The Mark of the Beast Short Story By

The Mark of the Beast Short Story By Rudyard Kipling SMIC English 12 Regular

Reading Quiz • What crime does Fleete commit in his state of drunkenness? • Why do the temple priests let the British intruders go? • What are the first signs that something strange is happening to Fleete? • What does Dumoise, the doctor, believe has happened to Fleete? • How do Stickland the narrator restore Fleet to his former self?

Title: Allusion to Revelation, The Bible

• Allusion to Nebuchadnezzar, The Bible, Daniel Etching of Nebuchadnezzer by William Blake

Nebuchadnezzar • King of Babylon from 605 to 562 BC. – expanded the neo-Babylonian empire & rebuilt temples and public buildings – He laid siege to Jerusalem twice and when the city fell, the Temple was destroyed, and a large part of Judah's population was exiled to Babylonia. • Nebuchadnezzar put the Israelite Daniel on his regular staff of advisors. • Daniel interprets dreams for the king, one being that the king will be forced out of his palace to live with the animals in the fields and eat grass like a cow for seven years, until he finally realizes that God is the ultimate authority. • Twelve months after the dream, Nebuchadnezzar through his pride, was commending himself on how he by his own power built the beautiful city of Babylon. While he was speaking these words, the Lord struck him down to live like an animal in the fields. At the end of seven years his sanity returned, and he praised and worshiped God. When his mind returned, so did his honor, and his kingdom, with even greater honor than before. Then Nebuchadnezzar praised and glorified and honored the King of Heaven. (Daniel, chapter 4).

Sample responses • Narrator: writer who has lived in India long enough to appreciate the customs and people • Fleete: landowner by inheritance, disgruntled, disrespectful, drunk • Strickland: local policeman, sympathetic to the customs and people • Dumoise: the local doctor, well-schooled in treating all manner of diseases in India • What they have in common: contact with the Silver Man (leper)

Plot Diagram

Discussion Questions: 1. Does Fleete’s punishment fit his crime? Explain your answer. 2. Is the narrator comfortable with Fleete’s actions in the temple? Why or why not?