Eye Opener to the Real World

Throughout the last couple of weeks, Daniel Quinn’s Ishmael provided us with an insight into the evolution of culture through the lens of people who come from different backgrounds. The way that Quinn brought us the message was very eye-catching. The fact that he uses a gorilla was enough to draw my attention to something I wouldn’t normally consider spending my time with. Even though this is a reflection of the book itself, Quinn did a great job capturing readers with the "Teacher seeks pupil. Must have an earnest desire to save the world. Apply in person," line early on in the book.

I ask myself, what are we necessarily trying to save in the world? How ARE we going to save the world? These are a few of the questions that I wanted to be answered. Just reading the book wasn’t enough for me. The discussions we had in class opened my mind up to the deeper meanings embedded in the book. It helped me embrace the ideas of Takers and Leavers and the effect they have on shaping the worlds history for all creatures.

Some people complain that the human race is over exceeding its boundaries set by nature. They argue that Earth is not solely inhabited by humans and we must respect that. We are supposedly “destroying the earth and wrecking the natural ecosystem”. Others say that us humans were created to dwell on this Earth and to do whatever we want since we are the superior race. This takes us back to the Taker/Leaver principle that Ishmael the gorilla was so adamant about. He teaches the narrator that the Taker ideology isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it’s just different.

In the final discussion of Ishmael, the connections to Genesis and the Fall of Man were brought forward. Further dissection of the text led to my conclusion that the Taker’s story is a direct representation of the tree in the garden story. In an article written by Peter Reinwald called “ Ishmael by Daniel Quinn and the movement it inspired,” Reinwald breaks down the intermediaries of all of the different connections Ishmael makes. He says, “Ishmael implores the narrator to think for himself on "how things came to be this way" and to come to the understanding that our culture has been enacting a story from the book of Genesis: that Man is here to conquer the earth.”

 

Citations:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-07-13/features/ct-prj-0714-ishmael-lifes-operating-manual-tom-sha-20130713_1_printers-row-journal-chalice-books/2