Essays

English-Rikki-tikki-tavi

informative essay on the story Rikki-tikki-tavi 

written in 7th grade

Grade = A

I cant be the only one who did not like this story. I can tall you after about a week of analyzing this story it got old. I can say with certainty that I will never read this story of free will ever again. 

Rikki-tikki-tavi

"Just think he saved all our lives"(224). In this short story "Rikki-tikki-tavi," Kipling, creates Rikki-tikki, who must stand up for his family. The villainous snakes Nag and Nagaina show cowardice. Through these characters Kipling shows that being courageous takes a certain kind of person.

Rikki-tikki is the protagonist of the story. Rikki-tikki is a courageous mongoose. The story is about the fight that "Rikki fight single-handed, though the bathrooms of the big bungalow"(228). Rikki fight for his family to keep them safe. He protected them from Nag and Nagaina who were trying to kill them. When Nag and Nagaina threaten his family he stayed then;"if he wanted his full strength and quickness ready"(234). Similarly Rikki-tikki refrains from eating until he is full in order to keep thin and have all his strength to save his family even if that meant risking his life. When Nag managed to get into the bungalow and tried to kill the big man and Rikki jumped on him "he made sure he would be banged to death and for the honor of his family"(241). This shows that Rikki would do anything for his family even if that meant giving up his own life.

Nag and Nagaina are the antagonists of the short story "Rikki-tikki-tavi." In the story Nag and Nagaina show cowardice. When Rikki confronted Nag for the first time Nagaina; "she had crept up behind him as he was talking"(232) Furthermore, Nag and Nagaina show cowardice by doing this, it was two against one and she came up behind without any warning and planned to kill Rikki-tikki. When nag and Nagaina failed to kill Rikki-tikki. Nagaina hatches a plan to kill Rikki-tikki's family. Nagaina makes Nag wait for the big man, "When he comes to bathe in the morning he will not have a stick" (237) Nag and Nagaina are afraid of being beaten to death, so Nag waited until the man was vulnerable. Rikki once again he risked his life for his family even if it meant losing his life.

Chuchundra is the foil for Rikki like Nag and Nagaina he shows cowardice. When Chuchundra first meets Rikki he says, "Don't kill me" (235) After this Rikki asks why a muskrat would kill a muskrat. Chuchundra is a "broken hearted little beast"(235) However, Chuchundra can never work up enough courage to run out to the middle of the room because he is afraid of what might happen if he does.

After Nag was killed Nagaina tries to kill Rikki's family. "If you move I strike, and if you do not move I strike, oh foolish people who killed my Nag"(240,241) Lastly Nagaina has trapped the people by threatening to bite them even if they move or not move. She is playing unfair and hiding behind the reputation of the cobras.

As a conclusion Rikki-tikki-tavi is courageous it took the love for his family to be courageous. Rikki-tikki-tavi is the protagonist of this short story. Nag and Nagaina are the antagonists of the story. The last one is Chuchundra who is the foil for Rikki-tikki. So the conclusion of this short story is that it takes a certain kind of person who can be courageous.