Daniel Quinn's Ishmael

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Daniel Quinn’s thesis in Ishmael is that humans are living a myth and that myth is destroying the Earth. Humans are living a myth that the Earth was created for humans and that they would have dominance over the planet and it creatures. Ishmael and the narrator are the two main characters in Ishmael. Ismael is a gorilla that seeks a pupil to teach what he has learned and experienced in his life in captivity. The narrator is a man who was once a young child who sought a teacher to teach them how to save the world, but has given up. The book starts with the narrator finding an ad about a teacher seeking a pupil that is interested in saving the world. The narrator meets Ishmael, who put out the ad, and learns about Ishmael’s past. The narrator …show more content…

Ishmael then explains that the narrator’s creation story is a myth and then tells the narrator a creation story that ends with the creation of jellyfish. Ishmael teaches the narrator that the myth is that the Earth was created for humans and that the myth is the central idea in Taker culture. Ishmael tells the narrator to come back tomorrow with the middle of the Taker culture story. The narrator returns the next day with the middle of the story and tells Ishmael that the middle part is the hunter and gatherer era. The narrator then realizes that part of the Taker culture is that man was made to conquer and rule the Earth. Ishmael has successfully taught the narrator the beginning and middle parts of the story of Taker culture. Ishmael tells the narrator to return tomorrow to learn the end of the story. While reviewing the beginning and middle parts of the story, the narrator realizes the rest of the story of Taker culture. Ishmael then tells the narrator to not come back until he is able to figure out the laws of life. It takes the narrator four days to figure out the laws of life. Ishmael then continues his lessons with the narrator until the narrator gets sidetracked with personal problems and is unable to visit Ishmael. As soon as he feels bad for Ishmael, the narrator visits Ismael and learns that Ishmael was evicted out of the

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