What is the Caribbean?
Many ask themselves, What is the Caribbean? What makes up the Caribbean? and How has each island created their identity due to their history? Sidney Mintz in the article, "The Caribbean as a Social-cultural Area" approaches a more social interpretation, Antonio Benítez-Rojo in the article "From the plantation to the Plantation" approaches a more humanistic interpretation while Michelle Cliff in her novel Abeng and her article "If I could write this in fire" takes on a more personal view. While both Mintz and Benitez try to interpret for the whole Caribbean, Cliff uses her homeland of Jamaica to help point out or disagree with some of the important issue of the Caribbean. Benitez discusses the Caribbean according to the role of the plantations. Mintz follows a guideline of nine major features and Cliff's use of personal struggle to better understand her identity and use of Jamaica's history help to better understand Jamaica as part of the Caribbean.
The first similarity of the Caribbean which Mintz points out is how the historical conditions are well known. He writes, "They consist in the expansion of Europe to the New World, the common historical patterns of conquest. colonization, peonage or slavery, and the development of multi-racial and multi-cultural societies throughout this area" (19). Benitez-Rojo goes on to be more precise, he writes, "So if it's clear that there are certain regular and common features, held in place by experiences more or less shared- European conquest, the native people's disappearance or retreat, African slavery, plantation economies, Asian immigration, rigid and prolonged colonial domination..." (34). Even though both Benitez and Mintz can make these claims because it is proven in history, Cliff writes on behalf of Jamaica's history due to Spain's discovery and conquest. Cliff challenges the readers to think more about the identity of Columbus, she mentions that Columbus may have been a Jew, "He came from Genoa- perhaps entering Spain as a Marano, that group of Sephardic Jews forced to hide their religion and their identity behind a pretense of Christian worship... was he in search of a safe place for Jews, a place out of the Diaspora" (67). Cliff has made readers think twice on the purposes of why these sailors discovered new colonies. She writes, "For what purposes did these men find themselves on their expedition. So many intertwining to be unraveled" (67). She implies that the history is not as straightforward as Mintz and Benitez mentioned.
In conclusion, Frankfurt’s argument against the Principle of Alternate Possibilities showed that people under coercion had moral responsibility for their own actions. Copp placed the value of moral responsibility to the ability of being able to do one’s will and Pereboom supports Frankfurt’s argument by placing the robustness condition on alternate possibilities. This shows that there is still a need to put more thought and brainstorming into who has the moral responsibility.
In Discovery Horwitz starts his journey in Vinland trying to find clues about first contact. Horwitz creates a comprehensive look into Vinland and its reasons for failure as he experiences the climate and the ancestors of those that once inhabited the land. Similar to his approach to the rest of his trip he also does his own research to give a clear view of the topic, in this case first contact. In Vinland, or what is now called Newfoundland Horwitz examines where the first Europeans set foot in the American continents. In Newfoundland Horwitz see the aboriginals of the area and how they were affected by the Europeans and how they are still fighting to hold onto their culture. Horwitz nexts bridges the topic of Christopher Columbus and his “discovery” of America. In his examination of Columbus debunks many myths that surround him, for example many think of Columbus as a conquistador or a leader but he was more of a seaman, as Horwitz says “Columbus also failed as a colonial administrator because he never really wanted the job. He was a seaman, not a landsman: a fish out of water whenever he went ashore.” Horwitz’s next Columbus based trip brings him to modern day Dominican Republic which was formerly Santo Domingo. Here the tension between Spanish and natives still exists as the Spanish claim Columbus’ remains are buried there while those in the Dominican Republic believe
One question posed by the authors is “How did Columbus’s relationship with the Spanish crown change over time, and why?” In simple terms, Columbus’s relationship with the
Milanich, Jerald T. and Susan Milbrath., ed. First Encounters: Spanish Exploration in the Caribbean and the United States1492-1570. Gainesville: U of Florida P, 1989.
In 1492, Christopher Columbus was a self-made man who worked his way up to being the Captain of a merchant vessel. He gained the support of the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, for an expedition to the Indies. With the support of the Spanish monarchy, he set off to find a new and faster trade route to the Indies. Upon the arrival of his first voyage, Columbus wrote a letter to Luis de Santangel, a “royal official and an early supporter of his venture,” in February 1493 (35). The epistle, letter, entitled “Letter to Luis de Santangel Regarding the First Voyage” was copied and then distributed in Spain before being translated and spread throughout Europe. The Letter is held in such regard with the people as it is considered the first printed description of the new world. Through his description of the nature of the islands, Columbus decided the future fate of the islands. His description of the vast beauty of the nature around him, declares both the economic and nationalistic motivations for colonizing the new world.
...reserving the principle of autonomous decisions could be considered somewhat more plausible. Essentially the only fault being addressed is the conflicting action, as a conflict no longer occurs. Objections remain based on the inclusion of moral agents exclusively and the promoting of individual’s goals, while introducing the additional problem of self-interest that accompanies prominent autonomy. The theory remains at fault, as it cannot be adequately amended by a single change. Sally’s prescriptive moral theory “picks and choses” from other existing theories and combines them to make a hybrid theory. Doing so creates difficulties as the overlap reduces clarity and limits the strength of any individual argument. This is a challenge that cannot be overlooked; Sally’s theory fails to show structural reliability and is hence too problematic to have sound moral worth.
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. However, even after centuries later, little is truly known of the mysterious voyage and findings of the new world.1 By examining “Letter from Columbus to Luis Santangel”, one can further contextualize the events of Columbus' exploration of the New World. The letter uncovers Columbus' subtle hints of his true intentions and exposes his exaggerated tone that catered to his lavish demands with Spain. Likewise, The Columbian Voyage Map read in accordance with the letter helps the reader track Columbus' first, second, third, and fourth voyage to the New World carefully and conveniently. Thus, the letter and map's rarity and description render invaluable insight into Columbus' intentionality of the New World and its indigenous inhabitants.
Some would say that Christopher Columbus was a devout Christian. He believed that "his was a mission that would put Christian civilization on the offensive after centuries of Muslim ascendancy" (Dor-Ner 45). Columbus' original mission was to find a western route to the Indies. But when that failed, his mission became clear: convert these new people to Christianity. Throughout this paper I will show the view of the natives by Columbus and Christendom and how these views changed over a span of fifty years.
The pioneering exploration of the Caribbean Islands, by Christopher Columbus led to the first European contact of the Taino Indians in that region. This encounter resulted in the Taino Indians being traded, yet opened the South Atlantic and Caribbean for future exploration and eventual colonization.
Christopher Columbus was on track to create history and did so in revealing the “New World.” As he went through his voyage he approached an island occupied by an uncivilized group of people. Columbus writes to Spain describing the people ultimately as savages. They do not dress, they do not know how to utilize weapons, and they would leave their children. (5) As he went about his voyage he claimed all these islands occupied by people as Spain’s land, Columbus added, “I found very many islands filled with people without number, and of them all have I taken possession for their Highn...
Hip hop music has gone through many changes since the 1980’s and continues to change today with new artists, styles, and sounds. Over the past forty years hip hop music has been a way for fans to relate to artist through their songs because many hip hop artist lived and experience the same things that their fans did. Hip hop has changed over the years because of changes and improvement of the average American. Hip hop music reflects on the current situation in American life and over the past forty years hip hop changes with the current times and views of hip hop fans in America. The improvement of more Americans since the 1980’s has help grow the access to hip hop music as well as the popularity of hip hop music and artists.
Langley, Lester D. The United States and the Caribbean in the Twentieth Century; The University of Georgia Press (Athens, 1982).
Osborn, K. S., Wraa, C. E., Watson, A. B., & Holleran, R. (2014). Medical-surgical nursing: preparation for practice (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Have you ever thought about how important hip-hop is? Many people thought it was a simple fad in its beginning, but it has transformed into an enormous international, money-generating business. Some might argue that the culture has become distorted from the original form, due to the “tainted” nature of the genre in the global market. Others agree that the 1990’s were the most prolific time for the art form and this period is commonly referred to as the “golden age” of the Genre. This was the first point in time where a large number of youth grew up listening to hip hop music more than any other genre; they were experiencing the genre throughout their entire lives. During this time period there were many innovative artists who constantly pushed the envelope to create new projects and styles. Creativity seemed to be everlasting, although many clichés were created because of unoriginality. Many people who are now considered legends made their debuts throughout the decade and they are now testaments to the power of the culture. The 1990’s showed people that the art forms of hip hop would be a permanent fixture in music and culture because at this point it existed for roughly twenty years. Minorities had always embraced hip hop since the beginning because they were the creators, but the 1990’s was important because this is when the music being made became more relatable. Artist such as Nas and the Wu-Tang clan embodied a lifestyle in their music that many minorities agreed with because it depicted the lives that those minorities were living. This is not to say that there was not music that was viewed as gimmicky and fabricated.