Synopsis of Around The World in 80 Days

The story begins in England. It is about a man named Fogg. He is a rich bachelor who lives alone in a big house with a butler. However no one knows the source of his wealth. He has a few regular habits and very fussy. He fires his former butler, James Foster for bringing him his shaving water two degrees too cold. He then hires Passepartout , a Frenchman of about 30. Later that day in the Reform Club, he gets into a conversation with his friends as to whether it is possible to go around the world in 80 days. He believes it is possible and takes the challenge with a bet of 20,000 pounds. So he and his butler go on their adventure carrying only a carpetbag containing a few clothes and a lot of money. During the travel, he is followed by Detective Fix who assumes that Fogg is the bank robber. Fix believes Fogg is the robber as he matches the description of the bank robber. While in the journey, Fix befriends Passepartout. Fix makes Passepartout wonder whether his master might be the robber. However Passepartout trusts that his master is a good and honest man. Fogg has to face many problems throughout his journey. One of them is when the train in India is discontinued and he has to buy an elephant to continue his journey. There he runs across a gang of bandits and bravely saves Aouda. While in Hong Kong, he also misses the ship to Yokohama. Another problem is when the train from San Francisco to New York is robbed by a gang of robbers and Passepartout is kidnapped. He then misses the dateline when Fix arrests him at Liverpool. However, in the end, everything goes well. Fogg wins the wager and finds a beautiful Aouda as his wife.

A character which shows determination

In the novel Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope, the character that showed great determination is Rudolf Rassendyll.
When the King was kidnapped, Rudolf Rassendyll was determined to free the King from being imprisoned in Zenda Castle. He had agreed earlier to only impersonate as the King for the coronation but after the King was kidnapped, he continued his impersonation. He planned to rescue the King.

In his attempt to rescue the King, he had to risk his life a few times. The Famous Six was sent to kill him when he went to see Antonette at the house she was staying, and Rupert of Hentzau stabbed him from the back when he refused to accept bribe offered by Duke Michael. He was again shot by Rupert on his shoulder when he ran after Rupert for killing Duke Michael.

Rudolf Rassendyll’s honesty was also put into a test when he fell in love with the beautiful Princess Flavia. Instead, he sacrificed his love for her because he was determined to rescue the King. His mission was to return back the throne to the King so that Ruritania would not fall into the hand of the evil Duke Michael and his Famous Six.

In the end his determination led to his success in rescuing the King.

An interesting event in The Prisoner of Zenda

In the novel Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope, the most exciting event is when Rudolf Rassendyll impersonates as the King and has to attend the coronation on the King’s behalf.

This happens when the King has fainted as a result of drinking drugged wine given by Duke Michael. Rudolf Rassendyll has to act as the King because of his resemblance to the King. It is not easy to act as someone else so Sapt has to teach him how to behave like the King. He has to learn about people around him, the King’s likes and dislikes. Fritz seems extremely quiet and nervous while they are on the train from Zenda to Strelsau.

Moreover, Rudolf Rassendyll is shown to be in a very tense situation when he has to meet the officers at the train station and has to ride the horse all by himself through the Old Town of Strelsau where the King is disliked. In fact, the tense atmosphere can be felt when he meets Princess Flavia and Duke Michael during and after the coronation. The two people who are very close to the King may discover his true identity.

It is also exciting when after the coronation; Rudolf Rassendyll and Princess Flavia have to ride the Royal carriage together on their way to the palace. Princess Flavia mentions that she has noticed some changes in the King, and happy to see the changes when in reality the man in the carriage is Rudolf Rassendyll not the King.

This is definitely the event which I find interesting.

The Prisoner of Zenda: Theme - Brave

The Prisoner of Zenda

The theme “brave” is obvious in the novel “The Prisoner of Zenda”. Rudolf Rassendyll shows that he is brave when he agrees to impersonate as the King for the coronation, even though he knows it is dangerous. If his impersonation is revealed, he may be killed by Duke Michael. Rudolf Rassendyll is also brave to ride alone in the Old Town although he knows that the King is disliked by the people of Old Town. Furthermore, Rudolf Rassendlyll displays that he is brave to rescue the King. When he arrives at Zenda Castle, Detchard is about to kill the King but he fights Detchard bravely and kills him.

Exercise: "The Prisoner of Zenda"

Fill in the blanks with the words listed below.

watch adventurous colourful befriend dull

fiancée Fritz Experience King Duke Michael

self-esteem lodge Impersonate out honourable

eloped bravery throne character admirable


Question: Choose one character that you like the most?

I would definitely like to emulate Rudolf Rassendyll from the novel, “The Prisoner of Zenda”, written by Anthony Hope because he has many 1) _____________ qualities.
By being 2)________________, Rassendyll becomes a person with lots of 3) and knowledge at a young age. His adventure in Ruritania makes his life more 4). If he has not decided to 5)_______________ the coronation, he may have not met Princess Flavia, 6) ______________ and Sapt, met the cruel 7) _________________________ and his Famous Six and experience the life of a 8)______________. I myself would like to be adventurous like Rassendyll so that my life won’t be so 9) ________________ .
Through Rassendyll, I learn that one must be 10) ______________ in order to gain respect from others and to maintain 11)_______________. Rassendyll has not 12)____________ with Princess Flavia because he believes that it is not honourable to take something which does not 13)_______________ to him. Princess Flavia is after all the King’s 14)______________. The King has also treated him as a friend and has invited him to have dinner with him at the 15) __________.
Rassendyll furthermore, has shown that courage and 16) ___________are essential qualities to go through life as our life is not always bed and roses. In this novel, Rassendyll 17) _____________ as the King and on the King’s behalf, he takes the 18) _________. This is not an easy task as Duke Michael may find 19) ___________ his impersonation and kill him. Yet, Rassendyll still continues his impersonation in his attempt to rescue the King from Zenda Castle.
By examining the above qualities found in Rassendyll, it is undeniable that he is indeed the best 20) __________________ to emulate.

Don't get confuse

Question:What is the different between " Burn the midnight's oil" and "Burn the candle at both ends"?

Answer: "Burn the midnight's oil" means work hard till midnight while "Burn the candle at both ends" means to overwork.

Sample sentences
1. Jim wants to pass his PMR with flying colours.So, every day, he burns the midnight's oil. He will only go to bed when he has completed his homework and has done his revision.

2. Puan Hasina advised Jim to have a rest.She said" You should not burn the candle at both ends.You may fall sick due to lack of rest. You must eat well and have enough sleep."

The Prisoner of Zenda

Synopsis

This novel is about a young man,named Rudolf Rassendyll, who gets involved in the affair of a country called Ruritania. His adventure begins when he visits the country to watch the coronation of the new King.He has to rent a room in an inn in Zenda as there is no vacant room in Strelsau,the capital city of Ruritania.The next morning, he has a walk in Zenda Forest and met The king.To their surprise,they discover that they look similar. They become friend immediately.The King invites him to his lodge where they have dinner together.

While they are having dinner, the King's brother,Duke Michael sends a bottle of wine. The King drinks the wine which has been drugged and as a result becomes unconscious the morning of the coronation. Rassendyll has no choice but to replace the King for the coronation.

At the coronation,he meets Princess Falvia and falls in love at first sight.He does not tell her about his real identity for the King's safety.After the coronation, he has to face many challenges in his quest to save the King.Yet as Princess Flavia is the King's fiancee,he lets her marry the King. He lives alone by himself at the Alps Mountain and visits his friend, Fritz,the King's servant once a year. Through Fritz, both he and Princess Flavia exchange roses.