nicoletta's blog

Many of our authors loved travel so much, that they never stopped.  Marco Polo, Ibn Battutah, Herodotus, Columbus and Cabeza de Vaca spent most of theirs lives on the road.  The question is why?  For Marco Polo, I think it was his curiosity that motivated him to continue traveling.  Ibn Battutah traveled to learn, visiting the various schools and scholars of the Koran.  Herodotus like Ibn Battutah also traveled for knowledge but he was more of a researcher into historical events.  Caebza de Vaca and Columbus wanted to keep exploring which is why they returned to the New World.

The reason I am focusing on Travel for my colloquium topic is because I believe that even in modern times travel can be a lifetime commitment.  Even with better transportation, maps, and other benefits of modern technology traveling can still be an exciting adventure.  I loved reading these texts this semester because they gave me new ideas of places to travel to and things to see.  In the end, the drive each author had to explore and to keep traveling, even if they had barely survived the last trip, was inspirational.  I think these authors kept traveling simply because they loved it.

In Shakespeare’s plays boundaries play an important role.  The Tempest Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, and others begin with the removal of the characters from the confines of society.  After they have crossed the boundary of human rules and control, fate can make things work out as they should.  In a Midsummer Night Dream, for example, after the characters flee to the woods fate makes sure that the characters pair off appropriately.
 
Because of the significance of boundaries in Shakespeare it is important to consider liminality which I discussed in my previous post for Cabeza de Vaca.  The liminal figure here is Prospero, the character who uses his power of communication with the spirit world to orchestrate the plot; he can exist in reality but also communicate with Ariel, the sprite.   Plot twists occur because he has sent Ariel on a mission or he has received news from Ariel.  For example, he knows that Calaban plans to kill him because Ariel told him.  Although not as significant, I think it is also important to acknowledge Prosepero’s role for his daughter Miranda.  For her he serves as a go-between between the outside world and the world she knows.
 
Miranda is more important because she is involved in the one thing Prospero does not have power over.  He admits in the play to Ariel that he did not know that she and the Prince would fall in love.  In other words he does not have complete power over nature.  Likewise, he does not have complete power over the human world or he would not have ended up usurped by his brother and banished to an island.  By existing in both worlds and being able to communicate between the two his power grows when the two are combined.  This is why Prospero has Ariel create a storm to make the shipwreck happen forcing the Duke of Milan and his retinue to a place not human and not quite real, a center of power for Prospero as a liminal character.
 
Another point to consider is Calaban’s mother the old hag, who had a similar connection between the spirit and human worlds.  The differences between her and Prospero are that her art is seen as witchcraft him as academic.  The gender difference is also significant because, as a woman, she did not have the same power in the human world, society, as he did.  Lastly, Prospero was royalty and had social power whereas she did not.

In his journey Cabeza de Vaca recorded his observations of the native populations.  Many use his notes to paint a picture of what the people were like.  I thought it would be helpful to put together a few resources where there was information about the Native Americans of the time.

The different tribes can visually be seen here on a map by William Sturtevant, a native American expert now deceased who worked at the Smithsonian institute.

I also found that several states in the area give detailed information about the first inhabitants of the state.  One example is Lousiana’s state website which provides a time line of its earliest inhabitants up to French colonialism detailing many of their customs and traditions.

The tribe Cabeza de Vaca I think was the Karankawa tribe.  Based on the first map this tribe extends from the Texas gulf area into Mexico.  This tribe is now extinct.

For comparison to the first map this is map of the reservations in the US from 1996.  One tribe that remains from the days of Cabeza de Vaca is the Chitimacha tribe which still has a small reservation.   The Chitimacha website provides a history of the tribe and tribal news.  Depressingly the tribe has only 950 members who live on 250 acres of land.  They are the only tribe in Louisiana to have survived colonization.

Liminality is a state of being in between two places or the ability to move between paces.  In Greek mythology Hermes is seen as the prototypical liminal figure and is therefore given the name the messenger God.  He is able to move between the divine realm of the gods and the mortal world.  We read one example in the Odyssey where he shows Odysseus where to find a plant that would make him immune to Circe.  Cabeza de Vaca possesses these characteristics in the Narrative and they give him a unique power in the story.  Cabeza de Vaca moves into a space of in between as soon as he sets sail from Spain.  First the ocean is literally the place in between the old and new worlds.  The ocean is also the bridge between the known and the unknown, their mission being to cross it and investigate the unknown.  Cabeza de Vaca’s position is to serve as an officer who takes orders from the governor conveys it to the men and insures that the task is performed.  This is also a space of in between and gives a first example of the connection between power and being able to be in a state of in between.  Later on, while Cabeza de Vaca lives among the Indians, he also has a position of power and serves as a go between.  As a merchant between the Indian tribes he is also elevated to a position of power where he is guaranteed immunity in tribal squabbles and food.  Third, by writing the narrative he is communicating between two places the new world, his experiences, and the old world, the King.  Lastly, towards the conclusion of the text the author begins to paint himself almost in the image of Jesus Christ.  He hands out food to the natives mimicking the narrative of the five loaves and five fishes from the New Testament.  He generally paints an image of the natives being his disciples.  Jesus is an ultimate figure of liminality.  He is the bridge between the realm of the human and the realm of divine.  Because of this Jesus possessed a unique power as the Messiah.  I think Cabeza de Vaca towards the end of the narrative begins to see himself not as Jesus but more as a liminal figure.  Further Cabeza de Vaca I think realizes the power of being a liminal figure.  Ultimately the reason that he survives is because he is has the ability to exist in an in-between state.

Sorry to post twice but I wanted to post part of the mural if people were interested in checking it out....the image source has a few images you can google image to find more.

At the beginning of our text it mentions that Columbus was one of the first to try using celestial navigation.  This was particularly interesting to me because I had studied ancient Hawaiian navigation and worked at the Mauna Kea astronomy center when I lived in Hilo, Hawaii.  Hawaiian navigation is so exact that it is still used today.

 

Hawaiians may have learned to navigate for the same reasons that the Portuguese began to study it.  The accuracy of Hawaiian navigation is often used as evidence that the Hawaiians originally came from Polynesia.  But, modern day sailings that mimic ancient methods prove that ancient Hawaiian vessels and navigation were capable of taking people as far as Japan.  Portuguese in the same way developed their navigation skills because they were sailing farther and farther away down the African coast.

 

The most accurate of Columbus’ navigational tools was the quadrant which utilized the north star to figure out the angle from the ship to the star and therefore the ship’s location.  He also used an astrolabe which was a round circle with a moving arm like a clock that would measure the same angle to try to achieve the same result.  While Columbus made a good effort his readings from the first voyage were inaccurate according to the article.

All the texts we have read have themes of truth or objectivity.  In the Four Voyages of Columbus, the reader finds a unique source of truth:  the editor of the book, J. M. Cohen.  Cohen is the source of the facts leaving helpful footnotes and sifting out the true from the false in the texts.  To discuss Columbus’ voyages he relies on two sources, Oviedo and Las Casas, two historians.  Even though I am a history lover I disliked the beginning of this text because I felt there were too many pens involved.  I really wanted to just hear what Columbus thought and said.  In the other texts we have read I have been able as a reader to develop a relationship with the author and make my own judgments.  Having these three other voices in the beginning made it hard to do that. 

The book begins with a historical account by Oviedo.  The next part, Columbus’ log book, is “edited” (written) by Las Casas.  In the third part Columbus’ son narrates his father’s life telling things from his point of view.  The pages actually written by Columbus are his letters at the very end of the book  which come to eight pages.

In these eight pages it was interesting to see what Colombus truly thought of the other.  He didn’t view them as threatening but as a peaceful “timid” people.  It was particularly interesting to read the preconceptions Colombus feels he needs to explain.  That he found no “human monsters” and that people who live near the equator are not “weak.”

The theme of truth also appears in Columbus’ letters.  He writes to the King and Queen of “ocular evidence.”  Columbus ends his letter by saying that before all was speculation and he has brought “tangible” truth back with him of the New World.  Even in the previous portions of the text the reader sees a need for this truth.  Columbus according to Las Casas actually brings back natives in his ship as proof.

In class I had brought up the point that Islam as a religion created an urban environment.  Looking back through my notes from my African Cities course I found an article by Janet Abu-Lughod.  The article quotes William Marcais’ list of proof that Islam is an urban faith.  First, Mohamed was a member of the urban bourgeoisie suspicious of nomads.  Most of the other early Islamic leaders were also bourgeoisie.  We also notice this in Ibn Battutah’s text.  Second, Mohamed instated a law that on Fridays Muslims must pray at the mosque.  The need for a stable permanent structure means the need for a city.

The author also explains that in North African cities there tangible influences of Islam.  First, gender segregation is an important tenet of Islam.  Cities therefore evolved in a way that made a bigger difference between public and private areas.  In poorer neighborhoods this was accomplished through the incorporation of side alleys that were guarded by a trusted male. This allowed women to freely go about their chores without fear of being seen.  The ideas of personal property in the Koran also had a significant influence.  Public land was a concept not often seen in city designs.  Lastly Islam created tight-nit neighborhood communities that accepted responsibility for neighborhood maintenance, everything from street cleaning to discipline.

Take a look at the youtube picture slide show.  Visually compare 1:07 to 1:44 and you can see the differences between a Moslem neighborhood and the Italian neighborhood in Tangier, Ibn Battutah's city.

Growing up one of the shows I used to watch was Rocky and Bullwinkle, a wacky cartoon about a flying squirrel and a moose.  Reading Marco Polo I had a vague memory of reading a segment in an episode about Marco Polo so I started googling.  I found and re-watched the episode and was fascinated by what the show chose to highlight.  The five minute segment (13:00-17:35) on Marco Polo begins with Mr. Peabody, a dog, and Sherman, a boy traveling back in time to see Marco Polo.  When they get to Kublai Khan’s castle they find Marco Polo in a cell making Polo t-shirts (haha).  He regrets ever teaching the “Chinese” to play polo and he would leave but Kublai Khan has his passport.  Mr. Peabody goes to Kublai Khan and asks for the passport back, finally winning it in a game of Chinese checkers.  Mr. Peabody and Sherman then help Marco Polo successfully escape.

The first thing I noticed was that Kublai Khan was not Chinese; he was a Tartar.  Throughout the episode Kublai Khan is seen as devious, trying to plot and cheat at every turn.  When Mr. Peabody plays Chinese checkers with him he tries to use smoke to win but Mr. Peabody triumphs in the end.  Also as soon as they have the passport, Kublai Khan immediately locks them in a cell and they have to find their way out.  Mr. Peabody seems to be far from intimidated by Kublai Khan and figures out his tricks within seconds.  In the end, it is Kublai Khan’s love of gambling that allows Marco Polo to get away, another negative Chinese stereotype.  The stereotypes of hero and villain are clearly demarcated.

In Marco Polo’s text Kublai Khan is not depicted as a villain.  He is not even depicted as barbaric.  The reader sees him as someone eager to learn about Christianity, and to gain Western knowledge.  One thing that is consistent between the episodes is that Kublai Khan does have power over Marco Polo.  While there is humor in this short five-minute segment, it does highlight Marco Polo as someone who experiences the other in a unique way. 

Reading Marco Polo’s adventures I was struck by how Marco remains a trader at heart.  As he describes each new people he meets he always makes a point of noting what good they trade.  Chapter 19 is one example.  The title of chapter nineteen reads “of the city of Ormus, of its commercial importance, and of the hot wind that blows there.”   Another example is Marco’s description of Georgia.  He make s a point of mentioning that the country specializes in fish particularly sturgeon and salmon, and boxtree wood.  Overall Marco Polo’s book seems directed at merchants.  He tells them specifically where to go for specific products and how to get there.

Unlike Herodotus, Marco Polo commands confidence to the audience.  Merchants and other readers would trust his judgment.  I think that there are several factors that contributed to this.  First, Marco Polo didn’t write the book himself.  The opening lines tell us someone else in jail wrote it down as he dictated.  Second, Marco Polo doesn’t play a significant role in the first part of the text.  Even when he travels back with his father and uncle, he is only occasionally mentioned.   Lastly, throughout the text the third person narrative voice is maintained.  We never read “I” or “my opinion” as in Herodotus’ text.  As a result, Marco Polo’s adventures read like an Encyclopedia, listing various peoples that he encounters and providing us with highlights like geography, religion, political situation, trading goods etc.  At the same time, the reader doesn’t receive this information till well into the book.  I would suggest that many readers would have forgotten by this point that they’re reading an author who wrote this while in jail.

It seems that Herodotus constantly references how religious the people of Egypt are.  I therefore decided to do a blog post on Egyptian mythology.  The basic mythology can be viewed in a short slideshow here.  The most intriguing myth is the Egyptian version of the Trojan War.  Paris is presented to the Pharaoh Seti because his sailors tried to desert the ship and serve an Egyptian god just so they didn’t have to return home.  Of course a local politician stepped in to investigate.  When he learned that the Prince had broken the laws of hospitality and stolen a King’s wife and was on his way home with her, he brought the Prince directly to Pharaoh.  The pharaoh hears Paris tell lies about winning her fair and square, and alternately Helen begging him to take her.  To settle the matter Pharaoh goes to Helen himself and she of course denies it all saying she is a helpless victim.  The Pharaoh then orders Paris to leave.  In the night, a god comes to the Pharaoh’s daughter.  Together they give Paris a “copy” of Helen, such that he would think it was really her.  The real Helen stayed in the temple where she was quartered for many years worshipped by the Egyptians.  When the crown changed hands, Rameses, the new Pharaoh decided to take her for his wife.  Suddenly Menelaus appears at the temple, the battle of Troy won.   With the help of the daughter of the original Pharaoh and Helen, they trick Rameses into providing them with a ship and provisions to return home.  Menelaus pretends to be a simple sailor and claims Menelaus was killed and Helen must return home to attend the funeral.  Safely gone, Rameses learns the truth from another sailor, but in the end he bows to the will of the gods, understanding that fate has intervened.

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In addition to reading the text assigned I also read the New Yorker article by David Mendelsohn entitled “Arms and the Man”.    This article interested me originally because I knew by the title it was written by a classics fanatic (the use of the opening lines of the Aeneid for the title was a big hint).   I found that the author made several interesting points that I would like to further discuss.

 

First, the author summarizes the subject of Herodotus’ work as the “implacable conflict between East and West.”   At the same time I think Herodotus is a mediator between the two.  He doesn’t not favor the Greeks nor the Egyptians which indicates that his intention is to present a text that is objective.   One supporting example is his description of the “foolish” myth the Hellenes have that Heracles came to the Egyptians and they tried to sacrifice him.  Herodotus says the Hellenes (Greeks) are “altogether without knowledge of the nature and customs of the Egyptians” and that the idea of sacrificing a human is utterly ridiculous.  This affirms that Herodotus is attempting to write the truth as he sees it.

 

A second point that I liked about Mendelsohn’s article was the image of Herodotus as a Hawaiian-shirt wearing tourist with a big camera and a stack of guidebooks.  I realized rereading portions of the text that this was absolutely true.  When you read Herodotus you can imagine sitting down on vacation somewhere and the guy just sits down with you and starts babbling about one thing or another.  At the same time if Herodotus is a tourist than it is interesting to look at what Professor said in class.  Namely that tourists are on a quest for authenticity.  I think this summarizes Herodotus’ text.  It is a step-by-step account of Herodotus’ search for the authentic Egypt.  He finds it by looking at a variety of secondary and primary sources on Egypt.  To me, this again indicates that his goal was to be objective.

 

Lastly, I appreciated Mendelsohn’s comment about Greek prose.  He said that prose was a form often ignored and not actually named till decades after Herodotus.  Despite this Herodotus made an effort to give his writing the same rhythm as the epics by Homer are written with.  What I liked least about this reading was the prose and I am glad that I can attribute that to translation.

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The Odyssey is a text I grew up with.  I started out with the dumbed-down picture book versions and then graduated to the original text.  Alongside the Odyssey I also read the Greek myths.  It was a way for me to get excited about my own culture and to participate in its collective memory.  Throughout the books we read for today the author uses hints about what will happen next to keep the reader engaged.   Often the author draws on the audience’s collective memory of mythology.

The story of the Lotus eaters has a framework common to other Greek myths.  The audience knows exactly what happens when you eat an unknown fruit:  Persephone becomes doomed to live in Hades for half of the year.  The fruit triggers a collective memory where the audience can anticipate that no good will come out of eating the lotus.

Another example occurs when Odysseus says “My soul foreboded I should find the bower of some fell monster, fierce in barbarous power;/  some rustic wretch, who lived in Heaven’s respite, Contemning laws, and trampling on the right.”  There are several allusion to another myth, one of the “original” myths.  Uranus, the grandfather of Zeus, had several children with Gaia among them the Cyclops.  He kept them in a pit because they were so ugly.  His son Cronos later freed them to defeat his father but when the battle was won he put them back in the pit.   Zeus took them out again to defeat Cronos and then used them to forge his thunderbolts.  So historically the Cyclops lived “in Heaven’s respite”.  They are also known as symbols of primitive brutish behavior, or “contemning laws”.  The reader can pick up on these hints and guess at what is coming next.

The author also uses hints that are not based in mythology to keep the reader engaged.  When the ship has left the home of Aeolus, King of the Winds, the sailors say to themselves that they will return home  “rich in barren fame” while Odysseus has gold and Aeolus’ new gift.  This is a storyline everyone has heard in some form or another.  We all know that they are going to get jealous and loose the winds.  But the reader stays to hear the tale to see if they’re right.  The use of these lines to hook the reader in not only helps them to stay engaged it also helps them to remember the tale.  As there were no written texts at the time, the more the tale was remembered the more it could be retold.

A few things that particularly intrigued me were in the New York WPA guide.  I was surprised to find that by and large, it is the same history I would give today to a tourist on one of my food tours.  On my tours we look at both the history behind the neighborhood and the history of the food itself.  In he case of the Great Depression era food I was intrigued by the origin of processed food.  Surprisingly it was in the 1700’s when Napoleons troops were starving in Russia, that he offered a reward to anyone who could make food that would keep.  Nicholas Appert after fourteen years of experimenting developed a method of placing food in corked bottles which were then boiled.  This worked until the bottles started to break in transit.  In 1810 Peter Durand developed the idea of steal covered with tin, the tin can.  Frozen food originates with Clarence Birdseye.  He noticed on an expedition to the arctic that meat left in the arctic air was still fresh tasting months later.  Upon experimentation he concluded that mere freezing wouldn’t work. The trick was to have a sudden sharp drop in temperature, so he invented the “Quick Freeze Machine”.  And that’s the history of our modern day processed food.

In some ways I’m glad I wrote this blog late because I had time to reflect on our Tuesday class discussion.  I was struck by the course’s title and how it’s meaning differs from how I originally perceived it at the start of the semester.  In a strange but “cool” way I now think this course is about the journey of travel in America.   We have watched the beginning of traveling in America, how it started from a necessity to find work, as in the Grapes of Wrath.  Then we saw it morph into a half necessity: a perceived necessity to show reality and the lack of necessity to travel for work.  This is showcased in the writers and photographers.  Lastly we see the middle class begin to travel.  Overtime all of America has started to travel.  As a result, travel must therefore be a part of what makes America, America.  This marriage of travel and the American identity is finally merged in the WPA guides.  As we said in class these guides were half guidebook and half ethnographies.  And so, we can see the journey of travel in America laid out in our course step by step.