Day Of Glory: The Age Of Discovery

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For centuries, dominant history as we know it has been shaped, twisted and prodded to the point that it is barely recognizable. Our alleged history that is imprinted in classroom textbooks and encyclopedias isn’t history at all, for as Eduardo Galeano believes, all dominant historical records are representative of the untruth. The apparent gaps and inconsistencies in the timeline of the past are substituted with excessive praise to renowned European colonizers. This historical amnesia was put in place by the victors, the same colonizers who were responsible for the eradication of entire civilizations. The Age of Discovery is labeled as such to mask the true nature of this era, which can be rendered much more accurately as the Age of Imperialism,…show more content…
The indigenous people that approached Columbus rushed to provide sustenance for the weary travelers, for they exclaimed, “come and see the men who arrived from the sky! Bring them food and drink!” (p. 46) Their immediate action was to provide for the outsiders, which demonstrates that hospitality is significant in their beliefs. However, their generosity did not pique the interest of the newcomers’ greedy minds. In Day of Glory, Galeano recounts the day when Columbus had arrived in Spain from his expedition with bits of gold and other foreign delicacies. Following the procession were the captured natives, trembling in fear and weeping in deep sadness (p. 46). Despite the initial kindness that the indigenous people showed, they were still deemed inferior because of the wide disparity in cultures. This caused the Europeans to believe that they are authorized to abuse the land, wealth and human beings of Latin America. The moment that Columbus encountered the locals marked the birth of an era as well as the inception of a deadly…show more content…
In the passage titled Feet, Galeano descriptively portrays the hanging of African slaves. “At the traveler’s eye level dangle by which he can guess what the victims were before death came. Among these leathery limbs… are frisky feet and formal feet; prisoner feet and feet that still dance, loving the earth and calling for war” (p. 72). By including “feet that still dance, loving the earth and calling for war,” Galeano is reminding the world that these slaves were humans too. He also describes the auctioning of slaves in the excerpt People for Sale, where they are ordered to fulfill a number of commands by white buyers. “Walk! Run! Sing! Jump, you dog!” are just several of the many humiliating actions that African slaves were forced to commit (p.198). The branding of Aztec faces and the auctioning of human beings are events in history that are frequently neglected or “forgotten” due to the heavy cloak of historical amnesia. As the timeline continues, numerous accounts of dividing and conquering are delineated in great detail. This awareness that Galeano raises toward historical events consigned to oblivion is a form of resistance to imperialism. By digging up the skeletons of the past one vignette at a time, Galeano exposes the truth which has been deprived from or ignored by the dominant public. This information can be used to comprehend the iron grip of Eurocentrism
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