Garcia 1

Brianna Garcia

Cooper, 1

AP Lang, SOAPSTONE

20, 08, 18

Dunbar- Ortiz, Roxanne. “Chapter Two: Culture of Conquest.” An Indigenous People’s History

of the United States. 2014. Pp. 32-44. Accessed on 19/08/18.

Speaker: Based on Dunbar’s intelligent diction, the reader can assume that she is an

older adult possibly around her 40’s and creates an unliking towards Columbus.

Since she does not use any possessive words such as “our” or “we”, the reader can

also assume that she does not fall from Indigenous descent.

Occasion: This chapter was written in response to sources that do not mention the

prerequisites to the Columbian Exchange. Dunbar feels the need to explain the

full story in order for the reader to form their own opinion.

Audience: The author was trying to reach to the people that may ignore or may not think

about the prerequisites that happened for the conquest to happen. Dunbar gives

multiple examples of these prerequisites such as “Before the Arabs

ventured...Eskimos plied...in their kayaks for centuries (3).

Purpose: Dunbar wrote this passage in order to explain the continuity and domino effect

of the European past. The author includes multiple examples (such as the

Spaniards scalping the Natives in the same manner as the English did to the Irish
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a century earlier) to explain possible reasonings for the horrific treatment of

Natives and the colonialistic nature of the Europeans.

Subject: Dunbar’s main focus throughout this passage was the history leading up to the

atrocious treatment of the Natives. The author explains events in chronological

order that resulted in this such as the unfortunate lower-class people in England

that were “thrown off the land” and escaped to the Americas to start their life (5).

The use of chronological order has the reader feeling like they are in a story

which can make the reader feel more empathetic.

Tone: The author provides different tones towards different subjects. When Dunbar is

explaining the treatment of the Europeans that eventually made their way to the

Americas, she describes them as, “Traumatized souls” that “[Crossed] a vast

ocean with the promise of land” (5). The use of “traumatized” shows that the

author understands their reasoning behind the migration and colonization to the

Americas. On the other hand, Dunbar ends the passage with explaining how gold

fever led to “...enslaving whole countries and slaughtering people” (13). The

diction in this phrase tells the reader how the author looks heavily down upon

these events.
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Dunbar- Ortiz, Roxanne. “Chapter Three: Culture of Conquest.” An Indigenous People’s History

of the United States. 2014. Pp. 32-44. Accessed on 22/08/18.

Speaker: Based on the Dunbar’s intelligent diction, the reader can assume that she is an

older adult possibly around her 40’s and creates an un liking towards Columbus.

Since she does not use any possessive words such as “our” or “we”, the reader can

also assume that she does not fall from Indigenous descent.

Occasion: Dunbar wrote this chapter in response to hateful sources that discredit the

Europeans. She aims to show how the European’s motives were reasonable

however cruel.

Audience: Dunbar was trying to reach the adult audience that thinks the Europeans were

hateful at heart. She talks about how the Europeans “...Fought their way over the

Appalachians” and other sacrifices they made (20). Dunbar was trying to show

people the prerequisites and factors that led to the devastation that occurred in the

Americas.

Purpose: Dunbar wrote this chapter in order to display the religious background and

influences on the Europeans that would have affected their treatment and

movements towards the Americas.

Subject: This chapter focuses on the religious input for the development of the

imperialism. The author cites Akenson saying “...[The] great code has… directly

determined what people would believe and when they would think and what they
 Garcia 4

would do” (17). Dunbar continues with comparisons to Hebrew scripture and the

Old Testament and explaining other religion based documents.

Tone: Dunbar creates a disgusted tone with her diction. She was very blunt when saying

the Europeans “Invaded and displaced” the native peoples (16).

 Garcia 5

Momaday. N. Scott. “The Becoming of the Native,” ​1993 Conversations in American Literature​,

Eds Robin Dissin Aufses et al, Bedford/St. Martins,2015, pp 199-203.

Speaker: The excerpt includes background on the author telling the reader that he was

born into the Kiowa Tribe. This serve as valuable information to the reader as it

sets a prerequisite for the remainder of the passage. It sets biases towards the

Natives and sets a negative tone toward Columbus.

Occasion: The piece was written in response to the misunderstanding of various Native’s

belief about language. Momaday feels the need to get his point across due to

sources that may depict the Natives as savages or illiterate.

Audience: Momaday’s target audience are the people that may blame the brutality of the

Natives on their apparent lack of advancement. Momaday believes that the

Europeans “Could not understand the American Indians profound belief in the

efficiency of language” which explains why Natives had no written language (5).

His argument is that the language barrier interfered with the Natives ability to

explain their focus on verbal communication.

Purpose: Momaday wrote this passage in order to tell the reader the importance of

communication to numerous Native Tribes. The author includes a childhood story

where a man is faced with a challenge and proceeds with saying “Let us talk

easy” (6).

Subject: The author keeps a focus on what he believes was the barrier between the

Natives and the Europeans: communication. He adds his childhood story so is

 Garcia 6

able to add a self reflection. He says that after many years, he “[Understands] that

it is about language” and acknowledges that the storyteller is “illiterate but exists

in words” (6).

Tone: Throughout the passage, Momaday leaves details that suggests he gives

forgiveness to the Europeans. After explaining the story from the storyteller, the

author explains how it took him “many years” to realize that the story was about

communication and language. This suggest that he knows there is no way foreign

intruders would understand the Natives ideology on communication upon arrival.

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Nunn, Nathan and Nancy Qian, ​The Journal of Economic Perspectives, “​The Columbian

Exchange: A History of Disease, Food, and Ideas,” Vol. 24 No. 2 Pp. 163-168, American

Economic Association, Spring 2010

Speaker: The authors focus highly on the food and their nutritional values. This tells the

reader that they pursue a healthy lifestyle and preach about it as well. Their

diction also tells the reader that the both of them are intelligent and adults.

Occasion: The authors wrote this piece in immediate response to the lack of common

knowledge of certain aspects of the Columbian Exchange. It is imperative for the

two to get their point across to those unknowing to the lesser known economic

sides of the issue.

Audience: In this paper, the authors stray away from the common knowledge of the

Columbian Exchange and focus more on the statistics and specific details such as

tables displaying the popularity of new world foods in the old world. This tells the

reader that the authors aren’t aiming to reach a young, unknowing audience, but

rather an older group of people that have common knowledge of the Columbian

Exchange.

Purpose: Nunn and Qian wrote this paper in order to, “Spur further more-rigorous studies

of the long-term consequences of [certain] aspects of the exchange” (3) and

conclude with saying they hoped their paper put “...A particular emphasis on

aspects of the exchange that have generally been neglected by economists” (21).
 Garcia 8

Subject: The focus throughout this piece is the exchanged foods between the New World

and the Old World and their effects whether it be health related of economic

related. This information is presented with numerous tables that show the reader

various things such as food popularity in different countries.

Tone: The author’s diction reveals early on how the both of them feel about the

Columbian Exchange. In particular, when the two are explaining disease during

this time, they reidurate how “defenseless” the Natives were and went on to call

the Columbian Exchange “...[The] Exchange of germs and viruses” (4). This puts

both the authors on the Native’s side and against Columbus.

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Weatherford, Jack, “Examining the Reputation of Christopher Columbus,” ​The Jatibonicu Taino

Tribal Band of New Jersey US Regional Taino Tribal Affairs [sic] Office located in

Lenapehoken, the land of the Lenape People,

http://www.hartford-hwp.com/Taino/docs/columbus.html, Accessed 21 August 2018.

Speaker: The diction selected by Weatherford can hint into his familial background. In the

second paragraph, he says “Columbus never set foot on our continent” and “Vikings

already had settlements here” (1)​.​ The possessive use of “our” and “here” tells the reader

that he has some indigenous tribe in his family tree. This would explain his later harsh

explanation of the false achievements by Columbus as they have had a gruesome affect

on his family.

Occasion: Weatherford wrote this piece in response to the immediate cause of Columbus Day.

He firmly believes Columbus should not bear his own holiday every year due to the

horrible acts carried out by him.

Audience: In the fourth paragraph, Weatherford presents his audience through irony. The author

comments on how elementary schools conduct crafts every year for Columbus Day in

celebration when the reader knows the author heavily disagrees with this ritual. Through

this, Weatherford is trying to reach those who are unaware of the full background of

Columbus Day.

Purpose: Weatherford wrote this article in order to discredit Columbus and also highlight his

many flaws in the execution of his exploration. His ending thought is that we, as
 Garcia 10

Americans, should not use Columbus Day as a celebration, but as a day of mourning for

the millions of Indians who died in this era.

Subject: Weatherford spends the first half of the article discrediting Columbus. He does this by

giving specific examples such as Giovanni Caboto who was, “The first European

explorer to thoroughly document his visit to North America” and Eratosthenes who

proved the world was round contrary to the fact that many people believe that it was

Columbus (1).

Tone: The author, with his diction, creates an incredibly bitter tone. Weatherford says Columbus

“failed” and that he “tore children from their parents” (2). After establishing his point of

view throughout the article, the author uses sarcasm when he says that “This is the great

cultural encounter initiated by Columbus” (2). At this point in the article, the reader

knows the author would never think positively of this era.

 Garcia 11

Zinn, Howard, “Chapter 1: COLUMBUS, THE INDIANS, AND HUMAN PROGRESS,” A People’s

History of the United States, History is a Weapon,

http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/zinncol1.html

Speaker: Zinn’s use of intelligent diction tells the reader that he is an older adult. He also

does not use possessive words such as “we” or “our” in regards to the Natives

which tells the reader that he is not of Indigenous descent.

Occasion: Zinn wrote this article in immediate response to the attacking pieces written

about Columbus. The author explains his view on “one sided” history and how he

is against it.

Audience: After multiple paragraphs of Zinn explaining how disgustingly cruel the

Spaniards (specifically Columbus) were to the Natives, he says how Americans

still celebrate Columbus day as it is a “heroic adventure” and a “celebration” (4).

The author is trying to reach the people that still have this view and present the

facts that actually make it a gruesome anniversary.

Purpose: Zinn wrote this in order to argue that “atrocity…[is a] necessary price to pay for

progress” (5). He wrote this paper in order not to dispute the cruelty of Columbus,

but rather justify it and the positive effects of this period today.

Subject: Zinn focuses on the welcoming nature of the Native Americans. He includes

numerous excerpts that describe their innocence and their actions like how they,

“Did not bear arms” when the Spaniards arrived and “Were willing to trade

everything they owned” (1). Zinn then closes out this article with over a dozen
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paragraphs boasting about different Native American groups. He says the

“Women were important and respected…[and] families were matrilineal...and

egalitarian” (11).

Tone: Zinn’s use of a simile, comparing the devastating past to “radioactive

wastes...buried in containers in the earth” reveals his negative tone to the past (5).

The comparison to something so vile leaves the reader with no doubt that he finds

this exploration period horrific.

 Garcia 13

Works Cited

Dunbar- Ortiz, Roxanne. “Chapter Two: Culture of Conquest.” An Indigenous People’s History

of the United States. 2014. Pp. 32-44. Accessed on 19/08/18.

Dunbar- Ortiz, Roxanne. “Chapter Three: Culture of Conquest.” An Indigenous People’s History

of the United States. 2014. Pp. 32-44. Accessed on 22/08/18.

Momaday. N. Scott. “The Becoming of the Native,” ​1993 Conversations in American Literature​,

Eds Robin Dissin Aufses et al, Bedford/St. Martins,2015, pp 199-203.

Nunn, Nathan and Nancy Qian, ​The Journal of Economic Perspectives, “​The Columbian

Exchange: A History of Disease, Food, and Ideas,” Vol. 24 No. 2 Pp. 163-168, American

Economic Association, Spring 2010.

Weatherford, Jack, “Examining the Reputation of Christopher Columbus,” ​The Jatibonicu Taino

Tribal Band of New Jersey US Regional Taino Tribal Affairs [sic] Office located in

Lenapehoken, the land of the Lenape People,

http://www.hartford-hwp.com/Taino/docs/columbus.html, Accessed 21 August 2018

Zinn, Howard, “Chapter 1: COLUMBUS, THE INDIANS, AND HUMAN PROGRESS,” A People’s

History of the United States, History is a Weapon,

http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/zinncol1.html