When discussing the major explorers and travellers normally think about people, such as, Ibn Batuta, Christopher Columbus and other great people. But, I have a great tale to tell about a man by the name Marco Polo. Now most of you would think of the pool game when you shout “Marco!” the others call “Polo!” Well it actually relates to the man himself, Marco actually got separated from his family and responded with "Polo" as they called for him with "Marco!" Marco’s early life began without him know much about his dad, who was also a traveller, and his journeys revolved mostly on his journeys to Dadu and his life there, such as, his time serving the Khan or he Journeys around China and his return home. Upon Marco’s return from his journeys he released a book about his journeys, but many critics claimed this was a fools tale, a false journey that he developed as he rotted away within the Genoan Prison. But, on the contrary it is to my belief that his story was proven to be true because, no European had truly known what was east of the Middle east, so they believe that his tale was “bogus”, so to speak, Marco and his family had vanished from Venice for many years, so if they didn’t go easy where did they go, lastly Why would the Polo 's return to Rome in search of what the Khan had Requested if he had never met him. Beginning on Marco’s Early life, He was born in 1254 to a wealthy Venice family, at the time of his birth his father had been in Venice with his mother for the most
In America, Christopher Columbus is undoubtedly regarded as a hero who captained a courageous voyage to the West Indies and accidentally discovered America. He led a conquest throughout North America, fighting off natives and seeking riches. While there is some truth to this tale, most of it is embarrassingly false. Although Columbus was a brilliant navigator and an intelligent explorer, he was also a harsh governor who harshly ruled the land he claimed in the name of Spain. Most textbooks omit the fact that the beloved explorer, who has the same reputation among American children as Gandhi or Martin Luther King, started a slave trade. His actions led to millions of Native American deaths; he inadvertently paved the road leading to the destruction
In high school we learned the basis of what Christopher Columbus did, which was discover America. Imagine telling the controversial issues to kids in elementary school? It would confuse them. I think that he became a hero because over time he had to. We had to sell something until more research was conducted and discoveries were found. Do I personally think he is a hero? Not particularly. I think he had a mission and would not stand for distractions. His actions were that of someone with no empathy for others. He used people to get what he wanted and that is still common today. A hero by definition is "a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities" none of three sources of controversy
Nowadays the wide array of transportation means and infrastructures at our disposal has made it relatively easy for us to travel from one country to another; even when those countries are thousands of miles away from each other. However, during the 13th and 14th centuries, travelling was not that easy. Yet, two men, the Italian tradesman Marco Polo and the Moroccan Jurist Ibn Battuta became famous for having managed to perform extremely long distance journeys away from their home country. At the end of their long travels, both men shared their experiences with the world via the books, The Travels of Marco Polo and The Travels of Ibn Battuta. An analysis of those two texts reveals two things. On one hand, Marco Polo remained a cultural
Native American were portrayed exactly like savages that ran around hunt and dance half naked around the fire. But my how things were hidden from us, how we didn’t seek out to learn more then what was being thought to us. Population that big, well organized and civilized were all consider savage under the eyes of the colonist and the early European explore who came to Americas. It’s not surprising that major discovery such as they pyramids in the amazon forest are just being dig up now to study and learn more about the past because everyone was busy trying to survive the new colonies where they forgot to help those who already lived there.
In the United States, when a child is asked to think about Christopher Columbus, chances are the child will portray him as a courageous, heroic explorer who discovered America. However, when a child is asked about what they think of when they see an Indian, the child will most likely describe a half-naked human with a feather on his head. Any young American will unknowingly stereotype Indians as figures of the past. These cognitive constructs [stereotypes] are often created out of a kernel and then distorted beyond reality (Hoffmann, 1986). Without any doubt, these attributed characteristics are incorrect. Unfortunately, the majority of Americans regard Indians as “obstacles to white settlement.” However, historians, scientists, and researchers understand the fact that Indians were “one of the principle determinants of historical events.” So where does the tragic level of misinformed Americans come from?
The three essential thoughts that motivated the Spaniards’ that explored and conquered a portion of the New World are Gold, Glory, and God.
Christopher Columbus is most widely known for being the first to discover the Americas. He actually wasn’t the first. Many know him as a hero, but he was far from one. Today we will be digging deeper into who Christopher Columbus really was, what his struggles were, and how Columbus’ discovery impacted the decade.
Imagine being an explorer with Christopher Columbus in the late 1490’s. You would sail across the seas, and the oceans. You would go into an unknown world where you didn’t know what was across that lake you just hoped it was something good. People would pray that they came to China. And hope that they maybe, just maybe landed somewhere with rich resources. With things like gold, salt, slaves, and a good area for your people, the people of Europe to live and build their homes. But it wasn't always that easy, some times there were wars over the land. When the Spanish took over some areas the natives to the land would fight back. There are many historical wars that were started over a piece of land, one of which is the Spanish American war.
Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant traveler who went on many voyages across Asia and Africa. On one of his travels to Asia, Marco met Kublai Khan and became good friends. His journey to Asia lasted 24 years, and when he arrived back home, he found out that his country was at war with Genoa. Polo then became a prisoner of war and wasn’t released until 1299. Upon his release, Polo became a wealthy merchant with a wife and two kids. Marco died in 1324 and was buried in the San Lorenzo Church.
The question becomes “Who is Christopher Columbus?” Is he really the man that some Americans describe as a hero, whose journey was the first step in a long process that eventually produced the United States? Or is Columbus’ character flawed as others have suggested.
Whether viewed as a monster who destroyed ancient civilizations or a legendary figure who led society to where it is today, Christopher Columbus remains a greatly controversial historical center point as his impact on civilization then, and now, have sparked ongoing debates for centuries. But despite the greatly exaggerated slander against him, Columbus should be revered and celebrated as a hero for his contributions to societal development instead of hated for the blatant lies created by mainstream media in an effort to demonize an iconic historical figure in an attempt to push anti-western sentiment.
Many children, including myself, have once played the game Marco Polo. Although, I have always been curious, who exactly is Marco Polo? My fascination of Marco Polo warped into a fixation of his travels. Marco Polo was born in Venice in the year 1254. His father, Nicolo, and his uncle, Maffeo, were merchants who had seats in the great nobleman council of Venice (Polo IV). According to his records, he had traveled thousands of miles with his father and uncle.
“A hero. You want to be one of those rare human beings who make history, rather than merely watch it flow around them like water around a rock.” Dan Simmons wanted to reflect on the many notable historical figures in our past who were recognized for their courageous traits, leadership ingenuity, and outstanding discoveries that sparked from one individual who was willing to make a change. Christopher Columbus precisely fits the depicted portrait of a hero. Through any given perspective from Europeans during that epoch to our world five centuries later, we see that Columbus was the epitome of the valiant figure, invoking change for the revitalization of Europe and South America as a whole, and igniting the exploration age and philosophical ideas through his heroic actions.
Christopher Columbus and Bartolome de la Casas are similar in most ways but have a major difference. They were both explorers of the New World and came to convert the natives into Catholics. The two explorers worked on the Spanish’s behalf. Columbus wrote accounts of the New World in his journal. La Casas wrote the Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies. Both gave accounts of the native people they saw. Columbus’s journal entries aim to give a positive light on the Spanish and their relationship with the natives. La Casas’s Brief Account does the opposite. While this is true, both explores worked faithfully in favor of the Catholic Church, but they each held different beliefs on the treatment of natives as slaves.
“I have not told half of what I saw” were the final words of the great Venetian explorer Marco Polo; however, in recent times, Marco Polo’s exploits have been doubted more and more. (Pedriali, 161) Most often cited as evidence that Marco Polo’s travels may not have been as truthful as reported is the 1998 book Did Marco Polo go to china? by Dr. Frances Wood. Through new research done by Dr. Hans Ulrich Vogel of University of Tübingen in Germany, it has been shown that Marco Polo was mostly truthful in his memoirs, but it has also proven that some things were exaggerated thanks to his ghostwriter Rustichello da Pisa, Marco Polo himself, or later copyists.