Critical analysis of Jane Goodall's essay "Gombe"

Jane states, “For a long time I never liked to look a chimpanzee straight in the eye. Although, she started doing that after she knew the chimpanzees better. The mind of a chimpanzee is just as good as a humans, and sometimes better. Chimpanzees know how to do a lot of different things. I personally think it is awesome when Jane Goodall talks about the things that happen in a chimpanzees mind. In Chapter Two it says that Lucy said the colors of objects in a book that Jane was reading out loud. After reading the book Through a Window, I have a different perspective on chimpanzees and their mind.

“In the Forest of Gombe” by Jane Goodall, Goodall describes her own perspectives of the correlation between religions and science through her experiences in the forest at Gombe after she loses her husband to cancer. She comes up with several new concepts which she calls windows during her time in the forest. Goodall develops the idea of the coexistence of science and religion for her deeper understanding of life and the world. I agree with her which the windows that Goodall sees through have no drawbacks because the windows enrich her scientific and religious thinking, represent the combination of science and religion as well as inspires ideas about future development.

Primatology is the scientific study of non-human primate behaviors among wild apes, monkeys and other related animals in natural settings or in laboratories by conducting lab experiments and studies on captive primates. A person who studies primatology is a primatologist. There are many reasons for studying primates, but possibly the most significant reason is to learn about the origins of humans. When studying primatology, one can easily observe the behavioral similarities primates share with humans, and probably begin to understand how humans got to where they are today. The reason anthropology studies primates over any other animal is because primates are the closest living relatives to humans. One primatologist, who significantly surpassed many others in her field, was Jane Goodall. Jane Goodall studied the behaviors of primates and other animals as well, but she specifically studied chimpanzees. Goodall in her book, In the Shadows of Man, shared her three groundbreaking discoveries she achieved through her extensive observations and research. Goodall’s three major discoveries were the complex social system chimps had lived, the hunting and meat consumption process and the usage of tools. Goodall’s research lead to massive evolution in primatology because her research was the starting point that allowed other primatologist to conduct other important researches on chimpanzees and other primates. They managed to study primates in a

Despite a lack of scientific academic education, Jane Goodall’s work on the chimpanzees made revolutionary breakthrough in the field of understanding chimpanzee behavior. It was all made possible by her firm belief on her unconventional methods which academics in the field eyed with cynicism and felt was pointless. Such pessimistic outlook on her efforts from established academics did not blight her morale; instead she carried on with her methods of analyzing the chimpanzee population with full enthusiasm and self belief.

Jane Goodall is a historical woman that has taught human beings not only about chimpanzees, but human nature as well. This primatologist held on to a dream from childhood that advanced into reality. Jane quietly and patiently observed chimps in Africa, and then recorded their every move. Many important discoveries came about because of this. Jane Goodall has remarkably changed the perception of chimpanzees and humans alike.

To conclude, author’s inspire their audience through evoking empathy and compassion in them. This is important because it helps people understand more about the world and know when changes

Goodall, J. (1971). In the Shadow of Man. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. The author’s goal in writing this book is to discuss her experiences and what she had learned from studying wild Chimpanzees. Goodall wrote this book in order to convey her knowledge of a species of animal she loves very much, so that others may become educated and join her in protecting them. She dreamed of going to Africa to see them, and was offered a job by Dr. Lewis Leakey. Goodall wanted nothing more than a chance to help. Her experiences in surrounding herself with them have completely changed the way scientists conduct field research. Whether she intended to or not, the data she has collected has debunked myths and uncovered truths about chimpanzees, while bringing more light to human behavior.

I found Goodall’s chapter Mothers and Daughters very fascinating, and caught my interest the most because I immediately found myself making connections within my own life and experiences. Goodall compared the parenting styles of the two mothers, Flo, and Passion. These two chimps have completely opposite ways of raising their young, with Flo being very loving, nurturing, and caring of her daughter Fifi, while Passion was a very cold, harsh, and intolerant mother to her daughter, Pom. You can easily see the dramatic difference in how their childhood shaped the two chimpanzees in their adulthood, just how we commonly see this in humans as well. Fifi had a

Within this essay, we will study more in depth the behavioral as well as physical traits of two primates at a zoo from their interaction with their peers to their place in the group. This observation would enable us to further understand the possible existing correlation between humans and primates. First, I studied a female chimpanzee with her baby, and then, a dominant male gorilla, in San Francisco Zoo at about noon, on May 23, 2015, for an hour each. Even though they share some similarities such as having a large brain, living for a long time, and being bored in their enclosure, they are still different; when gorillas are the largest, chimpanzees are the smartest. In fact, chimps use tools to catch food, they would not be able to reach

Before science is introduced to the human society, people always use religious beliefs to describe the mysterious phenomenon. However, as science becomes advanced, people gradually lost in the relationship between it and religious beliefs. In the essay “In the Forest of Gombe”, Jane Goodall spends long time with chimpanzees in the forests to recover from her husband’s death. During this period, she learns new ideas from the chimps and finds herself back, and understands the complicated relationship between scientific ideas and religious beliefs. Thus, to uncover peace, people have to understand themselves first instead of focusing on problems permanently.

Chimpanzees portray their emotions through a number of facial expressions and mannerisms. Just like humans, they undergo mood swings, jealous rages, and laughter. For instance, Goodall observed during her research that a male gorilla “would threaten [me] with an upward and

The House of the Scorpion Five Passages “‘Oh, sure! How convenient! Let me tell you, it’s horrible…’” (Farmer 39)

“In the Forest of Gombe” by Jane Goodall describes her own perspective of the correlation between religions and science through her experiences in the forest at Gombe where she finds comforting to recover from the loss of her husband. Developed several new concepts regarding life, Goodall comes up with the idea of the coexistence of science and religion. Agreeing with Goodall, however, the windows that Goodall sees through have no drawbacks.

I decided to look at the sexual behavior of bonobos because they are known for their frequent sexual behavior. Though they are not one of the types of great apes mentioned in the book, a bonobo is nonetheless a great ape that belongs in the same genus as the common chimpanzee. Furuichi et al. observed bonobos in their naturalistic habitat in Wamba, Democratic Republic

For example, imitation and teaching explain that chimpanzee’s may watch their mother doing actions academically (problem-solving) she never gives her young enough feedback or just a simple look to reinforce his observation. He concludes by explaining that humans have a preexisting capacity that allows them to represent what they imagine by combining human elements (language) while, animals clearly do not.