Watership Down - Review.

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Term 2 Book Report 2003

Name: Wong Yun Sheng Calvin [2O/23]

Book: Watership Down

Author: Richard Adams

Publisher: Puffin Books

Contents:

  • Novel Synopsis
  • Character Analysis
  • Personal Response

Novel Synopsis

One day Fiver, sensing danger, convinces his brother Hazel that they must leave their warren. Hazel tries to warn the Chief Rabbit of the danger Fiver predicts, but he does not listen. Hazel gathers a group of rabbits that are willing to leave with him and go along until they reach another warren of rabbits. These rabbits are very strange and act differently from other rabbits. Hazel and his group decided to leave after Bigwig get caught in a wire, for they realize that the farmer living nearby puts out food for the rabbits so they become big and healthy; then the man catches them in traps and kill them. After many days of travel, Hazel and the others come to Watership Down, which they feel is an excellent place for a warren. The soil is perfect, and enemies can be spotted from many miles away. Here they dig burrows and the rabbits seem satisfied for a period of time. Hazel made friends with animals such as mice and even a bird named Kehaar. Hazel then realized that the warren needs does to survive, or reproduction and continuation of the rabbit generations will be impossible. He uses Kehaar to find some does. They make a raid on a farm and bring back two does. Then three of the rabbits leave to visit a big warren nearby to ask for more does. However, the party came back tired and injured because the warren Efrafa does not agree to give up the does, and instead forced the group to stay behind. Thus they had to escape. Hazel decides that almost all of the rabbits must go and steal some does. The rabbits came up with a great plan where Bigwig would ask General Woundwort, the leader, if he could be in the military. Bigwig is accepted and leads ten does onto a boat in the river. Efrafa tries to stop Bigwig, but they fail. After some time at Watership Down, the Efrafa military and Woundwort came to take back the does from Watership Down. Hazel comes up with a unique plan to fill all the holes with dirt. All crowd into one room with Bigwig guarding the one entrance. Hazel and two others go to lure the dog from the farm to the warren to kill the enemy. The plan works, and Woundwort escapes and is never seen again. The rest of the enemy leaves while some decide to stay at Watership Down. Efrafa and Watership Down make peace and they decide to start another warren with some rabbits from each of the two warrens. The story ends with a somewhat religious twist, as a messenger from a somewhat “assumed” God comes, and Hazel ascends to Rabbit Heaven.

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Character Anaylsis

The story of Watership Down consists of a group of rabbits, but not in the simple sense that humans commonly view them. These rabbits are complex creatures with emotions, logic, religion, and a social structure. Examples are shown in the book, such as when their home is threatened they act in the same fashion as humans would. The rabbits possess real personalities, and these personalities play of each other to create natural-feeling heroics and conflict. These complex characters can speak, making them more human-like; the story is based on their reality, from their perspective. But for them, like ...

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