Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Carpini: The long and wonderful voyage of Frier Iohn de Plano Carpini. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A commentary on Carpini's account of his experiences of Mongol society in the Middle Ages, with specific reference to cultural clashes and the difficulties of making objective analyses of other cultures. Bibliography lists 1 source
Page Count:
4 pages (~225 words per page)
File: JL5_JLmongols.rtf
Buy This Term Paper »
Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
wish, considering it from the modern perspective, but it is evident that he has attempted to paint a detailed and colourful picture of what would have been, to Europeans of
the time, a very alien society. More than anything else, the reader gains the strong impression that Carpini is most fascinated by what he finds most disgusting, in terms of
the Mongols personal habits and social customs. He tries hard to elaborate at some length on what he sees as their positive qualities, but finds it much easier to discourse
volubly and in detail on what he regards as their negative ones. This is, perhaps, at least partly due to the Mongols evident high regard
for their own people: it is clear from Carpinis description of how they behave amongst themselves that they are not a people who have a great deal of respect for
other cultures. They display loyalty and a high standard of ethics to one another, but obviously do not see outsiders as meriting the same treatment. Given Carpinis background, and the
fact that Europeans of the period perceived themselves as superior to all other cultures, it is not really strange that Carpini finds the Mongols perspective insulting and incomprehensible.
He also speaks in considerable detail of their personal habits, which he apparently finds both appalling and fascinating. Interestingly, though, he is not entirely consistent in his
account. At one point he lists the various kinds of meat which he says the Mongols eat regularly, many of which would be considered repulsive by Europeans, but later he
remarks that the Mongols do not have great stores of provisions and are often reduced to drinking a thin gruel, or milk, because they have so little meat. We could
...