SH+P5+2014+Atavism

AIM

Trenton Kangas



In the text the Authors purpose is to inform the audience about the effects of atavism and that it can be bad if you don’t know the person and that all people have a evil side to them. The way atavism is told in the text is that people have two sides to them even if they do not realize it (Phen Weston 1). When people have two sides of them they can be dangerous to the people they love and the people around them without realizing it. And the purpose of atavism is to show that even though someone has this defect to them they still have good in them (Steven Padnick 1). And with the effects of atavism in the text is has put a darker meaning to the text. By talking about parts of the body and going through evaluation backwards towards a person. It adds a bit of gloominess and a dark side of the story. When the author does this it makes it a great story when you put it all together.

Weston, Phen. "Phen Weston – Essays." Phen Weston Essays. N.p., 26 June 2014. Web. 25 July 2014. Padnick, Steven. "What Everybody Gets Wrong About Jekyll and Hyde."Tor.com. TOR.COM, 22 June 2011. Web. 25 July 2014.

Audience Mikaylah Mitchell  The term atavism can be pointed towards parents and scientists. Many humans and animals have been born with unique and very old types of traits described as atavisms. In the research paper of “Atavisms: Medical, Genetic, and Evolutionary Implications” it proclaims that traits thought to be extinct in history of multiple species occasionally come back apparently out of the blue. Some of these strange straits are extra nipples or tails for humans, hind limbs in whales, teeth in birds, or wings in wingless stick insects show us that things from the past remind us that certain genetic information is not completely lost, but it can be returned to modern day… However, it is still not clear what controls and trigger these reactivations of dormant traits that hide, atavisms are a challenge to evolutionary biologists and geneticists (Tomíć 1). In the excerpt it explains how scientists are baffled by the occurrence of atavisms since nothing is certain of how atavisms appeared or how they work; the paper thinks that scientists are the primary suspect to read this research paper rather than parents. With this being said the primary audience of this term would be scientists, whereas parents and future parents are secondary. In the article “How Atavisms Work” the author states that many millions of years ago, the elders of whales walked on land just like humans. As time passed, the whales went from land walkers to sea creatures, possibly searching for food, and lost many traits such as their legs they wouldn't need in the ocean (Lambert 1). The author of this excerpt seems express facts and feelings about the scientific research of atavisms and not information for parents; this provides greater evidence towards the primary audience of scientists for this term. With this being stated, the secondary audience are parents due to their children having the possibility of being born with atavisms. Many parents should understand what atavism means so they can be prepared for it. But knowing what the primary and secondary audiences are, both of the author’s weaknesses of having atavisms pointed more towards scientists can hurt the education gathered by parents if they have a child with an atavism. >
 *  Lambert, Katie. "How Atavisms Work." HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, n.d. Web.
 * Tomíć, Nenad. "Atavisms: Medical, Genetic, and Evolutionary Implications." Academia.edu. N.p., n.d. Web.

** Historical - ** Drew McLeod



Robert Lewis Stevenson wrote multiple works of literature in his lifetime. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on November 13, 1850. Though sick, he traveled all around Europe to feed his thirst for adventure. His family’s profession was lighthouse engineering; at the age of 17 Robert went to Edinburgh University for engineering but got out with a law degree. He did not practice law for he felt his calling to become a writer. Bio.com explains, “Publishing his first volume at the age of 28, Stevenson became a literary celebrity during his life when works such as Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were released to eager audiences” (Robert Lewis Stevenson Biography 1). Treasure Island was Stevenson’s first great novel that took his professional writing career to a whole new level. He first drew a map for his stepson in 1881 and was then inspired to write a pirate story to go along with it. His short story was first published in a magazine called Young Folks. Stevenson finished the novel and published two years later in 1883. Treasure Island began his reputation as a writer but the novel that cemented his reputation was the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The adult novel was an immediate success and inspired stage productions and movies. Robert Lewis Stevenson died in Vailima, Samoa; he wrote 13 novels in his lifetime.

Cite: "Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. 25 July 2014.

"DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 25 July 2014.

by Chris Pavia
 * CULTURAL **

Social atavism is the tendency to revert back to former ways and thought. For example, even though science has supported the idea of evolution for nearly two centuries now and has grown stronger since, many still cling to the original idea that god is the almighty and created everything as it is (Rodriguez 1). Theories have even been produced as to people showing signs of compulsive criminal activity come from a recessive gene that dates back behind when laws were formed. (“Biological Theories of Deviance” 1) People look at atavism as a weakness, the most noticeable being biological atavism. Seeing someone born with a tail or with neanderthal like traits brings a plethora of negative attention that goes with it. Everyday, even if we don’t even know what atavism is, it plays a role when we look at people. Referring back to social atavism, we tend to look on people with old tendencies as being unevolved or below us. The author is trying to tell us that this is not how we should think of our people. The author is trying to convince the audience through experience that he feels that we should respect if not look up to these people who try to live with regressive tendencies and see of we can learn from them not only about a different perspective of living but also about ourselves.

"Biological Theories of Deviance." Boundless. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 July 2014.

Rodriguez, Tommy. "Atavism." Darwin Was Right. Pangaea Biosciences Educational Network, n.d. Web. 25 July 2014.