Dr. Scott Lankford
English 48A
Journal: Christopher Columbus
December 5, 2011
Author Quote: “I did not sail upon this voyage to gain honor or wealth”
Internet Quote: “Riches don't make a man rich, they only make him busier”
Brief summary of what the author is saying in your own words: Columbus talks of the troubling times that riches give you, his passion was the thrilling adventure of exploring new lands, and to him this was priceless.
My thoughts: I can see how Christopher Columbus within a relatively short amount of time had his spirit broken, he was too trusting to authority, and even though he played within the rules, he ended getting bit in the end. I feel for him, he was an honest hardworking guy who found a way to get enough capitol to fund his passion for exploration. He had a fair deal, he was faithful to his cause, searching, mapping and collecting information for his investors. All of this came to an abrupt halt when he was taken captive, and all that seem to be for the greater good became grey. The same greyness is happening to me, after I finished this reading. What can I say? This is the guy who I thought discovered America, well technically he did discover South America, but for me the realization that something so fundamental to my early education ends up being very far from the truth, has me troubled to my core. I wonder how many other fairy-tales I am to discover as my quest for knowledge continues. In those desperate moments when Columbus is pleading for his life, he really gets down to the core of his existence, having trust the system, and not believing it is all about the money, he wishes for his safety and hopes to spare his life. I to trust the system, however why would the system need to rewrite history? Whats wrong with the truth? What if history documented all of it's follies and continues to show the system really doesn't work? Then what? I guess everyone has skeletons in the closet and it is only natural to recreate yourself and to leave out or even change history as it will be remembered. Heck! Thomas Jefferson did it! Perhaps this is the very reason the history of the American Indian is heavily buried. The truth is in the past, and certain members of America would like to keep it that way, and they too might have rewritten or even erased parts of history. But time will tell, there must be journals, notes, and diaries yet to be discovered, and the guardians of these precious documents are waiting till it is safe to be seen.
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