Marco Polo, the outsider; Ibn Battuta, the insider Essay

Nowadays the wide array of transportation means and infrastructures at our disposal has made it relatively easy for us to travel from one country to another; even when those countries are thousands of miles away from each other. However, during the 13th and 14th centuries, travelling was not that easy. Yet, two men, the Italian tradesman Marco Polo and the Moroccan Jurist Ibn Battuta became famous for having managed to perform extremely long distance journeys away from their home country. At the end of their long travels, both men shared their experiences with the world via the books, The Travels of Marco Polo and The Travels of Ibn Battuta. An analysis of those two texts reveals two things. On one hand, Marco Polo remained a cultural†¦show more content†¦In 1271, Marco Polo’s father and uncle, both merchants from Europe, were requested to return to China for the second time by the Mongol Emperor, Kublai Khan. The purpose of the request made by the Great Khan (Kublai) was to bring back to the Mongol court some holy oil from Jerusalem and â€Å"a hundred men of learning, thoroughly acquainted with the principles of the Christian religion† (Polo 7) to convince the Mongols to convert to Christianity. Marco Polo joined his father and uncle for this second journey to the East. As part of this journey, Polo traveled throughout regions of the Middle East and Central Asia before reaching the final destination. Further, while working for Kublai Khan in China, he was sent on many inspection tours which allowed him to explore most of the provinces of China. In all the regions that were visited along the way, and more so in the case of the Mongol Empire, there was a distinct disparity in the culture as compared to Polo’s native land. Moreover, Marco Polo’s religious disposition towards Christianity set him apart from the people of the region –the Tartars—who , according to the Kublai Khan, where worshippers of â€Å"evil spirits† (Polo 7). These factors placed Marco Polo in the position of an â€Å"outsider† as defined by Hage, i.e. â€Å"someone who does not experience either socio-cultural or political belonging. It is someone whose mental and bodily dispositions have evolved somewhere else and thus feels culturally ‘out of place’.

Biography of Leonardo Vinci - 880 Words

Leonardo Da Vinci was born on April 15th, 1452 in Vinci, Italy, and died May 2nd, 1519 in Amboise, France (Abbagnano). Leonardo Da Vinci once said, â€Å"I can carry out a sculpture in marble, bronze, or clay; and in painting I can do everything it is possible to do† (Lester, 63). Leonardo was an exceptionally talented artist and everyone recognized this, including himself. To be the greatest does not just mean being the most well known or to have the best quality of work. To be the greatest artist means to take time and put effort into the work, and appreciate the work. To be the greatest artist means to be influential and to inspiring to other artists who wish to learn the same techniques. Leonardo was exactly this. Leonardo Da Vinci put an exceedingly amount of effort into his work and inspired many artists around him. Although he was often unreliable when it came to his work, Leonardo Da Vinci was the greatest artist in European history because of his intense focus on nat ure and perspective, his studies of proportions and mathematics, and because of his influence on a number of artists. It is undeniable that Leonardo Da Vinci put a great deal of time into his work and studied plenty about the physics of nature and perspective. In fact, a great deal of his time revolved around these studies alone. Leonardo Da Vinci wrote in notebooks about methodological graphic symbols on procedures of scientific information and on philosophical application, as well as the processes ofShow MoreRelatedLeonardo Da Vinci: A Brief Biography1016 Words   |  4 PagesLEONARDO DA VINCI Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most well-known renaissance artists. He was born on April 15, 1452 in Vinci, Anchiano. People usually know his name related to the Mona Lisa or the Last Supper paintings. 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Introduction Leonardo Da Vince was born April 15,Read MoreEssay leonardo da vinci637 Words   |  3 Pages Leonardo da Vinci Da Vinci was born April 15, 1452, and died May 2, 1519. He would wear pink to make his complexion look fresher. Leonardo never attended public school. He was raised by his single father (http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/projects/renaissance/davinci.html). In the mid-1460s the family settled in Florence, where Leonardo was given the best education that Florence, the intellectual and artistic center of Italy, could offer. In Verrocchios Baptism of Christ (http://wwwRead MoreAudrey Claire Henderson Ms. Mcpeak Art1113 3 April 2017899 Words   |  4 PagesApril 2017 Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci was born April 15, 1452 in a little farmhouse along the rolling hills of Tuscany. Leonardo was the illegitimate child of a young peasant woman, Caterina, and a respected Florentine notary, Ser Piero. His father was also a wealthy businessman and landowner. 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Janissaries and Chinese Eunuchs Free Essays

Eunuchs and Janissaries In the ancient world, both the east and the west , they had their special system. It depended on the culture of these countries and what they used to. For example, in ancient Chinese, the court was full of maids, princess, concubines and the queen. We will write a custom essay sample on Janissaries and Chinese Eunuchs or any similar topic only for you Order Now But there were plenty of works which was too dirty or too hard for maids to do. They needed men. Not only the high-blooded was super Important, but also they might Influence the power if they colluded with each others. The emperor certainly could not stand them. So he made a decision that castrating the eunuchs. Term hundreds of years, there were a good deal of eunuchs that tried to rebel, tried to rob or steal the power. Eventually emperor forbid eunuchs to ask anything about politics. It did work. Janissaries was also the salary group which worked for emperor. However, It recruited the children from 7 to 10 years old by devilries. They must be trained for more than 10 years and then they fight as the strongest and honesties army Instead of doing dirty and heavy work In court. The reason why they are the honesties people was not only the ten-year train but also the agreeable reward. It seems that every officers, provincial governors even the vizier, one of the powerful jobs chose their generation from Janissaries. Such a considerable bonus was great enough to make Janissaries do their best for their lord. However, the ages from 7 to 20 are supposed to be the most wonderful memory for each person. Disclaimers broke them and take back a bloody battleground. I can not stand it. Although eunuchs can not have fun with their dream lover, but that was their choices. They wanted to get a life without poor . Those were what they paid for. Janissaries can choose nothing. It was unfair. It was not humanistic. How to cite Janissaries and Chinese Eunuchs, Papers