She includes herself in the discussion by writing around her standpoint and by both asking questions that are aimed toward her, and by giving examples from her personal life. She is very curious as to how her history began, and explores the ideas of Columbus since he discovered the Americas, the place Candid calls home. Candid believes her history was set in motion in 1492, the date in which Columbus and his many men mistakenly discovered the New World. The New World, that was only new to Columbus and his men. History had already started long ago with the Natives that called the “New World” home before Candid could.
Columbus did not only come as a “discoverer” as Candid says, but also a conqueror, as Candid fails to mention. He took over the land as his own, caring not for the local inhabitants. He enslaved and took over the locals as he colonized the New World. In doing so Columbus in essence wiped out the history of the Natives and replaced it with his own. Re-naming things as if they never existed until the day he gave name to everything. Candid says her history started in 1492, is that also the date the history of the Natives came to an end?
The reason Candid’s history starts at 1492 and not ROR is because Columbus was the one to set the Americas’ history in motion. Oscar Wiled says, “Anybody can make history; only a great man can write it. ” Columbus is that “great man” that was able to write history, the natives are now, simply, part of it. Prior to Columbus there was no knowledge of the Americas, he opened it up for the world to see, discovering it and while doing so, conquering the land and all of those part of it. For this reason, Candid’s history starts at 1492 and not before.
Candid’s history may have started in 1492 but she was not a part of it then. In her say she is recounting Columbus’ observations, telling the reader how Columbus saw the New World when he first got there. Since Candid was not actually there her mindset is a mixture of what Columbus saw and some of her own interpretations. By incorporating accounts from Columbus she is informing us on how she believes the Americas looked in 1492. Candid writes, ” This world he saw before him had a blankness to it, the blankness of the newly made, the newly born”(Len History 2).
Though the world Columbus saw before him was not actually blank it was very unfamiliar. Candid’s history began next. Columbus had the unique opportunity to name these unfamiliar things and in doing so began to write history. Candid questions how everything got its name from the blankness and why Columbus had this power. She mentions that from blankness comes chaos and from that chaos we can start to determine names in an effort to mitigate the chaos. She says that everything needs to be named and created somehow.
Even if it is already created physically, it must be created to have meaning. The act of creating is what makes up history. Controlling the chaos, containing it, producing something so that the chaos an turn into a familiarity. A good example Candid brings up is the origins of Antigen. “The place I am from [Antigen] is named after a church” (Candid 3). Her people did not name it after a church, the people that discovered the island named it after something familiar to them, something they knew, or liked, which happened to be a church.
She states that “church might have been important to Christopher Columbus, but churches were not important, originally, to people that look like me” (Candid 3). Those that discovered these new places dating back to 1492 named what they found after things familiar to them. They were literally writing history. Though Columbus and his men were met with blankness and chaos, as Candid puts it, they were also met with a paradise. This paradise “would not have been a paradise to the people living there; they would have had the ordinary dreariness of living anywhere day after day, the ordinary dreariness of Just being alive.
But someone else’s dreariness is another person’s epiphany’ (Candid 2). This place was a paradise for Columbus and his men because they saw the opportunity to be had. Candid does not mention that they were able to colonized, enslave and do what they pleased tit the newly found land while the natives could do nothing to stop them. “History maker World shaker… No more talking cause all the talking done. ” This quote from Henry Brown’s poem “History Maker” relates to Columbus’ mindset. Columbus made history and in doing so shook the world, specifically the Natives world.
He came to a world that already had a culture and society yet was met with blankness; he did not speak with them. “All the talking done” he did not know their language and saw them as inferior. Columbus took over, controlling the inhabitants. After conquering he inhabitants Columbus was left with a simple yet unfamiliar landscape. History begins when there is a landscape given. This landscape can be anything; in this case it is the New World, home for Candid. She describes the landscape as green. “It is a small lump of insignificance, green, green, green, and more green again” (Candid 3).
Once there is a landscape then history starts as things begin to stray away from the chaos and blankness. Things begin to get names, starting with the landscape itself. After things become named then they are recorded. The act of recording is what writes history. I believe Candid is trying to say that history does not Just happen; it has to be set in motion. If there is no one around to take away the chaos, name objects and record them, generations to follow will never hear of the era and it mine as well had never happened in the first place.
It is the act of creating and naming that makes history, those actions are history. Without proper knowledge of historical events it is like something never happened. In James Baldwin essay “Stranger in the Village” he comes to Switzerland to write and along with his typewriter, brings a uniqueness that beguiles the natives. From all available evidence no black man had unfamiliar. Candid’s history name these unfamiliar thin questions how everything g this power. She mentions TTY can start to determine name everything needs to be near politically, it ‘rust be create history Controlling the Chaw. An turn into a familiarity Antigen. ‘The place I am FRR people did not name It Tate after something familiar to be a church She states that Calculus, but churches we me” (Candid 3). Those that wharf they found after thing Though Columbus and his it, they were also Little with to the people living, there: TTL anywhere day after day, ere or Collusion end his ‘nee not mention that they were with ere newly found land maker World shaker. No m Henry Boron’s power “History history and In doing so shoal world that already had a cue speak with tether ‘”All the TA then as inferior.
Collusion the Inhabitants Columbus v begins when there is a lance it is the New Ward, home if Once there a landscape t chaos and blankness Thin After things become names writes history. Believe Kink has to be set in motion, If objects and record them, GE as well had never happen; that makes history. These at events it is like something r Village” he comes to Sweeter uniqueness that beguiles TTY ever set foot in this tiny Swiss village before I came” (Bald this village did not know of the history behind blacks in A Baldwin “Anger” unknown to the meaning behind it. L AR Anger! Anger! As I walk along the streets” (Baldwin 191). Beginning to hear children shout such words and see the alien. Baldwin states, “It must be admitted that in the be to have any real reaction” (Baldwin 191). These words, h intent because the children had no background on the hi being called a Anger brought back memories for Baldwin Niger. Being in the village reminds him of a time when at seeing a black man. He knows he is no longer a strange because the villagers are isolated and know nothing else. Lot of meaning in Baldwin essay that can be linked wit History’. Candid tells us that things are named after who blankness. The village of Switzerland did not know much they were never exposed to humans of that color. Thereof Baldwin by what they were familiar with, the word Anger familiarity with blacks in the small village the villagers did the word and meant no harm when they called Baldwin off something familiar in order to give name to someone The villager’s act of naming Baldwin is similar to Column ended in the New World.
Candid states, “To have Knowles give them a name” (Candid 2). Since the villagers had little they went off something familiar to find a name for him. Naming things another chapter of history began to be writ slurs came about. Since, race issues and slurs have cons history behind it all has not yet made its way around yet. Essay she begins to stray away from Columbus’ narrative of naming things in a negative way. “They [Columbus and things animal, mineral and vegetable, of their names, an names pleasing to them; they recognized names are now pleasure to them” (Candid 4).
She begins to ask question naming things herself. “One day, while looking at the HTH feet, I was having an argument with myself over the name referring to the things that lay before me at my feet” (Kin realize is that she is doing the same thing that Columbus contradicting herself. She wants to call things by a name Columbus did. She writes what Columbus did in a negating the same thing. Though Candid and Columbus are spear doesn’t change the fact that Candid is trying to write hiss Columbus was able to.
There is no definite answer as to correct definition of what it is or how many times it can b arson’s history can differ from others’ or could be similar based on speculation, opinion and events. 1492, the date started and the Natives history ended. Candid doesn’t re one chapter of history can be the end to another and that there can be many chapters to the book of history. Looking at the way she wrote her essay it seems as though for her and for the people that look like her, history started in 1492 and anything before it does not matter. So what is history? I think history is the way everything falls into place.