Out of Africa

1. Out of Africa The Iguana By : Isak Dinesen

2. Form • The Iguana is written in a form of a narrative essay . The reader can get from the essay that Dinesen is a kind of a character that is attracted to beautiful things .

3. Theme • Possessing something especially if possession involves taking it from its place or originmay destroy the beauty one seeks to possess .Dinesen narrates that she was attracted to the colors of the Iguana and shot it to use its skin but she was surprised to find that it lost its beautiful colors once it’s dead .

4. Comparison • Dinesen compares the Iguana after being dead to a “ lump of concrete” and adds that the Iguana is dead as a “Sandbag “

5. Quotation (1) • Dinesen says “Often since I have , in some sort ,shot an Iguana “ . This quotation means that Dinesen has repeated that same mistake ; it’s not only the Iguana that she shot and took out of its environment but also she mentions the “Bracelet “ and the “Stuffed fish”.

6. The Bracelet • Dinesen says that she took a bracelet from a native girl because it looked so beautiful when the girl was wearing it . But didn’t match the color of her skin and she noticed that the beauty of a piece of jewelry or an article of clothing depends on the person wearing it .

7. The Stuffed Fish • Moreover , Dinesen adds that she saw a stuffed fish in the Zoological Museum with its beautiful colors .She says it must have been really beautiful alive if it looks that attractive when dead in a showcase .

8. Quotation (2) • Dinesen says that she read in a book when she was a child “ I have conquered them all , but I am standing amongst graves “ . She means that some victories destroy what they conquer ; reflecting the same theme of her essay that one should take measures to find out whether things will be keeping their value when taken out of the environment or controlled by others

9. Dinesen’s advice • Dinesen ends her narrative essay giving an advice “For the sake of your own eyes and heart , shot not the Iguana “ . Advising the reader not to repeat her mistake and destroy beautiful things ,animals or human beings when taking them out of their environment .