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Rudyard Kipling

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Student Question

What themes connect "How the Leopard Got His Spots" by Kipling and "Best Beloved" by Wayne Santos?

Quick answer:

The themes that develop between Rudyard Kipling's "How the Leopard Got His Spots" and Wayne Santos's "Best Beloved" include foreign threats and bodily transformation. The Ethiopian, the British, and the bad spirits could be considered interlopers. The Ethiopian, the Leopard, and Seah Yuan Ching experience significant changes to their bodies.

Expert Answers

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One theme that connects Rudyard Kipling's "How the Leopard Got His Spots" to Wayne Santos's "Best Beloved" is that of danger. In the works, predation and threat play a pivotal role. In Kipling's story, the threat is the Leopard and the Ethiopian. Together, they prey on the Giraffe and the Zebra. In Santos's narrative, there are multiple threats. There's the threat of the nefarious spirits that take over the streets when the gates of Hell open. Then there's the threat of the British and opium.

In both pieces, threats arise due to an outsider. In "Best Beloved," the spirits and the English are interlopers. In Kipling's story, the Ethiopian who gives the Leopard his spots can be considered an interloper, as he's human and not a natural part of the animal kingdom.

Another theme that develops between the two short stories is transformation. In "Best Beloved," Adam changes Seah Yuan Ching significantly. He makes her feel like she's "glowing" and "radiating some kind of light." He also exposes her to things, like a British music concert, that deeply impact her. In Kipling's tale, transformation is crucial. The Ethiopian, on his own, changes his skin color. Then he changes the Leopard's appearance. These alterations are crucial, because they allow the duo to hunt effectively again.

An additional observation that could connect themes in the two works is the centrality of partnerships. Think about the similarities and differences between Adam and Seah Yuan Ching's bond and the Ethiopian and the Leopard's alliance.

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