Push play. If you don't recognize that call, you're either deaf or dead.
Tarzan. At least, that's how the movie makers at MGM made him sound in 1932.
Originally published in a pulp magazine, the name, and the various versions of the Tarzan story are now a part of our Americana. But how many people know the original story of the ape man?

I was passingly familiar with various movie versions of the story, most recently the Disney version (an almost sugary adaptation compared to the original, but with a really | ![]() | good soundtrack featuring Phil Collins),but also the 1984 version by director Hugh Hudson of "Chariots of Fire" fame, and, unfortunately, the 1981 version featuring Bo Derek. But I had never read any of the books, especially the original. |
"The movie isn't as good as the book" was never more true than for Tarzan. Grant


If you are a bibliophile, you'll definitely want to give it a read.
OK, so that's my book review... really only meant it as background, but that's how it came out... let me be analytical now, from here on there may be spoilers....
There are some in the Christian community that believe Christians should only read "Christian literature". By this they mean only works one would find at a, well, Christian store or in the Christian section of a bookstore. If you enjoy fiction you choice is limited. (There are some really excellent writers out there, like Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti, but you have to sift through tons of really mediocre writing to find any others.) Worse, there are so-called teachers out there that say you should only read the Bible - and their books that tell you what it says, of course.
Sadly, these folks are really missing out. Worse, they are putting themselves in situation that further propagates secular media's stereotype of the "uneducated religious" that they are so fond of making fun of in shows such as "Law and Order". God doesn't want us to be stupid.
Since Tarzan holds such a place of notoriety in the pantheon of Americana, it shouldn't be ignored. Yes, it's about a naked man living in the jungles of Africa, and, yes, there are some very violent scenes (especially for 1912) and some very graphic descriptions of battle wounds ("...A portion of his chest was laid bare to the ribs, three of which had been broken by the mighty blows of the gorilla. One arm was nearly severed by the giant fangs, and a great piece had been torn from his neck, exposing his jugular vein, which the cruel jaws had missed but by a miracle...") And Tarzan, though the hero of the tale, is no prince charming - he steals, he savagely abuses his elders, and he murders. But that's what makes it a great story. He's believable.

Consider this description: through unique circumstances, a human is e

Tarzan also speaks to one of mankind's most prevalent questions: Are we merely animal, or is Man something more. If left to his own devices will a man revert to an animal (as suggested in William Golding's 1954 novel "Lord of the Flies"), or, more interestingly, if a man is raised as an animal, can he rise above it to become more? Mr. Burroughs answer is "Yes he can ... and no, he can't". As the story reaches it's climax, we find Tarzan leaving the jungle to find the woman he loves. He has learned to speak French and through the encouragement of his friend, D'Arnot, he has learned to dress, eat, and generally act like a gentleman. However, when faced with a percieved enemy, Tarzan instinctively attacks and nearly kills the guy - as the law of the jungle has taught him. Tarzan is the epitome of the polarizing conflict within all mankind, the conflict between behavior that we preceive as civilized and that which we see as primitive. Tarzan even makes us wonder at times which is which.
Am I reading too much into a work that is only a few drawings away from being a comic book? Probably. What's my point? I'm not sure I have one, except this:
Get off the computer and go read a book.
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