Cannibalism – A Cultural, Psychopathic, and Survival Approach (Speech Preparation Outline)
Uploaded by petedogg16 on May 16, 2001
Introduction
I. Imagine our class as a rugby team and Mrs. Edwards as our coach as we were flying over the Himalayas for a tournament until our plane suddenly crashes.
A. Although we’re most of us survived, we barely have any food to live on.
B. Would we have to resort to cannibalism?
II. Cannibalism can be defined as any animal or human that eats their own kind.
A. But for the sake of my speech, we will focus on humans.
B. I know that you may be thinking how on earth I arrived to this topic or whether or not to hang around me but I consider cannibalism to be an interesting topic.
III. There are various ways cannibalism has been regarded today.
A. Cannibalism has been regarded as a strong aspect of pre-historical cultures around the world.
B. Cannibalism has been a prevailing conflict in today’s moral society.
C. Cannibalism has also been used as a means of survival.
IV. Although I haven’t eaten anyone…yet, I have consulted various databases for my topic.
A. I have printed information off reliable websites.
B. I have delved into two books by other enthused cannibal experts.
C. I have also used Ebsco to find current articles on this hot topic.
V. Today I will present you my information in a topical format which is divided into subtopics.
A. We will first see how cannibalism has been prevalent in historical cultures.
B. We will then examine modern day cannibalism as justification for psychopathic actions.
C. And finally, we will see how cannibalism has been used as a means of survival.
(Transition: Let us first look at cannibalism’s influence in prehistoric cultures.)
Body
I. Cannibalism has etched its mark in many cultures around the world.
A. The oldest evidence of cannibalism among Neanderthals was found in sites in the French cave Ardeche in southeastern France.
1. Neanderthals are cousins of modern human beings who lived in Europe 125,000 to 30,000 years ago who practiced cannibalism.
2. The bones of six Neanderthals were found dismembered and were suggested not for ritual but to be eaten instead.
B. Aztec Indian culture around the 1540’s also suggests cannibalism integrated into culture.
1. Described by Peggy Reeves Sanday in her book Divine Hunger, As many as 15,000 people were sacrificed and feasted upon each year at the great Aztec Temple Tenochtitlan.
2. The motives to these rituals included feasting especially on the human heart was a means of gaining strength and immortality.
3. Other factors to cannibalism included cold winters, drought famine, competition among Indian groups.
C. Cannibalism once took center stage in funeral practices in New Guinea.
1. Partial consumption of dead relatives was a profound gesture of ritual solidarity...