Congo By Crichton Essay, Research Paper

Congo by Michel Crichton was an extraordinary book as well as a movie about a

group of scientists taking a journey into the heart of Africa in search of the

black diamonds, in the lost city of Zinj! While being observed back in the U.S.

over satellite camera, the whole team dies within a matter of seconds by some

unknown being. The scientists back home sent out a second team (Karen as the

leader) to find the others and to pick up where they had started! There was only

one problem with this plan, however. However, there where no flights going to

this part of Africa in the next month. They then came across a group of

scientists that where taking a sign language talking gorilla named Amy. They

where going to the same spot because they thought that this is where Amy was

born, and she keeps on having nightmares about this place. They team looking for

the diamonds asked them to go because the gorilla team needed more money, which

Karen could provide. Once the other team had gotten into the plane and on there

way to Africa, they started being attacked by another country because they where

crossing over there border with out there permission. They where forced to jump

out of the airplane with Amy, to land safely on the ground. Both teams then set

out for the lost city of Zinj. On there journey there Karen had continued

staying in contact with her boss over the satellite, until one day when Amy and

Peter (Amy?s owner) where playing and Amy bumped it and caused it to break.

Her boss then probably thought that she was killed too. Once they reached Zinj,

they found that it sat on the top of a great volcano, but they had also

discovered what had killed the others! They seemed to be a mutant form of a

gorilla, with gray hair and mutated face with incredible intelligence. They

discovered them with in a temple where they would rest during the day. The first

night there they heard rustling around their camp, coming closer and closer to

them. They turned on a spot light right towards them, to discover about 50 of

these gray backs staring them right at them. They started to fire at them making

them flee away! The next day they found the found the mines that the diamonds

where in. They had not been cleaned out at all! All of the diamonds where left

and abandoned, never bothered. While Karen was crying over the diamonds Amy and

Peter where looking around the city while Amy was signing ?Amy scared, Bad

Place, Amy not like. Peter realized that Amy was always having nightmares of her

watching her own mother be killed by these gorillas! She would always make

finger paintings back home of something with a yellow eye. Peter asked her what

it was, and she made him follow her. They came to a temple where inside there

was a huge statue of one of the gray gorillas! He realized that this culture

used to worship these gorillas and train them to guard the mines while they

couldn?t. ?That explains why they are so intelligent, and why they kill all

that come into their territory. Also why they kill by smashing ones head open

with two stone paddles, killing them instantly.? That night they set up camp

at a different location and surrounded the camp with wire that is linked to

automatic machine guns that shoot towards where the line is being pulled. They

all where armed with flashlights and pistols, and some had night vision goggles,

and heat seeking views to see them coming. They thought they where all ready!

That night they heard the same rustling in the brush but when they turned on the

goggles and the views they saw NOTHING! Nothing was coming up in there view at

all. One of the auto machine guns started going off at the back of the camp, and

all of a sudden they all came over the hill and where attacking from all sides.

All hell breaking loose, some swinging down from trees, some lifting the line

and going under. The havoc Only lasted a few minutes until the gorillas started

to retreat. Once they where all gone the turned on all of their spot lights,

which revealed all of the dead gorilla bodies lying dead on the ground. But

there was more that dead gorillas, there where dead HUMANS too! Three of

Karen?s men died all three of their skulls crushed open allowing their bloody

brains to spill out right into the dirt. The very next day they realized that

Amy had run away after the attack, but could not stop to look for her. They all

realized that they had to get out of there that day and never return. They

started packing their things while peter called out to Amy awaiting her arrival

back. Once ready they set out to the mines for the last time to collect the

diamonds, but on their arrival the earth stared to shake more than it usually

did. They then knew that if they didn?t collect some diamonds quick they would

die! They collected a few diamonds and? Both of the endings are to much

different so I will list both of them in the next section of Compare and

Contrast. Compare and Contrast Characters Amy, in the book, had a talent to talk

in sign language so any one who knew how to read it could communicate through

her. But instead of just sign language, in the movie, she whore gloves that

senced every movement of her hands and transmitted it back to a small computer

on her back which verbally said the words out loud in a female computer voice!

This allowing her to talk to anyone that she cared to. Karen in the story was

only in search of the diamonds for her company, to make a new form of energy.

But in the movie she had more important things on her mind. Her husband was on

the first trip out there, which was killed. So she went in search of him and

then would get the diamonds if she could! In the movie there was another man

that helped out in the funds to get down there. He was an explorer that claimed

to have traveled all around the world that would love to go to this part of

Africa. He really turned out to be a fake in search for the diamonds to become

rich. And in the book? well he wasn?t even in the book! In the story,

Karen?s boss was only interested in finding the diamonds to for his company to

become rich while making a new form of energy, while not even caring about his

son?s death. But in the book he still cared about the diamonds but he didn?t

even have a son, at least not in the business, and certainly not dead in Africa!

Compare and Contrast Plot In the story, when they arrived at jungle, they where

fine until night where they attacked by mutant gorillas. They only attacked at

night because they all slept during the day while it was light out. In the story

they also found that they kill by smashing head between rock paddles, killing

people instantly. In this case all of the gorillas died when the volcano

erupted! Peter and Karen got away in a hot air balloon, that the found in

another plane that her boss had sent (which was shot down) WITH Amy. In the

Movie, when they arrived at the jungle they where right away faced by the

gorillas. In This case the gorillas attacked during the day and night any chance

they could. Amy and Peter never really witness them all die however. Karen did

however Killed some gorillas by a laser that worked off of the diamonds, in

order to escape the temple when the gorillas surrounded them. At the every end

Karen and Peter got away in hot air balloon WITH OUT Amy. For she had decided to

stay behind and live with her species of gorilla. If I had to choose which

version of Congo was better I would have to say that the book is much better. It

goes into more detail of everything and adds more suspenseful situations that

allow your mind to go free and create any mental picture that you want. While in

the movie you are restricted to what the present and show to you not allowing

much detail and gore as the book did.