Tierra Del Fuego Analysis

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Human are descended from barbarians
Where do we come from? What are we? Who is our ancestors? These questions puzzled us for thousand of years. Most of people believed that God created everything including human. But Darwin uses his observasion during voyage to challenge the mainstream belief at that time. During his journey, Darwin not only forcused on the characteristics and evolution of plants and animals, but also observed human activities among different regions, and triggered a lot of thinking about human society. In the chapter “Tierra Del Fuego”, Darwin make a close observation towards native Fuegians. Darwin found that Fuegians are actually savage, and they are barely human. They are completely different from Jemmy Button, York Minster
“Their very attitudes were abject, and the expression of their countenances distrustful, surprised, and startled. After we had presented them with some scarlet cloth, which they immediately tied round their necks, they became good friends.” (1264) Darwin used word distrustful, surprised and startled here to depict how confused and shocked when these savage first saw white man. And Fuegians are surprised by clothes that Darwin gave them. They don’t use these clothes to covert their body but tied round their necks. This passage shows that Fuegians are desolate tribes. Darwin also descriped how wild and savage are these groups: “suddenly four or five men came to the edge of an overhanging cliff; they were absolutely naked, and their long hair streamed about their faces; they held rugged staffs in their hands, and ,springing from the ground, they waved their arms round their heads, and sent forth the most hideous yells.” (1267) This passage vividly delineated how wild are these people. Darwin also described how poor are the Fuegians women in his diary. “But these Fuegians in the canoe were quite naked, and even one full-grown woman was absolutely so. It was raining heavily, and the fresh water, together with the spray, tickled down her body....These poor wretches were stunted in their growth, their hideous faces bedaubed with white paint, their skins filthy and greasy, their hair entangled, their voices
“York Minster was a full-grown, short, thick powerful man: his disposition was reserved, taciturn, morose... Jemmy Button was a universal favourite, but likewise passionate...Fuegia Basket was a nice, modest, reserved young girl, with a rather pleasing but sometimes sullen expression.”(1265) Darwin used words “powerful, taciturn, passionate, nice, modest...” to show how different are these people. These words is used to described a human. But after returned to his people for a year, Jemmy changed signifcantly. “This man was poor Jemmy, --now a thin haggard savage, with long disordered hair, and naked, except a bit of a blanket round his waist. We did not recognize him till he was close to us; for he was ashamed of himself, and turned his back to the ship.” (1268) Darwin used word “savage” again. After to get along with other native Fuegians, Jemmy degenerated to what he looks like before. He became naked, wild, and savage

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