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Reviews tagging 'Racism'
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, Fiction, Classics by Rudyard Kipling
10 reviews
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Violence, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, War
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War
Moderate: Torture
Physical abuse as a method of disciplinary punishment
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.”
The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book are a collection of stories set in India, where most characters are animals. Within these stories, one of the most recognizable is the story of the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, who is raised in the jungle by wolves.
For the most part, I found these stories interesting, however, I was not very interested in them. I cannot pinpoint why I was not interested, but, alas, I was not very interested. Therefore, I cannot give a more detailed review.
The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book are a collection of stories set in India, where most characters are animals. Within these stories, one of the most recognizable is the story of the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, who is raised in the jungle by wolves.
For the most part, I found these stories interesting, however, I was not very interested in them. I cannot pinpoint why I was not interested, but, alas, I was not very interested. Therefore, I cannot give a more detailed review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Colonisation
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, Colonisation
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Well, it was about what you’d expect from a British colonialist writing about India. It was interesting to read the stories behind the Disney film, but the ones not included in the film weren’t as memorable. In general, I was a bit surprised by how violent and gruesome it was at times. I will give Kipling that he created some very iconic characters, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation
Minor: Gun violence, War
adventurous
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence
Moderate: Racism, Colonisation
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Violence
Minor: Racism, Slavery, War
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Murder
Minor: Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was pleasantly surprised by this classic - the adventures are fast-paced and it was easy to get into the rhythm of the language, despite the different time it was written in. I tried to view it as much as possible without the lens of modern thinking overlaid, but some of the British colonial ways of talking about the people and cultures of India and Afghanistan sit awkwardly, even though I’d hesitate to call them overtly racist. If anything, I’d say India and the way of life is depicted as exotic and fascinating from a perspective of someone who sees himself as superior, which is, of course, not ok but also not unexpected from an author living in British colonial India during the period. Still, this is a minor aspect of the book as it mostly focuses on anthropomorphic animals and their affairs and only a little on people. I was surprised, given the Disney film I remember, that the Mowgli part of the book was only about half of it. The other stories were also engaging and I particularly liked The White Seal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Minor: Animal cruelty, Death, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief
This book is written from the British colonial mindset during India’s time as part of the British colony. There are some negative or ‘othering’ attitudes toward people of colour that come through but these are a minor part of the book, which is a product of its time. I also felt a little surprised by the way children were thought of and treated, which is not in line with my own views of how children should be thought of and treated.