Cannibalism

607 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The truth about cannibalism

There are many ways to die. Old-age, sickness, and starvation are common ways in the world today; however, being killed and eaten is not as typical. Cannibalism happens in various religions and for survival and sadistic purposes and is still happening to this day, but being a cannibal has some pros and cons when it comes to health.
Cannibalism is the eating of human flesh by another human being. In some cases, it is used for religious purposes. Some people believed that if they ate someone else’s body, they would obtain the skills and powers that the deceased had when they were alive. It is also thought that tribes in South America and Africa would eat their enemies after they killed them. This symbolized their victory and the defeat of their adversaries. Archeologists have details to believe that people from the tribes would eat their loved ones after they passed to show their adoration and confirm that the person would be reincarnated back into their tribe (Vizental). Cannibalistic behavior has occurred for many purposes that are not related to religion.
Cannibalism commonly happens for survival purposes. In 1846, settlers moving west decided to take a shorter way to California. It was spring time, and they got stuck in the middle of a blizzard in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. As people started to freeze to death and starve, the other settlers ate the remains. This group of settlers lost half of their original 90 people. Without cannibalism, all of the settlers would have died. The group is now known as the Donner Party (Weiser). Another form of cannibalism has nothing to do with survival. It is sexually related. Some people devour others to release their sexual frustrations. They may or may not get sexual gratifi...

... middle of paper ...

...ibalism happens in a couple different instances. In some cases, it is the only way for people to survive in critical situations, but cannibalistic acts happen for sadistic reasons as well. If a person is to feast on another human being’s flesh, they may feel surprising highs, but they will take the risk of contracting fatal diseases.

Works Cited

Bell, Rachael. "Sexual Cannibalism." All about Cannibalism: The Ancient Taboo in
Modern Times. Turner Entertainment Networks, 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.
Robles, Frances. "Top Stories." The Miami Herald. Miami Herald, 08 Aug. 2012. Web.
02 Dec. 2013.
Vizental. "Cannibalism and Religiont- PARAPSYCHOLOGYinfo.com." Cannibalism and
Religion. Parapsychology, 2011. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.
Weiser, Kathy. "The Tragic Story of the Donner Party." The Tragic Story of the Donner
Party. Legends of America, Apr. 2012. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.

Show More
Related

  • The Omnivore's Dilemma Book Report

    644 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many families in America can’t decide what food chain to eat from. In the book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan lists four food chains: Industrial, Industrial Organic, Local Sustainable, and Hunter-Gatherer. The Industrial food chain is full of large farms that use chemicals and factories. Industrial Organic is close to it except it doesn’t use as many chemicals and the animals have more space. Local Sustainable is where food is grown without chemicals, the animals have freedom and they eat what they were born to eat. Lastly, Hunter-Gatherer is where you hunt and grow your own food. The omnivore's dilemma is trying to figure out what food chain to eat from. Local Sustainable is the best food chain to feed the United States because it is healthy and good for the environment.

    Read More

  • Beth A Conklin's Consuming Grief: Cannibalism in an Amazonian Society

    1208 Words  | 3 Pages

    Every society has it’s own cultural traditions and norms. Many of the traditions are passed down from generation to generation for so long that they become the norms of the culture. The Wari’ are no different than anyone else in that their traditions become cultural norms. In Consuming Grief: Compassionate Cannibalism in an Amazonian Society, Beth A. Conklin travels to the Wari’ people in order to study illness and death from both before and after they had foreign contact. While there she finds herself going into depth on the lifestyle of the Wari’ people and how their norm of cannibalism came about and how it was phased out by the outside world.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Des Cannibals

    1538 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the events preceding the selected passage of Des Cannibales, Montaigne gives several situations of events in which man’s honour has been tested and proven, citing the example of the Hungarian’s merciful attitude towards their captured enemies, whom they released unharmed after having defeated them in battle. The classical reference to Seneca with the quote, “Si succiderit, de genu pugnat” foreshadows the passage in question, in which the captured Brazilians refuse to surrender or feel fear, but rather taunt their captors and remain defiant until their last breath. The passage then develops into an observation of the polygamous culture of the New World, which Montaigne praises and later goes onto defend as natural, arguing that it was customary in Biblical times and therefore should not be condemned by supposedly superior and cultured Europeans.

    Read More

  • Of Cannibals: Looking in the Mirror

    800 Words  | 2 Pages

    barbaric as the Brazilian cannibals may have been, they were not nearly as barbaric as the

    Read More

  • Cannibalism and Feeding Habits of Dinosaurs

    768 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cannibalism is a long-standing taboo in our society; the thought of humans preying on other humans for a food source disgusts and astounds us. Though the practice is not common amongst modern day humans there is some evidence to suggest that ancient humans resorted to such measures, and a recent discovery in Madagascar attests to the possibility that some carnivorous dinosaurs fed on their own species (Perkins, 2003).

    Read More

  • The Omnivore's Dilemmas By Michael Pollan

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...his builds a relationship between the two causing the predator to consume its meat without looking away (Pollan 307). This causes that person to no want to know what they are eating because people are used to not knowing what they are eating.

    Read More

  • cannibalism in The Road by Cormac McCarthy

    522 Words  | 2 Pages

    In McCarthy’s novel The Road, one of the main issues deals with cannibalism and the moral/ethic issues of survival. Though McCarthy depicts cannibalism negatively in this post-apocalyptic world, it is apparent that cannibalism is necessary for humans to survive when there is no real food to eat. Whether they know what’s actually good vs what is actually bad, they still have a reason to try and stay alive even though things are absolutely terrible around them. Staying alive, to carry the fire for the good of humanity. In a world where everything is just coming to an end, people resort to eating each other in order to stay alive. Where there are bad and good people, but what does it actually mean to be bad? Eating human beings or not helping those people in need of help?

    Read More

  • Montaigne On Cannibals Analysis

    764 Words  | 2 Pages

    Montaigne states, “I am not sorry that we notice the barbarous horror of such acts, but I am heartily sorry that, judging their faults rightly, we should be so blind as to our own.” Men often call what is not common to them barbarous. “On Cannibals” constitutes Montaigne’s reflections upon meeting with a cannibal who had been brought to France by Villegaignon. The human mind corrupts the things that aren’t of common knowledge, therefore the Europeans believed the cannibals were out of the ordinary, or barbarous. The real problem lies within the opinion of what is considered barbarous and how people interpret its definition. Taking part in cannibalism may deem you different, but it does not mean you are more barbarous than others. Although

    Read More

  • Essay On The Paleo Diet

    2746 Words  | 6 Pages

    Before we had agriculture to plant crops and care for animals, people were hunter-gatherers. They ate meat that they could catch and kill and they gathered whatever vegetation they could safely eat.

    Read More

  • Cannibalism as a Sexual Disorder

    806 Words  | 2 Pages

    Contrary to human meat and organs actually being healthy to a human diet, cannibalism is also said to cause madness and addiction based on sexual urges and gratification. Kate Rix depicts that sexual cannibalism in its truest sense may in fact lead to the development of necrophilia tendencies. Disturbing behavior, such as that of cannibalism as well as necrophilism, is a result of chemical imbalances in the brain.

    Read More

  • Cannibalism: It Still Exists By Linh Ngo Summary

    676 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cannibalism is a concept that is foreign to modern society despite its pertinence in recent human culture. In the essay “Cannibalism: It Still Exists,” Linh Ngo explains the concept of cannibalism, discussing in further detail and comparing and contrasting the different types of cannibalism and the situations in which it was utilized. By incorporating devices such as definition, illustration, and cause and effect, the essay was effective in relaying the idea that cannibalism is still around.

    Read More

  • Albert Fish Research Paper

    638 Words  | 2 Pages

    As he grew older he developed a strange taste for raw meat, which would eventually lead to cannibalism. Using his

    Read More

  • Forensic Antrhropology: Cannibalism Research Report

    2126 Words  | 5 Pages

    Purposes of cannibalism can be divided into two basic subcategories. The first type of cannibalism is survival cannibalism in which the victim is consumed for nutritional values. This is the most easily identifiable case and is what really humanizes cannibalism. This is the instance of cannibalism in which common people are thrown into bad situations and have a very strong will to live. It is interesting to see sane people lose their mind and do the unthinkable to survive. No one really knows what they would do in the situation, and that is what makes the human mind so unpredictable. Some people say that if placed in a situation where cannibalism is the only viable option for survival, they would not eat anyone, but there is really no real way to tell. The nicest people can turn ruthless ...

    Read More

  • Animal Euthanasia

    904 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many different types of euthanasia animal shelters use to put down animals. The most popular type of euthanasia called intravenous injection, which is a poison containing sodium pentobarbital. This poison is injected in the heart or leg without any pain killers. The animal is put to sleep and in some cases they wake up when they feel the pain and start to struggle and fight the vet. More than one injection may be needed based on the weight of the animal. This process is also used for animals that are euthanized due to disease or injures. Another process is called the gas chamber. The animal is put into these gas chambers and “will usually scream and cry until they fall asleep” (Chrysta). Carbon dioxide is sent out and the animal will die in about twenty minutes. Many animal shelters believe this is an inhumane way of killing the animals and are against it. But there are still animal shelters in the United States that still use this method. Displacement of the neck or known as cervical dislocation is another f...

    Read More

  • Vegetarianism

    1829 Words  | 4 Pages

    Eating is a staple of life. In every culture, food customs and variety are part of that cultures definition. In American society and other cultures, meat is a main food that is consumed, yet not by everyone. Dating back to medieval times, some meats were not consumed due to the "impurities" they were seen to be by the religions of the time. Throughout history, this has developed from not eating red meat, to not eating any meat at all, and even further to the vegan extreme of not eating any animal products at all. Though not everyone feels this way, more and more people change their eating habits every day.

    Read More

More about Cannibalism

Open Document