What Happened On Easter Island Summary

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In the passage by American journalist, Robert Krulwich, “What happened On Easter Island- A New (Even Scarier) Scenario,” represses the idea that many believed about the Eastern Island. In which the inhabitants brought forward the destruction of the island by deforestation, or how Jared Diamond calls it, ecocide. Mr. Krulwich begins with the old story that everyone believes, and gradually builds up on to a more scientific method of what happen to the island. He introduces several references throughout the passage, giving him more credibility and sharing more information with the reader in case they would like more evidence on the topic, aside from credibility standards, he divides the article into sections with sub tittles for an easier approach transitioning from section to section. With a chronological start, Mr. Krulwich introduces the “First version” or the history that everyone seems to know. Along with the help from a book, “Collapse” by Jared Diamond, he establishes the sense of how the history everyone knows about the island, could be possible. From the first settlers that started the deadly destruction of the trees and plant life by burning them to how the island had remarkable landmarks such as the Moai that “had been toppled and laid in abject defeat.” Stating how the once beautiful …show more content…

Changing his references, he brings up the argument from two anthropologist, Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo, in which the story of the inhabitants is more positive than we normally believed. The new report develops around the fact that there were no remains of the first Polynesians bringing their doom upon themselves. Instead mother nature brought forward a plague of rats that infected the trees. Not focusing on the problem, the population somehow adapted to their new environment. Eating the rats and surviving with what resources were available, they managed to endure the