Monkey See Monkey Connect Rhetorical Analysis

In his scientific essay “Monkey See, Monkey Do, Monkey Connect” Frans de Waal argues that the text consists of primates and humans connecting to one another through their emotions and the means of imitation. Therefore, the main idea of the text is how humans and primates interact with each other and why we connect with each other through emotions and imitation. de Waal provides us with examples of survival value and how it is crucial to live, as well as an example of how laughter can spread throughout humans and primates and strengthen our bond, and finally an example of how imitation can lead one to connect with another. At the beginning of the essay, de Waal discusses that our survival value is significant for us to be able to deepen our

In the middle of the essay, de Waal transitions from our survival value being a key factor to bonding and surviving, to laughter spreading throughout primates and that it is one way we can bond with somebody else. de Waal supports this by stating, “I often hear my chimps laugh during rough-and-tumble games, and I cannot suppress a chuckle myself.” The key words “chimps laugh” and “chuckle myself” suggest that de Waal is trying to argue that laughter is a form of an emotion and that we can bond with others through laughing because the text is to show us that when the chimps were laughing, the man watching over them felt a connection to them and he could not resist a chuckle and that proves that laughter is The evidence proves that laughter spreading through primates is important because when you are laughing in a group and others as well, you are merely connecting with them since you are creating the same emotion, therefore you are bonding with them so your connection with them becomes

At the end of the essay, de Waal transitions from laughter spreading throughout primates to how imitation is another way to create connections with others. de Waal demonstrates this by stating, “Instead of the typical slurping with her lips from the surface, she’d dip her entire underarm in the water, then lick the hair on her arm. Her children started to do the same, and then her grandchildren.” The key words “lick the hair on her arm” and “slurping with her lips” are intended to show us that the chimp was different from the others and that through imitation, their family of primates were able to imitate the odd chimp so that the tradition can be passed down. The evidence proves that imitation is a way to bond with other primates since the chimp with the odd attribute is licking water off of her arm, the children then decided to imitate the chimps attribute and that creates a bond that is special between them which proves that imitation is a way to bond with