INTRODUCTION
This paper offers a critical perspective on Howard Zinn’s
article entitled “Speaking Truth to Power with Books”.Howard
Zinn is an American historian and political scientist.
He is also a writer, especially write of American history by his own
thought. He is one of American
criticism. He is famous as a
criticism. He was become phenomenal
because of his book titled “A
People's History of the United States”. Zinn’s goal wrote this book is
to provide other perspectives on American history. The book contained about American history and
one of the main actors of the book is Christoper Columbus. Zinn is a creator and Columbus is an actor in
this book. The characteristic of
Columbus in this book become controversy for American people who did not agree
with Zinn. The book brings impact for
Zinn himself then he writes the article which is the answer for all criticism. The content of his article, Zinn said that
most of them only read the first chapter and then Zinn give criticism back for
them. Some another fact that Zinn did
not mention on his article it should be mention on it.The facts that people
should know about it.
SUMMARY
There are several basic points that Zinn wrote on
Columbus, whom we ridiculously percieve as the hero or the discoverer of America.First,
Zinn explain how’s the way book change
people’s consciousness. Second,
Zinn croaks the facts about Columbus. He
said on his book titled “A
People's History of the United States” that Columbus is a
murderer, a torturer, a kidnapper, a mutilatorof native people, a hypocrite, a
greedy man looking for gold, willing to kill people and mutilate people. Zinn makes people around America was shocking
because of it.Third, Zinnbegan
to get mail fromaround the country. Why
he get the mail ?
Zinn wrote on
his article that book change people’s consciousness. This is also what Zinn want to do on his book
about Columbus. He wrote some facts of
Columbus that much of American people were forget about the facts. American people only know that
Columbus is a discoverer of the island where they live now, Columbus as a hero. Zinn actually want young
people to understand that their country is a beautiful country, but it has been
taken over by men who have no respect for human rights or constitutional liberties. So, he started to write the book of American
history where he can put Columbus on it.
He can tell to American people about American history then he can tell
them also about the facts of Columbus. But,
what he got is a lot of mails from people around America. It is because mostly of American people believe
that Columbus is their hero, not like what Zinn write on his book. American people also have same religion as
Columbus has. That is why when they read
the book, they think that the author of is a communist.
MAIN BODY
(CRITIQUE)
There
are three points on Columbus that are neglected in Zinn’s article. First, Zinn did not even talk about the real
discoverer of American island on his article.
Second, Zinn did not examine about goodness of Columbus for American
civilization.Third, Zinn is an American but why he talked about Columbus like
that ?
First,
Zinn talked Columbus but he did not mention the real American discoverer. He talks about Columbus’ crime but he still
believes that Columbus is American discoverer.
Zinn
just do not like people who did racism to another people, Zinn do not like what
Columbus did to Indian people in the past.
So, he wrote this book. But, he
also cannot accept another discoverer except Columbus. It seems that he write the book only for
American people. How about if
non-American read the book ? Then, they
cannot accept what was Zinn write on his book.
Even though is an American but he should think about non-American’s
perspective about Columbus that there are people who come early to American
island than Columbus. For example,
muslim know that Admiral Zheng He (known as Cheng Ho) is the real American
discoverer because Cheng Ho arrived 70 years early than Columbus in 1421 and
1423. But whyZinn did not raise up the story about Cheng Ho on his
book ? We cannot talk about American
history without talk about Cheng Ho, isn’t ?
This is the first point whice become my question for his article.
Second,
Zinn talked about Columbus’ crime on his book then after the book released he
wrote an article said he got a lot of email from around America because of the
book. Does not he think first about the
risk before write about Columbus on his book ?
If so, he properly know this will be happen. So, he likes or not the critical for him, he
should accept it as its risk. On his
book, Zinn miss the goodness of Columbus.
Columbus opened the cooperation between America and Europe. Columbus is who introduced America
to the world trade.
Third,
what is Zinn’s reason wrote Columbus like that ?All of us know that Zinn is
American history and he is a Zeus. Columbus, as we know that he is famous as
discoverer of American island. The
island which is became a big country now.
But here, Zinn did not write Columbus as a discoverer or as a hero of
America.Zinn wrote another fact about Columbus that people forget about. Zinn do not want American people close their
eyes about the reality, the facts about Columbus which still a lot of American
people did not know about this.Zinn is an American but he seems like looking
for controversy through his book.
Zinn wrote in The
New York Times Book Review that, “My history... describes the
inspiring struggle of those who have fought slavery and racism (Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Fannie
Lou Hamer, Bob Moses), of the labor organizers who have
led strikes for the rights of working people (Big Bill Haywood, Mother Jones, César Chávez), of the socialists and others who have protested war and
militarism (Eugene V. Debs, Helen
Keller,
the Rev. Daniel
Berrigan, Cindy
Sheehan).
My hero is not Theodore Roosevelt, who loved war and congratulated a
general after a massacre of Filipino villagers at the turn of the century, but Mark Twain, who denounced the massacre and
satirized imperialism”.
An article from www.zinnedproject.org said that, we need to listen to a wider range of voices. We need to
hear from those whose lands and rights were taken away by those who
“discovered” them. Their stories, too
often suppressed, tell of 500 years of courageous struggle, and the lasting
wisdom of native peoples. Understanding what really happened to them in 1492 is
key to understanding why people suffer the same injustices today.
“The
original edition made educational history by introducing a startling new view
of Columbus … In the revised edition we get even richer material, a marvelous
compendium of history, literature, original sources, commentary … an exciting
treasure for teachers, students, and the general public.” —Howard Zinn
CONCLUSION
There are two basic points that can be
concluded from Zinn’s article.First,
Howard Zinn only wants to speak the truth about Columbus through his book. But because he got a lot mail then he wrote
an article about book that can change people’s consciousness. Zinn tried to change American people’s
consciousness about Columbus and told them the fact about Columbus. But, Zinn did not speak about the people who
came early than Columbus. He should
mention them too.Second, as American people, Zinnshould know about what
Columbus did to their island, to the Indian people. But, Zinn also have to talk about Columbus
goodness after he came to America.
Columbus brought civilization from Europe to America and we can see the
impact of that until now. America became
a big country.
Columbus wrote:
“As
soon as I arrived in the Indies, on the first Island which I found, I took some
of the natives by force in order that they might learn and might give me
information of whatever there is in these parts.”
Therefore, Columbus took some of
the natives to get some information about gold from them. The only thing he really wants to find
out. That command is from royal Spain
for Columbus to bring a lot of gold to increase wealth. So, Columbus actually got command to go to
India but then he arrived in America. He
arrived there and open the world eyes that there is an island where they can
invest there and can bring them to gold.
Columbus obsessed find sea routes to Asia and the Far East, Columbus
ship 'Enterprise Indies' in 1492 sailed out to sea, with the financial
support of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain.
George
Orwell, who was a very wise man, wrote: “Who controls the past controls the
future. who controls the present
controls the past.” In other words, those who dominate our society are in a
position to write our histories. And if they can do that, they can decide our
futures. That is why the telling of the Columbus story is important. It is because Columbus did it, Columbus
controls the past and he made history.
REFERENCES:
Speaking
Truth to Power with Books text by Howard Zinn
A People’s History of the United States, 1492-Present by Howard Zinn, date downloaded on March 17th,
2014 at 2:59 p.m.
http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/zinncol1.html date accessed on March 15th, 2014 at 3:28 p.m.
http://forum.kompas.com/internasional/35050-pembantai-terbesar-sepanjang-sejarah-manusia-christopher-colombus.html date accessed on March 15th, 2014 at 3:42 p.m.
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/Columbus_PeoplesHx.html date accessed on March 17th, 2014 at 12:29 p.m.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus date accessed on March 15th,
2014 at 3:52 p.m.
https://zinnedproject.org/materials/rethinking date accessed on March 17th,
2014 at 12:36 p.m.
http://indocropcircles.wordpress.com/2011/12/17/bukti-dan-fakta-nyata-penjelajah-benua-amerika-pertama-bukan-colombus/ date
accessed on February 28th, 2014 at 3:01 p.m.
https://disinfo.com/2012/10/you-are-still-being-lied-to-howard-zinns-columbus-and-western-civilization/ date
accessed on March 17th, 2014 at 12:39 p.
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