Roanoke
In 1587, the English sent a group of settlers to Roanoke to establish a colony in North America. After returning from a trip to Europe, the Governor of this settlement, John White, found that the entire English colony had disappeared. This disappearance has been the subject of great debate. But, it is no longer a mystery; we now know that the settlers did not disappear but instead relocated to the Island of Croatoa.
First, when White returned he found the word “Croatoa” carved onto a piece of wood. The governor had told the colonists that if they encountered any trouble while he was away, to leave a message indicating where they had gone. This sign indicates that the settlers did not disappear mysteriously but rather relocated to the Croatoan Island. Unfortunately, White’s ship was damaged during his return, so he could not travel to the island to check if the settlers were there.
Second, many English artifacts have been found on Croatoa supporting the idea that the settlers from Roanoke simply relocated to the island. Specifically, a ring was found on the Croatoan Island that can be directly linked back to an Englishman. The only way that this ring could have made its way to the island was if it was brought there by one of the English settlers from Roanoke during their relocation.
Third, when search parties finally arrived on the Croatoan Island to look for the Roanoke settlers, they did not find any but did find that the indigenous inhabitants possessed European characteristics. They had light hair and blue eyes, traits not associated with the natives of North America. The peoples of Croatoa could only have attained these characteristics through intermarriage with the English settlers from Roanoke, providing more conclusive evidence that they relocated to Croatoa.
The article claims that the settlers did not disappear but relocated. And, this is not a mystery anymore and it provides three reasons of support. However, the professor explains that no one knows what exactly happened and it is still a mystery. She states that the points in the reading are weak and they can be easily dismissed. So, she refutes each of author's reasons.
First, the reading avers that White was able to find the word "Croatoa" which means they had relocated to that place. Because they were told to mention where are they going to go if any thing happens. The professor contends that point by saying that the sign does not make any sense. The island was on the opposite side and also it is hard to believe that they left their habitat to go a less advantageous place.
Second, the article posits that the artifacts were found in Croatoa support the fact that those people had relocated. However, the lecturer argues that there is no way to prove that they resettled. because it was not uncommon to have traded belonging due to harsh conditions of that time.
Third, the reading states that the indigenous inhabitants possessed European traits which means it was because of intermarriage of English people from Roanoke with people from Croatoa. The professor refutes this point by stating that the European characteristics of people from Croatoa can come from any other group. She adds that they did not start investigating this until a hundred year after settlers disappearance.
they resettled. because it was not uncommon
they resettled, because it was not uncommon
Attribute Value Ideal
Score: 26 in 30
Category: Very Good Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 1 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 0 2
No. of Sentences: 14 12
No. of Words: 255 250
No. of Characters: 1216 1200
No. of Different Words: 141 150
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 3.996 4.2
Average Word Length: 4.769 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.428 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 80 80
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 64 60
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 32 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 20 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 18.214 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 5.978 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.643 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.324 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.549 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.095 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 4 4