PT3 Section D: Literature Component: Around The World In Eighty Days



                                      

Do you think the setting of the story you have read helps to make the novel more interesting?

             
             In my opinion, the setting of Jules Verne’s ‘Around The World In Eighty Days’ helps to make the novel more interesting.


            Without the thick jungle, Phileas Fogg’s elephant ride to Allahabad won’t be interesting.  The jungle has an air of sinisterness because it is the territory of the bandits who kidnap Aouda.  Phileas Fogg and Passepartout rescue the princess by cutting open the hut that imprisons her.  The scene of the bandits chasing them gives one an adrenaline rush, for they could be killed anytime by the shooting arrows.


            In America, the high Rocky Mountain and the shaky bridge make one worry about the safety of Phileas Fogg and his companions in the train.  My heart literally falls with the bridge  after the train has reached the other side of the mountain. The dramatic descriptions of the situation enable me to visualize the thrill well.


            In the final leg of their journey, Phileas Fogg and his companions are crossing the sea to Liverpool.  Their ship is running out of coal and the crew have to burn the top of the ship to keep it going.  I can feel the mounting tension from the well-worded descriptions of the setting.


            In conclusion, the setting does a good job in making the novel more interesting.

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