Bacchus and Ariadne Titian: Critical Analysis

Bacchus and Ariadne Titian: Critical Analysis Bacchus and Ariadne Tiziano Vecello, known in the English speaking world as Titian, was born in Cadore which is in the Southern Alps between the years of 1487 -1490. He was born into a family of lawyers and administrators and so enjoyed a relatively privileged upbringing. The early Sixteenth Century saw a flourishing in Italian art. Indeed, set against the span of Art History it was one of the greatest periods and is known by the term â€Å"Cinquecento[1]† and The Venetian Cinquecento masters included Giorgione and Titian. Titian, as a painter, pushed the boundaries of art and its meaning and challenged the pre eminence of the sculptural art form. His paintings are characterised by their ability to capture the qualities to be found in the subject through composition, technique and use of medium. His early influences were seminal. Around 1500, and before he was ten years old, Titian was sent to Venice. He was initially destined to be an apprentice to a mosaicist, Zuccati, but when his master saw he had the ability to draw he was sent to work in a painting school. Titian found himself under the tutorage of the elderly Giovanni Bellini, who was the leading artist in Venice. Whilst working under the Bellinis father and then son Titian was exposed to the new influences that were to be found in the work of the Flemish painters especially in their use of oils and varnish glazes. Bellini softened his landscapes through the use of these techniques. Titian embraced these techniques during these formative years and it soon became apparent he possessed a rare talent eventually out shining his master. The popular and accomplished masters in Venice heavily influenced Titian. As a teenager he worked with Giorgione and it is this influence that is evident in Titians early paintings, such as the ‘Gipsy Madonna in 1510. Four years after the death of Giorgione, Titian decided to start up his own workshop. His career went from strength to strength, precipitated in part by the commission of ‘The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Frari Church. By the age of thirty, Titian was established as the leading artist in Venice; this granted him celebrity status with a European clientele, which included noblemen, merchants and eventually monarchs. Titian started to attract the attention of famous Italian Patrons, such as the Renaissance family DEste from Ferrara. The DEste family originally commissioned ‘The Triumph of Bacchus to be painted by Raphael who had been paid in advance for the work but unfortunately Raphael had only completed a preliminary sketch before he died in 1520. This commission was then assumed by Titian and led to the production of five paintings that were to hang in the Camerino room, a private luxury apartment in the Ferrara Place. Titian was sought after and by an impressive list of patrons and esteemed clientele such as the Holy Roman Emperor, the Pope and Charles the 5th. Titian was now in a position to pick and choose his commissions. He was known as the â€Å"Lomazzo described him as the sun amidst small stars not only among the Italians but all the painters of the world†[2]. An illustration of the esteem with which he was held is quoted by Titians early biographers â€Å"even the Emper or Charles V picked up the paint brush Titian had dropped[3]†. Titian was as an outstanding draughtsman regarded on a par with Michelangelos genius. A milestone in Titians career was his appointment as a court painter. He became a member of the â€Å"Order of the Golden Spire[4]†, which gave him the rights of a courtier. Titian lived a long and prosperous life and died on the 27th of August 1576. He was laid to rest in the very church in Frari, which was home to his ‘The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The very painting that marked the start of Titians glorious carrier as one of the most influential Venetian painters in Italian history. One of Titians most remarkable paintings is hanging in The National Gallery in London. This is the painting of Bacchus and Ariadne, which was completed around 1520-23. This painting was commissioned by Duke Alfonso DEste who ordered a set of five paintings for his private room in his palace at Ferrara. The series was known as one of the high points in Italian Renaissance art. This diagram shows the exact location in the Camerino room where the painting of Bacchus and Ariadne (No 1) would have hung. Showing that the painting was above a door in the private room. It also illustrates that the painting would experience light through the window at dusk and dawn, illuminating the painting at the start and the end of the day. This would make it the focal point in the room, hung to its best advantage so that its owner, Alfonso DEste could enjoy his passion and indulge his love for the Greek and Roman style of paintings. The other paintings in the room also commissioned by Titian are as follows: 1) Bacchus and Ariadne; 2) The Andrians; 3) The feast of the Gods; 4) Bacchanal with Vulcan and lastly the 5) is The Worship of Venus. Three of the five paintings are dedicated to exuberant feasts and falling in love. Titian derived most of his painting from Greek and Roman literature. The story of Bacchus and Ariadne was specifically drawn from the classical writers Ovid and Catullus. In fact Titian often depicted scenes that were inspired by Classical Mythology and that feature Bacchanalian scenes. The painting illustrates the moment in classical myth when Ariadne is stranded on a desert island. Bacchus the god of wine is riding in his chariot when he stumbles across her. The picturesque landscape with the receding sea touching the magical coastline gracefully lends itself as a fitting backdrop to this magical, chance rendezvous. The painting depicts the moment the lovers meet for the first time: â€Å"She, then, pitifully looking out at the receding boat,/ wounded, was spinning convoluted cares in her mind./ Then came swooping from somewhere Bacchus in his prime/ his cult of Satyrs, with his mountain-born Sileni,/ seeking you, Ariadne, aflame with love for you†[5]. This poem by Catullus, describes a covering on the royal marriage bed, embroidered with scenes from the legend. The King of Crete had a daughter named Ariadne. She is one of the main characters depicted in this painting on the left. She abandoned her home to follow the Athenian Theseus, with who she was in love. Although she had helped Theseus escape Crete and the ferocious wrath of the Minotaur, Theseus abandons Ariadne on this island of Naxons. His ship is still visible in the distance as he sails off. The ship acts as a symbol to the viewer of lost love. Naxos is where the painting is set and captures the moment that a new lover in the form of Bacchus the God of Intoxication enters her life. It is clear from the expression on Ariadnes face that she is still grieving for Theseus but is also startled by the God of Inspiration and Intoxication accompanied by his Satyrs. The story continues with Bacchus instantly falling in love with Ariadne and convincing her that if she will marry him, her wedding present will be that when she dies he will take her wedding diadem, raise it to the havens and turn it into a constellation in the sky. This symbolises their union. The stars that are visible above Ariadnes head in the painting represent this. This painting holds all the key elements of a joyful, energetic and manic love, which takes the traditional subject matter of art mythology and revitalises it. From looking at Bacchus we can see the intensity of his passion. The most shocking, unusual and visually interesting part of this picture is the way in which Bacchus is frozen in time and that his stare is tangible. The wild party and entourage seem to be paused in their frivolities, some critics think that this parallels a brief but paused moment in Titians own career. Titian always manages to portray a sense of unity within his paintings even though his contemporaries at the time would have unfavourably judged his work and thought it disjointed, even going so far as to call it lopsided, a comment made about the portrait of a ‘Young Englishman. But he managed to balance his pictures using light and colour and form and the result is he â€Å"fused beauty and harmony to marry with Greek and Roman antiquity[6]†. This fusion and unity is clear once the elements of this painting are broken down. The calm blue waters to the left of the painting balance the riotous satyrs and maenads who are carrying the symbols of Bacchus cult. He also used complimentary colours in this painting, red, green, blue and orange as it equalises the overall impact of the piece to the viewer. The painting is given depth and perspective by the use and colour of the sea surrounding Naxos. The deep blue is heightened by the orange complementarities, which stand in sta rk contrast to the reds and greens. Although the art form is often thought to be merely about colour, arrangement and drawing, Titian thought about the nature of what he was trying to depict. Titian was a master of vibrant exuberant Venetian colour and this painting is a glorious celebration of ‘colour balance. This new way of thinking signified the shift of art into a new realm. Amongst his contemporaries Titian was seen to break the traditional rules of composition. This colour experimentation is seen in the painting of Ariadne, which almost gives the illusion that the painting is lit from behind, giving the feeling of luminosity. Titians skills and techniques are quite extraordinary and he can almost turn oil paint into flesh while strongly portraying the characters physical expressiveness. It is thought that the satyr struggling with the snakes which is depicted in Bacchus and Ariadne is based on a classical sculpture discovered in 1506, ‘Laocoà ¶n in the Vatican. There is much symbolism that can be derived from this picture in the National. There are the obvious clues that are distinctly visible to the viewer, such as the starry crown to the left of the picture and Theseusship. But there are also hidden meanings that can be coded from studying certain aspect of the picture. The frivolous company of maenads and stryrs that are carrying symbolic items that distinguish Bacchus cult. For instance the satyr that is covered in grapevines is waving a bulls leg whilst the bacchante is waving a tambourine, adding to the sense of riotous joy and exothermic energetic excitement. The viewer can also see that these two members of the carnival are looking at each other, mirroring Bacchus and Ariadne. This rebellious, drunken procession is fuelled with power, aggression and a hint of violence shown by the severed calfs head. As if the company have ripped the animal part in the state of frenzy. This calfs head is being  dragged by the baby satyr who is hal f man and half goat. He seems to be leading the procession but give the impression that he is not involved in the commotion. The formal leader of this rabble, Bacchuss foster-father is depicted as the fat Silenus at the back. He is sleeping off his hangover whilst still rounded on his donkey. Silenus depiction injects humour into the painting, as we can see his companions trying to prevent him from falling off his donkey. These smaller figures add a sense of distance and the three bigger figures in the foreground, lead the eye backwards into the landscape as we follow the orthogonal lines resulting in a triangle of perspective and depth. The Sixteenth Century marked a unique era in Venetian style painting, which stood in stark contrast to the traditional characteristics of design and draftmanship commonly found in Italian art. This new style, pioneered by Titan, focused on colour, light and sensuality. It was not just the new subject matter and pigments that were in this state of flux, Titian pioneered new techniques in oil painting. Venice was renowned for its damp, changeable climate and as a result the ancient practise of fresco painting was rendered almost impossible. This affected the painters artistic creativity, which resulted in Titian and his peers favouring oil paints on canvas rather than board. But it was in the use of oil that Titian surpassed all other painters. Titian also was able to draw upon the rich literature of the Ancients and he used its subjects as sources of inspiration as in another painting ‘Europa which was based upon the themes to be found in the Metamorphoses of Ovid extended by a contemporary of Titians the poet Poliziano. Titian gained from studying other artists and incorporated ideas from well-known pieces of classical sculpture. His painting of Bacchus and Ariadne is a triumph of artistic skill and composition with an iconic, freeze frame pose that is instantly recognisable. Through his work Titian is considered one of the most talented painters of the Italian Renaissance and his influence is to be found on painting throughout the subsequent centuries. Bibliography E.H. Gombrich. (1995) ‘The Story Of Art: London: Phaidon. Patrick De Rynck. ‘How to read a painting, published by Thames and Hudson (London) July 2004. B Cole. (1984) ‘From Pisano to Titian: Boulder: Westview Press. C.Hope, J Fletcher. J Dunkerton (2003) ‘Titian: London National Gallery P Humfrey ‘The Age of Titian: Edinburgh: National Galleries of Scotland Visual Arts Film. (1989) Great Artists Titian. Great Artists Titian. Available at www.videosift.com/video/Great-Artists-Titian [1] E.H.Gombrich The Story Of Art (1995) p287,329. [2] Giovanni Boccaccio The famous final line of Dantes Paradiso, Dante Alighieri 1308-1321, [3] E.H.Gombrich The Story Of Art (1995) p331 [4] Great Artists-Titian, Televised Autobiography [5] Catullus, The Wedding of Peleus and Thetis 64:249-264 trans. T.Banks. [6] E.H.Gombrich The Story of Art (1995) p368.

Reception Theory and Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons) :: Liaisons Dangereuses Dangerous Liaisons

Reception Theory and Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons) Of all the literary critical theories yet discussed, I find reception theory by far the most intelligent and rewarding. After all, where does literature become literature, where does it "happen" so to speak, if not in the mind of the reader? Without the reader, literature is inky blobs on paper. This correlates to Berkeley's solipsistic analogy of a tree falling in the woods. Without a listener does it make a sound? Well, technically, it emanates vibrations, but only an ear will interpret those vibrations as sound. Thus with literature. The mind of the reader, operating on the text with it's various literary and extra-textual codes, makes it literature. In the case of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, reception theory is not only helpful, it is positively essential to any sort of literary discussion of the novel. Considerations of authorial intent are clearly to no avail, in that, due to the epistolary format, no such intent can be gleaned from the text. Try as we might to construct some sort of original meaning in the mind of the author, we find at last that the meanings we come up with have been supplied by ourselves. Laclos is like the hand of the puppeteer: we never see it, although we know that it is controlling the whole show. All we see are the ornate, 18th century marionettes as they dance through each dastardly deception, each "dangerous liaison." Even more maddening than trying to find authorial intent in the pages of Les Liaisons Dangereuses is the (one would think) comparatively simple task of ascertaining the moods and motivations of the characters themselves. Since we know that the majority of the characters are moderate to full-blown liars, writing one thing to one person and quite another to another, who do we believe? When seeming to bear one's soul is just one more weapon in the arsenal, how are we supposed to determine when actual soul-bearing is taking place? Here, again, reception theory comes to our rescue. By looking at our own literary and non-literary conventions, we begin to feel more confident about the proposition that Valmont really is in love with the Presidente and that the Marquise really is in love with Valmont. After all, that's what makes it good, isn't it? Without having love rear it's ugly head at some point, the book would be a monotone, an unrewarding and depressing look at people at once glamourous and depraved.

J&J Automotive Sales

1. Explain how you think the stereotype of used-car dealers developed. Stereotyping is like Building what is not thought to be said about the product, assuming that the used cars certainly will break down and others see it like purchasing used cars is not sensible because of maintaining it will be more expensive instead others will buy a brand new car. 2. What, if anything, can Joe do to counter this stereotype? Joe, say’s that building a good relationship with all his customers is compulsory, and He should be concerned about their Sensitivity and to be aware of their needs and wants for purchasing a suitable car, knowing what is the need of the customer is knowing what is the best car fit to their need. It is also showing concern for them. Joe will spend extra time in his work to achieve great customer satisfaction and high quality. He will also find a way to interact with his customers for future needs. 3. In what ways might this stereotype be beneficial to Joe? To potential customers? Stereotyping could be helpful if it can give Joe a positive effect to increase his sales and customers. To have more potential customers positive stereotyping is helpful; because the sooner customers are satisfied with their own needs the more the effect will encourage their friends to see them that the used car they bought to Joe is good as new but absolutely not as expensive as buying a brand new car. 4. AutoNation is #93 on the 2003 Fortune 500. It has created a huge business by exploiting the public’s perception of used-car dealers. What do you think they have done to change the stereotype? One of the largest retailers in America is Auto Nation, I think what they need to do is to change the awareness of their product to the public. They are more clear to their product and they are setting series of tests and doing over – all set-up to their used cars so that buyers will certainly be satisfied. AutoNation builds its integrity for the public to be aware of how safe and secure their vehicles are that they purchased. Testing others to try their products to know what is slowing their system down, I think they are testing their critics in front of the public to try their product and tell to the public the problem and the perception of the public to that experience will have make it a positive effect Also if the used car will encounter some problems. On this Case Base on the class debate the idea of awareness is people only see what is on the outside and in that scene they are assuming or inferring what is the behavior of an individual only to find out they are wrong.

Article Review on Mental Illness

Jennifer Tozier Compentency Assignment 1, Review #2 Dr. Besthorn 09/15/2012 I chose to write my article review on the article entitled, â€Å"How clinical Diagnosis Might Exacerbate the Stigma of Mental Illness. † It is a not new concept that people are consistently drawn to a labeling others with a stigma, and this article delves into how we as social workers can (unintentionally) either encourage that stigma or hinder it based on the presentation to the client and to the public. A key point to the article talks about three kinds of potential ways stigma hurts a client.The first was being label avoidance. Many people do not want to admit to a mental illness, let alone get it treated because of how they might be perceived. Those that can admit having a mental illness and seek services may feel a certain stigma that then draws them back, and they avoid treating the problem, after they have confirmed that they, in fact, do suffer from the illness. They are afraid of being labele d in society or among their peers. The second stigma is blocked life goals. When suffering from a mental illness, everyday life can be and often is hard for the client.Without treatment, the stress of daily life can inhibit the client from seeking opportunities such as work, school, family and friends. Without these life goals being fulfilled, the mental illness takes control of the clients’ life and they are fixed from advancing in the everyday life. The third way a stigma hurts a client is the self-stigma. This is where the client begins to believe what is being said about them and their problem. It further exacerbates the problem because they not only deal with the issue of mental illness but feel judged in every encounter; this changes their behavior and creates a greater issue.This article also discusses the diagnosis of a mental illness in regards to â€Å"groupness† and the â€Å"differentness† aspects of how the public distinguishes people with mental is sues. This looks into the stereotypes and over generalizations and how it relates with mental illness and the general public. Mental illness while it may be more prevalent in some groups, it is an equal opportunity illness and can affect anyone regardless of age, race, financial status, or occupation. The article does an excellent job of describing how once a person is diagnosed with a mental llness it draws diversity in how they might be labeled and construed in society, similar to how they might be treated if they were a minority group. Research shows that this stigma â€Å"groups† individuals once they have been diagnosed with a mental illness, regardless if the client demonstrations any abnormal characteristics. The author did a terrific job of discussing the different stigmas that mental illness produces. It talked about how society or the majority labels a person with mental illness and the way a person can label themselves, both which produce disastrous results.I can s ee that this is a relevant article in the field of social work, because social workers can shape the way the client is perceived, both by the majority and the client all in the way they identify the illness. I understand that the article is talking about how the diagnosis can exacerbate the stigma, but I did not get a strong hold on ways to diagnosis it in an improved approach. The paragraph talking about diagnosis as a continuum seems like the closest point of reference for me, as an approach, but as it suggested this dimensional approach is not familiar to most clinicians.It seems once again there is only so far workers can go, with the limited knowledge we have obtained through research to date. The theory that I associated with the article is social learning theory. I came to that conclusion for several reasons mainly, because social learning theory suggests that human behavior is learned as individuals. The article talks about how people who have been diagnosed at times will no t seek treatment solely because of how they will be stigmatized.The problem behavior will not be treated and will remain a problem because a stigma will be placed on that individual if they admit the problem and get treatment. I think that using the social learning theory as a mode of treatment can be possible if the social worker can convince the client that if they get treatment and function in a â€Å"normal† way they will have a better quality of life. The article talked about how the social worker defines the mental illness and relays the information not only to the client, but also to other mental health providers is a determining factor on how it will be perceived.It is our ethical responsibility treat the client with dignity and respect, therefor when discussing the mental illness we need to be sure to use professional terms and be 100% correct before we unintentionally put a stigma on our client, they may put undue hardship in their life. When engaging with a client with mental illness it is necessary to discuss with them what they can expect, from meeting with the mental health provider all the way through treatment. Also to find out what they expect from the process.It is vital to let them know that they will have issues to deal with such as social stigma, but a road to treatment will give them a better quality of life. Mental illness affects people every day. Simply because of the stigma attached to it, people do not want to admit they have a problem. This is an implication because if more people could be honest and upfront social workers and policy makers could be given more time, resources, and attention to create policies that would benefit those struggling. The more resources and policies available the better chance that people suffering from mental illness will not have to deal with a stigma.

Overweight or Obese Students in Physical Education Essay

In this thought paper, a social ecological constraint model study the inclusion of overweight or obese students in physical education by integrating key concepts and assumptions from ecological constraint theory in motor development and social ecological models in health promotion and behavior. There are some issues about the ecological constraint model. Often, overweight or obese are considered relative to their physical inabilities and how they differ from their peers. Even worse, physical educators maybe negatively biased toward overweight or obese students. Greenleaf, Martin & Rhea, 2008; Greenleaf and Weiler, 2005) and may have stereotypical views of lifestyle behaviors, lack of individual control, outward appearance (Chambis, Finley, & Blair, 2004; Rukavina, Li, & Rowel, 2008; Rukavina, Li, Shen & Sun, 2010). Another constraint is obesity bias/weight stigma, often defined as the assumption that overweight people have negative character trait such as laziness, self-indulgence, or lack of intelligence (Puhl & Brownell, 2001). In parallel of this article, given the social acceptability of negative attitudes toward obese individuals, it may not be surprising to learn that weight discrimination is common in the United States. Weight stigma or bias generally refers to negative weight-related attitudes toward an overweight or obese individual. These attitudes are often manifested by negative stereotypes (e. g. , that obese persons are â€Å"lazy† or â€Å"lacking in willpower†), social rejection and prejudice. Weight stigma includes verbal teasing (e. g. , name calling, derogatory remarks, being made fun of, etc. ), physical aggression (e. g. , hitting, kicking, pushing, shoving, etc. ) and relational victimization (e. g. , social exclusion, being ignored, avoided, or the target of rumors). Many obese individuals report being treated with less respect or courtesy than thinner persons and being called names or insults because of their weight. Thus, weight stigma can emerge in subtle forms, or it can be expressed directly. Discrimination is distinct from stigma and negative attitudes, and specifically refers to unequal, unfair treatment of people because of their weight. For example, an obese person who is qualified for a job but is not hired for the position because of his or her weight may have been the victim of weight discrimination. Other examples include being denied a job promotion or fired from a job because of one’s weight; being denied certain medical procedures or provided inferior medical care because of one’s weight; or being denied a scholarship, a bank loan or prevented from renting or buying a home because of one’s weight. Despite the increasing prevalence of obesity, it appears that incidences of weight discrimination are only becoming worse. (Puhl, R. M. , Andreyeva, T. , & Brownell, K. D; 2008).

How to Stop Nuclear Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

How to Stop Nuclear Terrorism - Essay Example High grade traditional explosives and electrical and mechanical equipment are used to set off a nuclear bomb. Hydrogen bomb, which is thousands of times much more powerful than an atom bomb has not been used in war anywhere. A nuclear explosion, deliberate or accidental, would lead to release of energy millions of times greater than that of dynamite or RDX, causing so much of heat and pressure, called as 'thermal radiation', that all materials are converted into compressed gases accompanied with a tremor wave. The explosion produces highly penetrating gamma rays, which would travel long distance in seconds, cannot be felt by human beings, causing fatal long term effect on human bodies or those of other living beings. In first ever use of nuclear bombs by America in second world war, it is estimated that as many as 140,000 had died in Hiroshima by the bomb and its post explosion effects, with the estimate for Nagasaki roughly 75,000., majority of the deaths were those of civilians. In estimating the number of deaths caused by the attacks, many victims died in the following months or years after the bombing as a result of radiation exposure. Today's nuclear bombs are thousand times much more destructive than those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The world's first nuclear explosion was achieved with plutonium, a man-made element produced in nuclear reactors. Plutonium is created when an atom of uranium-238 is hit by a neutron and becomes plutonium-239. Nuclear reactor, which is used to generate power or propel marine vehicles generates the neutrons in a controlled chain reaction. For the neutrons to be absorbed by the uranium their speed must be slowed by passing them through a substance known as a "moderator." Graphite and heavy water are used as moderators in reactors fueled by natural uranium. Heavy water contains an atom of deuterium instead of an atom of hydrogen. 4 kilograms of Plutonium would be needed to make a bomb with a beryllium reflector. Countries producing plutonium for weapons have generally operated their reactors to maximize the production of plutonium-239-the isotope most useful for nuclear weapons. Weapon-grade plutonium contains less than 7 percent plutonium-240. Under normal nuclear power plant operation, the plutonium in spent reactor fuel contains roughly 24 percent plutonium-240; such plutonium is often referred to as "reactor-grade." However, essentially all isotopic mixtures of plutonium-including reactor-grade plutonium-can be used for nuclear weapons. In order to use plutonium in nuclear weapons or nuclear fuel, however, it must be separated from the rest of the spent fuel in a reprocessing facility. Plutonium separation is easier than uranium enrichment because it involves separating different elements rather than different isotopes of the same element. It uses well-known chemical separation techniques. Relatively large amounts of plutonium-240, as would be contained in reactor-grade plutonium, can cause a weapon to detonate early and "fizzle," causing a smaller explosion than intended. However, even a weapon that fizzles would cause an explosion roughly equivalent to 1,000 tons (1 kiloton) of TNT. A weapon of this size could kill tens of thousands of people if detonated in a city, which clearly demonstrates that even reactor-grade plu

The Discovery and conquest of the Americas Essay

The Discovery and conquest of the Americas - Essay Example Diaz’s account is written very much in hindsight, at the end of his life. As well as describing what happened , it can also be taken as a biography of Herman Cortes, the leader of the Conquistadors, appointed by the Emperor and Queen of Spain, to conquer new lands, bring back riches, but also to introduce the Christian religion to new peoples. Diaz admired Cortes, but also felt free to state his faults , Cortez having died in 1546, whereas Diaz lived until 1585. He describes his book as being a true account. He would have been aware of other accounts already written and wants to set matters straight. Naturally the conquered people had a rather different point of view, one which Leon-Portillo claims is usually ignored. For this reason he includes accounts from the Aztecs, some written only seven years after the arrival of the Spaniards, and in their own languages. He includes descriptions of terrible slaughter, presumably carried out in the names of the Spanish rulers and for the sake of the Christian religion. This wasn’t war – those celebrating a fiesta were killed from behind for instance ( Leon-Potillo, 1971, page II-321). Cortes’ letters are written to inform the queen of Spain Dona Juana, and her son, the Emperor Charles V, what was going on. They are therefore written in quite formal language, flattering the royals, more so than the other texts considered ( Cortes, 1519, the first letter , page 3), but also from the point of view that the doesn’t know exactly what they already know from other sources. He states his aim as letting them know about the new discoveries, the land, the people, the religious life and local customs. To this he adds the important rider that he also wants to explain how the royals and Spain might benefit from what has been discovered ( Cortes, 1519, pages 3 and 4). His descriptions are rather mixed in that he states that the Spaniards were well received, and then , in the same paragraph, describes how the natives had killed many Spaniards. Also in the letter he informs his sponsors of the actions of others , as of Velazquez, who , in some cases , was acting with out permission, so he is covering himself. The letters were written over a period of several years, and so each one covers a considerable period of time, looking back in some instances over two years, but they are the nearest we are likely to find in that time to topical news reporting, even if biased in its outlook. Also included by Cortes are descriptions of how natives were required to accept the Catholic religion. He justifies his actions by saying that the natives were to be seen as were the people of Jericho in the book