Takaki Essay: A Different Mirror

Shakespeare had a dream. He wanted to express an understanding of American history through his play, The Tempest. “Indeed, The Tempest can be approached as a fascinating tale that served as a masquerade for the creation of a new society in America. Seen in this light, the play invites us to view English expansion not only as imperialism, but also as a defining moment in the making of an English-American identity base on race” (25-26). During this time, the English were making discoveries, trying to distinguish a boundary between “civilization” and “savagery.” Because the English were colonizing in Ireland, they described the Irish as savages living outside of civilization. The colonists believed that the Irish didn’t have “knowledge of God or good manners.” They were also said to be lazy and unwilling to work. Violence became an issue between the English and the Irish because of fear held by the Irish. Although the English were beheading the Irish among other things, the English believed that they were teaching them their culture, rather than causing any harm. “In short, the difference between the Irish and the English was a matter of culture” (28).
In his essay, Takaki showed reason why Shakespeare’s Tempest was about America. A character in the play, who was a New World inhabitant, turned out to share his name in relation to the name of an Indian tribe, which came to mean “a savage of America.” In both the play as well as real life, “English explorers engaged in this practice of kidnapping Indians” (30). Takaki related Caliban (from Shakespeare’s play) with the native people of America. Both were viewed as the “other,” which holds meaning. These similarities show how Shakespeare was trying to give an understanding of American history. Later on, social construction of race is pointed out. Epidemic of deadly diseases swept among the Indians. Colonists took this to mean a new opportunity to take land. Thomas Jefferson, governor of Virginia at the time stated that, “In order to survive, Indians must adopt the culture of the white man” (47). He said this, although he was more worried about the white expansion.
I feel that there are so many aspects to this essay which all directly relate to Shakespeare’s Tempest. It is easy to see that this play was written to give the audience a better, clearer understanding of American history. We as individuals aren’t fully educated on American history and what did for society. The movement from “savagery” to “civilization” was seen through Shakespeare’s play, and described in Takaki’s essay.