Christopher Columbus: A True Hero

History is made from stories, stories that have been passed from generation to generation, eventually written down and recorded as a record. Most often History is written by the powerful, the victorious, and so facts can become twisted and history can grow to not truly reflect reality. In context, the winners of a game may justly say they won but intentionally leave out the penalties they took or the goals the other team scored. Similarly, this happens in history and so history must be revised upon the discovery of new facts and evidence to be able to do justice to the reality of events. Every October 12th people around the world are in a state of celebration in honour of the great explorer, Christopher Columbus. The history of Columbus is also an example of one that has been revised, which explains why for some October 12th is a solemn day. The story of Christopher Columbus is a story that has been told and rewritten many times. In the eyes of many American writers, Columbus is a hero for he “discovered America”, he

He was the post-colonial and debarred Columbus. He was stripped of his symbolic optimism and exposed as a man with many faults which caused much suffering. History revisionists have found the truth of Columbus. He was a monster by today’s standards. Although what he accomplished was without a doubt historically significant, his expeditions were important in European development of the western hemisphere, these accomplishments cannot be celebrated as a heroic or righteous for many have suffered in this pursuit of prosperity. At the time Columbus’s name rose to popularity, America was in need or an identity, and so the true nature of Columbus was omitted and his legacy was used as an icon symbolizing courage and unity. Through the surfacing of the true story behind the man, Columbus lost much of his fame. Yet in many ways the upstanding ideals he represented still carry