Christopher Columbus Essay response

Every man’s strife is to be worthy of what society views them to be. For example, a farmer does not want to be just any farmer but the best of the bunch and be recognized for it. Even in history especially in English Literature, we find several figures of importance whose demise came with the greediness for definitive honor and fame. As in the case of Christopher Columbus, who viewed himself worthy of fame and yet was not meant to be in such a light, showed that to be worthy is every man’s heart desire yet it is not always easily accomplished. It is further proved that in order to complete the task or vision at hand, one must put forth a required amount of work. Happiness is only possible when a sense of fulfillment comes over one who has accomplished their ultimate goal. In contrast, however; when stripped away, it’s that of taking apart a person’s essence. Christopher Columbus proves this in his letters written in such exuberance and excitement that it is possible that he expresses no sense of the soon-to-be betrayal. Through realizing this concept, the speaker then announces to the audience that perhaps to be worthy may be every man’s vision, however the strive for that worthiness can prove insignificant when the reward isn’t equal to its labor.

To begin with, Christopher Columbus starts of on a tone of glee evident in his choice of diction. “All are most beautiful” he exclaims in attempt to please in his letter to Luis de Santangel. And yet for all his joyfulness, Columbus is not himself cultivating but reaping the fruits of someone else’s labor. In short, he brags. For example, in his proclamation to those in Europe he boasts joyfully saying, “I passed from the Canary Islands to the Indies with the fleet which the most illustrious king and queens, our sovereign, gave to me.” Christopher is not only, as they say, rubbing salt in an open wound but he is also doing it in a way that he knows is unbecoming of a royal on native land. As shown is choice of diction when he states, “I have taken position for their highnesses” Columbus thinks himself highly regarded and also worthy of the attention he thinks he is receiving. Now for one who might think of himself so highly in history fate would align him for a rude awakening which is exactly what Columbus receives when the situation is suddenly turned hostile.

Human emotions are often very vulnerable and in realizing this Columbus reinvents his tone and uses pathos to gain sympathy from his readers. As we will now discover Columbus’ labor did not match his worthiness as he did very little labor and dedicated more of his time to gloating. He now describes himself as a prisoner as he is “thrown into a ship” where he once might have strolled; “laden with fetters” when previously he wore elegance; “stripped to the skin” when once he had all he thought fame would give him and “very ill treated” when he should have been worshipped. For a man with such high hopes who thought all the world would hold in a candle of glory, the rude awakening was more painful that the thought of a moment’s stand in fame. The speaker takes time in his writing using pathos and diction to evoke sympathy from his audience. His emotional plea falls short of mercy as he is given what he gave to the natives of the new world; blind justice.

Worthiness follows with appreciation. When Christopher Columbus was ready to realize this, it is much too late and his fate may have already been sealed, although it is not mentioned in the text. It is a lesson to the readers: that we must pursue our goals at a pace that will ensure us humility and not bring us to such a point that we refuse to acknowledge what is and isn’t our own. While Columbus is worth mentioning in the history books, most of the time it is because some like to laugh at the mistakes he made and that he brought more trouble upon himself than he did triumph. Perhaps it is a lesson best learned only with a experience and a humane heart.