Kent-Drury

English 399

Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca

1) What basic events occur, and what is their chronology?

2) How do the narrative structure and strategies used in Cabeza de Vaca’s journeys compare with those of the accounts of Columbus’s voyages?

3) Compare the rhetorical & narrative strategies Cabeza de Vaca with those used by the various authors of our text of Columbus’s voyages. In what ways are they similar? In what ways do they differ? Especially, consider the following:

a) As one of the few survivors of a disastrous voyage, he's in trouble with the court. Consequently, two goals Cabeza de Vaca is said to have are to justify his actions during the expedition and to explain his attitudes toward the New World and indigenous people. What evidence does he use to make his case?

b) Cabeza de Vaca’s reactions to his surroundings change drastically over the course of his narrative. What evolution/progression can you identify?

4) What elements of Spanish civilization does Cabeza de Vaca import into his narrative to make it understandable to himself and his audience? What elements of his experiences can’t be understood in Spanish terms?

5) How does Cabeza de Vaca describe the native peoples he encounters? How would you compare them with Columbus’s descriptions?