In the Beginning: Sinners and Saints

Self Check: Sailing Solo

Now, you try. Complete the self check activity by reading the passage below, answering the questions using the text boxes that follow, and clicking on the answer buttons to review the explanations.

"Tuesday, 25 September...At sunset Martin Alonzo called out with great joy from his vessel that he saw land, and demanded of the Admiral a reward for his intelligence. The Admiral says, when he heard him declare this, he fell on his knees and returned thanks to God, and Martin Alonzo with his crew repeated Gloria in excelsis Deo, as did the crew of the Admiral. Those on board the Nina ascended the rigging, and all declared they saw land. The Admiral also thought it was land, and about twenty-five leagues distant. They remained all night repeating these affirmations, and the Admiral ordered their course to be shifted from west to southwest where the land appeared to lie. They sailed that day four leagues and a half west and in the night seventeen leagues southwest, in all twenty-one and a half: told the crew thirteen leagues, making it a point to keep them from knowing how far they had sailed; in this manner two reckonings were kept, the shorter one falsified, and the other being the true account. The sea was very smooth and many of the sailors went in it to bathe, saw many dories and other fish."

(Christopher Columbus: Extracts from Journal)

What is the subject of the passage?

The subject of the passage is the imaginary sighting of land by the sailors and the hope it gave them.

What is the author's attitude toward the subject or the tone? How do you know?

The tone is joyful and excited for most of the passage. He uses words like "great joy," "affirmations," "all declared they saw land," and "Gloria in excelsis Deo" to show how the sailors feel about spotting land. Toward the end, he reveals that the land sighting was false, but he keeps the tone hopeful, as the sailors swim in the calm sea and they experience the beauty it offers.

From what perspective (point of view) is the text expressed? What clues tell you this?

The perspective is third person. Because this text is from a journal, we might expect it to be written in first person; but the writer's focus is on his subject: the sailors and their desire for land. He uses third person pronouns like he, his, and they. The text does not include first or second person pronouns.

Who did the author write the text for? (Who is the intended audience?) How do you know?

The audience of the text is likely general rather than specific or personal. Anyone might be interested in such an adventure, and the journal is not addressed to any particular group.

Why does the author include the information about the two separate accounts? How does it alter the tone?

The information about the account shows the reader how desperate the men were to see land and how the leaders needed to feed that hope. On a deep level, beneath the surface tone of happiness and elation, this one sentence shows the desperation of the men for a landing and the disappointment they must have experienced.

Why did the author write this text? What is the purpose(s)?

Journals are written to express the self with the tales of personal experience and emotion. This journal also entertains with descriptive, emotional stories of the voyage and adventure. In addition, Columbus wrote to inform others of his exploits to earn fame and fortune and the admiration of his people and superiors.