53 pages • 1 hour read
Karel ČapekWar with the Newts
Karel ČapekFiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1936A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
How does Karel Čapek present newspapers and the people who work at them in the novel? How do these elements shape the plot and the novel’s social criticism?
How would you compare and contrast the enslavement of the newts with chattel slavery, including events such as the transatlantic trade of enslaved peoples?
Describe the effects of nationalism and national interests in the war on humans in the war. How do these factors affect their progress?
Is the newt dance symbolic? If so, what does it symbolize and why do humans refuse to grant it symbolic meaning? If it is not symbolic, what purpose does it serve in the novel?
How would you compare and contrast the dance of the newts with human arts, such as poetry, music, and film? How do the characters in the novel compare/contrast them?
How does switching points of view enhance the novel? What does the author gain by including many different perspectives?
How would you compare and contrast the characters of G. H. Bondy and Captain van Toch?
How does Mr. Povondra, an average working class man, act differently than the powerful people in various governments?
Why do the newts focus on England at the beginning of the war? How does this relate to how England presents itself toward other nations and toward the newts?
Consider the role of literary allusions, or references, within the novel. Pick one or two examples and explore the effect of that reference on the section of the novel and then on the novel as a whole.
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