Essay (Letter C)

C. Analyze Jared Diamond's theory of geographic luck.

          Jared Diamond was once asked: "Why do you white man have so much cargo and we New Guineans have so little?" Diamond never knew how hard it was to answer that question until he was asked himself. He was surprised by the question and he was caught of guard. He did not know how to answer the question, so he decided that he was going to find out. New Guineans use the word 'cargo' to describe the material goods first brought to their country by western men. They thought the power was determines by race, it was normal for them to have less cargo than the white men.

          Jared Diamond thought of the New Guineans as very intelligent people. He stayed there to do an experiment with them for a long period of time and came to the conclusion that he could not of survived without the help of the New Guineans. So he wondered, "How can they be so intelligent but still be stuck in the past". He had come to the conclusion that geographical luck was the answer. The New Guineans could not have the tools they needed to keep up with the rest of the world for a very long time. They could not do this because the New Guineans were located on an island named Papua New Guinea North of Australia. They could not have the food or the animals transported to their country because of the ocean in between where the animals and crops were being domesticated.

          Animals that were domesticated were all most large carnivores that were domesticated from South America, Asia, Africa and Europe. All four places that could not transfer the animals to the small island of Papua New Guinea, simply because of how the world is set up. Papua New Guinea had the Atlantic Ocean separating them from the rest of the world. Where all the new inventions, animals, and crops could not be transfered to them, especially in the period of time when the first civilizations had started. Jared Diamond was asked a question. This one question was  a very big part in Diamond's life. Diamond lived in Papua New Guinea with the New Guineans for different periods of times trying to figure out why this country is so far behind in technology than others. Papua New Guineans were living the same way as their ancestors did thousands of years ago. Diamond finally came up with a theory that Geographical luck was why Papua New Guinea is so far behind. He tested his theory and there is nothing that makes it not true. Diamond wrote a book about Papua New Guinea and his theory. He is truly cares about Papua New Guinea and its people.