Diploma in Engineering: Applied English: Treasure in the Fores Exercise Solution

Summary

"The Treasure in the Forest” is an ominous adventure story in which two men search for Spanish treasure, letting greed get the better of their awareness. As the story moves ahead to show how power and greed corrupt human beings.

The fundamental message of The Treasure in the Forest is to not take risks when we are unprepared. The two Englishmen took risks in an unfamiliar wilderness and were killed soon. This story was about two Englishmen who heard about gold on an island and obtained a map from a Chinese. So they paddled a canoe to the island, having fallen asleep aboard the boat. They drove their boat into a lagoon and up a river in the forest, following the chart and successfully arriving at their destination. When they discovered the death of the Chinese they had spoken with, they were terrified and began to worry about their safety, but nothing occurred. They were packing the gold when Evans received a puncture from the gold. Evans tried to forget about it, but the deadly puncture caused him to die for a short time. Evans urged the other man, Hooker, to discard the bad gold. Hooker, on the other hand, was afraid and didn‘t even understand what his friend told him, and Hooker accidentally touched the gold. Finally, both of the men died. 

This story succeeds in depicting the dreadful scenario when they confronted the danger, and the outcome of taking the risk will draw attention to others. 

Dwell upon the Text

Answer the following questions. 

1. Describe the expository scene of the story. 

Ans: The expository scene of the story begins with two men Evans and Hooker looking at a map, paddling their canoe towards an island, as indicated on the map. The two were in search of some spectal spot. 

2. What does the map look like and how do Evan and Hooker interpret it? 

Ans: The map looks like wom-out paper. The line in it was interpreted by Evans as a river and a star in it was the place which they were trying to find. 

3. How did Evan and Hooker know about the treasure? 

And: Evan and Hooker know about the treasure as they heard the conversation between the Chinese man Chang-hi and from the map he had. 

4. Describe Evan's dream. 

Ans: In his dream, Evans saw Chinese men who came from different provinces, sitting down and conversing in pigeon English. From the conversation, he knew that Chang-hi has got the treasure from a Spanish stranded ship. Evan pulled his pigtail. in the end, Chang-hi grinned the most incomprehensible grin. 

5. What do the two treasure hunters see when they walk towards the island? 

Ans: The two treasure hunters saw that it was a cold dark dense jungle. A man lay close to a spot dug. 

6. In what condition did the treasure hunters find the dead man? 

Ans: The treasure hunters found a dead man with a puffed purple neck and swollen hands and ankles. He was not even buried properly. 

7. How did the treasure hunters try to carry gold ingots to the canoe? 

And: The treasure hunters tried to carry the gold ingots to the canoe with the help of Evans’ jacket. 

8. How were Evans and Hooker poisoned? 

Ans: Evans and Hooker were poisoned by the use of poisonous Dyaks poison thorns. 

9. How do you know the story is set on a tropical island? 

Ans: The story mentions the two characters paddling in the blazing heat. Later, when they enter the forest, it was full of dense tall trees with thick undergrowth and a canopy of branches and leaves above. It was a place where rivers met the sea. 

10. Why do you think Evan and Hooker took such a risk of Ending the buried treasure on a desert island? 

Evan and Hooker must have taken such a risk of finding the buried treasure on a desert island in order to be rich all of a sudden. They might also have been tempted by adventurous journeys. 

11. Do you think the narrator of the story is racist? 

To some extent, the narrator sounds racist because he had woven a story where Chinese men speak pigeon English which two of his characters do not completely understand. As England had a large empire when this writer was active, the English people were proud of their pOWer. They did not think good of other colour people. For them, non-white people were inferior to white people. 

Reflect on the Text . 

a. Describe the setting of the story including its topographical feature, climate and time. 

Ans: The story was written in the twentieth century when the search for treasure/wealth got high priority. The story is set on a tropical island with thick Vegetation. The place was very hot. It was an uninhabited island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. 

b. Why do men take the risk of treasure hunting? Why do you think Evan and Hooker took such a risk? 

Ans: Treasure hunting was an aspiration of many people in the twentieth century. People were ambitious of earning more money and spending a luxurious life. As the men had got a map with some hints of the treasure, they took the risk of getting rich by fast track. 

c. Find out the racist references in the story. Do you think the author gave such references intentionally? Why or why not? 

Ans: Yes, I find some sort of racist feelings in the narrator of the story when he presents. Evan and Hooker as superior to that of the Chinese man in the story. In fact, a racist is a person who is prejudiced against or antagonistic towards people based on their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized. In the story, we find the Chinese man was brutally killed by Evans and Hooker. When Hooker said to Evans, "Have you lost your wit?", It also reflects dominating nature of Hooker over Ivan. Thus, many instances in the story state that the narrator of the story looks like a racist. 

d. Interpret the story as a moral story. 

Ans: There is a proverb in the Nepali language, “There is money in the anus of a bear.” The meaning is very clear: he who can subdue the bear, can get money. It’s not easy to earn money. The two people in the story have taken risk of subduing a bear but they are not able to do so. Another moral of the story is that greed is the cause of one’s downfall. There are hundreds of stories in almost all languages where the writers show the negative effect of greed. The proverb “Be content with what you have” exactly applies to this story. Similarly, lust for gold is not good. There is a Nepali convention that says if you find gold, it brings a bad omen. To some extent the convention is true. Desiring expensive golden jewelry may lead to debt. Debt brings mental burdens and pressure upon a person. In the story, the unethical desire for gold has led to an unhappy ending for the two young characters. 

Beyond the Text

a. Interpret the story as a suspense story. 

Ans: Suspense is a state or feeling of excitement or anxiousness and uncertainty about what may happen. Many writers of stones, dramas. novels, or even films create suspense to capture the attention of the audience. The audience wants to know what happens ahead. There is suspense in the story from the beginning like who these people are, where they are going, why they are going, what kind of place the island is, what treasure is buried there. To get the answer to all these questions, one must read the story. 

b. Compare and contrast ‘The Treasure in the Forest’ with a Nepali folk tale you have heard in your childhood. 

Ans: I read a story about a greedy Brahmin and a Lion. The lion had fallen into a pool. As the lion was very old, it could not come out of the pool with its own strength. It was too old to hunt animals for its food. The lion told the Brahmin that he would give him a golden bracelet if he took it out of the pool. Thinking of the golden bracelet, the Brahmin pulls the lion out but the lion attacks him and kills him.