’s authority and also God’s by deciding to leave for an adventure on the sea on his own. He sets off and sails for some time. During this period he makes some money from the trade. After some time he is captured and turned into a slave in Africa’s coast. He meets a man by the name Xury, and together they escape from their captors.

Crusoe gets lucky to be accepted by a Portuguese captain, and he manages to make it into Brazil. He does well there and manages to buy a plantation of sugar. Soon he gets involved in the slave trade where they would procure slaves taken from Africa. On the journey, the ship gets wrecked, and Crusoe becomes the only one who survives. He makes it to an island that was deserted.

His time alone on this island is also productive. He manages to build a shelter for himself. He goes on to build a country home on the opposite side of this island. Also, he constructs a fort containing ammo and guns. Crusoe plants Barleycorn and rice. He even teaches himself bread-making. Crusoe builds furniture, baskets, and some pottery with his time. He also raises goats and has a family of animals consisting of cats dogs and even a parrot which he recovered from the ship. Crusoe is strengthened religiously, and he submits to the will of God in prayer.

One day, Crusoe discovers a footprint on his shore and realizes that he was not alone. There were cannibals on the islands. He rescues a young native from them and names him Friday. He teaches him English and even makes him a Christian. Crusoe and Friday rescue Friday’s father and a Spaniard from other cannibals.

Sometime later, an English boat filled with sailors arrives at the shore. Crusoe discovers that the sailors were planning a mutiny against the ship’s captain and helps restore the ranks and order to this ship. The captain agrees to take Crusoe home. Crusoe makes it back to Europe in the company on Friday. His plantations had made much money. Crusoe gets married and in his late years visits the island. The novel ends.

After reading Robinson Crusoe, I am shocked at it, and I really admire Robinson.

I admire his spirit of not retreating when being in trouble. He lived in an uninhabited island for about 26 years and encountered many difficulties which are beyond our imagination. He survives on his perseverance and faith; what’s more, he created the new life. His spirit is worth learning, which is that we can’t surpass.

I still more admire his ability of bearing loneliness. From my point of view, all of us are survive in the society without families and friends. If I were Robinson, I should rely on myself to survive but I couldn’t bear the isolated life. Now we may not aware how important the emotion is. However, if we encounter that condition like Robinson’s, we may know that we are not individuals, and we can’t live alone in the world. Kinship, friendship and love are indispensable in our life, and they are priceless treasure which are

worth maintaining by our life.

The sentences I like most

1.As I had once done thus in my breaking away from my Parents, so I could not be content now, but I must go and leave the happy View I had of being a rich and thriving Man in my new Plantation, only to pursue a rash and immoderate Desire of rising faster than the Nature of the Thing admitted; and thus I cast my self down again into the deepest Gulph of human Misery that ever Man fell into, or perhaps could be consistent with Life and a State of Health in the World. (p.29)

2.Upon the whole, here was an undoubted Testimony, that there was scarce any Condition in the World so miserable, but there was something Negative or something Positive to be thankful for in it; and let this stand as a Direction from the Experience of the most miserable of all conditions in this World, that we may always find in it something to comfort our selves from, and to set in the description of Good and Evil, on the Credit Side of the Assompt. (p. 50)

3.Now, said I aloud, My dear Father's Words are come to pass: God's Justice has overtaken me, and I have none to help or hear me: I rejected the Voice of Providence.(p. 67)

4.In a word, as my Life was a Life of Sorrow, one way, so it was a Life of Mercy, another; and I wanted nothing to make it a Life of Comfort, but to be able to make my Sense of 5.God's Goodness to me, and Care over me in this Condition, be my daily Consolation; and after I did make a just Improvement of these things, I went away and was no more sad. (p. 97)

6.Thus we never see the true State of our Condition, till it is illustrated to us by its Contraries; nor know how to value what we enjoy, but by the want of it. (p.102)

7.I have been in all my Circumstances a Memento to those who are touched with the general Plague of Mankind, whence, for ought I know, one half of their Miseries flow; I mean, that of not being satisfied with the Station wherein God and Nature has placed them; for not to look back upon my primitive Condition, and the excellent Advice of my Father, the Opposition to which was, as I may call it, my ORIGINAL SIN.

8.It happened one Day about Noon going towards my Boat, I was exceedingly surprised with the Print of a Man's naked Foot on the Shore.(p. 112)

9.When I came to England, I was as perfect a Stranger to all the World as if I had never been known there. (p. 200)

10.No shoots, says Friday, no yet, me shoot now, me no kill; me stay, give you one more laugh. (p. 213)

11.And thus I have given the first Part of a Life of Fortune and Adventure, a Life of Providence's Cherquer-Work, and of a Variety which the World will seldom be able to show the like of: Beginning foolishly, but closing much more happily than any Part of it ever gave me Leave so much as to hope for. (p. 219)