To: Fred Flintstone
From: Barney Rubble
Date: 10,000 BC
Subject: Hunting Weapons
Introduction
“Hey Fred! Oh Buddy! Oh Pal!” It’s almost all set, Wilma and Betty are
heading out on vacation, taking both Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm with them. I
hope you’ve already talked with Mr. Slate at the Rock Quarry and have all of next
week off from work for our hunting trip. There’s going to be all sorts of game out
there. I know this is your first hunting trip ever and there’s a large selection of
weapons to choose from, with all the new innovative “rock” technology out there.
To make the choice process faster, I’ll just tell you to go with ranged
weaponry, don’t go with the old fashioned club, it may have worked on Wilma
when you and her were first began dating, but not in the hunting world. I took
Bamm-Bamm out hunting a while back, and he spent the entire day just hitting
the ground going “Bamm! Bamm! Bamm!” not hitting a single target. Close
ranged weapons are really outdated and obsolete, while long ranged weapons
are the future. There’s a bunch of different weapons being sold at the local
Bedrock Cabelas and all may seem to be the same, but don’t be fooled, they are
not. You have to keep an eye on each weapon’s different features and
specifications. Each weapon has pros and cons, and each are geared specifically
toward the sort of hunting you want to do. Most consumers don’t know which
weapon does what and make the incorrect purchase and end up ruining a
potentially fun hunting trip. You wouldn’t use a club to kill an ant nor would you
use a pebble to kill a buffalo. This is why comparing each weapon’s features are
crucial for proper weapon selection. I’ve done research on all the newly released
weapons in the 10,000 B.C. Cabela’s Summer/Fall Hunting Catalog. I have
evaluated each one based on my own experiences in the field and your own
personal preferences. I have set up these criteria in order of importance.
1. Ease of Use
2. Penetration Power
3. Range
4. Cost
5. Reusability
Here are the specifications given from the 10,000 BC Bedrock Cabela’s
Annual Summer/Fall Gear Guide:
Comparison:
Ease of Use
Bow and
Arrow
Long
Spear
Atlatl
Sling
Excellent
Excellent
Fair
Poor
Penetration
Power
Fair
Excellent
Fair
Poor
Range (ft)
2000
160
240
700
Cost (clams)
100
60
80
10
Reusability
(doesn’t
need ammo)
no
yes
no
no
Conclusion
‘Ease of use’ is a very important factor. The more user friendly the
weapon, the more effective it will suit you. You’re always angry and frustrated
and a complicated hunting tool will just exacerbate your anger issues. Each
weapon listed is used differently and require different levels of technical know
how. The Bow and arrow look very complicated, but in reality isn’t. It’s a simple
piece of wood bent with a tight string connecting both ends. The Bow only
requires you to put a flint tipped arrow onto the string, pull the string back and let
the elastic tension drive the arrow forward toward it’s intended target. This device
allows you to sight down the arrow to aim, then simply let the string go to fire.
Very simple once you give it a few tries. The Long Spear looks very simplistic
and is very elementary in its use. You just hold the Spear in your hand and throw
it at your target. The Atlatl is a new weapon, it’s kind of a combination of the Bow
and arrow along with the Spear. It’s a shaft of wood that holds a smaller javelin
(spear) within, by holding the shaft, it acts as an extension of your arm adding
more speed to your javelin. It’s a bit more difficult to use since it takes practice to
get the weapon to fire level. However, this is supposed to be the “new and
improved” re-incarnation of Spear technology. The last weapon is the Sling. It’s a
simple leather string used to hold a rock; it’s then spun around in a circle while
letting one of the ends go once the target is in front of you. Both the Bow and
Spear seem to be easy enough for you or I to learn.
Penetration power is the next important feature. The best weapon in the
“whole flat world” won’t do you any good if the weapon is just bouncing off the
animal’s thick hide. The weapon needs to penetrate the target’s skin so it can
damage the internals of the animal. The Bow and Atlatl both have sharp flint
tipped heads and can both produce very high velocities. However their lack in
mass may not allow enough momentum to travel through really thick hides. The
Spear on the other hand has a long, solid wooden shaft section, it also has a
sharp end and this combination gives it high momentum and sharp entry, a
recipe for excellent penetration. The Sling only fires small to medium sized rocks,
no sharp edges, so this does not penetrate well at all. Its only good at bashing
small game, but no entry past its skin. The Spear seems to dominate here for
power.
Range is another important quality, as I have said earlier, close range
does not work well, the animals will see you coming and run away. With that
said, longer ranged weapons have the ability to hit a target unsuspectingly from a
distance, without them reacting. The Bow and Arrow has the best range, followed
by the Sling, then the Atlatl, and finally the Spear. Notice the heavier the weapon
fired the lesser the range, common sense right?
Cost is the final item of importance. I know you’re a blue collared working
man and Mr. Slate doesn’t pay you lot. However, the above criteria (Ease,
Penetration and Range) are more important as cheap weapons may just be
completely ineffective out in the field. All are reasonably priced, but some are
significantly higher than others tempting you spend less, but don’t! This hunting
weapon will be a worthwhile investment. All the above weapons are priced
accordingly in their technological complexity and number of parts. The Sling is
the cheapest, its only a string and a rock after all, the Spear is next cheapest, just
shaft with a sharpened bone or rock end. The newest ranged weapons, the Bow
and Atlatl, include a firing mechanism as well as a separately designed projectile
which add to the overall cost.
As stated above, Reusability and ammunition play a factor in cost and the
duration you can hunt for. The Bow and Atlatl require special projectiles to shoot
at the target. The sharp but delicate flint tips can break once they impact
something; so once they are used up, the hunt is over. The Sling uses separate
projectiles as well, however, these are just simple rocks which can be picked up
anywhere from the ground, this is Bedrock after all. The spear is a very durable
hunting weapon that can be used repeatedly without reloading, this cuts down on
overall costs as there are no extras to add onto this weapon. The purchase price
will then be the overall cost for life of the Spear.
With all the features of the hunting weapons explained and evaluated, I
have also examined you as a person. I’ve been your neighbor and friend for ages
and believe I know you best. I know you want user friendliness. I always
remember our friend, “the Great Gazoo,” always calling you “Dummy.” That
shows you may be limited in your learning capabilities and may want something
very simple to use. Only the Bow and Spear fit this category. The Spear being
the easier of the two as there are no instructions required, just look and throw.
Your preferences in food filter more out of the selection process. Range is
important for fast or very dangerous animals. Only the Saber tooth tiger fits this
description, and I know you don’t eat them as you have one as a pet. With that
said, incredible range is not a requirement. I also know you eat a lot. I still
remember all the times when you, Wilma and Pebbles would pick up Betty,
Bamm Bamm and myself up to go to the drive in movie theaters. You would
always order the largest rack of ribs at the concession stand and it would always
tip the entire car over for goodness sakes. How many caveman insurance claims
have you made with Geico from all these blunders? Anyways, only one animal
fits this description and your enormous appetite, this would be the mighty
mammoth. Range is not important as you have to sneak up a bit on them, as
maximum penetration power is required to pierce through it’s incredibly thick
hide. Only the Spear can offer this. Cost is also important as you still have the
same construction job at the rock quarry and money is tight. The Spear fits this
bill as it’s the second cheapest initial weapon to purchase. In addition, it does not
require constant purchases or stockpiling of ammunition, the Spear is ready to
use as is.
This makes the Long Spear the weapon of choice for your needs. Make
sure you pick it up from the local Bedrock Sporting Goods store as soon as
possible. Also, don’t forget to bring Dino with you, we need a good hunting dog to
track down the mammoths. See you next week. “Alright Freddy! Oh Buddy! Oh
Pal! I’m sure we’ll have a Yabba Dabba Doo Time!”
Audience Analysis
The only intended audience for this paper is Fred Flintstone. Fred is a
middle-aged stone-aged family man with a wife, Wilma, and a daughter, Pebbles.
Although Fred has some college level education from the local Prinstone U, he
still remains as a humble blue collared crane operator at the Slate Rock and
Gravel Company. Fred has been active in many sports including bowling, pool,
golf, football and even ballet. However, he lacks any knowledge or experience in
hunting. Which is why his neighbor and best friend, Barney Rubble, is sending
this memo to him. This Memo is designed to get Fred familiarized with the
numerous and often confusing weapons used in the sport of hunting. Both Fred
and Barney have planned a hunting getaway in which Fred must purchase a
weapon to hunt with. Hunting is a sport that not only requires proper physical
fitness, but proper weapon selection as well. Each game (animal to be hunted)
must be matched properly with an appropriate weapon. Fred must understand
each quality and specification of a list of weapons so he can better evaluate
which weapon suits him best. The detailed description of each weapon not only
educates Fred with each weapons’ properties, but serves as a prequel for the
hunting process he is about to embark on. In this memo, Barney intends to
describe each weapon in detail such as user friendliness, performance,
economy, and comfort. His evaluation of each weapon will not only be compared
against one another, but will also be cross referenced against Fred's character,
financial status, and dietary preferences as well. Fred's intentions are to only get
an effective personalized weapon to bring home a large meal for his family.