TPO 69 Task 1

Recently there has been a debate about the purpose of the cave paintings of Lascaux. More specifically, in regard to the passage, the writer puts forth the idea that these paintings were made to ensure a successful hunt. In the listening passage, the lecturer is quick to point out that there are some serious flaws in the writer’s claims. In fact, the professor believes these paintings were not for hunting and addresses, in detail, the trouble with each point made in the reading text.
First and foremost, the author of the reading states there are almost large mammals in the paintings, such as bison, wild horses, and wild cattle, which we know were hunted by the Paleolithic people who created these paintings. A lot of these animals in the paintings were wounded by arrows and spears. Some professionals in the same field, however, stand in firm opposition to this claim. In the listening, for example, the professor states not all of the animals in the painting were hunted by prehistoric people like cats. Also, rain dears, which were hunted by Paleolithic people are not in the paintings. Furthermore, a big number of these animals are not shown wounded.
One group of scholars, represented by the writer, thinks the depictions of humans in the cave paintings include human figures that appear to have animal heads because, in some traditional cultures, hunters disguised themselves with animal heads for camouflage. Of course, though, not all experts in the field believe this is accurate. Again, the speaker specifically addresses this point when he states these human figures are not hunting because there are in the horizontal position.
Finally, the author brings his argument to a close by suggesting that many cultures hold the belief that by depicting an event one can bring about its reality. In this case, they believed these paintings can ensuring that real hunts would be successful. Not surprisingly, the lecturer takes issue with this claim by contending that this painting can be due to spiritual reasons like communicating with dead and they show a ritual event.
To sum up, both the writer and professor hold conflicting views about the purpose of the cave paintings of Lascaux. It's clear that they will have trouble finding common ground on this issue.