Ziying Chen

Hist7A
Prof. Sachtjen
24 January 2016
Document Interpretation: The Other
The document "From the Journal of Christopher Columbus" is a journals written by
Christopher Columbus himself with the main purpose of recording what have happened
throughout his first voyage on the ocean, to explore new lands for the king and queen of the
Spain in 1492, and what he found when he arrived his destination, which is an island. People
who living on the island were mostly young and were all very friendly to Columbus and his
crews. Columbus described in his journal that those natives did not wore any clothes and some
people put painting on their bodies. They have no weapons, and only can communicate by signs.
Columbus traded things like cotton balls, javelins from the natives by giving them articles that
they brought with them along the journey. Also, Columbus intended to bring back six of the
natives to Spain to serve the king and queen of the Spain. He wanted to teach them how to speak
the language and to become Christians. This first voyage to the East took Columbus and his
crews over two months to discover.
As Columbus stated in his journals that the journey was tough as well as long distances.
There were sailors complaining about the journey and have doubts about whether they will find
something at the end of the voyage. What made them continue on this journey is the curiosity of
new things as well as a promise that Columbus made with the king and queen. Columbuss story
has something to do with the Other, which is assuming to be the Indians that he encountered
on the island. Columbus described those Indians had so many differences from him, an ordinary

European. However, they were able to get along well even they do not speak the same language.