Rarely (if almost never) does one find writings which are truly unbiased and present all viewpoints equally, without an agenda. In large part, this can be attributed to the fact that when someone is writing, their purpose is often persuasion. Even the standard practice of writing to analyze is centered on stating a thesis, supporting it with arguments, and ultimately convincing the reader that the writer’s claim is true. Probably the only strictly factual and impartial writing one can come across these days would be in an encyclopedia, and even those do not give multiple perspectives of an event or cover completely a subject’s every detail (especially when one considers that most are written from a western viewpoint of history). Therefore, it is with the above statements in mind that one could contend the writings of the first European explorers were not as factual, or even realistic, as their titles may suggest.
John Smith’s words were especially loaded, filled with all sorts of propaganda whose primary goal was to convince more skilled and able settlers to come to this new land—a land that would function best under his governance. “Here [America] nature and liberty afford us that freely, which in England we want, or it costs us dearly” (68). Smith is smartly playing to the dreams of England’s newly founded and quickly growing middle class who, despite having the money, did not have the standing of the elite (and therefore remained the proverbial “nobody” in society). To have status in England meant that one owned land, a scarce commodity in an island country where royal families had already divided up and laid claim to every acre. Also, English class systems were rigid, making movement between the divisions all but impossible. Therefore, an artisan, merchant, or mason would always be counted among the working class, no matter how much wealth they had accumulated. Smith knew this and took full advantage of it in his writings. By promising people the chance at a new life devoid of stringent class systems and filled with possibilities for endless wealth, he not only convinced many to make the hard journey, but also simultaneously created the framework for what has become the quintessential American dream.
The above is only one example of the type of writings these first explorers sent back to Europe, as everyone—from Christopher Columbus to Thomas Harriot—wrote with a specific purpose in mind. Some goals were more noble than others (for instance, Bartolomé de las Casas efforts to stop the exploitation of the Natives verses Harriot’s assurances that they would be an easy people to conquer), but still, one must ask: Does the author’s underlying intention effect the pieces overall literary value? Certainly one begins to question how much of these writings are elaborate half-truths and how much is fact, but does knowing even matter? The fact still remains, even if they were extremely one-sided or weighed down by the personal agenda, the letters and stories pouring in from the Americas were some of the first written accounts of the new world, and as such remain an important and indispensable part of the early American literary tradition.
Smith, John. “A Description of New England.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature Vol. A. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2007. 66-69.
4 comments:
When reading the assigned weekend this week, especially John Smith's I realized that he is discussing the American dream. His writings do a terrific job at convincing others that America is the place for them. If they come to America they can become anything.
Your discussion of the true and/or factual nature of history is quite appropriate here. The victors often are the ones to write the histories, and their focus is always on their own heroic action--a justification of conquest. Many of the facts concerning the place and its riches are undoubtedly true, but everything else is open to interpretation.
Kristen,
It is true that writing is always biased in a sense given the fact that the author is trying to support his/her conclusions. This bias very clearly seen in John Smith's writings. However, I would argue that Christopher Columbus does offer an accurate account of the atrocities that were occuring in the New World given the fact that such statements would hinder not further his career. Also, he presents both sides of the picture. He not only wrote of the many beautiful things to be discovered in this new land, but also, of the horrors to be found there as well as a result of the explorers' arrival. While, he may use literary technique to enhance his writing I think that overall it appears to be an honest account of what he witnessed.
True, language is biased. That is a fact that we can never escape. Smith's persuasion to get Europeans to come to the New World, although biased, was smart. His fantasizing of America cleverly plays off of struggling Europeans' dream of a religious and political freedom.
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