Exploring Point of View (POV) in Travelers’ Narratives
For each of the documents in the Considering the Evidence section of Chapter 7, consider the author’s background and think about how his point of view is revealed within the text.
Xuanzang (Document 7.1): What evidence confirms that Xuanzeng is not only a foreigner in India but also a devoted Buddhist from a Confucian society?
Marco Polo (Document 7.2): What evidence from Marco Polo’s account makes it apparent he sees the world from both the perspective of a merchant and a Christian who had traveled beyond his own culture?
Ibn Battuta (Document 7.3): As a Muslim traveler in Muslim lands, what values does Ibn Battuta convey that he cares most about? How might this connect back to the various jobs he held as he traveled?
Write a half-page reflection comparing how the author’s tone in each of these passages conveys additional information about their own backgrounds (their religious beliefs, cosmopolitanism, and birthplaces) and about what they reported.