Task
You will be creating two parallel diary entries or letters from the perspectives of a European explorer and a native of the discovered lands. The diaries or letters must be historically accurate and based on the experiences of the people at that time. It is important to compare and contrast how different each perspective is and why their opinions on exploration may be contradicting.
You will be required to analyze, evaluate, and reflect on some of the differences are between the two people, such as culture, religion, and language.
Your diary entries should include feelings and opinions the person would have about exploration and/or invasion.
You will choose an explorer from the period and write a diary entry based on your research of his experiences and perspective. This will require research on your part to find out more about your explorer and the people and lands they visited.
You will research the culture and lifestyles of the native tribes visited by the Explorer. Did the Age of Exploration have an impact on their culture and the way they live today? Do they feel they were taken advantage of or misrepresented during the exploration era? And do the Natives consider the Age of Exploration a cultural exchange or cultural clash?
Lastly, you will present your diaries to the class along with a presentation explaining why you think the Age of Exploration should or should not be called the Age of Invasion.