Unspeakable awfulness: America through the eyes of European travelers - Book Report/Review Example

Unspeakable Awfulness: America through the Eyes of European Travelers In this book, Kenneth Rose talks abouthow the travelers from Europe who came to visit America perceived it. Those who visited America were attracted by its unique natural features such as the Sierra Mountains which have unique features. They were also attracted by the culture which was almost similar to theirs but had its unique features that made it intriguing. The book looks broadly into the travelers view on everything from food, transport system, culture, advertising and politics (Kenneth, 10).

This article is a review of this book giving a summary and a critique of the book. The title awful appearance comes from the idea that the most people who used to describe America used this term. This started from the food which many Europeans found to be distasteful, rude children, people spitting tobacco juice everywhere, American class system, and the American obsession with making money. The natural landscape and the features found there were seen to be beautiful but gothic at the same time (Kenneth, 27).

The tile has however comes from Isabella bird which described the Sierra Nevada mountains as having “awful appearance”. The information in this book is obtained from the writings of great people in history such as Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Robert Louis Stevenson and Rudyard Kipling among others who visited America for various reasons and documented their experiences. The author discusses the features that the European travelers found to be different from their countries’. Among them include the use of guns, American class system and the American Wild West.

Many visitors who toured the Wild West America said that they were awed by the appearance and the opportunity to commune with God and nature. It provided an area which was untouched by man and free from the hypocrisy of the west. William A Grim voiced the effect of nature on him as he first beheld the great Tetons. He says that as he gazed at it he wished that he could be alone in nature as describes Teton as the most beautiful landscape a painter could ever think of. Other travelers have also expressed their awe by the different features found in the west such as the Yellowstone River and the Rocky Mountains.

What is observed about these descriptions is that although the travelers found them to be beautiful, they thought that there was something gothic about these features (Kenneth, 46). One visitor described the Yellowstone as “"combines some of the grandest and some of the most grotesque scenery." The wilderness in the America west was thus seen to be sinister combining both violent disorder and religious ecstasy. The author further describes the Europeans views on American in habitants.

These travelers perception of the Indians was based on the book written by Cooper that portrayed the as being romantic. However, on visiting America, they found that the native Indians were far from being romantic and were lazy. They thought that they did not fit in the society and were the inferior race that should be extinct (Kenneth, 54). The visitors saw the Indian and other settlers not being savage enough or romantic. Another thing that fascinated the visitors was the use of guns in America.

It is clear that the American use of guns dates a long time back with many people owning guns. The prevalence of guns increased after the civil war where the guns that were supplied to the soldiers were now given to the civilians. Travelers said that the Americans carried guns with them as if they were toothpicks. The slightest provocation made the Americans draw their guns something the people from Europe found to be disturbing. This can explain the current state of affairs where many people are seen to possess illegal guns and many people die daily as a result of shoot outs.

This can be explained by the difference in the culture of use of guns between America and Europe (Kenneth, 60). In European countries, hunting was restricted to the aristocracy with the people from other classes restricted from owning guns. There were no such restrictions in America and anyone could freely own a gun. They viewed the gun as an important piece they needed to keep close for their own security. The social classes in America awed the travelers as it was more democratic than other nations in Europe.

For instance, slaves would resign from their post without giving any notice to the employer and would complain bitterly when fired (Kenneth, 72). This was unheard of in other nations in Europe where the slaves had no voice. From the description of how the early European travelers had on America, it is obvious that the perception of the outside world on America has not changed at all. Americans are still viewed as the people who ones the most guns and o not hesitate to pull a trigger. They are also viewed as the most capitalist people on the globe using all the resources to remain on top of the economy.

The wild west still attract many tourists for its unique features and have been used to shoot different horror movies elaborating its gothic feature. The freedom that the travelers described of the people of America even those of servant could be reflected in the view the world has about American people. The Americans are viewed as people who always speak out their mind even when talking to people of a rank higher thn theirs. Work Cited Kenneth, D. Rose. Unspeakable Awfulness: America Through the Eyes of European Travelers.

New York: Routledge , 2013. Print. Work Cited