History 305
Devine/Adams
Spring 2011
Tarzan of the Apes – Homework Assignment
In Tarzan of the Apes, Edgar Rice Burroughs
imprints his generation’s beliefs about race and gender on the behavior of his
characters. Based on your knowledge of late 19th-early 20th
century racial and gender ideologies, rank the following characters on a 1-9 scale
where 1 is the character Burroughs is most
likely to present in a favorable light and 9 is the character he is least likely to present in a favorable
light. After reading Tarzan, re-rank
the characters citing evidence from the book to support your conclusions. The
briefly explain why, in the historical context of 1914 America, readers might
agree with your rankings of Burroughs’ characterizations.
Archimedes
Q. Porter, an elderly white professor who values the superior power of
intellect above all else.
Before reading: After reading:
Evidence:
Jane Porter,
daughter of Archimedes, a well-to-do Victorian lady with a strong sense of
propriety.
Before reading: After reading:
Evidence:
Cecil Clayton, a
young English lord and gentleman stranded on an African shore.
Before
reading: After reading:
Evidence:
Mbonga, the chief
of an African village.
Before
reading: After reading:
Evidence:
Esmaralda, Jane
Porter’s black servant.
Before
reading: After reading:
Evidence:
Robert Canler, a successful American businessman who is to marry
Jane Porter.
Before
reading: After reading:
Evidence:
Snipes,
a sailor and mutineer of indeterminate racial background.
Before
reading: After reading:
Evidence:
Paul D’Arnot, a French gentleman who teaches Tarzan the ways of
the civilized world.
Before
reading: After reading:
Evidence:
Kerchak, the brutal
and heavy-handed leader of the apes.
Before
reading: After reading:
Evidence: