The Heroism of Explorers
Exploration is necessary for the human race in order to prevent stagnation. The explorers referenced in A History of US by Joy Hakim and the essay “Cabeza de Vaca: How Did He Survive?” by the DBQ project, including Ferdinand Magellan and Christopher Columbus, can be called heroes using the definition of heroism provided by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay “Heroism”. I will use a definition of heroism paraphrased from Emerson: ‘Heroism is having the courage to do things others can’t or won’t do’ (Emerson 14). Although the European explorers did cruel and unheroic things, they bravely ventured into unknown lands in a heroic manner, showing that courage is a major component of heroism.
Fear of the unknown is something that humankind has trouble with, but not these heroes. Magellan was an example of this as “When he realized the vastness of the ocean he was crossing, he didn’t change his plans. He decided to go for it. He decided to sail around the world,” (Hakim, 90). Discovering…show more content… Leif Eriksson “followed Bjarni’s route and landed in a place he named Vinland because it had wild vines,” (Hakim 60). He sailed through the icy coast to find the new land he had heard of, and his efforts were rewarded greatly. It is greatly unfortunate that his findings were lost for such a long time. One can only imagine how different the world would be if Columbus knew what he was heading for. The best known explorer of all time is probably Christopher Columbus. He stumbled upon America while trying to get to the Indies, changing the world forever, (Hakim 77). When his crewmen were discouraged and on the verge of mutiny, he had the courage to put his life on the line for the sake of discovery. Although his quest was misguided, his courage changed the world. Expansion is important for the human race, and the heroism of the explorers allowed this
