No Room in the Ark is
the book our text is taken from. The title is a parody
of a Bible story. As is said in Genesis, after God created
mankind and put them on the earth, he later found they
became wicked. With regret God decided to send a flood
to destroy every living being on the earth. But God was
pleased with Noah, the only good man God could find at
that time. So God commanded Noah to build an ark, a covered
boat, and take into the boat with him his family, a male
and female of every kind of animal and bird. Then the
flood came on the earth and continued for forty days.
Every living being on the earth died with the only exception
of Noah and those who were with him in the ark. So when
there is no room in the ark for an animal, that animal
is really facing the danger of extinction.
A Most Forgiving Ape
is mainly a narration of how the author managed to closely
observe the gorilla in its wild state in Central Africa.
His love for the natural beauty of Africa and the gorilla
is unreservedly expressed throughout the narration. His
purpose, of course, is not to entertain the reader with
the description of some rare animal. He is really warning
the world that the gorilla, so lovely an animal, is facing
the danger of extinction unless some effective measures
are taken.
The title itself is arresting.
It promptly arouses the reader’s interest, for it sharply
contrasts with the stereotyped image of the ape—a ferocious
animal. The word ‘forgiving’ brings out precisely the
basic nature of the gorilla.
The author begins with the description
of the mountains in which the gorillas live. Then he inserts
a brief account of the gorilla in various aspects before
he comes to describing his exciting encounter with the
gorilla. This account is important. By resenting to the
reader a charming-looking, forgiving animal with some
human qualities and pointing out that this rare species
is still being butchered by tribesmen, the author clearly
conveys his meaning: effective measures must be taken
to protect this rare and lovely animal.
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