Perception About America With the Image Americen Americus Retexit

Introduction

The naming of America as America took place after the voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492. Christopher Columbus was an Italian man, an explorer, navigator, and colonist who finished up four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean. This is why the naming of America occurred after his voyage. The name America was derived from an Italian explorer called Amerigo Vespucci, who visited new continents. Other people say that America was named after a mountain range in Nicaragua or after Richard Amerike of Bristol.

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What is very much known is about Amerigo Vespucci. North and South America are separate regions but are considered together and are called the Americas in the plural. When the two continents are called in a unitary way, they are called the continent of America in the singular. The singular name called America refers to the United States of America. The use of the name America started on April 25th, 1507, which is currently known as South America. South American land was discovered by a man called Americus who is considered to be an intelligent man. This is written from a book called Cosmographie Introduction written by Waldseemuller collaborated by Matthias Ringman.

Description of the Image

From the image that is seen of the picture of America Americus shows the following descriptions: there is a man called Amerigo Vespucci holding an astrolabe and a staff with a banner on the top of the shape of a cross. He is seen to be addressing a naked woman who is representing America. She is seated on the hammock and has a feathered hat on her head. In the background part, there is a sailing ship, and another ship is at the shore. At the far end of the picture, there are wild animals roaming around and a group of cannibals.

The image as seen the way it is seen is in the form of the ideology of the colonialism and seen same time to bring out ideas of primitivism in Western Culture. This is because of how the woman is seen to be naked openly. The same there is primitivism because it is seen from the image like a human being is tied on a stick on the fire ready to be roasted. As seen from the picture the naked woman stretches her arm towards the man after waking up from her hammock showing wonder. Maybe she did not expect a man like that to greet her. Vespucci is standing observing the woman and thinks of the name that can fit the woman. From there is when there came a name America since it was of the woman who was called. Americus rediscovers America by calling her once, and from there she remained awake. The picture of awakening America is seen from the awakening of the sloth from its shaded spot as seen from the tree behind America.

Vespucci from the picture carries a banner with a cross which is a Southern Cross and a sword. This is a sign of belief, knowledge, and violence. Though the same time him carrying those instruments shows his exploration, civilization, man of ideology, and conquest. His standing position in an erect manner, his body in armor carrying the European weapons shows his military power, religious truth because of the banner having the Southern Cross, and scientific truth. Behind Vespucci, there are ships which show the expansion of European power entering the new world. They also show the vessels or tools that will bring back to the European paradise.

At the far end of the picture are seen people around the fire roasting a human being tied on the stick on the fire. This shows how the culture in those days was. They believed in eating human meat. It shows the violence and inhuman they are in those days. The same time the way they stay naked also the people behind America are naked too shows their culture which was still behind and things were going to change.

Importance of the Image to the Past

Amerigo Vespucci carrying a banner with a southern cross show like he was in the Southern part of America. This is of importance to the past since shows that symbolism of the Southern Cross is that America name started from South America. From there North America was named. This is an idea for people in the past.

Amerigo's standing position and the instruments that he carries which is the banner with the cross and the sword shows his influential position in the society during that time. He was respected at that time because of what he carried. That is why the woman who is in front of him just woke up immediately and stretched her arm towards Amerigo. Showed the powerful representation that he presented with the honor.

From the image are seen ships at the shore and at the water meaning that during that time ships were the primary means of transport. Vessels were used during the war and transporting goods also. Ships were of foremost importance in the past and were made with extra care since they were the primary means of transport and used during the war.

The woman in front of Amerigo who is seated on hammock called America has a hat made of feathers. This shows that people from the past depended on animals to make anything they want. This is important for people in history since they saw animals both wild and domestic animals as important to them since they can kill them and make anything they want from their skin and bones. Animals were important in the past.

The picture shows that people from the past lived near oceans. There is no actual reason for it, but maybe it is because they depended on the water for many ways like washing themselves, fishing, washing meat that they want to eat or any other food, and for transport purposes using their ships. Ocean was of great importance during the past days.

The image, in general, shows the past times of how people lived in America. Their culture; the way of life and everything. This is of importance to the past since it shows the previous forms of people before becoming modern the way it is today.

Importance of the Image Today

The picture shows that America was named after a woman who was called America by Amerigo Vespucci. This makes up North, and South America is named after Vespucci naming a woman America. This shows that the new world existed and Asia was no longer beyond the horizon.

It is known today that the two biggest continents that are North and South America stood in one of Vespucci's voyage that is a westward voyage to Asia.

From the image seen human beings naked that is America and the other people at the far end of the picture, shows the culture that was there in the past. Today things changed and give importance currently knowing that culture changes and so people during the past years were not dressed in any clothes, but now people have clothes. The significance of this today is to show the barbaric ways in the past which did not show any morality and people are trying to change from the primitive forms.

From the image shows human beings roasted on the fire and people are around the fire waiting to eat human meat. It is an inhuman show from the picture. The importance is that people of today see that behavior as cruel and not a Christian thing to do since it is like murder. People changed from that culture, and so animals' meat is eaten instead of human flesh. People want to stick to that instead of killing which is forbidden and is a crime.

The way Amerigo Vespucci is carrying the banner having a cross on it. Shows the religious part of him. He believes in religion. The importance of this part is that people know that people from the past were spiritual meaning that belief was there still in the past. People believed in religion, and they followed it no matter how someone was. The same thing people today continue believing in religion and stick with their beliefs of religion. If in the past people believed in religion also today people have to follow.

From the image the way Amerigo Vespucci is standing still showing how powerful he is a civilized man and understanding. He could even go to the naked woman who is America. This today is important since it shows his humbleness. He did not have any intention of harming the woman he just went to have a talk or anything to the woman. This kind of humble behavior is of the good lesson today that people should be humble no matter who they are in society.

Bibliography

Schweikart, Larry, and Michael Allen. A Patriot's History of the United States: From Columbus's Great Discovery to America's Age of Entitlement. Sentinel, 2014.

Roth, Julia. "Americus meets America." Colonization as En-Gendering in the Americas. In Routledge Companion to Inter-Americas Studies. 2016.

Quijano, Anibal. "Modernity, identity, and utopia in Latin America." Boundary 2 20, no. 3 (1993): 140-155.

Hotez, Peter J., and Patricia P. Wilkins. "Toxocariasis: America's most common neglected infection of poverty and helminthiasis of global importance?" (2009): e400.