Talking About Weather in Spanish

Everyone talks about the weather, so if you want to improve your ability to have casual conversations in Spanish, one way is to learn the language of weather. Talking about the weather is straightforward, although some sentence structures are used that arent used inEnglish. In English, it is very common to use it when discussing the weather, as in the sentence it is raining. In Spanish, it isnt necessary to translate the it, and you can talk in Spanish using any of the three methods below. Incidentally, the it in English weather sentences is called a dummy subject, meaning it doesnt have real meaning but it used only to make the sentence grammatically complete. As you use Spanish, you will become familiar with which methods is more common with particular types of weather. In many cases, any of the three methods can be used with little or no change in meaning. Using Weather-Specific Verbs The most direct way of talking about weather in Spanish is to uses one of the many weather verbs: Graniza en las montaà ±as. (Its snowing in the mountains.)Nevà ³ toda la noche. (It snowed all night.)Està ¡ lloviendo. (It is raining.)Diluvià ³ con duracià ³n de tres dà ­as. (It poured rain for three days.)Los esquiadores quieren que nieve. (The skiers want it to snow.) Most of weather-specific verbs are defective verbs, meaning that they dont exist in all conjugated forms. In this case, they exist only in the third-person singular. In other words, at least in standard Spanish, there is no verb form meaning something like I rain or I snow. Using Hacer With Weather The first thing you may notice if youre talking about or reading about the weather is that the verb hacer, which in other contexts usually is translated as to do or to make, is frequently used. In many cases, hacer can simply be followed by a weather condition. Hace sol. (Its sunny.)En la Luna no hace viento. (There is no wind on the moon.)Hace mucho calor en Las Vegas. (It is very hot in Las Vegas.)Estaba en medio del bosque y hacà ­a mucho frà ­o. (I was in the middle of the forest and it was very cold.)Hace mal tiempo. (The weather is awful.)Hace buen tiempo. (The weather is good.) Using Haber With Weather It is also possible to use the third-person singular form of haber, such as hay in the indicative present, also known as the existential haber, to talk about weather. These could be translated literally with sentences such as there is sun or there was rain, although youll usually to better to use something more idiomatic. No hay mucho sol. (it isnt very sunny.)Hay vendaval. (It is extremely windy.)Habà ­a truenos fuertes. (It was thundering loudly.)Temo que haya lluvia. (Im afraid it will rain.) Other Grammar Related to Weather When discussing how the weather feels, you can use tener, which usually is translated as to have but in this context is used to indicate how a person feels. Tengo frà ­o. (Im cold.)Tengo calor. (It feels hot.) You are best to avoid saying something like estoy caliente or estoy frà ­o for Im hot or Im cold. These sentences can have sexual overtones, just as can the English sentences Im hot or Im frigid. Most textbooks advise against using sentences such as es frà ­o to say its cold, and some say that such a usage of the verb ser is incorrect. However, such expressions are heard in informal speech in some areas. Weather Vocabulary Once you get beyond the basics, here is a vocabulary list that should cover most situations or help you understand the forecasts youll find in news and social media: altamente: highlyaviso: advisorycalor: hotcentà ­metro: centimeterchaparrà ³n: downpourchubasco: squall, downpourciclà ³n: cyclonedespejado: cloudlessdiluviar: to pour, to flooddisperso: scatteredeste: eastfresco: coolfrà ­o: coldgranizada: hailstormgranizo: hail, sleethumedad: humidityhuracà ¡n: hurricaneà ­ndice ultravioleta: ultraviolet indexkilà ³metro: kilometerleve: lightlluvia: rainluz solar, sol: sunshinemapa: mapmayormente: mostlymetro: metermilla: milemà ­nimo: minimumnevar: to snownieve: snownorte: northnublado: cloudynubosidad: cloud cover, cloudinessoccidente: westoeste: westoriente: eastparcialmente: partlypie: footponiente: westposibilidad: possibilityprecipitacià ³n: precipitationpresià ³n: air pressurepronà ³stico: forecastpulgada: inchrelà ¡mpago: lightningrocà ­o: dewsatà ©lite: satellitesur: southtemperatura: temperaturetiempo: weather, timetronar: to thundertrueno: thundervendaval: strong wind, windstormventisca: snowstormviento: windvientos helados : wind chillvisibilidad: visibility Key Takeaways Spanish has three common ways of talking about weather: using verbs that refer to weather, using hacer followed by a weather term, and using the existential haber followed by a weather term.When translating to Spanish, the it in sentences such as it is raining is not translated directly.

The World Of William Shakespeare - 950 Words

Take a Bow Loved ones come and go and must be birthed, and ultimately buried, it is the drama of this existence. Often a person finds he or she is seemingly incapable of performing some unsavory duty. But life and death have a way of making it impossible to avoid this unpleasantness and one finds the nerve or stomach to do that which must be done; accept the task as just another experience in the tapestry, and move on. Once upon a time there was no service that provided assistance in times such as these. If a friend or family member was stabbed or had his brains bashed in, well†¦ someone had to clean it up. Tellingly the world of William Shakespeare was such a time. In the age of man’s revision of his culture and sense of humanity after the dark Middle Ages there was money and fame to be earned in the gossipy tales of mankind’s utter lack of culture and cruel inhumanity. In truth, it has never stopped, the same plot devices in service by the playwrights of the Renaissance are still drawing blood and audiences today. It is always intriguing to hear salacious stories of someone else’s wrong doing, and Shakespeare had a keen sense of what held the audience’s macabre attention. Fittingly, Othello, and by relation all Shakespeare’s work survives in the mind of historical praise not only because Shakespeare was eloquent but also a student of the human drama. Not unlike Chaucer before him, Shakespeare’s plays point to enthralling cautionary tales that wooed women with allShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s Brave New World925 Words   |  4 Pagesthe novel, Brave New World, the author, Aldous Huxley strategically incorporates various Shakespearean allusions into his story. The most distinguished allusion throughout the entirety of the novel is to a quote from The Tempest, a play about a sorcerer and his daughter that live together on a remote island. The quote from The Tempest, in which Brave New World derives its name, â€Å"O, wonder!/How many goodly creatures are there here!/How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,/That has such peopleRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s World Masterpieces1595 Words   |  7 Pagesbe arranged marriages betwe en those of equal status or class as the norm. Back then love was seen as a perfect and pure concept. Cervantes did not agree with this and challenged and mocked it in his writings. As stated by Maynard Mack in his book, World Masterpieces, â€Å" The actual method [Cervantes] followed in order to expose the silliness of the romances of chivalry was to show to what extraordinary consequences they would lead a man insanely infatuated in them..†. Due to this type of thinking, CervantesRead MoreBeauty And Natural World : William Shakespeare Essay845 Words   |  4 Pages Beauty and Natural World Shakespeare occupied an unparalleled figure in English Literature. He created 154 sonnets. The Shakespeare sonnet is a bright pearl in English poetic history. The most famous one is probably Sonnet 18, often alternatively titled â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day†? It is one of the part of the Fair Youth sequence which published its first edition in 1609. In the work, the speaker described the destructive power of time. The eternal beauty that are bought from theRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Influence On The Course Of World History1440 Words   |  6 PagesWaldo Emerson, a famous essayist inspired by Shakespeare’s works. William Shakespeare was a renowned author, poet, actor, and playwright. He has contributed to many components of life today such as; founding modern English language, contributing to literature, contributing to modern theater, and contributing many of his works to modern English. William Shakespeare has greatly impacted the course of world history. 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Within in the play, Shakespeare illustrates the story of a Danish prince, Hamlet, whose uncle murders the Hamlet’s father, marries his mother, and claims the throne leading to Hamlet’s journey to avenge his father all coinciding with in the city of Elsinore. Simultaneously with Hamlet’s journey Shakespeare juxtaposes a seemingly healthy exterior concealingRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Hometown Of The English Language And The World s Best Dramatist1266 Words   |  6 Pages Although many knew him as a keen businessman in his hometown of Stratford, William Shakespeare is recognized as the greatest writer in the English language and the world s best dramatist. ( www.goodreads.com) He wrote hundreds of songs, plays, books, and poems. During his time, his plays were well under-appreciated and a lot of his work did not appear until seven years after his death. Without Shakespeare, the English language would have never expanded at the rate it did, erasing many common wordsRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare is one of the most famous English poet and play writers in the world.600 Words   |  3 PagesWilliam Shakespeare is one of the most famous English poet and play writers in the world. Shakespeare has many plays that were written and performed to create an effect on his audience by creating thoughts and discussions about the social, cultural, and economic values and perspectives that were taking place throughout his time. Shakespeare’s famous play, Hamlet, was a duplication of the events occurring throughout the Elizabethan era. The main focus throughout this essay is a speech spoken by HamletRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Macbeth - A Man Without Ethics Is A Wild Beast Loosed Upon This World1286 Words   |  6 Pageshighly regarded scholar, once spoke â€Å"A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world.† It can be speculated that what Camus was insinuating, is that in the absence of morality, one descends into corruption that impacts not just the individual, but also those who surround them. Hundred of years earlier, William Shakespeare illustrated the same concept in his renowned work, Macbeth. In this play, Shakespeare primarily uses the characters of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and Banquo to warn of the dangers

Hitler Free Essays

string(45) " be contrived to fit the need of the moment\." Adolf Hitler and The National Socialists: A Case Study in Political Constructivism ABSTRACT Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist Party gained and maintained power by adopting the philosophy of constructivism and applying it to political leadership. The Nazi leader took advantage of every situation which made his approach to morals and politics dependent on the climate of public, national, and international opinion at the time. This situational relativist approach can be considered constructivist in nature. We will write a custom essay sample on Hitler or any similar topic only for you Order Now Therefore, by selectively exploring the coups of Hitler and his henchmen the constructivist, unstructured nature of National Socialism will become apparent. By Mark Mraz Mark Mraz is an assistant professor of education at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. He holds a PhD in C I Social Studies Education from The Pennsylvania State University. Mark teaches social studies methods and foundations courses at Slippery Rock. Prior to coming to the University, He taught history and social studies for 29 years at the St Marys Area School District in St. Marys, Pennsylvania. Assistant Professor of Education Slippery Rock University Secondary Education Department 208D McKay Hall Slippery Rock, PA 16057 Email:mark. mraz@sru. edu Phone: 724-738-2288 0 Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=1126363 Adolf Hitler and the National Socialists: A Case Study in Political Constructivism Introduction Adolf Hitler and his national socialist movement gained and maintained power by adopting the philosophy of constructivism and applying it to political leadership. The Nazi leader took advantage of every situation which made his approach to morals and politics dependent on the climate of public, national, and international opinion at the time. An example of this contrived policy can be seen in the Nazi’s attempt to create a religion, the Reich Church. However, the general German public adhered to their Christianity and Hitler was forced back down when faced with severe prevalent resistance, thereby allowing the people to keep their religious beliefs (Goldenhagen). Undoubtedly, this situational relativist approach can be considered Constructivist. Therefore, by exploring a selective array of the major coups of Hitler and his henchmen; the constructivist unstructured nature of National Socialism is apparent. According to Hitler, in one of his many private diatribes to his inner circle of disciples, the ultimate goal of his whole policy was quite clear. Hitler’s employment of Machiavellian tactics can be seen as implied constructivism. Hitler stated: Always I am concerned only that I do not take a step from which I will perhaps have to retreat, and not take a step that will harm us. I tell you that I always go to the outermost limits of risk, but never beyond. For this you need to have a nose more or less to smell out; â€Å"What can I still do? † †¦ In a struggle against an enemy, I do not summon an enemy with force of fight. I don’t say: â€Å"Fight! † because I want to fight. Instead I say , â€Å"I will destroy you! And now. Wisdom, help me to maneuver you into a corner that you cannot fight back, and then you get the blow to the heart. (Rosenbaum, 382). This passage suggests that Hitler had a goal in mind but the means to the end 1 Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=1126363 involved a series of constructed scenarios to back his opponents into a position of weakness by giving them no room to maneuver. This is exactly what he did when he took over Austria, the Rhineland, and Czechoslovakia. Hitler harangued, browbeat, and got a vast territory without firing a shot. This weaving and bobbing like a prize fighter on the world stage of geo-politics is dangerous for both the winner and loser. Because the relativity of the circumstances can be misconstrued as vital to the national interest.. This situational contrived metaphysics of the whole history of the National Socialist Workingmans Party’s rise to power can be interpreted as Machiavellian. Machiavellianism, is by its very â€Å"Realpolitik-politics void of ethics† nature is a process that is constructivist due to the solipsistic beliefs of its adherents always laboring for the welfare of one’s state at the cost of others countries. This ultimately leads to means that are built to real goals by situational circumstance and contrived ethics. According to Claudia Koonz, Professor of History at Duke Univesity: Hitler was a keen judge of his constituency’s desires and needs, which allowed him to fashion his state around principles of secular racism which were void of religion. Basing their notions of ethical behavior on the civic virtues of the ethnic Germanic community and hatred of outsiders, the national socialists; had an amoral compass (Koonz). This moral construction, based on underlyin g prejudices was seen by the majority of Germans as being proper and ethical, are another example of the constructivist philosophy of the Third Reich. Hitler and his disciples gave the masses what they wanted security from outsiders. Many Germans were xenophobic about Bolshevism and other alien ideologies; that if adopted would destroy the socio-political cultural fiber of Germanic Teutonic society. All 2 ideas counter to the Nazi Utopia of Aryan supremacy in all socio-cultural-geo-political spheres were perceived by the masses as a threat or a wart on the body politic which had to be removed. Thus creating a surgical mind set about the elimination of undesirable Non-German elements in society. This whole outlook of the reign was conditioned by this contrived metaphysics which made murders out of learned people who under normal circumstances would be humane. Constructivism as a Philosophy in Theory and Practice Constructivism is a philosophical perspective that contends that all truths or facts are â€Å"constructed. † Therefore, truth is contingent on situational, social experience and individual perception. Constructivist philosophy in education holds that pupils are not passive vessels of knowledge, but actively involved in the creation of knowledge through their experiences. The adherents to this philosophy believe that truth is made or invented, not discovered or learned (Ozmon). So if one would take this philosophy to the extreme, it would be easy to extrapolate that truth can be contrived to fit the need of the moment. You read "Hitler" in category "Papers" Indeed a tactic, employed by the national socialists, was to learn from their experiences and invent the truth to fit the circumstances. This certainly was the case during the unsuccessful beer hall putsch of November 8-9, 1923. During the Nazi’s failed attempt to take over the government of Bavaria by force, Hitler gave several speeches to his followers acting like they had effectively made a coup and won the day. When in reality, they had lost, some were killed and Hitler and his entourage went to prison (Hitler). Out of this experience, Hitler stipulated that his goal was the same, to gain control of the government, but the means were different. The unsuccessful attempt to take over by brute force was replaced with legal constitutional 3 means to gain control. Hitler from then on used democracy to destroy the representative government in Germany. He would work the system to his advantage (Gordon). According to the British Historian, Bevin Alexander, even though Hitler was not aware of Sun Tzu, he subscribed to his axiom: â€Å"The way to avoid what is strong is to strike what is weak (Alexander, ix). † Between 1933 and 1940, the Fuehrer avoided the strong and attacked the weak with great triumph. Hitler and the Nazi’s had the uncanny ability to become protean when the circumstances called for it. He also had a huge talent for spotting and taking advantage of the insecurities and vulnerabilities of his opponents. Using these abilities, which might be called Machiavellian logic or simply constructivism, Hitler gained the upper hand in every situation beginning with his elevation to chancellor in January of 1933, and ending with the capitulation of France in July of 1940. However, after the invasion of Russia in July of 1941, he abandoned his constructivist geo–politics in favor of all out pursuit of a policy detrimental to his own country. Because of his hatred of Bolshevism and Jews, Hitler invaded Russia. He had been allied with Stalin and had gotten enormous amounts of oil as well as other raw materials needed for war from the Russians. The invasion put an end to these supplies. The Nazi’s gravely miscalculated the extent to which the Russians were fanatical about their land and not Communism. This â€Å"love of mother Russia† led to the most tenacious fighting in human history. Hitler was on the cusp of ultimate victory when in late 1940 and 1941 he changed that policy, and began to strike at the major powers of Britain, Russia, and eventually the United States. Hitler’s constructivist theory of â€Å"kicking in the 4 oor and the whole thing will collapse,† was a grave misinterpretation from which there was no retreat and deadly consequences (Alexander). Nazi Geo-Political and Socio-Cultural Coups as case studies in Constructivist Leadership During every phase of the development of the Nazi Reich, Hitler would ally with potential enemies to get what he wa nted. When Hitler was appointed chancellor, he was the head of a coalition government that contained people he did not like from both the left and the right politically. However, in a constructivist style all his own he embraced the arrangement to get to power (Evans 2005). Once Hitler became chancellor, he derailed all efforts for any opposition to gain a majority in parliament and on that pretext argued the demise of Reichstag representation. His own party had lost the majority so he was arguing to dissolve his own government. Hitler’s persuasive opinions caused President Hindenburg to acquiesce to the chancellor’s wishes and he dissolved the legislature. New elections were scheduled for early March, but before that could take place, the Reichstag building or the German Parliament burned down (Bullock). It is believed that Hitler’s confederates started the fire and blamed it on Communists. Once there was a perceived threat, the Nazi’s evoked Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution which enabled the chancellor to do away with the civic liberties of the people to protect the nation from fanatical threats from either the left or right. By doing this, the Nazi’s gave the impression that they were the stable element in society and not reactionary radicals, which they actually were. Then as the prize fighter metaphor suggests he simply weaved, bobbed, and counterpunched his way to the Enabling Act. This act fused the office of chancellor and president together giving Hitler dictatorial control of Germany by legal means (Evans 2005). Another episode of Machiavellian constructivist philosophy would be the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact of 1939. Hitler hated the Soviet Union and Communism. But he hated the thoughts of a two front war more. In chameleon-like fashion Hitl er courts his most hated enemy in friendship to get what he wants, no counter-attack by the Soviet Union to save Poland. Once he consolidates his Eastern frontier by agreement with the Russians, he hits the Western Democracies (Bullock). Where constructivism really becomes apparent is when one looks at the â€Å"Final Solution. † The Nazi leader stated that if there were no Jews it would be necessary to invent them because the masses need a tangible, concrete enemy and not an abstraction (Fuchs). Since the war many historians have developed various historiographic theories for the policies that led to the Holocaust. Two historical schools of thought have developed: the functionalists and intentionalists. The intentionalists hypothesized that there was a plan for the genocide of the Jews since 1924 (Dawidowicz). Functionalists, also known as structuralists believe that the holocaust was the product of the structural rivalry within the Nazi government and it was functional circumstances that lead the Third Reich from deportation to destruction of the Jews (Browning). Hitler’s actions from 1933 to 1941 involved a policy for forced deportation and exile of Jews. This seems at odds with the planned extermination theory. If he had that plan in mind why would he allow them to leave? One would think he would keep them locked up till he could get the death camps functioning (Framer). 6 Accordingly, a clarification of lexicon may be in order. The functionalist and structuralist schools contend that: 1) Hitler was actually a weak leader who was dependent on governmental and party organizations. 2) Rivalry between four power groups: army, economy, state administration, and Nazi Party/SS lead to constructivist policy making (Browning). The opposite school of thought is the intentionalist which believes that: 1) Hitler was a strong leader and implemented his will. 2) Hitler had a long term plan primarily driven by ideology which he carried out (Marrus). Both interpretations have obvious flaws. The functionalists-structuralists paradigm overlooks the popularity of Hitler, as well as deliberate policy and put too much emphasis on the power and independence of various governmental agencies. The intentionalists ideas put too much emphasis on Hitler’ leadership and his development of a precise plan on paper which he ollowed from the 1920s onward. In recent years, there has been a synthesis of ideas on the Holocaust and a merging of the intentionalitists and functionalists interpretations which suggests that the policy that became the â€Å"Final Solution† was both a top down and bottom up structural construct that involved no master plan (Kenshaw). Clearly the functionalists and the synthesizers are in esse nce saying that the National Socialist policies can be seen as constructivist in that they developed more as a function of the state rather than from coherent plan devised in 1924. Hans Mommsen and Martin Broszat, historians, believe that the National Socialist State was not a modern government but a feudal state with under lords vying for power against others for Hitler’s approval. Accordingly, they contend that Hitler was a reactionary responding to situations rather than taking the lead in formulating policy. 7 Hitler had basic knee jerk reactions to problems that arose and this lead to the development of policy in a piecemeal approach. In addition, Hitler hated paper work so he formulated an idea and let an underling run with it to see what would happen. This constructivist, open ended approach permitted him to leave the minutiae of administrative paper work to others (Framer). His leadership style of constructivism caused a monumental degree of latitude for underlings from different institutions and different paradigms to develop policy. This leeway caused the innate conflicts to emerge within competitive governmental structures which lead to confusion and overlapping authority within the political system (Goldhagen). One can make a case that Hitler and his party developed situational ethics and along with it situational politics. These politics involved ideological ends with no means in place. So the function of the state was to develop the means to give them the end they had in mind as conceived by Hitler. Therefore by combining various historiographical schools of thought, functionalism, structuralism, intentionalism it is plausible that one gets constructivism. Lastly, there are the synthesizers who contend that both interpretations are correct but have flaws. It is my contention as an historian that Hitler was in total control but used a Machiavellian form of leadership that called for bold unches on the world stage. He had an overall goal in mind but no means to reach the goal. So using Machiavellian tactics and applying a constructivist philosophy he was able to successfully get what he wanted by a piecemeal approach, while letting underlings fight out the details at lower levels. This allowed him to take all the credit when things went right and to spread all the blame when things went wrong. 8 Works C ited Alexander, B. (2001). How Hitler could have won the world war II; The fatal errors that led to nazi defeat. New York: Three Rivers Press. Browning, C. R. (2000) Nazi policy, jewish workers, and german killers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Bullock, A. (1962) Hitler: A study in tyranny. New York: Penguin Books. Dawidowicz, L. S. (1975) The war against the jews. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. Dobry, M. (June 2006) â€Å"Hitler, charisma and structure: Reflections on historical methodology. † Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions. 157-171. Draper, R. (February 8-22, 1999) â€Å"Decoding the holocaust. † The New Leader, 14-15. Evans, R. J. (2003) The coming of the third reich. New York: Penguin Books. Evans R. J. (2005) The third reich in power. New York: Penguin Books. Farmer, A. (September 2007) â€Å"The unpredictable past, hitler and the holocaust. † History Review, p 4-9. Flew, A. (1979) A dictionary of philosophy. New York: Gremacy Books Fest. J. C. (1973) Hitler. New York; Harcourt Brace and Jovanovich. Fuchs, T. (2000) A concise biography of adolf hitler. New York :Berkley Books. Goldhagen, D. J. (1997) Hitler’s willing exceutioners: Ordinary germans and the holocaust. New York: Vintage Books. Gordon, H. J. (1972) Hitler and the beer hall putsch. Cambridge: Princeton University Press, 1972 Hitler. A. (1975). Mein kampf. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Kenshaw, I. (2000) The nazi dictatorship: problems and perspectives of interpretation New York:Oxford University Press Koonz, C. (2003) The nazi conscience. Cambridge: Bleknap Press of Harvard University Press. Marrus, M. R. (1987) The holocaust in history. London: University Press of England. 9 Ozmon. H. A. (2003) Philosophical foundations of education. Columbus: Prentice-Hall. Rosenbaum, R. (1998) Explaining hitler: The search for the origins of his evil. New York: Basic Books. 10 How to cite Hitler, Papers

Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vacas Humane Colonialism free essay sample

Panfilo de Narvaez and his fleet of five ships with six hundred men set out with the intention of conquering and governing the provinces given to him by King Charles V. The Spanish expedition, motivated by curiosity, greed, and religion quickly realized the magnitude of their situation after utter and complete disaster after the ventured inland. Soon, survival of the fittest and the basic necessities of life were at the forefront of their thoughts and actions. As the herd of Spanish expeditioners dwindled, they relied upon Indian kindness and generosity to save them from terrible and fateful deaths. The more they depend on the Indians, the more they began to recognize the importance of these intelligent and resourceful people. In identifying with the Indians in their precarious manner, they were integrated into a complex and hierarchical culture in which altered their lives forever. Throughout Cabeza de Vaca’s narrative, Indians of many different tribes offered their assistance with food, clothes, and information. We will write a custom essay sample on Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vacas Humane Colonialism or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The single greatest opportunity for the Spaniards came about when the Indians on the Isle of Ill Fortune â€Å"tried to make us into medicine men†, and eventually â€Å"under such pressure we had to [perform a healing]† (de Vaca 49). Cabeza de Vaca says they performed all healings â€Å"by making the sign of the cross over them and blowing on [the person] and reciting a Pater Noster and an Ave Maria; and then [they] prayed as best [they] could to God Our Lord to give them health and inspire them to give us good treatment†¦ [and] they were well and healthy† (Cabeza de Vaca 49-50). These healings would ultimately revolutionize how the Europeans conducted business and interacted with the Indians because it made them medicine men. This occupation gave them access to food and they gained respect from the Indians, but they interpreted it as a â€Å"test to which God had subjected them to before revealing the true purpose of their existence† (Resendez 157). For Cabeza de Vaca, this was merely the beginning of a lifelong devotion to the Lord, Spain, and himself. As he began to question his existence, he realized that it was the will of God for Dorantes, Castillo, Estebanico, and himself to become the â€Å"intermediaries between God and the natives because they had a special connection† (Resendez 162). As more healings take place and their fame grows, the medicine men become directly connected to the Indians, and as a result they are called â€Å"children of the sun† (Resendez 167). Since they were being treated like demi-gods, they were paraded across Mexico with bands of thousands of Indians all shouting their praise for these healers. The Indians created a means of passing off the healers through a series of succession from one group to another. Throughout this process, the healers influenced the lives of the Indians by introducing Christianity and creating a relationship that could eventually lead to a more humane colonialism. The Christians were already planning this humane colonialism for â€Å"the benefit of Spain’s imperial power†; Cabeza de Vaca had even considered claiming Narvaez’s adelantamiento in which he could apply his revolutionary idea (Resendez 193). The basic scheme would be to set up a clear means of communication between the Christians and the natives. They would work out an agreement of peace between the two. The Christians would begin to colonize the New World with the establishment of churches; in which they would convert local Indians to Catholicism. Eventually they would set up trade routes would be established between towns connecting surrounding villages. All of the products would be commercialized and put on fleets bound for Spain and then the cargo would be redistributed throughout Europe. In return, Spain would return the favor bringing European goods back and essentially Europeanizing the New World. This system would have made Spain a superpower, and the images of gold would resonate throughout the hearts and minds of every Spaniard and equal subject within their mighty empire. One can see that this was merely a fantasy because of individuals like Nuno Beltran de Guzman, who drained the country of its natural resources and people. The selfishness and greed of most 16th century conquistadores is appalling, but as long as the crown got its share of the wealth, these men were supported with the things they needed to destroy a tradition that was far greater than themselves. Cabeza de Vaca’s attempt to become adelantamiento of Florida was an epic fail, but he managed to secure one in present day Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay (Resendez 208-210). He used the lessons he learned in the Americas in and attempt at a humane colonialism of these lands, but he quickly found out that his presence and ideas were not welcome in that part of the world. Resendez’s assessment of Cabeza de Vaca’s commitment to a kinder, gentler conquest is correct in the fact that it â€Å"could have transformed the brutal process† but Europeans didn’t care how they â€Å"overtook the land and riches of America† (Resendez xix-xx). The Spaniards did not want to understand the ways of these magnificent people’s culture or traditions. Religion was used by most Spaniards as an excuse or justification for their wrong doing, and they used their curiosity to further their greed. All the Spaniards cared about was money, and they exploited the Indians to get exactly what they wanted. Work Cited Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, Castaways: The Narrative of Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, edited by Enrique Pupo-Walker, translated by Frances M. Lopez-Morillas (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993) Resendez, Andres. A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca. New York: Basic Books, 2007.