Week Two: The Meeting of Two Worlds

Having grown up in Europe the image of Columbus presented to us at school was that of the accidental hero who stumbled across America whilst in search of India and returned home with mountains of gold much to the pride and delight of Spain. However, recent socio-political movements regarding the glorification of colonisation in Europe has put Columbus’ heroic status along with other key imperialist figures such as Napoleon and Rhodes into question. And so it is with these two conflicting outlooks that I began this week’s reading and lecture hoping to find a resolute answer to whether Columbus deserves the status of a hero or a villain.

 As I began Columbus’ journal I was initially intrigued by his leading strategy, lying to the crew about how far they had sailed presumably in the hope of encouraging them to work harder the next day. He struck me as a respected, competent leader – however this may just be due to his own perception of himself as arguably he cannot have been that competent a leader to lead all his crew in the opposite direction of their destination! He addressed the monarch repeatedly in the journal suggesting that it was not kept solely for Columbus’ own eyes but to be used as an account of the voyage by the King himself demonstrating that Columbus was clearly a trusted servant of the King,

 

Once Columbus began to write of his actions in America I was horrified by his manipulation of the naïve and innocent indigenous communities; exploiting the fact they were “eager to please” to not only rob them but abuse the information they shared. I was further angered by the offhand manner in which Columbus discussed capturing seven of the Americans to take back to Spain to learn Spanish. However, these feelings were combined with the awe that followed Columbus’ poetic description of the new land he was in as discussed in the lecture. It was clear Columbus was in complete reverence of the place and some of the people. This admiration made me question whether he truly did not feel any emotion towards the Americans and whether he just believed that whatever harm he was causing was for the greater good. 

 

It was Columbus’ clear religious motivation for the voyage; stating that the Americans would make “good Christians”, that made me believe that perhaps Columbus felt his actions were justified in the eyes of God. Through this work I have not found a resolute answer as to whether Columbus deserves the status of a hero or a villain. He may have believed he was acting as God and the King willed and his discoveries and riches did improve the lives of the Spaniards in Europe however I cannot say that it excuses his abuse of the Americans naivety and kindness. What is clear however, no matter whether Columbus is honoured or condemned is the impact he has had on the world even over 500 years later.

 

Comments

  1. Maiya DSeptember 15, 2020 at 9:35 PM

    I actually disagree with you on Columbus "clear religious motivation". I think his statements that the Indigenous peoples would make "good Christians" came more from a want to justify his travels to his majesties than from his own belief that he was carrying out "god's will". More about expanding Europe's power through religious indoctrination.

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  2. UnknownSeptember 16, 2020 at 8:22 PM

    Hi!
    I think it's really interesting how differently Columbus and his voyages are taught in different countries. In Japan, we're taught about what he did and that was about it and I don't think many people think of him as a hero nor a villain. I used to think Columbus was evil mainly because of information I was getting from Social Media but now I think it's possible to clearly say if he is a hero or a villain. People can't be categorized as purely bad or good because we all have a bit of both and I think the same can be said about Columbus, although that doesn't justify the treacherous things he has done.
    Sorry for the long comment!

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  3. Jenniah MinchinSeptember 17, 2020 at 9:38 AM

    Hi Serena!

    I also was interested by Columbus' strategy of lying to his crew, but I didn't really understand his logic for doing so. I grew up in Canada, and here, he was taught to be a hero. Quite frankly, that's all I really pictured him as until recent events, like you said. It's so interesting to me how much our perspectives can change, over such a short period of time. I personally, don't think it's possible to define him as either. When you really think about conflicting historical figures, it can be hard to accurately judge their character without seeing them in today's climate. All we have are books & stories, which will never accurately tell us everything. Columbus has obviously done horrible things, but I always wonder if he knew just how treacherous his acts were.

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