King Solomon's Mines

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King Solomon's Mines

• By H. Rider haggard
• Published 1885

2
Biography

• He was born 22 June 1856 in Norfolk, Henry Rider
  Haggard was the son of William Meybohm Rider
  Haggard and Ella Doveton Haggard.
• His schooling included education at home by
  private tutors and some time at Ipswich Grammar
  School.
• At age nineteen Haggard left England to join the
  staff of Sir Henry Bulwer, lieutenant governor of
  Natal, South Africa.
• When English policy on South Africa changed,
  Haggard returned to England.

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Biography

• H. Rider Haggard is best remembered by general
  readers of fantasy for his fourth and fifth
  books, King Solomon's Mines (1885) and She A
  History of Adventure (1886)

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Biography

• Haggard these works were just the start of his
  profitable thirty-nine-year writing career, which
  includes his development of further adventures
  for the main characters of King Solomon's Mines
  and She
• Influenced by the writings of Robert Louis
  Stevenson and Olive Schreiner , Haggard

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Biography

• In 1912 he was knighted.
• He died on 14 May 1925.
• His autobiography, The Days of My Life, was
  published in 1926.

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Setting

• The story starts outs and ends in the hills of
  Durban, South Africa.
• They travel across Africa and in to a desert
  where they almost die
• Then into frigid mountains called Sheba's breasts
• Finally into what is known as kukuanaland
• A lush oasis in between two mountain ranges.

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Main characters

• Allan Quatermain he is the "map" in the quest
  for the long lost brother of Sir Henry Curtis. He
  is an English explorer and sportsman. He
  discovers the treasure.
• Sir Henry Curtis friend and companion of
  Quatermain. His brother is lost.
• Captain John Good retired navy officer. friend
  on the expedition
• George Neville Sir Curtis's brother. He is lost
  and hurt in search of King Solomon's mines
• Umbopa a native who they take along on the
  expedition. He is well spoken and formal. He
  turns out to be a Ignosi, the long lost king of
  Kukuanas.

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Main characters

• Twala is the king of kukuwanaland when
  quatermain and the others arive
• He is a very bad man and his son twice as bad
• Gagool Twalas witch doctorvery evil and ends up
  being crushed by her own magic stone.

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Plot summary

• Sir Henry Curtis requests for Allan Quatermain
  and Captain John Good to accompany him on an
  expedition in search of his brother, George
  Neville, who had been missing.
• He was last seen heading north in search of the
  fabled King Solomon's Mines which were full of
  treasures and jewels.
• The three of them along with Umbopa and several
  servants head out on a journey accross the desert
  that was long and hard.
• Dying of thirst, they reach a mountain range
  called Suliman Berg (or shebas breast).

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Plot summary

• They enter a cave in the peak of the mountaiin
  and they find the frozen corpse Jose Silvestra,
  the 16th century Portugese explorer who drew the
  map of King Solomon's mines in his own blood.
• They lose one of their servants and they buried
  him next to the body of Silvestra to give him a
  companion..

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Plot summary

• THE QUEST CONTINUES

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Plot summary

• What's left of the crew enter a valley known as
  Kukuanaland. Not long after they enter this
  beautiful green valley, they come accross the
  Kukuana warriors.
• They are prepared to kill the crew when Captain
  Good fidgets with his false teeth making the
  warriors cringe with fear.
• They are required to prove that they are "white
  men from the stars" and that they have divine
  power.

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Plot summary

• They are then brought before King Twala who is a
  violent ruthless ruler and leader.
• He earned his power by murdering his brother and
  chasing his brother's wife and child, Ignosi into
  the desert to die.
• The king's advisor is a woman named Gagool who is
  required to murder anyone who shows defiance to
  the king.
• She senses a secret in Umbopa which was a secret
  soon revealed that he is the long lost king of
  Kukuanaland.

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Plot summary

• A great rebellion broke out after several chiefs
  swear their allegiance to ignosi the born king of
  kukuwanaland.
• Ignosi takes power and forces Gagool to show
  Quatermain and the others the giant stash of
  diamonds.
• They are able to escape with only a few diamonds
  and are able to return to England.
• On the way back they find Sir Henry Curtis lost
  brother.

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Literary Elements

• The story predominantly occurs in 1st person,
  told by Allan Quartermain
• The 1st person narrative is told in a fairly
  straight forward way, creating a sense of honest
  recollection of the story
• The book consists of mostly descriptive language,
  however dialog is very simple and commonplace
  language, giving a feeling of realism,
• The entire story rests in a adventure for finding
  sir Henry Curtiss brother.
• And a sense of wealth through hardships is forged
  in the end when they find a number of diamonds,
  ivory and other valuable treasures and escape to
  live comfortable lives.

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Quotes

• The almighty gave us our lives, and I suppose he
  meant us to defend them, at least Ive always
  done that, and I hope it will not be brought up
  against me when my clock strikes.- Allen
  Quartermain
• This quote is stated right in the beginning of
  the book.
• Allen Quartermain is explaining his reasoning for
  his defense of his life, while establishing that
  he is not cruel enough to take one unless his own
  is threatened.

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Quotes

• in the end you begin to accept it all you
  watch thing hunting and being hunted,
  reproducing, killing, and dying, its all endless
  and pointless, except in the end one small
  pattern emerges from it all, the only certainty
  the one is born, one lives for a time then dies,
  that is all
• The author is beginning to realize about what he
  sees at the time as a cycle of life, and that all
  men die and the only things that are certain is
  birth and death.

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Quotes

• surely thought I, he is not going to try and
  shave
• This I one of the jokes in the book. Captian Good
  is O.C.D. for being clean. so in this quote
  Quartermain is making fun of Good.

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Critical analysis

• Luke
• Overall the book was great
• The book had decent passage structure
• Haggard's way of explaining the thrill events
  surpasses any other books I have read.
• The event kept you on the edge of you seat
• Constant foreshadowing and allusions kept you
  guessing.
• I would in a heart beat suggest this book to any
  one I pass.

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Critical analysis

• Taylor thinks this book was great. Really great!
• Mario thinks Taylor Ross thinks this book was
  great too. Really great!

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Critical analysis

• Taylor also thought that the book was very
  descriptive and had a lot of detail. It was very
  interesting. The adventure kept you locked to the
  pages of the book. When I got to the third or
  fourth chapter, I couldnt book the book down..
  (not really) but it was still really good. D
  Good job author

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Critical analysis

• Joe
• The book in my opinion, stands as an interesting,
  however different piece of literature, however it
  was very descriptive, however much of the words
  were used in descript, not dialogue, however the
  books was still exceptional. ?

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Works cited

• Mla for king solomons mines