The Devastation of the Indies and Movie The Mission
The Mission and Bartolome De Las Casas' book, The Devestation of the Indies
Although The Mission and Bartolomé De Las Casas' book, The Devastation of the Indies portray events that took place over two centuries apart, similar features and effects of colonization are apparent in each account. Slight differences in viewpoints are evident, such as The Mission's portrayal of the natives in a more humane fashion, but this goes along with the evolution of time and the current trend of being politically correct. In other words, people today have broader views on issues, are more unbiased in their reasoning, and are careful not to offend others. Whether efforts to conquer land happened in the sixteenth century or will happen in the future in say the twenty-second century, by definition of conquer alone, defeating, suppression, and a complete overpowering, has taken place and will continue to in the future. (Merriam-Webster's, 1997, p. 245).
The Devastation of the Indies was written in the middle of the sixteenth century in response to De Las Casas' outrage about the horrific treatment of natives in the New World. De Las Casas first came to the New World on Colon's second voyage. At one time De Las Casas did own slaves himself, but his experiences over time in the New World, led him to new ways which included getting rid of his slaves. His mission became one of letting others, especially those in his European homeland, become aware of the cruel treatment of the natives by the European colonizers and he began a crusade for the abolition of Indian slavery and the general improvement of the natives' lives.
(http://www.funkandwagnalls.com) De Las Casas' book is a first-hand acco...
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..._reviews/1986/ 11/117159.html. October 2, 1999.
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vi. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary: tenth edition. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 1997, p.245.
vii. Mueller, Rose Anna M. "Teaching beyond the Quincentennial," Hispania 76 (3), September 1993. found at http://www.millersv.edu/~columbus/data/art/ MUELLER1. ART, October 2, 1999.
viii. "Reviews: The Mission (1986)." http://www.amazon.com/exex/obidos/ts/vide… 120X/ref= pm_dp_ln_v_1/002-4226867-6742623. October 2, 1999.
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Collected Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. New York: The Modern Library 1992
The discovery and conquest of American Indians inspired efforts to develop an ideology that could justify why they needed to enslave the Indians. The Spanish monarch wanted an ideal empire. "A universal empire, of which all their subjects were but servants. Charles V remained for them the dominus mundi, the legitimate and God-ordained lord of the world." (Weckmann, The Transit of Civilization, 23) Gold and religious conversion was the two most important inspirations for conquistadors in conquering America. Father Bartolome De Las Casas was a Dominican priest who came to the New World to convert the Indians to become Christians. He spent forty years on Hispanolia and nearby islands, and saw how the Spaniards brutally treated the Indians and sympathized with them. The Devastation of the Indies was an actual eyewitness account of the genocide by Las Casas, and his group of Dominican friars in which he demonizes the Spanish colonists and praises the Indians. Father Las Casas returned to Seville, where he published his book that caused an on going debate on whether the suppression of the Indians corrupted the Spaniards' values. What Las Casas was trying to achieve was the notion of human rights, that human beings are free and cogent by nature without the interference of others.
T.J. Cornell, The Beginnings of Rome: Italy and Rome from the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars (c. 1000-264 BC), London and New York: Routledge, 1995
It is hard to believe that even the Spaniards imagined that one journey in 1492 will change theirs and world’s history so dramatically. The moment that Spanish foot stepped on American soil started years of prosperity and glory for the Spanish empire but at the cost of the destruction of American societies. The encounter with the new world was controversial historical moment that created one united history instead of two world histories. The discovery led many Spaniards to the new world with the intention of settling the lands but eventually this was the start of devastating of cultures, human populations and traditions. Using power and coercion they spread fear and destruction in the aim of gaining wealth, social precedence and Christian conversion. The justification for the massacres of the indigenous people in the name of religion was no more than greed to gold, fame and status. The actions of those who claimed to be “the most humane and excellent nation” was no more than cruel actions made by savages that had no moral sense.
Silverman, Kenneth. Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1991. Print.
Meyers, J. (1992). Edgar Allan Poe: his life and legacy. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons Frank, F. S. (1997). The Poe encyclopedia. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press..
Pridmore, J. (1998-2011) Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849). [On-line] Available from: http://www.literaryhistory.com/19thC/Poe.htm. [Accessed 24th September 2011]
Bartolomé de Las Casas was born in 1484 AD in Seville and died in 1566 in Madrid. In the ending of the 15th century and the beginning of 16th, he came to America and become a “protector of Indian”. In 1542, most based on his effort, Spain has passed the New Law, which prohibit slaving Indians (Foner, p. 7). In 1552, he published the book A Short Account of the Destruction of The Indies.
In A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, Bartolomé de Las Casas vividly describes the brutality wrought on the natives in the Americas by the Europeans primarily for the purpose of proclaiming and spreading the Christian faith. Las Casas originally intended this account to reach the royal administration of Spain; however, it soon found its way into the hands of many international readers, especially after translation. Bartolomé de Las Casas illustrates an extremely graphic and grim reality to his readers using literary methods such as characterization, imagery, amplification, authorial intrusion and the invocation of providence while trying to appeal to the sympathies of his audience about such atrocities.
Hoffman, Daniel. “Edgar Allan Poe: the artist of the beautiful.” The American Poetry Review v. 24. Nov./Dec. 1995. Web. 15 May 2015.
Grantz, David. Qrisse's Edgar Allan Poe Pages, The Poe Decoder. 20 April 2001. Web site. 17 November 2013.
When I hear the word “colonization”, I think about Christopher Columbus sailing to America in 1492 and taking over Native American territory. Well, actually, I think of the movie The New World which was directed by Terrence Malik in 2005. It starred Colin Farrell and it took us through his journey coming to America as John Smith, who has a fling with Pocahontas, which was played by the very young and decently talented Q’orianka Kilcher. (Just so you know, Colin Farrell was Ms. Kilcher’s first kiss,...
Quinn, Arthur Hobson. Introduction. The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. By Edward H. O?Neill., ed. New York: Barnes and Noble Books,1992.
The purpose of the wax argument is designed to provide a clear and distinct knowledge of “I”, which is the mind, while corporeal things, “whose images are framed by thought, and which the senses themselves imagine are much more distinctly known than this mysterious ‘I’ which does not fall within the imagination” (66). Through the wax argument, Descartes’ demonstrates that corporeal things are perceived neither through our senses nor imagination, but through our intellect alone. In this argument, you will see that there is cause to doubt Descartes’ analysis of the wax and his method of philosophical reasoning.
Ingram, John Henry. Edgar Allan Poe: His Life, Letters, and Opinions. New York: AMS Press, Inc., 1965.