In Du Boise’s the Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois uses logos to bring out his points. He also though, lacks detail within his story. Although this does make the text a tough read, it does show logically Du Boise’s thoughts and points that he was trying to make.
Du Bois logically brings out within his story his argument that the black folk, is one to be recognized just as equally as all the other races. He says this in the manner of: “After the Egyptian and Indian, the Greek and Roman, the Teuton and Mongolian, the Negro is a sort of seventh son.” The way he puts his thoughts together on the page is as to get an explanation of what he was thinking. This does take some extra meditation on what is being said, but once the reader grasps the concept, it makes sense. He uses long sentences which also make a challenge to the reader to be able to comprehend, but they help to drive his point further. He talks about how the “training of the Negroes,” or the blacks receiving their education would be vital to the black race becoming like the others. He doesn’t place much emphasis on this fact, but he does slip it in towards the end of the passage.
The tone of this passage is like that of a wakeup call. Du Bois was trying to show his fellows what was happening around them. He was trying to show them what was to come, and how he felt about what he believed was to come. This type of tone adds to the feel of the story. Since it is logical in manner, a serious tone would be needed in order to meet the logic that is presented within the story.
One thing that one sees while reading Du Boise’s work, is that he lacks in detail. Detail would make this an easier read for his audience. It would help his audience to pay more attention and be able to grasp what is being presented to them. Yet the lack of detail here in Du Boise’s story is what makes it hard to read, or hard to pay attention to. If it had more detail, it would likely be easier for his audience to grasp what he was saying, and his views on the Negro people.
In the Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois uses logos, or logic, to bring out his points. His serious tone to his subject further enforces the logic put forth by it. Although his lack of detail does make it a harder read for his audience, if one reads and meditates on what he is reading, Du Boise’s logic begins to make more sense.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Booker T. Washington's Signs of Progress Among The Negores Lit. Response
Booker T. Washington’s, Signs of Progress among the Negroes, mainly uses two rhetoric devices. His pathos establishes an emotional connection with his audience. He uses logos in his explanations of his beliefs. These devices help better the audience’s understanding of the text, and make it a reading the audience can take to heart so to speak.
Washington’s main purpose for this passage is to show the progress among the Negroes, especially in the matter of education. He tells a story within this text which better establishes the sense of pathos. Washington talks about a young black boy who lived and worked on a plantation. The plantation owner, feeling sorry for the boy, would toss nickels and dimes at him every time he would ride by. Eventually, after the boy saved up the money he was receiving from Mr. S----, the plantation owner, he used it to go to school and get himself an education. This story brings Washington’s view into perspective for his audience. It establishes an emotional connection with the audience, because very likely Washington’s readers felt for the boy who wanted to get himself an education, even though in the south, it was illegal to teach black slaves. Even when this law was outlawed, those who were involved in the teaching of black people were greatly mistreated. This is what leads one to believe why Washington does not use the plantation owner’s full name, Mr. S----. He does this to protect his identity, likely because of how much teaching blacks was hated. This gets the reader involved, because now the reader thinks in his own mind, what he would have done in this situation. As we see later within the passage, Mr. S--- had forgotten about the boy after he left for school. When the boy wrote to him in a letter he just threw the letters away. But when the boy showed up and paid Mr. S---- his money back with interest, Mr. S---- was impressed. He was impressed to the point that he opened a school on his plantation so his blacks could get an education and turn out just like the boy that went to school. Now the readers more involved emotionally with the story. They likely want the school to succeed, to teach more blacks living and working on the plantation. And they were likely joyful once they learned that the school eventually did get its success and did teach many Negroes.
Washington further discusses how far the Negroes have come, and how far they can go. One great point which he brings this out is where he says: “Perhaps the most that we have accomplished in the last thirty years is to show the North and the South how the fourteen slaves landed a few hundred years ago at Jamestown, Virginia, now nearly eight millions of freemen in the South Alone are to be made a safe and useful part of our democratic and Christian institutions.” Washington obviously sees something here, and his logos, or his logic, helps convey his thoughts to his audience. He sees where the blacks have come from, as he brings out the fourteen slaves that landed in Jamestown, and now the eight million freemen in the south. And he now sees that they can go somewhere greater, through the use of education. “So long as the whites in the south are surrounded by a race that is, in a large measure, in ignorance and poverty, so long will this ignorance and poverty of the Negro in a score of ways prevents the highest development of the white man.” So as long as the Negroes remain uneducated, they will stay in their current state, but when they become educated, like the young boy in his earlier illustration, they can and will take themselves to bigger and better places. It’s this logic that helps the audience to understand Washington’s point.
In this passage Washington uses both pathos and logos to convey his ideas. His pathos helps establish an emotional connection with his audience, as in his illustration with the young black boy who sought his education, and his logos shows his logic in how he is thinking, which better helps the audience to understand his points and ideas. It is these two aspects of his writing that brings the reader to a greater knowledge and understanding of what Booker T. Washington was trying to express.
Washington’s main purpose for this passage is to show the progress among the Negroes, especially in the matter of education. He tells a story within this text which better establishes the sense of pathos. Washington talks about a young black boy who lived and worked on a plantation. The plantation owner, feeling sorry for the boy, would toss nickels and dimes at him every time he would ride by. Eventually, after the boy saved up the money he was receiving from Mr. S----, the plantation owner, he used it to go to school and get himself an education. This story brings Washington’s view into perspective for his audience. It establishes an emotional connection with the audience, because very likely Washington’s readers felt for the boy who wanted to get himself an education, even though in the south, it was illegal to teach black slaves. Even when this law was outlawed, those who were involved in the teaching of black people were greatly mistreated. This is what leads one to believe why Washington does not use the plantation owner’s full name, Mr. S----. He does this to protect his identity, likely because of how much teaching blacks was hated. This gets the reader involved, because now the reader thinks in his own mind, what he would have done in this situation. As we see later within the passage, Mr. S--- had forgotten about the boy after he left for school. When the boy wrote to him in a letter he just threw the letters away. But when the boy showed up and paid Mr. S---- his money back with interest, Mr. S---- was impressed. He was impressed to the point that he opened a school on his plantation so his blacks could get an education and turn out just like the boy that went to school. Now the readers more involved emotionally with the story. They likely want the school to succeed, to teach more blacks living and working on the plantation. And they were likely joyful once they learned that the school eventually did get its success and did teach many Negroes.
Washington further discusses how far the Negroes have come, and how far they can go. One great point which he brings this out is where he says: “Perhaps the most that we have accomplished in the last thirty years is to show the North and the South how the fourteen slaves landed a few hundred years ago at Jamestown, Virginia, now nearly eight millions of freemen in the South Alone are to be made a safe and useful part of our democratic and Christian institutions.” Washington obviously sees something here, and his logos, or his logic, helps convey his thoughts to his audience. He sees where the blacks have come from, as he brings out the fourteen slaves that landed in Jamestown, and now the eight million freemen in the south. And he now sees that they can go somewhere greater, through the use of education. “So long as the whites in the south are surrounded by a race that is, in a large measure, in ignorance and poverty, so long will this ignorance and poverty of the Negro in a score of ways prevents the highest development of the white man.” So as long as the Negroes remain uneducated, they will stay in their current state, but when they become educated, like the young boy in his earlier illustration, they can and will take themselves to bigger and better places. It’s this logic that helps the audience to understand Washington’s point.
In this passage Washington uses both pathos and logos to convey his ideas. His pathos helps establish an emotional connection with his audience, as in his illustration with the young black boy who sought his education, and his logos shows his logic in how he is thinking, which better helps the audience to understand his points and ideas. It is these two aspects of his writing that brings the reader to a greater knowledge and understanding of what Booker T. Washington was trying to express.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Disturbia Character Analysis
Mr. Turner definately brings the maniahcale aspect of a villian to the story of the movie, Disturbia. This characteristic of his helps to better the movie and make it more supensful. His tactics are realistic. An example of this would be how he laid low through out the whole first part of the movie, but once he realised his problem, his problem being the main character and his friends out to expose him, he was determined to deal with it; to make his problem go away so to speak. His whole way of operation throught the film is very realistic, and brings the "edge of your seat" aspect to the audience.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Some assignment that i cant remember the name of
Here we have two passages, both The Life of a Slave girl, and Narrative in the Life of Fredrick Douglas. Both passages are prime examples of life back in the slave days. When it comes to rhetoric, both passages have their similarities.
Both of these passages appeal to pathos. At first, the two stories seem to have no type of rhetoric whatsoever, but eventually as one reads further, one can make an emotional connection with the characters depicted within the story. Both stories contain examples of the cruelty shown to slaves in that period of time. Some examples more graphic than others, but they all contain blood, pain, and anger. These feelings and aspects of the story can be easily picked up by the reader, and felt by the reader. This further strengthens the connection between the authors work and his audience.
Both of these passages, The Life of a Slave Girl, and Narrative in the Life of Fredrick Douglas, establish pathos with their readers. They both are prime examples of life back in the slave days. Because of this and their realistic problems presented, they form an emotional connection with their readers.
Both of these passages appeal to pathos. At first, the two stories seem to have no type of rhetoric whatsoever, but eventually as one reads further, one can make an emotional connection with the characters depicted within the story. Both stories contain examples of the cruelty shown to slaves in that period of time. Some examples more graphic than others, but they all contain blood, pain, and anger. These feelings and aspects of the story can be easily picked up by the reader, and felt by the reader. This further strengthens the connection between the authors work and his audience.
Both of these passages, The Life of a Slave Girl, and Narrative in the Life of Fredrick Douglas, establish pathos with their readers. They both are prime examples of life back in the slave days. Because of this and their realistic problems presented, they form an emotional connection with their readers.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
"Where is she?"
"Have you talked to them lately?" "Yea sure why?" "Well i haven't seen them in a few weeks, I was just wondering if everything was ok." "Well....they got kicked out again." "What? Are u serious? When did this happen?" "Just a couple of weeks ago." "Well do you know where they are? Why did they get kicked out?" "I dont know."
"I can't believe it, again? Why oh why oh why. What in the world could she and her sister have done? So many questions are running throughout my head right now it's crazy. I should have known once i went a week without seeing her. We've been hanging out so much lately, it was beautiful, but then this happens. Where could she be, maybe down south again like last time, so far away. I hope she's alright. I wonder how long she is going to stay down there, hopefully not as long as last time. I miss her. I can't stop freakin thinking about her. She knows how I feel about her. I told her that in a conversation that we once had. Ever since then it's been so good, and now this. I wish i could have atleast seen her before hand, just to say goodbye, but wait. I can see her again. Thats right, she told me the last time i saw her! Next thursday, the night she is supposed to do it. She told me herself, the week of the 22nd. Hopefully she is still supposed to do it, i hope so."
"So you talked to her mother today?" "Yea I did. I asked her if her daughter would still be doing it on thurday and she said yea. I told her that my family and I would come by to hear her do it and she said she would let her know." "Wow, well thats interesting, i thought she was kicked out along with her sister?" "Yea i kno, i was thinking the same thing. I hope she will actualy be there you kno. I would be kinda upset if she wasnt and, you know, her mother just told me should would be." "Yea i know what ya mean. That would be pretty bogus." "Yea, well lets just hope."
"Tonights the night. Tonights the night she is supposed to give her performance. I wore a suit to school yesterday, and I looked real fly, I'll just wear that same suit again. My sister and I pulled up, parked the car, and walked in and I knew right away what was happening, I just don't think I was willing to accept it yet. We walked to the front and sat down right infront of the stage. All the while i was thinking, well maybe she's in the bathroom or something, or maybe she's in the back practicing or something. Her mother said she would be here, i believe her. After a few minutes my parents walk in and sit right beside my sister and I. Now my heart begins to beat harder. I really hope this is all going to happen now, even my parents came to hear. My sister turns to me and asks, "Where is she?" and I dont know. Her turn comes up, and i watch her mother and her grandmother walk onto the stage. All I could think to myself was I knew it. I can't believe this. How could her mother sit there and tell me right to my face that she would be here tonight. I knew deep down inside that she probably wouldnt be, but i just did not want to believe it. I thought just by some chance, just maybe she would be here, and i could see her for that one last time before she gets sent away. Away out of my reach, where i cant contact her, i cant find out how she is or how shes doing. Where we can't even speak to each other. My palms sweat heavily, all i could do is look down in disgrace. My parents asking "Where is she?" I felt played, mislead, sent-off, stupid off all things. My sister taps my arm and says "I am so sorry." All I can do is just sit there and think. I can't believe this."
"After its all over my friends try to cheer me up." "Its allright man, she'll be back." "Well how can we know that, we can't even speak to eachother." Her mother walks past, and just looks at me, doesnt wave, doesnt say im sorry, doesnt say anything. She just walks and looks. All i can continuously think is "Where could she be....Where is she"
"I can't believe it, again? Why oh why oh why. What in the world could she and her sister have done? So many questions are running throughout my head right now it's crazy. I should have known once i went a week without seeing her. We've been hanging out so much lately, it was beautiful, but then this happens. Where could she be, maybe down south again like last time, so far away. I hope she's alright. I wonder how long she is going to stay down there, hopefully not as long as last time. I miss her. I can't stop freakin thinking about her. She knows how I feel about her. I told her that in a conversation that we once had. Ever since then it's been so good, and now this. I wish i could have atleast seen her before hand, just to say goodbye, but wait. I can see her again. Thats right, she told me the last time i saw her! Next thursday, the night she is supposed to do it. She told me herself, the week of the 22nd. Hopefully she is still supposed to do it, i hope so."
"So you talked to her mother today?" "Yea I did. I asked her if her daughter would still be doing it on thurday and she said yea. I told her that my family and I would come by to hear her do it and she said she would let her know." "Wow, well thats interesting, i thought she was kicked out along with her sister?" "Yea i kno, i was thinking the same thing. I hope she will actualy be there you kno. I would be kinda upset if she wasnt and, you know, her mother just told me should would be." "Yea i know what ya mean. That would be pretty bogus." "Yea, well lets just hope."
"Tonights the night. Tonights the night she is supposed to give her performance. I wore a suit to school yesterday, and I looked real fly, I'll just wear that same suit again. My sister and I pulled up, parked the car, and walked in and I knew right away what was happening, I just don't think I was willing to accept it yet. We walked to the front and sat down right infront of the stage. All the while i was thinking, well maybe she's in the bathroom or something, or maybe she's in the back practicing or something. Her mother said she would be here, i believe her. After a few minutes my parents walk in and sit right beside my sister and I. Now my heart begins to beat harder. I really hope this is all going to happen now, even my parents came to hear. My sister turns to me and asks, "Where is she?" and I dont know. Her turn comes up, and i watch her mother and her grandmother walk onto the stage. All I could think to myself was I knew it. I can't believe this. How could her mother sit there and tell me right to my face that she would be here tonight. I knew deep down inside that she probably wouldnt be, but i just did not want to believe it. I thought just by some chance, just maybe she would be here, and i could see her for that one last time before she gets sent away. Away out of my reach, where i cant contact her, i cant find out how she is or how shes doing. Where we can't even speak to each other. My palms sweat heavily, all i could do is look down in disgrace. My parents asking "Where is she?" I felt played, mislead, sent-off, stupid off all things. My sister taps my arm and says "I am so sorry." All I can do is just sit there and think. I can't believe this."
"After its all over my friends try to cheer me up." "Its allright man, she'll be back." "Well how can we know that, we can't even speak to eachother." Her mother walks past, and just looks at me, doesnt wave, doesnt say im sorry, doesnt say anything. She just walks and looks. All i can continuously think is "Where could she be....Where is she"
Sunday, September 21, 2008
The Custom-House Questions....*yawn*
- What is the primary purpose for the Custom House introduction?
The primary purpose for the Custom House introduction, is to show the author's purpose to his book. It provides an elaborate example on how the authors thought process works, and how he writes, which in this case is rather difficult.
2. What significant change does Hawthorne admit to making in telling the story contained in the diary?
His change seems to be that he began to write more like a surveyor instead of writing typical essays.
3. What potential impact will this change have on the story?
Instead of facts and eact events being thrown at your througout the reading, it will be more of the author's "surveys;" the authors personal thoughts and opinions on what is written.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Anne Bradstreet Summary
Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672)
http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/Bradstreet/bradbio.htm
Anne Bradstreet was truly a poet of her time, although according to her biography she was not viewd as that. Anne Bradstreet was a puritan. She came over to North American in 1630 with John Winthrop. Due to the puritanical ways of thinking, her work was frowned upon by the rest of the puritans. The puritans did not really believe in women having any kind of say so or doing anything even close to what Anne Bradstreet Loved to do. She actualy expresses this in her poem, "The Author to her Book." When reading that poem it does not appear like that. It seems that she is speaking of her child who she is ashamed of, but it turns out, she is speaking of her child, not how one would think though. She is speaking of her work, and due to those, puritanical views, she most likely did feel embarassed or ashamed of her work from time to time, but she still loved what she did.
She was married to a govenor, the same govenor who she wrote about in her poem, "To My Dear and Loving Husband." Her husband left the home a lot due to his dutties, leaving Anne at home with her 14 children. While he was gone Anne missed him a lot, and she wrote this poem, which expressed her deep love for him. Anne Bradstreet died at the age of 60 due to an illness, but she was one great poet, who knew how to create poems that touched people's hearts.
http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/Bradstreet/bradbio.htm
Anne Bradstreet was truly a poet of her time, although according to her biography she was not viewd as that. Anne Bradstreet was a puritan. She came over to North American in 1630 with John Winthrop. Due to the puritanical ways of thinking, her work was frowned upon by the rest of the puritans. The puritans did not really believe in women having any kind of say so or doing anything even close to what Anne Bradstreet Loved to do. She actualy expresses this in her poem, "The Author to her Book." When reading that poem it does not appear like that. It seems that she is speaking of her child who she is ashamed of, but it turns out, she is speaking of her child, not how one would think though. She is speaking of her work, and due to those, puritanical views, she most likely did feel embarassed or ashamed of her work from time to time, but she still loved what she did.
She was married to a govenor, the same govenor who she wrote about in her poem, "To My Dear and Loving Husband." Her husband left the home a lot due to his dutties, leaving Anne at home with her 14 children. While he was gone Anne missed him a lot, and she wrote this poem, which expressed her deep love for him. Anne Bradstreet died at the age of 60 due to an illness, but she was one great poet, who knew how to create poems that touched people's hearts.
Anne Bradstreet Poem Response
Here we have two poems from the author, Anne Bradstreet. In these two poems, she uses a ton of imagery and diction. She gets her point across in both poems quite easily. It does not take much struggling and frying of the brain to really get the gist of what these poems are saying. In her first poem, she speaks of her husband, and of her love for her husband. In her second poem, she speaks of her life as a homeless mother. Further examinations of these two poems provide the following.
In her fist poem, “To My Dear and Loving Husband”, Anne Bradstreet expresses her deep love for her husband in a few ways. She uses a nice amount of imagery in her phrases. An example of this would be in the poem where she expresses how much she prizes her husbands love. She prizes his love “more than a whole mine of gold, or all the riches that the east doth hold.” This obviously shows that not only does she love her husband profusely; she loves her husbands love for her profusely. Another good example of her imagery is where she expresses how bountiful her love for her husband is. She expresses it as “love that rivers cannot quench.” The way that she words her phrases and the expressive words that she uses shows just how much she really loves her husband.
In her second poem, “The Author to her Book,” she once again uses a lot of imagery and diction, but this time it fills the whole poem. If this poem were allowed no imagery, there would be a blank page. Here she speaks about herself as being a homeless mother. She seems to be ashamed of her child, even somewhat embarrassed. She expresses that in lines seven through nine where she says while she is in public she blushes, meaning she is embarrassed, and she describes her child as being “unfit for light.” Although her child can be embarrassing to her, she shows that she still has love for her child, as she cleans her child up, washing his face. Her affection for him is expressed in line 11. As is brought out in line 6, when she is out in public, she is judged by all the other people in the public place. In the poem she appears to be without her husband, which is expressed in line 22. From the last line one can infer that she was not always in the position she is currently in. It appears that she most likely once had a house, even a husband, but somehow she lost it all and now she is a poor, homeless mother.
This poem highly contrasts from the first, in the sense of the first poem seeming to be in a very heartfelt, loving environment. Yet this one seems to take place in a dirty, dark embarrassing place, which no one would like to go to. The way Anne Bradstreet wrote this particular poem is in a way which you must read to the very end to understand what it is saying. The first poem in understandable right away, but one really can not appreciate it until one observes and meditates on the way she gets her point across. The way she uses imagery in the second poem is amazing. While reading it, one can no undoubtedly picture this poor, homeless woman, standing perhaps on a street corner, with her child, perhaps even begging for help and money. This second poem takes a bit more thought than the first, but its point still makes it across. The author obviously put a lot of thought into her work. She made it fun for the imagination; a work out for the mind.
In her fist poem, “To My Dear and Loving Husband”, Anne Bradstreet expresses her deep love for her husband in a few ways. She uses a nice amount of imagery in her phrases. An example of this would be in the poem where she expresses how much she prizes her husbands love. She prizes his love “more than a whole mine of gold, or all the riches that the east doth hold.” This obviously shows that not only does she love her husband profusely; she loves her husbands love for her profusely. Another good example of her imagery is where she expresses how bountiful her love for her husband is. She expresses it as “love that rivers cannot quench.” The way that she words her phrases and the expressive words that she uses shows just how much she really loves her husband.
In her second poem, “The Author to her Book,” she once again uses a lot of imagery and diction, but this time it fills the whole poem. If this poem were allowed no imagery, there would be a blank page. Here she speaks about herself as being a homeless mother. She seems to be ashamed of her child, even somewhat embarrassed. She expresses that in lines seven through nine where she says while she is in public she blushes, meaning she is embarrassed, and she describes her child as being “unfit for light.” Although her child can be embarrassing to her, she shows that she still has love for her child, as she cleans her child up, washing his face. Her affection for him is expressed in line 11. As is brought out in line 6, when she is out in public, she is judged by all the other people in the public place. In the poem she appears to be without her husband, which is expressed in line 22. From the last line one can infer that she was not always in the position she is currently in. It appears that she most likely once had a house, even a husband, but somehow she lost it all and now she is a poor, homeless mother.
This poem highly contrasts from the first, in the sense of the first poem seeming to be in a very heartfelt, loving environment. Yet this one seems to take place in a dirty, dark embarrassing place, which no one would like to go to. The way Anne Bradstreet wrote this particular poem is in a way which you must read to the very end to understand what it is saying. The first poem in understandable right away, but one really can not appreciate it until one observes and meditates on the way she gets her point across. The way she uses imagery in the second poem is amazing. While reading it, one can no undoubtedly picture this poor, homeless woman, standing perhaps on a street corner, with her child, perhaps even begging for help and money. This second poem takes a bit more thought than the first, but its point still makes it across. The author obviously put a lot of thought into her work. She made it fun for the imagination; a work out for the mind.
Cabeza de Vaca
This picture best represents my position on Cabeza de Vaca. A lot of people know the prase: "Dont judge a book by its cover." This picture here is a nice visual of that. As one would see after reading the story, the christians in the story saw the indians as lessers. They did not treat the indians as equals, as human beings. Yes the indians customs would have been way different than that of the christians, but just because of the way they looked and acted, did not mean they had rights. The indians, starting off before they were inslaved by the christians, were probably the nicest people around. The fed, clothed, and took care of the new people to their land, and what did the christians do? They took advantage of them, and used them.
In this picture we see a bar with two books, talking about the book across the room. One of the books at the bar expresses how she has already judged the other book, by how he looks. Yes the book across the room does look rather crazy, but that does not mean he is. He could be real nice and nice treating, like how the indians were when the settlers first apeared in the new world. Yet, he is still judged by his apperance.
Monday, September 8, 2008
DEATHBED
DEATHBED
At the end of my response to Christopher Columbus’s letters’, I mentioned him being near death at the time of him writing his last letter. The Image above works in accord with my response. When one views this image, we can see Columbus, laying there in his deathbed, old, sick, and with a deteriorating body, like what was mentioned in the response. This image represents that imagery, that picture that Columbus’s words let ones imagination paint in one’s head. It depicts a man who has grown old in his service to his people, and is now near the end of his days. Who wouldn’t feel for him? This is what establishes the pathos in his letters, the emotional connection.
Columbus lies here, surrounded from what looks like priests, maybe even friends and family. At the end of his last letter, Columbus said himself that he could feel that he was near death. Possibly he wrote that letter while on his death bed. Regardless, he got his message out to those around him; to those accompanying him in his final moments.
At the end of my response to Christopher Columbus’s letters’, I mentioned him being near death at the time of him writing his last letter. The Image above works in accord with my response. When one views this image, we can see Columbus, laying there in his deathbed, old, sick, and with a deteriorating body, like what was mentioned in the response. This image represents that imagery, that picture that Columbus’s words let ones imagination paint in one’s head. It depicts a man who has grown old in his service to his people, and is now near the end of his days. Who wouldn’t feel for him? This is what establishes the pathos in his letters, the emotional connection.
Columbus lies here, surrounded from what looks like priests, maybe even friends and family. At the end of his last letter, Columbus said himself that he could feel that he was near death. Possibly he wrote that letter while on his death bed. Regardless, he got his message out to those around him; to those accompanying him in his final moments.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
A response to Christopher Columbus 1451-1506
Christopher Columbus
1451-1506
This story of Christopher Columbus starts off with a brief description of Columbus’s life and voyages. This description is short, sweet, and to the point, starting off with Columbus being born in 1451, into a wool worker family. The description progresses into him “turning to the sea as a young man.” In his quest to find an Atlantic route to Asia, Columbus embarked on four voyages, each with their adventurous tales. His last voyage was somewhat of a struggle for him to regain his reputation. It seems that Columbus had a mental breakdown on his final voyage, because of which he was returned to Europe, where he later died. Several documents from the hands of Columbus himself still exist. These include the supposed journal of his voyages, and the letters that recapture the tales of each of his voyages.
In Columbus’s letters, he uses a nice amount of diction, using words such as “disenchantments,” and “memorandum,” meaning to free from illusion or false belief, and memorandum meaning a written record or communication. His choice of words and how to order what he is saying makes his message more sophisticated rather than straight forward. An example of this would be in his letter on his first voyage, where he talks about how he sent two men inland on the island of Juana to search for any great cities. His choice of words: “they traveled three days’ journey and found an infinity of small hamlets and people without number” paints a picture for the imagination. It provides that sophistication, rather than the dullness that would occur if he only used words such as a lot, and many.
Columbus also used a fair amount of imagery when it comes to some of the phrases depicted in his letters. Within the letter of his first voyage he describes the trees on the island of Tenerife as being so tall they touch the sky. This use of imagery most likely allows his audience, Luis de Santangle, to paint this picture in his head, as if he were there standing right next to Columbus when his eyes first gazed upon the trees of the island. He accomplishes this same feat with other similar phrases such as: “the lushness of nature,” and how he “never thinks without weeping.” If it were not for this use of imagery, Columbus’s letters would have reached his audience as dull and boring, but he makes it fun and imaginative for his readers.
One would most likely believe that Columbus did not add all these uses of diction and imagery into his letters for no apparent reason. In using these things he creates pathos. He establishes that emotional connection with his audience, but not just in the ways discussed above. The way he speaks of Espanola, Paria, and the other various places that he visited in the beginning of his letter on his fourth voyage, stirs up a feeling of compassion for his readers. He talks about the people’s exhausted state, and their incurable infirmities, which establishes that emotional connection to his readers. His audience no doubt felt for him later in this letter, where he speaks on how after all his years of service, his body has begun to deteriorate, he has grown old, and he believes that he is very near death. Sadly this letter was written in 1503, and as we know, Columbus died in 1506, but his message was undoubtedly received in a clearly powerful way.
1451-1506
This story of Christopher Columbus starts off with a brief description of Columbus’s life and voyages. This description is short, sweet, and to the point, starting off with Columbus being born in 1451, into a wool worker family. The description progresses into him “turning to the sea as a young man.” In his quest to find an Atlantic route to Asia, Columbus embarked on four voyages, each with their adventurous tales. His last voyage was somewhat of a struggle for him to regain his reputation. It seems that Columbus had a mental breakdown on his final voyage, because of which he was returned to Europe, where he later died. Several documents from the hands of Columbus himself still exist. These include the supposed journal of his voyages, and the letters that recapture the tales of each of his voyages.
In Columbus’s letters, he uses a nice amount of diction, using words such as “disenchantments,” and “memorandum,” meaning to free from illusion or false belief, and memorandum meaning a written record or communication. His choice of words and how to order what he is saying makes his message more sophisticated rather than straight forward. An example of this would be in his letter on his first voyage, where he talks about how he sent two men inland on the island of Juana to search for any great cities. His choice of words: “they traveled three days’ journey and found an infinity of small hamlets and people without number” paints a picture for the imagination. It provides that sophistication, rather than the dullness that would occur if he only used words such as a lot, and many.
Columbus also used a fair amount of imagery when it comes to some of the phrases depicted in his letters. Within the letter of his first voyage he describes the trees on the island of Tenerife as being so tall they touch the sky. This use of imagery most likely allows his audience, Luis de Santangle, to paint this picture in his head, as if he were there standing right next to Columbus when his eyes first gazed upon the trees of the island. He accomplishes this same feat with other similar phrases such as: “the lushness of nature,” and how he “never thinks without weeping.” If it were not for this use of imagery, Columbus’s letters would have reached his audience as dull and boring, but he makes it fun and imaginative for his readers.
One would most likely believe that Columbus did not add all these uses of diction and imagery into his letters for no apparent reason. In using these things he creates pathos. He establishes that emotional connection with his audience, but not just in the ways discussed above. The way he speaks of Espanola, Paria, and the other various places that he visited in the beginning of his letter on his fourth voyage, stirs up a feeling of compassion for his readers. He talks about the people’s exhausted state, and their incurable infirmities, which establishes that emotional connection to his readers. His audience no doubt felt for him later in this letter, where he speaks on how after all his years of service, his body has begun to deteriorate, he has grown old, and he believes that he is very near death. Sadly this letter was written in 1503, and as we know, Columbus died in 1506, but his message was undoubtedly received in a clearly powerful way.
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