U.S History Doc. Assignment
Part 1
1-1
1. What aspects of Marco Polos description of the orient might early readers have found alluring?
-The aspects of Polo’s description like the infinite number of villages, creatures that yeild musk, rice, tilted fields. Another alluring part is how there are multiple places represented by different people , because there are either many monarchs or just none. I think that all the different imagery might make them think that he is lying or just crazed.
2. Skeptics question the authenticity of Marco Polo’s account, citing his omission of such things as the great wall, tea, and calligraphy. How important is the veracity of the narrative to our overall assessment of its value to history.
-The power of conformity is very important to the overall assessment to history because he either did not experience these three things or he lied about his whole account making this a lie. Which also means that people thought that his account of his orient was true until everyone knew where tea came from and they wondered why didn’t Polo mention it in his orient. Before I read this reading I always thought he made it all the way to China but now I question it. This question has a very good point and I’m sure if other people actually thought about it they would feel the same way.
1-2
1. According to Columbus, what is the primary reason for Spanish colonization in the New World? Does his letter hint at any other reason.(s)
-Columbus states that the new world is a land that is safer and better for farming than the Island of Espanola. He then says “ That for the better and more speedy colonization of the said island...” Here he clearly says that it will be better and faster than some island. Another reason that I think is for gold, there are at least seven of thirteen short paragraphs on gold, the rules and taxes. All these reasons are not only hinted but stated in his letter.
One can argue that there is a tone of cynicism in Columbus’s
1-1
1. What aspects of Marco Polos description of the orient might early readers have found alluring?
-The aspects of Polo’s description like the infinite number of villages, creatures that yeild musk, rice, tilted fields. Another alluring part is how there are multiple places represented by different people , because there are either many monarchs or just none. I think that all the different imagery might make them think that he is lying or just crazed.
2. Skeptics question the authenticity of Marco Polo’s account, citing his omission of such things as the great wall, tea, and calligraphy. How important is the veracity of the narrative to our overall assessment of its value to history.
-The power of conformity is very important to the overall assessment to history because he either did not experience these three things or he lied about his whole account making this a lie. Which also means that people thought that his account of his orient was true until everyone knew where tea came from and they wondered why didn’t Polo mention it in his orient. Before I read this reading I always thought he made it all the way to China but now I question it. This question has a very good point and I’m sure if other people actually thought about it they would feel the same way.
1-2
1. According to Columbus, what is the primary reason for Spanish colonization in the New World? Does his letter hint at any other reason.(s)
-Columbus states that the new world is a land that is safer and better for farming than the Island of Espanola. He then says “ That for the better and more speedy colonization of the said island...” Here he clearly says that it will be better and faster than some island. Another reason that I think is for gold, there are at least seven of thirteen short paragraphs on gold, the rules and taxes. All these reasons are not only hinted but stated in his letter.
One can argue that there is a tone of cynicism in Columbus’s