SH+2015+P4+Atavism

Atavism

Aim: Breanna Klemm

Atavism is not a common thing to have, and is actually rare to appear in a human. We know little about it, and is quite hard to for scientists to understand. We can only predict what will happen when atavism does occur, there is no way to state the absolute truth that is going to happen. The author of this definition implies, “the reappearance in an individual of characteristics of some remote ancestor that have been absent in intervening generations” (Dictionary.com). There is a word in this definition that makes this piece of writing very solid. This word is reappearance. This word brings the sensus that the item was already there at one point in time, and has obviously came back, or reappeared.

Works Cited atavism. (n.d.). //Dictionary.com Unabridged.// Retrieved July 31, 2015, from Dictionary.com

Audience: Angela Velazquez

Atavism. This abnormality is properly defined as, “the reappearance in an individual of characteristics of some remote ancestor that have been absent in intervening generations” (Dictionary.com). In Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” the crude man, by the name of Mr. Hyde, is described as, “...deformed somewhere; he gives a strong feeling of deformity, although I [Mr. Enfield] couldn’t specify the point” (Stevenson 5). Being deformed in one way or another has been frowned upon for centuries, and most people do have experience, in one way or another, with people with abnormalities. By including a character with a deformity, Stevenson can connect with an audience that does understand what it is like to be around people of that sort.

Works Cited atavism. (n.d.). //Dictionary.com Unabridged.// Retrieved July 31, 2015, from Dictionary.com

Stevenson, Robert Louis. //The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.// New York: Scribner, 1886; Bartleby.com, 2000. [|www.bartleby.com/1015/]. [Date of Printout].

Historical Implications: Hailey Towle

Avaiatism is not something common in today’s modern world. In fact, it is something that was probably not common during any period of time. Avatism in a condition in which a living creature is born with an unnatural trait that its ancestors, or the creatures it evolved from, carried. The well known story, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson demonstrates some characteristics of Aviation. While discussing some hidden motifs within this story, SparkNotes states, “Certainly, the novel goes out of its way to paint Hyde as animalistic—he is hairy and ugly; he conducts himself according to instinct rather than reason; Utterson describes him as a ‘troglodyte,’ or primitive creature” (SparkNotes). Historical events that happened previous to this book could help the reader better understand the concept of Hyde’s condition and how it was frowned upon. For this specific word, avatism, one can now see how it ties in to this story and how Stevenson shows it through his character.

Works Cited

"Themes, Motifs, and Symbols." //SparkNotes//. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 02 Aug. 2015.

Cultural Implications: Jaquelyn Gadziala

Atavistic inclinations disregard many traditions and cultures, but also connect the present to past. The shared connection between human, and nonhuman, is a difficult and rare occasion, making it all the more intriguing. “Atavism itself enables the temporarization of modernity, for the atavistic body provides one of the principal sites where human being is transformed into a naturalized function of modern time”(Seitler). The more people become aware of these malformations, the more advanced the world will become. Whether it be the pace of traffic, or studies discovered in a research lab, humans are consistently moving forward. Although progression is what leads to improvement, due to the denial and rejection of the past, humans will always have an obstacle. If anything out of the ordinary appears, the normal response is to turn the opposite direction, but it is the abnormal surroundings that answer these unmasked questions. What types of theories are facing humans? How have/will these theories change as the world enters a new era? Humans must preserve past and modern implications in order to truly understand what occurs around them. Atavism, although peculiar, may be the key to unlock new ideas.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Works Cited <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Seitler, Dana. //"Introduction." Atavistic Tendencies: The Culture of Science in// //American Modernity.// Minneapolis: U of Minnesota, 2008. N. pag. Print.