Columbus Essay

Sidney Bridges
September 7, 2008
Period 11
Nightly Reading Essay
During Columbus’s voyage to discover America, he always thought of hope, of his honor, hope of finding an undiscovered entity. This he did find, a new land, and he was very pleased with what he discovered. Of course he thought of home and he wrote back to England. He was usually very happy, until misfortune came into his life. He was marooned, imprisoned, and shaved of his pride and dignity. He still had one thing though: hope. This was shown through the tone of his letters written to the king and queen. His attitude vastly changes between the two. In his first letter he is excited and surprised; in his second he is miserable and lifeless. Here is where he proves whether he has the strength to overcome problems.
When his letter was sent about his first voyage, he described the many things he had found. It was a vast, rich land untouched by Europe (considered to be brand new even though people were living there). He describes his sails through the new continent with joy and enthusiasm. He even said the land was “marvelous,” (Columbus Letter 1). In these accounts he has a lot of pride and astonishment. His general message is that the new land is gorgeous and very large and everyone must come to see the great new discovery. Surely no man with less than an exhilarating tone would say such great things, and what person would not be exhilarated if he found a new land? He certainly shows he has the courage and endurance to take a voyage back and forth 4 times and he tells it through this letter. His second letter was not as appealing. Let’s examine that.
In his first letter, he starts off with “As I know that you will be pleased at the great victory with which Our Lord has crowned my voyage,” (Columbus Letter 1). This introduction is totally different saying, “Of Española, Paria, and other lands, I never think without weeping,” (Columbus Letter 2). There is a total difference in his attitude. This is because he has been captured and treated as a slave. He has lost all happiness he had before. Hard times had caught up with him. He was arrested when he went back to Europe after his 3rd voyage, and he went back on a 4th voyage to redeem his reputation. He was marooned in Jamaica after an accident at sea. He changes his message here too; he is now saying something along the lines of, “Please pardon my crimes and save me from here.” He even brings out the fact that he served his country since he was 28, “…and now I have not a hair on my body that is not gray,” (Columbus Letter 2). There is a lot more depression in this letter, but a small piece of hope still stands out within him. This letter may have been his last hope, but it was hope nonetheless that did paid off. He was rescued later.
Sometimes all we need is hope to get us by when everything else is lost. This can help carry us through the tough times; even when times aren’t all that bad, it doesn’t hurt to have hope to help you get through it. Christopher Columbus was at the bottom of the barrel. He pities himself with the words, “I am so ruined,” and “Of worldly goods I haven’t even a blanca… I have become careless of the prescribed forms of religion,” (Columbus Letter 2). With all of this, he still trusted in his country and his beliefs to get him through and they did. This simple thing that we have in our hearts allows us to believe in what is impossible, or what is beyond our belief. It’s what help Columbus find America. Columbus believed and hoped that there was something undiscovered and he found it. Sometimes hope is all that’s needed.