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The laws of the jungle and human society in Kipling's work

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Essay 495 words

Jungle Book

Ten laws of the jungle:

Wash daily from nose to tail and drink deeply but never too deep

the night is for hunting and the day is for sleep

the wolf is a hunter

Keep peace with the Lords of the jungle

If you kill before midnight, be silent, and don't wake the woods with your bay

Do not kill for pleasure and never kill a man

Don't carry meat to your lair

Cub-Right is the right of the Yearling

Lair-Right is the right of the mother

Cave-right is the right of the Father

Are the laws like human laws? If so, how?

The laws of the jungle are like human laws in that they teach how to be a part of a bigger society. The story is about a boy finding his way in the world of the jungle. Mowgli is schooled in the laws of the jungle by the wolves and because of this he grows up thinking that he is a wolf. Throughout the course of the story, Mowgli grows, and he ends up discovering that he is not who he thinks he is. He goes against the laws of the jungle just as humans go against the laws of society. Society gives us a set of rules that we must adhere to in order to be a functioning part of that society and the laws of the jungle are no different. They are there in order to help one find his place and keep his place in society. Kipling, however, seems to suggest that the rules of the jungle are superior to the rules of the human world, which proves for an interesting view of the world. If the jungle is a place where there is order, then what is the human world like?

Words with early English spelling: Thine (which means yours);

Use of metaphor, foreshadowing, simile, hyperbole, etc.: The jungle, though it is normally representative of a place where the wild cannot be tamed, is a place of high order. In general, Kipling has seemed to make the jungle in his book superior to that of the human world. The animals in the jungle have laws and they all seem to abide by those laws, whereas humans don't always abide by the laws of humankind.

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The wolves in the story are representative of high social order. They are wise and are obviously capable of being compassionate. The monkeys in the…
Key Concepts in This Paper
Jungle Book Rudyard Kipling laws of the jungle Mowgli social order human society comparison animal symbolism
Cite This Paper
PaperDue. (2011). The laws of the jungle and human society in Kipling's work. PaperDue. https://www.paperdue.com/essay/jungle-book-ten-laws-of-3320

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