The Construction of the “Other” in the Renaissance: Marco Polo Alyssa Hall 7819782 MARS 1F90 March 31, 2024 Roger Fast In Renaissance Europe, the concept of the "other" played a significant role in shaping perceptions of individuals, societies, and cultures beyond familiar boundaries. Marco Polo, a Western traveler heading to China, tells the story of his travels and the cities he encounters. Marco Polo’s travels to the various regions of the Mongol empire provided Europeans with valuable insights into the unknown lands of Asia, playing a crucial role in shaping Western European perceptions of the East. In his writing, he describes the many people, societies, and cultures he discovers and how they interact. He distinguished them from …show more content…
The Christian faith states when a man and woman get married, they are to stay married and have children if neither is infertile to have sons to pass on household wealth (King, 2017). This perspective shapes his understanding of family dynamics and beliefs. He conveys this in his writing stating because of this tradition, his culture's population is far less than those of the Other (Stearns, 2008). In the telling of his travels, he describes how the Other, Chinese and Turks, keep upwards of 10 women at a time and have many children with each of them (Stearns, 2008). This stark contrast leads Marco Polo to reflect on the implications of both cultural practices and how they reflect on the populations of each city, ultimately leading him to form opinions on the out-group (Staszak, 2008) to bring back to Western Europe. Marco Polo acknowledges this way of life differs from his own, goes against his traditional beliefs and values, and displays it in his writing. The Christian lens Marco Polo uses to analyze this way of life conveys how many Western Europeans discriminate against the Other because their way of life lacks Christian values (Staszak, 2008). These observations reveal a tension between his Christian worldview and the cultural practices of the "Other." While he may acknowledge the diversity of human customs and traditions, he also evaluates them through the lens of his own religious beliefs. Marco Polo's exploration of Chinese and Turkish customs reveals how his Christian perspective influenced his interpretation, shedding light on the intersection of religion and culture during this
Invisible Cities’[its original Italian title ‘le città invisibili’] by the Italian author Italo Calvino, is a novel compiled of Prose poems describing the wonders of an adventurist whose discoveries are made up of his inner aspirations to venture; Marco Polo. Written in the Thirteenth century, it was published by Giulio Einaudi, in 1972 then translated into English by William Weaver in 1974. Calvino was inspired by the travel diary, ‘The Travels of Marco Polo’ that documented all of the voyagers’ discoveries that followed his journey throughout Asia within Yuan Dynasty China. The book revolves around Marco Polo and that era’s Emperor of China, Kublai Khan who actively seeks Polo out, to present to him the foundations of cities that he may rule over. The traveller responds through
Primary Source Analysis 2 / Chapter 7: Travelers’ Tales and Observations (Sources 7.1 / 7.2)
Nowadays the wide array of transportation means and infrastructures at our disposal has made it relatively easy for us to travel from one country to another; even when those countries are thousands of miles away from each other. However, during the 13th and 14th centuries, travelling was not that easy. Yet, two men, the Italian tradesman Marco Polo and the Moroccan Jurist Ibn Battuta became famous for having managed to perform extremely long distance journeys away from their home country. At the end of their long travels, both men shared their experiences with the world via the books, The Travels of Marco Polo and The Travels of Ibn Battuta. An analysis of those two texts reveals two things. On one hand, Marco Polo remained a cultural outsider to the people he met during his travels, thus enhancing his power of observation and stimulating his curiosity. On the other hand, Ibn Battuta travelled as an insider, and consequently he judged the people he met only in light of his Muslim background.
Many children, including myself, have once played the game Marco Polo. Although, I have always been curious, who exactly is Marco Polo? My fascination of Marco Polo warped into a fixation of his travels. Marco Polo was born in Venice in the year 1254. His father, Nicolo, and his uncle, Maffeo, were merchants who had seats in the great nobleman council of Venice (Polo IV). According to his records, he had traveled thousands of miles with his father and uncle.
People are famous for many reasons. Today, it can be started just by sharing one picture and having it spread like wildfire. Back then, it was about traveling and the adventure. Man has been traveling since the dawn of time mainly for getting food and other resources. Meanwhile, they are recording the experiences one encounters along the way. A prime example of this would be a man by the name of Marco Polo. Marco, often mistaken for being the first European to make it to China, was the first person to leave a book based on his experiences. Without him, he would not have inspired people like Christopher Columbus. Although it has been said that Marco Polo reached China, this has been a subject of debate of whether or not this is true. Historians have argued whether or not he ever made it to China for many years. As new evidence emerges, it can be proven that Marco Polo has reached China.
Around the time of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, Europe was a place in need of inspiration. Marco Polo, a merchant, and still a simple man, was this source of inspiration. He was an ordinary boy during his childhood, living a similar life to the other boys his age. Although his intentions might not have been as significant as his impact, he was very influential. Marco Polo served as an influence to many later explorers. Whether it was through his book, The Travels of Marco Polo, which focused mainly on descriptions of spices and commercial goods and many other interesting trade items he encountered in his travels, he sparked an interest and desire of not only Europe, but later explorers as well . Marco Polo was viewed to have had definite charm and also having much capability. He has also proven that he was a tough man. This is evident because of the many voyages he survived, which included occurrences of bandit ambushes, disease, and not to mention the fatigue of the travel. There have been many who believe that Marco Polo was not intellectually equipped, meaning that he was not a very educated man, as no European probably was at the time . But as always, there is of course some speculation on the many aspects of the life of Marco Polo. Many people have their own beliefs of whom the real Marco Polo was and what he accomplished. There will be mention on some of the alleged negative, yet also positive aspects of his life. Despite all the accusations or assumptions of Marco Polo, history was affected as a result of his existence. He still remains an important figure in history.
Before Babi takes Laila to school and goes to work, Mammy fights with him “ferocious[ly as she is] . . . pacing and ranting, [whereas] Babi sit[s and] . . . nod[s] obediently” (108).
...ed in the discovery and eventual colonization of North and South America. Painters, sculptors, and architects exhibited a similar sense of adventure and the desire for greater knowledge and new solutions; Leonardo da Vinci, like Christopher Columbus, discovered whole new worlds. With a new emphasis on the science, people like Philippo Brunelleschi were accomplishing great feats of artistic and architectural design. The new Renaissance “style” that emerged during this period called upon the classical roots of ancient Greece and Rome but new scientific understanding and a stronger emphasis on the individual also influenced the works created during this period.Bibliography Rice Jr., Eugene F.; Anthony Grafton. The Foundations of Early Modern Europe, 1460-1559. W. W. Norton & Company. New York, NY, 1993. Helton, Tinsley. World Book Encyclopedia, v16. “Renaissance”, pp. 222-224. World Book–Childcraft International Inc. Chicago, IL, 1979. Vasari, Gorgio. Lives of the Artists. Penguin Books Ltd. London, England, 1987
In this paper I'm focusing mainly on Renaissance art work, since that was the assignment, but I feel it's important to also mention the other important parts of the Renaissance, architecture, science, politics and religion.
It is not uncommon to see a wide variety of ideas flow in and out in a certain place within an era. Nevertheless, it becomes quite an achievement when the Renaissance experiences a plethora of ideas. This subsequently means countless social norms and fields of study are affected, and the results include an interesting process that takes place almost unnoticeable at times. The perspectives of men change during this time also unknowingly perceiving how the world is seen differently through their eyes. This happens so subtly that man’s view of man alters quite a bit into a more secular view from previous eras.
...ced by permission of." Renaissance and Reformation Reference Library. Ed. Julie L. Carnagie, Peggy Saari, and Aaron Saari. Vol. 1: Vol.1: Almanac. Detroit: UXL, 2002. World History in Context. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
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Marco Polo, is probably the most famous Westerner who ever traveled on the Silk Road. He excelled all the other travelers in his determination, his writing, and his influence. His journey through Asia lasted 24 years with the help of his father, Niccolò and Maffeo. He became a confidant of Kublai Khan, and traveled the whole of China and returned to tell the tale, which became the greatest travelogue. Marco Polo was a great explorer, who wrote a book written about his travels which gave Europeans some of their earliest information about China and inspired many explorers including Christopher Columbus.