A Comparison of Early American Texts
             When the Europeans first came to the Americas in the late 15th - early 16th century, they brought with them a distinctive style of literature that was a complete contrast to the Native Americans' who inhabited the land. The Europeans' system of literature was based on writing, which was a technique unheard of by the Native Americans, whose system of literature was based on oral traditions since they did not use alphabetic writing. Despite this variance in styles, both European and Native American literature constructs a definite description of an author's personality. I plan to present how the texts of Christopher Columbus, Bartolome de Las Casas, Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala, and Garcilaso de La Vega reveal a distinctive personality in each of these authors and the significance of this presentation.
             Christopher Columbus presents himself as a compassionate, magnanimous and dutiful voyager in the texts contributed. Christopher Columbus' texts seem to exhibit the author as an adherent to his "Highnesses", King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. Throughout these texts Columbus repeatedly declares of his actions as restrictively for the favor of his king and queen. For example, in the passage "The people of the new world greet Columbus," Columbus states, "...when Your Highnesses so command, they [the seven slaves] can all be carried off to Castile...since with fifty men they would be all kept in subjection and forced to whatever may be wished." Another example is in the passage "Columbus describes the people of the New World," in which Columbus proclaims, "Our Lord willing, at the time of my departure I will bring back six of them [Native Americans] to Your Highnesses, that they may learn to talk." These two examples depicts Columbus simply as a vassal to his authoritative figures, often even more so than to God.
             Bar...