The Age of Exploration: the Message Behind the Words

The Age of Exploration: The Message behind Words

The Age of Exploration marked the start of European colonization and also represents several different discoveries of the world. “The Beautiful and Green Land” by Christopher Columbus is writing a letter to the treasurer of Spain in an effort to report his findings of the exploration, but also to explain why the land he found is valuable. “The Horrors of Conquest” by Bartholome speaks of the awful treatment of the Indians. The mindless bloodshed that takes place there is unlike anything he has seen so far. “The Case of the Amistead” depicts the African seizing control of a ship, killing most of the crew before eventually being captured. Finally,” The Captured Africans” Talks of the peaceful encounter with the Africans after their trial for the transpired in the previous article “The Case of the Amistead”. Each of these works presents a different choice of diction, tone and intended message about their separate events to their respectable audience to gain what they desire. Originally, Columbus was supposed to be on a journey to Asia, due to the journals of the explorer Marco Polo. After a difficult trip that almost required him to go back empty handed, he eventually did reach new land, but not what he intended. He wanted to sail to Asia but instead found himself on an unknown island, which he proceeded to name "La Spanola". It seems that Columbus attempts to make up for his folly of not being able to reach Asia on the route he was so sure of. However rather than to consider this a waste of effort and money, he attempts to present the island as a suitable substitution. His letters back to the country of Spain assert a certain value to the land which is seen through his diction. Columbus says that "In it there are so many harbors on the sea coast, beyond comparison with others which I had known in Christendom, and numerous rivers, good and large, which is marvelous”. Essentially, with so many harbors on the coast, it would be easy for Spain to send more ships in order to continue the settlements. The term “marvelous” and phrase “beyond comparison” enhance the promise of the land. Columbus continues this trend by remarking on several other features such as the trees, claiming that “and I am told that they never lose their foliage, which I can believe, for I saw them as great and beautiful in Spain in May”. Columbus, wanting to prove that the land would be fine for settlements, also says that “La Spanola is marvelous, the sierras and the mountains and the plains and the meadows and the lands are so beautiful and rich for planting and sowing and for livestock of every sort, and for building towns and villages”. The features of the land make the possibility of colonization easier. The minerals of the land are another key point that Columbus attempts to present about the land’s value. Early on in the letter, Columbus asserts that “Upcountry there are many mines of metals, and the population is innumerable”. Through his use of the term “innumerable” he is able to leave the possible number of mines up to the reader to formulate a numerical value. However, he is trying to imply that there is a great number to suit the development of land. Columbus also remarks of the rivers of the land claiming “so the rivers, many and great, and good streams, most of which bear gold”. Once again, he does not give an exact number but through the word “many” he implies that there are several good streams for the use. The aspect of the gold being found within the waters adds to the allure of the island. Columbus continues to create and enhance to value of the land further stating, “It is a desirable land and once seen, is never to be relinquished and in it, although of all I have take possession for their Highness and all are more richly supplied than I know or could tell.” To support this statement further, Columbus states that “I believe that I have found rhubarb and cinnamon, and I shall find a thousand other things of value, which people whom I have there will have discovered”. By using two examples, Columbus is able to create the image that there are more spices to be discovered, which was part of his reason for sailing off to the new land. His positive claims about the natural features and the hidden material give the land an increasing value and works in his favor to show why La Spanola is still great land despite not being Asia. The inhabitants of the island are assets that Spain can used for the colonization and states within his letters. He is not met with any opposition of the people, and instead speaks of them in a positive tone. He remarks “they are well built people of handsome stature, because they are wondrous timid”. Columbus also seems to dismiss the rumor of the Native Americans being savages exclaiming that “In these islands I have so far found no human monstrosities, as many expected, on the contrary, among all these people looks are esteemed nor are they Negroes, as in Guinea”. The term timid implies that they possess no threat to Columbus or his men. He even goes on to say that he has “Great friendship with the king of that land, to such an extent that he took pride in calling me and treating me as a brother rand even if he were to change his mind and offer insult to these people, neither he nor his people know the use of arms”. At the time, the Europeans were more advanced within their technology. The statement seems to act as a form of reassurance. His letters states that even if their brotherly bond faltered, because the Native Americans do not know how to use guns, they do not possess a threat. Despite the praise of the people, Columbus’ reassurance seems to bring up a feeling of superiority over the people. Since they are not as advanced, and do not know how to use guns, they can not cause harm to Columbus or his men. His description about their physical appearance also leads to the belief that they can be used as workers throughout building their towns due to their strong build. Bartholome De la Casas ' letter takes place several years after Spain 's first introduction into the undiscovered islands. De las Casas ' tone of the overall treatment of the Native Americans seems to be one of horror, dismay and disgust. The priest, are presented with good intentions of. The Spaniards on the other hand, had malicious intentions those De las Casas confirms through his dramatic imagery. One of the very first instances where violence is committed, De las Casas uses vivid description of the events that transpired in several instances. First citing the first incident of the Spaniards and their cruel treatment, he recounts “A Spaniard, in whom the devil is though to have clothed himself, suddenly drew his sword. The whole hundred drew theirs and began to rip open the bellies, to cut and kill those lambs- men, women, children and old folk,” The reference to the devil creates the image of the Spaniard being an evil being, and his men follow through with his vicious slaughtering. However, more happens Bartholome states “The Spaniards enter the large house nearby, for this was happening at its door, and in the same way with cuts and stabs, begin to kill as many as they found there, so that a stream of blood was running, as if a great number cows perished”. The simile that Bartholome uses helps support his for it displays the brutality of the Spaniards. The killing of the Indians still persisted however and only becomes bloodier. The Spaniards continue to kill the Indians and as the priest walks, he does see an end to the bloodshed. “Seeing so many cut to pieces before him, and very upset at such a cruel event, the cleric replied: “That I commend you and them to the devil” Once more the devil reference resurgences. The cleric is obviously not happen with the needless bloodshed, and the word “cruel” marks the next instance of the Spaniards horrid attitude. Even when the Indians have done nothing against the Spaniards, the Spaniards continue to mindlessly slaughter people. Some Indians were scared to even leave their homes, and even when the cleric re-assured a particular family that they would be safe, they were not. Bartholome recounts what happened to a young Indian man when he came downstairs, saying “just as the young man came down, a Spaniard who was there drew a cutlass or half sword and gives him a cut through the loins, so that his intestines fall out”. Bartholome’s description did not cease, as he describes the Indian’s pain asserting “The Indian moaning, takes his intestines in his hands and comes fleeing out of the house.” Bartholome’s diction is attempting to shock the authoritive figures as to what is really occurring. Continuing with is graphic description Bartholome describes before his death as “The sad one, weeping and showing pain as if he were burning flames”. Moments before his death he is baptized, but the amount bloodshed that has taken place is horrible. The priest eventually comes out and speaking to the Spaniards on their behavior shouts ““This voice” he said, “declares that you are all in mortal sin, and live and die in it, because of the cruelty and tyranny you practice among these innocent peoples””. The details of the Spaniards killing the Indians are horrible, and display their nature and incline for unnecessary bloodshed. To present his case strongly to the authorities, it is obvious though that he needs to create an unimaginable image. Through this letter, he is able to give them an idea as to what is going on in the colony. He wants to persuade them to stop this treatment of an innocent group of people. The letter of Christopher Columbus and the letter of Bartholome de le Casas represent two different attitudes opposite of each other. The tone of Christopher Columbus seems hopeful, assured and optimistic despite his mistake. Instead of finding Asia, he instead found new land to use as a substitution for it. He describes the land vividly, in one instance stating the great features of the land such as "La Spanola is marvelous, the sierras and the mountains and the plains and the meadows, and the lands are so beautiful and rich for planting and sowing, and for livestock of every sort, and for building towns and villages." Describing the land so vividly and highlighting the overall qualities by using such words as "marvelous", he creates the image of beautiful greenery. De le Casas tone seems to be of horror, disgust, dismay and disbelief at the events in his letter. De las Casas also uses vivid imagery, but in a harmful way in order to shock his audience. When describing one instance of the horrendous treatment of the Indians, he claims that "just as the young man came down, a Spaniard who was there drew a cutlass or half sword and gives him a cut through the loins, so that his intestines fall out." He uses graphic imagery in order to support his point about the events that are occurring. The purpose for each of the letters is different. Columbus is writing his letter to the treasurer of Spain not only to report his findings, but to persuade them. He wanted to arrive in Asia and thought his route would allow him to reach there quickly without much opposition. Instead the route he followed put him somewhere different of Asia. There was not a way for him to go back to the king and queen without some sort of findings. His discovery of a fertile land that has the spices that he was journeying for Asia, he may be able to find on the island. Even with the Native Americans he encounters, Columbus remarks of their figure and timid ways, essentially implying they could be use for labors for the new colonies. Columbus tone seems to be optimism and De las Casas, on other hand, is writing to the authorities in order to stop the brutal treatment of the Indians. In his letter, the Spaniards seemed to be involved in spreading discord through the village. They kill without remorse or guilt. Though he does not see the Indians as his equals, he essentially sees them at least as human beings and can acknowledge the violence is misdirected against a group of people who do not deserve it. The tone he constantly displays through his vivid imagery of the events seems to be one of disgust. The article “The Case of the Amistead” displays the riot aboard the Armistead occurred. The African slaves aboard the ship were able to free themselves, and not only kill the Captain but seize control of the ship as well. The author’s diction seems to portray the African slaves as savages, and sets the tone of anger and disgust for the events aboard the ship. At the beginning of where the Africans are initiating the fight, the author describes the sound the Negroes during their fight citing that "In the mean time the other negroes were making the most dreadful noises imaginable." The use of the word dreadful adds more to the savagery of the Africans’ attack on the Captain. The portrayal of the Africans seems to they have no remorse and instead are just violent in nature. After killing the Captain, their apparent bloodlust does not end. "Joseph attacked Senor Montez and would have killed him but for the interference of others. “ However, that is not the only reference of the seeming brutality he speaks of. The next morning after the Africans had control over the ship, the author states "Next morning Montez was taken out of the cabin, and although dangerously wounded, compelled to steer to the east ward" Despite being wounded, he is still required to direct the ship for he is at the mercy of the Africans. The author further the African slaves took it a step further as "they brandished knives over the head of Montez in a most horrible manner". The words of the author also seem to dissuade the audience from ever thinking that the Africans could be very intelligent. The first instance is where he makes note of the Africans lack to technological knowledge stating "There were but four muskets on board, and the use of these was unknown to the slaves". The next instance inferior intelligence was after the attack he makes a reference to the Africans lack of knowledge in direction. He asserts "The poor wretches know they had come from where appeared to rise, but they understood nothing of navigation and were easily deluded.” The overall purpose of the articles seems to clearly make the ship’s crew victims of the attack of the Africans. The author’s word choices contribute to such a case by showing their violent tendency and lack of compassion during the attack. The Africans kill the Captain, wound some of the crewmen and forces him to sail back to Africa. They never did make it back however, for they were captured by another ship. The article continues the stereotype of the Africans being intellectually inferior and overly violent group of people. Through his description, he implies that the Africans are an only savage group of people. The article “The Captured Africans” speaks of the release of Africans and portrays a more optimistic view on both the Africans and the people of the Americas. Immediately at the start of the article, the author states "After the adjournment of the Court at Hartford, the Africans are taken back to New Haven, where they are treated with proper indulgence and kindness". The author allows the reader to see the helpful nature of the New Haven. The use of the word kindness and indulgence implies that they tried to accommodate the Africans in anyway possible after the events that transpired on the ship just a few weeks back. The committee of New Haven found people that spoke the language of the Africans, and the author describes their attitude as "These endeavors we are happy to say, have been crowned with success". Carefully choosing the wording, it seems that everyone is jovial with the results. The author further goes on to say "It would have done your heart good to witness the joy of the Africans on finding able to converse with men".
The overall purpose of the article seems to suggest that they were able to reach a peaceful resolution. It even suggests to a degree that the Africans were not all barbaric like they were in “The Case of the Amistead”. The Africans did not seem in any way barbaric through this article and instead seem only concerned with finding someone that can speak their language, stating that "finding a fellow countryman who could talk in their own language, took hold of him, and literally dragged him in”. Rather than acting savage, they seem to just be happy that they found someone whom could speak with. He later remarks "Such a scene ensued as you may better conceive than I described." This was in reference to the overall task of attempting to converse with the Africans and do it peacefully. The articles are a sharp contrast to one another in tone and diction, as well as their intended message. The first article, “The Case of the Amistead”, displays the attitude of the Africans as savage. The author seems outraged, and appalled at the occurrence. Recounting the events that happened on board of the ship, the Africans are depicted in a savage manner. The manner in which he describes the African’s battle on board the ship is barbaric and seemingly without any feelings or remorse for killing the captain. For instance, the author describes that one of the victims, Senor Montez, of the brawl had “received a very dangerous wound on the head and then on the arm.” The word dangerous brings up the severity of the wound and thus heightens the risk of Montez health. Yet he goes on to say “Next morning Montez was taken out of the cabin, and although dangerously wounded, compelled to steer to the east ward". That statement displays the lack of remorse for the others well-being against the crewmen. Not only is he injured but they’re forcing him to steer the ship under these conditions. “The Captured Africans” however, is not of the same tone. There is more pleasant and gracious tone that follows through his narration. The beginning portion of the articles says “After the adjournment of the Court at Hartford, the Africans are taken back to New Haven, where they are treated with proper indulgence and kindness". Instead of the Africans being viewed as slaves, the author seems to view them as actual human beings and not materials or property. The article is attempting to show genuine concern for Africans despite their misdeeds. At one point the author remarks "It would have done your heart good to witness the joy of the Africans on finding able to converse with men". The intended message of both articles is also vastly different. “The Case of the Amistead” seems to want to portray the Africans as nothing but savage people incapable of real intellect. The author remarks "The poor wretches know they had come from where appeared to rise, but they understood nothing of navigation and were easily deluded.” There seems to be no sense of intelligence behind their motives and they wanted nothing more than to instigate a riot against the Captain of the ship. By portraying them as this, he is could be implying that one cannot trust Africans due to their nature. “The Captured Africans” message seems to contrast with that sentiment. They were able to reach an agreement with the Africans realtively easy from what the Author wrote. He states "These endeavors we are happy to say, have been crowned with success". Examining this further, this could mean that the Africans were realitvely easy to deal with. While the European idea might be that Africans are inferior, they were easier to deal with than “The Case of the Amistead” made it seem and that the Africans could still be controlled with the right approach. Overall all four works have similarities and differences between them. “The Beautiful and Green Land” seems optimistic and excited about the discovery about the findings of the new islands. His original vision was to make it to Asia in the shortest route possible but instead Columbus is able to discover a new land filled with resources, and is able to find the Native Americans who cannot cause any harms for the Europeans and can possibly be used for manual labor. He speaks of the value of the land in many cases, at one point stating that “La Spanola is marvelous, the sierras and the mountains and the plains and the meadows and the lands are so beautiful and rich for planting and sowing and for livestock of every sort, and for building towns and villages”. His description of the Native Americans are also vivid and portray as able to work, saying “they are well built people of handsome stature, because they are wondrous timid”. He uses He also remarks “In these islands I have so far found no human monstrosities, as many expected, on the contrary, among all these people looks are esteemed; nor are they Negroes, as in Guinea”. His overall message is that he has found new land to colonize that is rich in minerals and workers. The Native Americans seem to be a sharp contrast to the Africans, as the article “The Case Of The Amistead” depicts the Africans as savages and vicious in their attack as opposed to the timid Native Americans. The author displays them as less than intelligent and wants the reader to see them as threats. Unlike the article after it, “The Captured Africans”, the author shows that the Africans are just savage when describing their attack on the crew of the ship. Bartolome’s letter to the authorities is filled with resentment, anger and disgust for the mistreatment of the Indians. His tone is displayed through his vivid and graphic details following the slaughtering of many Indians. His choice of words is used to attempt to instill shock to further explain his point. He wants the mistreatment of Indians to stop and in order to do that, he needs to create the visual image of the mistreatment. He uses such examples as “A Spaniard, in whom the devil is though to have clothed himself, suddenly drew his sword. The whole hundred drew theirs and began to rip open the bellies, to cut and kill those lambs- men, women, children and old folk,” to support this. He wants to emphasize the visual and graphics of what he claims he is seeing. He even declares at one point what he witnesses a young Indian being slaughtered, claiming “just as the young man came down, a Spaniard who was there drew a cutlass or half sword and gives him a cut through the loins, so that his intestines fall out”. Similarly, “The Captured Africans” seem to contradict what was said in the “The case of the Amistead” and even suggest that they wanted just to see the Africans off and peaceful, just as Bartholome’s wants to see the Indians. The author uses examples like "After the adjournment of the Court at Hartford, the Africans are taken back to New Haven, where they are treated with proper indulgence and kindness". This can be interpreted as more of a kind treatment they are receiving as opposed to Bartholome’s vision of the Indians. Throughout their meeting through the court house, the author declares "These endeavors we are happy to say, have been crowned with success". This might be in an effort to say that the Africans are not as big of a threat as “the Case of the Amistead” made it seem. Even though the European thought was that they were inferior, and despite the savagery displayed, they could be tamed and subdued with the right approach without fighting. Each of these articles offers insight through the Age of Exploration. “The Beautiful and Green Land” displays how Spain came into contact with the Native Americans despite sending Christopher to Asia for spices. He proves the land can be of much value to Spain and so can the people. Bartholome De Las Casas’ letter “The Horrors of Conquest” offers insight to the mistreatment of Indians during Spain’s occupation. He attempts to stop them by writing about their horros to the authorities. “The Case of the Amistead” displays the riot onboard the Amistead and the portrayal of the Africans as being barbaric. Finally “The Captured Africans” explains what happened to Africans after they were re-captured and how a civil dispute followed. In all of these works, the author uses tone, diction to display the intended message to their audience in order to support their point.
Works Cited
Casas, Bartholome De Las. “The Horrors of Conquest” Global Literature: One World, Many Voices. Vol II. Ed. Charles Duncan. Chicago: Harcourt Brace 1998. 19-23
Columbus, Christoper. “The Green and Beautiful Land” Global Literature: One World, Many Voices. Vol II. Ed. Charles Duncan. Chicago: Harcourt Brace 1998. 19-23
“The Captured Africans.” The Hartford Courant. 7 Oct. 1839: 2
“The Case of the Amistead.” The Hartford Courant. 6 September. 1839: 2

Cited: Casas, Bartholome De Las. “The Horrors of Conquest” Global Literature: One World, Many Voices. Vol II. Ed. Charles Duncan. Chicago: Harcourt Brace 1998. 19-23 Columbus, Christoper. “The Green and Beautiful Land” Global Literature: One World, Many Voices. Vol II. Ed. Charles Duncan. Chicago: Harcourt Brace 1998. 19-23 “The Captured Africans.” The Hartford Courant. 7 Oct. 1839: 2 “The Case of the Amistead.” The Hartford Courant. 6 September. 1839: 2