Caroline Soffer September 22, 2009 Period 3-Mrs.

Rowe Watership Down Assessment 1) I think that Richard Adams is suggesting that Fiver could be compared to Cassandra. In the Greek myth, Cassandra is given the gift of being able to see the future. But then Apollo places a curse on her so that nobody believes what she says. This is definitely something that could apply to Fiver. For example, throughout the first five chapters, Fiver tells Hazel that he can predict blood on the fields. Hazel does not believe Fiver at first, but eventually gives in. They then proceed to the Chief Rabbit to tell him Fivers prediction. The Chief Rabbit does not believe Fiver. This shows evidence that Fiver has traits like Cassandras. Another example is when everyone thinks that Hazel is dead, but Fiver can tell that he is in fact mortally wounded, but alive and that he is waiting in shelter until he heals. At first nobody believes him, but then they decide to help. My final example is when Hazel is about to go to Nuthanger Farm to rescue the does. Before Hazel leaves, Fiver warns him not to go. He says that he can predict something bad happening. Hazel does not believe Fiver and goes anyway. But, In the process he gets shot in the leg. Hazel realizes that Fiver was right. When I was first introduced to Fiver, I thought he was crazy. But, when I saw the Cassandra allusion, I became a lot more sympathetic to Fiver and began to think that he might actually be telling the truth.

2) Adams uses verisimilitude very frequently and does a good job of using it. For example, in the beginning of the book, there is a map marked with real places in the English countryside and then detailed with the locations of important events in the story. This makes the reader believe that these things actually happened and that he or she could go to the places described in the map. Another example is the language that the rabbits speak, Lapine. Adams intertwined use of Lapine into Watership Down in such a way that you would believe that it was a real language. Adams also has an Lapine index in the back of the book. These two things make the reader feel that Lapine is a real language. My last example is how the author has set up the warrens. The warrens seem to be set up just like communities today. There is a person in charge (Chief Rabbit), his allies (Owsla) and citizens. This comparison makes the warrens more believable. I think that this technique changes my understanding of the text. I would not be able to relate to the characters as much if Adams did not use verisimilitude like he did. If the characters were not as believable, I wouldnt have been able to understand as much. The same applies to the events. If he had not written them in a believable way, I wouldnt have understood it.