The map I have chosen depicts America in 1640, and can be found by clicking the link below.

MAP

1. When first looking at the map it is apparent how little is known about the West Coast in comparison to the East Coast, as seen in California being a separate island. On the East Coast, however, there is a great amount of detail, especially in the South East. In this region many rivers and lakes are mapped out. In addition, wild animals are drawn in to represent the wildlife found in the area. Switching view to the top left portion of the map, there is a drawing of half-naked Native Americans carrying weapons such as bows and arrows. Then they are again displayed in the bottom left part of the map where they appear to be worshipping some kind of sphere/idol.

2. This map seems to narrate America as an untamed and relatively unknown region of the world. The fact that the majority of America is left blank implies that little is known about the area. The fact that Indians were shown in a rather dehumanizing fashion adds to the untamed and dangerous depiction of America that many Europeans saw. While the map makes quite a few assumptions, mostly involving wildlife and geographical elements such as California, they do make one assumption about Native Americans that sends a clear message. This assumption is that Native Americans are all dangerous and wild people that pose a threat. I inferred this from the fact that every Native American depicted on the map is either carrying a weapon or performing a ritual of some kind. With all this in mind, it is clear that this map runs parallel with the writings of John Smith and Valerie Babb. In Smith's writings, natives are constantly described as savage or violent,  most notably when attacking or capturing him. In the case of Babb, she also talks about how the common "white" view of the time was that natives were animalistic and of an inferior race. This view is well shown when Babb writes, "The chosen ones are chosen not only by faith but also by race, and conversion is not sufficient to remove racial traits. Racial difference is immutable, unalterable." In this excerpt Babb is describing how white people of colonial times saw natives as so far below themselves that not even converting them to Christianity could stop them from being "savages".

Great Gatsby Blog

After watching the film version of The Great Gatsby, I was struck by how similar the novel and the movie were. It was honestly one of the most parallel book-movie combos that I have seen. That being said, there were some distinct differences between the two, and it is those variances that I will focus on.

The first main difference, and certainly the most notable one, was the fact that Nick Carraway was recounting the story from therapy, where he was being treated for alcoholism. In addition, it is shown that Nick is the one writing The Great Gatsby. This contrasts with the book in a variety of ways. Primarily, there was never any hint in the book that Nick, a man shown to be the most careful and level-headed character in the entire novel, was destined to become a morbid alcoholic. Secondly, the novel is written in the present tense throughout, and never mentions Nick writing the novel in the future. The only instance where it even suggests that Nick is recanting the story is in the very last chapter where Nick writes, “After two years I remember the rest of that day…”

Another disparity can be found in the relationship between Nick and Jordan. In Gatsby, it is clear that Nick and Jordan had a fairly intimate, albeit complicated, relationship. Fitzgerald never gives the reader a clear indication of just how close the two were, but it can be inferred that they did have some sort of relationship. In the film, however, Nick and Jordan’s relationship is all but cut out for sake of time and simplicity.

A final, yet rather significant change made, involved Tom Buchanan. Throughout the majority of the film, Tom is portrayed exactly as in the book—a racist, (although this trait is downplayed in the film) pretentious, and adulterous man. Then preceding the death of Gatsby, there is a split in Tom’s portrayal. In the book, Wilson is said to have traced Gatsby’s yellow car on his own after many hours of wandering around Long Island. On the other hand, the film shows Tom giving Wilson Gatsby’s name whilst putting the idea into his head that “something ought to be done” about him. This plot differences leads to a large difference in the depiction of Tom. In the book, Tom is left as an unlikeable character; in contrast, the film makes Tom out to be a cold-blooded killer.