What is the story Leiningen Versus the ants about?
Leiningen Versus the Ants. The story centers on a scrappy, no-nonsense plantation owner called Leiningen (his first name is never mentioned in the story), and his stubborn refusal to abandon his plantation in the face of a seemingly unstoppable mass of army ants, described as "an elemental—an act of God !".
What do the natives watch Leiningen do to the ants?
Leiningen rises, mounts his horse, and rides south. Over the hills, he spies “a darkening hem” (Paragraph 21), going from east to west for 20-square miles. The natives watch, increasingly uncertain about Leiningen’s ability to defeat the ants. They spy “thousands of millions of voracious jaws” (Paragraph 23). The ants get closer to the water ditch.
What does Leiningen do to get rid of the ants?
Leiningen and his workers prepare an elaborate array of moats, levees, dams and canals. They also use gasoline to burn the ants. For days they persevere against the encroaching ants, killing many of them, but gradually Leiningen and his workers are forced back to the hill on which the plantation house sits.
What does Leiningen realize at the end of the story?
By the end of the story, it seems that Leiningen has somewhat realized that he is not capable of solving or escaping from any situation, yet he doesn't seem to have learned as much as he could have. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE... How Much Land Does a Man Need?
What is the symbolism of Leiningen Versus the Ants?
Leiningen's reference indicates his underestimation of the ants and his overestimation of his own strength in the face of potential catastrophe. The reference also subtly hints at a fear of extinction.
What is the setting of Leiningen Versus the Ants?
The setting is a large plantation in Brazil. The story centers on a plantation in Brazil, owned by a stubborn owner called Leiningen, (his first name never mentioned) who refuses to leave his land. Being faced with an army of deadly ants, Leiningen and his loyal peons fight the attack.
What is the plot of Leiningen vs the ants?
Plot summary When the ants reach his estate, Leiningen seals it by filling a moat that surrounds it on four sides, the fourth being a river. The ants attempt to cross over by covering the waters with tree leaves, but he thwarts them repeatedly by emptying then flooding the moat.
What is the climax of Leiningen Versus the Ants?
The climax or turning point occurs when Leiningen decides to flood the ants out. The conflict is resolved when Leiningen floods his plantation to wash out the Ants. The most important implication of the story is that sometimes to destroy something, other important things are lost.
Why did Leiningen will not abandon his land?
The owner of a Brazilian plantation, Leiningen, listens to an agitated District Commissioner warn him about an approaching army of ants, “every single one . . . a fiend from hell.” When Leiningen is adamant that he will not abandon his land, so official throws up his arms, insisting that the plantation owner does not ...
Who is Leiningen?
Leiningen is a build automation and dependency management tool for the simple configuration of software projects written in the Clojure programming language. Leiningen was created by Phil Hagelberg.
What signal did Leiningen give for the men to retreat?
The other army of ants scurries across the ditch, while Leiningen contemplates the inevitable destruction of his plantation. He fires “three revolver shots into the air,” signaling his men to retreat to the “inner moat” (Paragraph 69) filled with petrol. He then rides two miles away to his ranch house.
What country did Leiningen live in?
Leiningen is an industrious coffee plantation owner in Brazil. He has built his farm up through hard work and ingenuity.
What various methods did Leiningen use to overcome the ants quizlet?
Terms in this set (13)Moat.Cutting the branches over the moat and river.The Second ditch of petrol.Petrol sprinklers.throwing sand and dirt at the ants.
What were Leiningen's weaknesses?
Leiningen's greatest weakness was his pride and confidence in his strengths.
What are the defenses against the ants?
Army ants are well known for their destructive raids of other ant colonies. Some known defensive strategies include nest evacuation, modification of nest architecture, blockade of nest entrances using rocks or debris, and direct combat outside the nest.
What was Leiningen's first line of defense against the army ants?
In short order, the ants appear on the horizon in all their fury, and Leiningen displays such uncommon confidence and poise that his superstitious, wary workers are undeterred. The action heats up as the ants begin their assault across the first line of defense, a horseshoe-shaped water ditch.
When was Leiningen Versus the Ants published?
December 1938 . " Leiningen Versus the Ants " by Carl Stephenson is a classic short story published in the December 1938 edition of Esquire. It is a translation, probably by Stephenson himself, of "Leiningens Kampf mit den Ameisen" which was originally published in German in 1938.
What does Leiningen believe?
Unlike his neighbours, Leiningen is not about to give up years of hard work and planning to "an act of God", as he believes in the superiority of the human brain and has already made preparations. He convinces his workers to stay and fight with him.
What happened to Leiningen's nose?
Despite suffering horrible injuries, including ant bites to the inside of his nose and directly below his eyes, Leiningen continues running, reaches the concrete ditch with the blazing petrol and survives.
What happens if Leiningen dams the main river?
However, Leiningen realizes that his original principle of canals and damming can be put to use: if he dams the main river itself, the whole plantation will flood, drowning all the ants. He and his men can take refuge in the heights of the manor house on a hill.
How do ants cross over in the forest?
The ants attempt to cross over by covering the waters with tree leaves, but he thwarts them repeatedly by emptying then flooding the moat. Eventually, the ants breach that line of defence and the men retreat behind a second moat, this time filled with petrol.
What is the short story about the ant admiral?
screams the ant admiral.) The humor magazine National Lampoon parodied the story in a short story called "Leiningen and the Snails", in which the title character faces a swarm of "army snails", and has "merely three weeks" to think of a way to defend the plantation.
Who played Leiningen in MacGyver?
William Conrad again provided the voice of Leiningen for the August 25, 1957 episode and Luis van Rooten played Leiningen in the November 29, 1959 episode. The story inspired "Trumbo's World", the sixth episode of the television series MacGyver. Stock footage from The Naked Jungle was used in the episode.
What does Leiningen suspect the ants are doing?
Leiningen suspects that the ants are preparing “another surprise attack” (Paragraph 50). He orders some of his workers to keep watch along the riverbank overnight and to shine light constantly over the water. Leiningen eats his dinner and goes to sleep, unworried about the ants. At dawn, Leiningen feels refreshed.
How did Leiningen prepare for the ants?
Leiningen, however, has prepared for the ants by constructing a “water-filled ditch” (Paragraph 14) in the shape of a horseshoe. The ditch empties into the river. He’s also built a dam, which allows him to reroute water from the river into the 12-foot ditch.
What order does Leiningen order the worker controlling the dam to diminish the amount of water in the ditch?
The ants have sent more leaves floating across the ditch. Leiningen orders the worker controlling the dam to diminish the amount of water in the ditch “to vanishing point” (Paragraph 64), then to pump the river water back inside. Leiningen tells the worker to repeat this action until ordered to stop.
How many shots does Leiningen fire?
The other army of ants scurries across the ditch, while Leiningen contemplates the inevitable destruction of his plantation. He fires “three revolver shots into the air,” signaling his men to retreat to the “inner moat” (Paragraph 69) filled with petrol. He then rides two miles away to his ranch house.
Why did Leiningen cut the tamarind trees?
For further protection, Leiningen cuts the branches of large tamarind trees that hang over the ditch, making it so that the ants cannot use the branches as a bridge to the moat.
What does Leiningen order him to do?
Leiningen orders him to dump his arms into the petrol. He obeys, but some ants hang on to his arms, requiring another worker to “squash and detach each separate insect” (Paragraph 40). The Indian medicine man then gives the worker a drink that is supposed to reduce the effect of the venom. The water in the ditch rises.
What time do ants reach the ditch?
Both Leiningen and the natives sense that the ants, as primitive as they are, are thinking about how best to reach them and gnaw at their flesh. At four o’clock that afternoon, the flanking armies of ants reach the ends of the ditch that run into the river and are unable to find a way over.
What is the story of Leiningen Versus the Ants?
Follow Us: "Leiningen Versus the Ants" tells the story of a man whose coffee plantation in Brazil is threatened by a large swarm of deadly ants. Instead of fleeing, he prepares elaborate defenses to fight the ants and save his plantation. The district commissioner advises Leiningen to accompany his fellow settlers to safety, ...
What did Leiningen do to help the ants?
Leiningen and his workers prepare an elaborate array of moats, levees, dams and canals. They also use gasoline to burn the ants .
What happened to Leiningen in the final scene?
In the final scene, Leiningen lies in bed recovering , and the ants are gone. ADVERTISEMENT.
What is the plan of Leiningen to flood the plantation?
It appears as if the ants are going to overrun the plantation and obliterate the survivors. Leiningen comes up with a desperate plan to flood the entire plantation with water from a dam 2 miles away. To get there, though, he has to run straight through the ants.
Who advises Leiningen to accompany his fellow settlers to safety?
The district commissioner advises Leiningen to accompany his fellow settlers to safety, but despite the commissioner's horrific tales of the ants stripping a stag or buffalo to the bone in minutes, Leiningen determines to stay and outwit the advancing horde.
