Question

Now that you’ve closely read and analyzed the story “The Most Dangerous Game,” you’ve seen how Richard Connell portrays the different aspects of the main characters’ personalities. 

In light of the events in the story, consider whether humans are truly civilized. Are humans any different from animals? Write your response in two or three short paragraphs. Use examples from the story and from your own life in your response.

Answer 1

While humans can sometimes behave in inhuman and animalistic ways, on the whole we’re pretty civilized. When living in the confines of a civilized society, most humans typically follow the rules of the society. A normal, stable person would not harm other people or animals for fun. The only time humans may forget about being civilized is when their own lives or the lives of those they love are threatened.

In the story, when Rainsford is on the yacht, he brags about being an unemotional hunter. He admires the sophistication of Zaroff’s house and even the man himself. However, as soon as he figures out that he is the next game that Zaroff intends to hunt, he runs for dear life. Toward the end, after playing the hunting game with Zaroff, Rainsford even calls himself “an animal at bay,” which implies that an animal lies dormant in every human. Also, the fact that Zaroff can hunt down other human beings for fun shows his predator instincts.

In real life too, there are incidents in which humans exhibit uncivilized and animal-like behavior. Take, for example, warring nations, which use troops to kill one another. The violence of war sometimes makes me wonder whether humans are actually evolved and civilized. There are also reports of people committing murder, torture, and other violent acts. But I’d like to believe that the humans who commit such despicable acts are definitely not the norm.

So what are the differences between humans and other animals? Humans have the ability to understand right from wrong and to reason. As Zaroff says in the story, reason is what distinguishes humans from other animals. In contrast, animals do not have a sense of morality. But then again, humans kill animals for sport, whereas animals kill other animals only when hungry. This animalistic behavior in humans is the exception, not the rule. On the whole, I believe human beings are civilized.

Explanation: PLATO ANSWER :) Hope this helps!

Answer 2

I believe that humans are similar to animals, just more advanced. According to General Zaroff, the only thing that destinguishes humans from animals is the ability to reason. When he explains why he believed humans were the most dangerous game, he states, "It must have courage, cunning, and, above all, it must be able to reason."

In my personal experience, humans are similar to animals due to social structures and instincts. As much as we like to think humans are civil, almost everything humans do is for survival, just like animals. I also agree with Rainsford when he states at the beginning of the story that the world "is made of hunters and huntees." That logic applies to both humans and animals, and it creates balance in the world.