Cabeza de Vaca's Castaways

Paper Summary:

This paper presents a summary of the experiences of Alvar Nez Cabeza de Vaca when he came to North America to seek his fortune. It then discusses the transformation of character Cabeza de Vaca undergoes as he spends more and more time with the Native Americans and comes to see them as human beings with value, rather than just uncivilized natives. Cabeza de Vaca's enlightenment is contrasted with the behavior of Hernan Cortes, another Spanish explorer, whose only interest in the Mexican natives, if he was not killing them, was how they could help him further his own ends.

From the Paper:

"It is not only the story that we tell that matters but also the way in which we tell it, as we learn from Cabeza de Vaca's Castaways, which was his telling of the 1528-1536 exploration of North America by Europeans. Alvar Nez Cabeza de Vaca had come to the new world to seek his fortune; what he found was far more valuable than the gold that inspired so many Spaniards to come to the New World: Enlightenment. As treasurer of Spanish expedition determined to claim for the throne of Spain a vast tract of land that today spreads across Florida, Louisiana, and Texas, he went with no intent of acknowledging the claims of the indigenous peoples to their land or their wealth. But when he and a few other men were shipwrecked and, seeking their own survival, underwent a long and arduous journey westward, where they would meet up with Hernan Cortes."

More papers on Cabeza de Vaca's Castaways:

• Analytical Essay # 124070 : "The Falcon" and "Castaway"
• Comparison Essay # 2867 : "A Modern Reading of Alvar Cabeza De Vaca"
• Film Review # 25931 : "Cabeza de Vaca"

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