One particular aspect of this section of Raleigh's writings that I think both reinforced and contrasted the discussion of last class was his description of the native peoples and how they lived. Raleigh appears almost shocked in his documentation of their multiple houses and properties, describing the way the native people move from area to area depending on the season and the change of the river. Yet previously Raleigh acknowledged that these people were using utensils and silverware of gold and silver and dripping in wealth, hinting at their naivety of the value of such objects.
It became very apparent in this reading that Raleigh is truly painting himself as both narrator and champion of these native peoples. His obsession with appearing in command of his crew and in command of these people he has come to interact with deeply influences his writing to the point where it is extremely difficult to know if what he is describing holds an ounce of truth. This was a very interesting read to me to see the difference in description once again and to deeply consider all that Raleigh has to say because I know some of this is based on reality.