Analysis Of 1492: Or, Traveling Metaphors In The Discovery Of America

The article is 1492: Europe in America and America in Europe: Or, Traveling Metaphors in the Discovery of America by Boris Vejdovsky. This was a very interesting article concerning Columbus and the beginning of our great country. Vejdovsky dives into the reasoning behind Columbus’s exploration of the New World and really tackles the deeper meaning behind why Columbus choose to do what he did. The main argument of this article was whether Columbus choose to adventure and explore out of selfish wants or out of biblical calling. The author presents the two specific choices for describing Columbus, either a faithful zealot or greedy tourist only interested in fame, fortune and acceptance. He describes Columbus two hypothetical ways for the ready
I think he is extremely close-minded when calling Columbus a greedy adventurer right off the bat instead of giving the reader the opportunity to decide for themselves whether his pursuits as an adventurer were selfishly fueled or not. With that in mind, I personally side with the theory that Columbus adventured for country and personal gain. In reading his writing and the limited quotes supporting in the article, I would argue that Columbus adventured for personal gain with religious aspects in mind. The article describes Columbus as being very interested in the Crusades and wanting to do one himself. Also, while all humans are somewhat attracted to riches, I think Columbus was more after the fame and the word of mouth associated with discovering what he set out to do. The author strikes him out to secure social respectability and being obsessed with
Overall, I think this article is worthy of academic research. Although it is heavily one-sided, it does bring good points into play that certainly could back the side of Columbus being a zealot. I think history students definitely should study this but I also think a Philosophy class should have this article as a classroom discussion of the merits of Columbus’s intentions for the New World. While discussing this topic philosophically, the argument of “ends justify the means” should be brought up and must be argued whether it applies to Columbus’s supposedly selfish mindset when making the greatest geographical discovery in history. In conclusion, I do believe that this is a good academic paper for a couple reasons. First off, the author has a very interesting viewpoint towards Columbus’s behavior and even though I don’t necessarily agree with it, it is important to listen to those you don’t agree with and study what they have to say. Vejdovsky is very well educated on the topic of Columbus and his life and translates that into his work so it is very good for history students especially to study his