European Attitudes towards Cannibalism - Essay Example

European Attitudes towards Cannibalism as Manifested in the Writings of Jean de Lery and Michel de Montaigne Roll No: Teacher: Date: 6th January 2009 University Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 European Attitudes towards Cannibalism as Manifested in the Writings of Jean de Lery and Michel de Montaigne 3 Introduction 3 What is Cannibalism? 4 European Attitudes towards Cannibalism 5 Conclusion 10 Works Cited 11 European Attitudes towards Cannibalism as Manifested in the Writings of Jean de Lery and Michel de Montaigne Introduction Cannibalism is a concept that is considered gruesome and irritating by people but many writers show positive concern towards cannibals. Cannibalism has occurred in history many times and still, today, there are many parts of the world, where cannibals exist and kill and eat human beings for their own objectives. Cannibals are disliked mostly but the writers, Jean de Lery and Michel de Montaigne show a positive attitude towards cannibalistic societies and their existence. According to the writers, the societies of cannibals are better than European societies on the basis of many aspects. Europeans regard cannibalism as a wrongful activity but the writings indicate that cannibals cannot be regarded as savage and brutal people. They kill and eat human beings not for their appetite but for their glory and virtue. Moreover, the killing is not done as massive as is done in civilized societies. According to the writers, the civilized societies can be categorized as more savage and barbarous as compared to cannibalistic societies because humankind is dealt much more brutally and cruelly in civilized societies. The information collected about the cannibals is not a mythic story or some tale but judged events. The cannibals lead a well structured life according to their own setup. They are away from technology and innovation but they are near to nature. The cannibals are governed by natural laws. They also have their own religions and priests who preach them about love and hatred. They show love towards their families. They do not fight for physical belongings but for their valour and glory. They kill their enemies and keep their heads with themselves. They take prisoners, kill them and eat them afterwards by roasting. Europeans show sympathetic attitude towards cannibals on the basis of their own social values. They consider that cannibalistic societies are better than European societies because they do not show greed for physical belongings. This paper contains a detailed account of European attitudes regarding cannibalism in the light of two writers, Jean de Lery and Michel de Montaigne. What is Cannibalism? Cannibalism can be defined as an activity in which, human beings are involved in eating other human beings (Lestringant 1997). Some humans consider other humans as their food in place of taking other types of foods available. The word cannibalism is also employed when one species is involved in eating its own kind. Cannibalism takes place when the enemies or other people are considered less than human and they are regarded as an eatable item in place of a living being. Cannibals by eating other people express their authority and power over other persons (Lestringant 1997). There have been reports of cannibal activities in regions which suffered from starvation and famine (Lestringant 1997). When people get no food to eat and have no other option, they dine over human flesh. The famines that took place in the world history are regarded as resulting cannibalism by people who were suffering from starvation and inaccessibility of any kind of food. The wars of the history also can be regarded as the reason for creating cannibalism because during the wars, the prisoners of wars suffered through malnutrition as a result of which, they were forced to kill and eat human flesh to safeguard their lives (Lestringant 1997). There has been a lot of literary work done on the issue of cannibalism and history also has a record of cannibalistic activities by people. Bible also contains account of cannibalism by people. The colonizers of Europe and European settlers introduced and reported a detailed account of cannibalistic stories from many foreign lands. There have been reports about cannibalism in World War 1, World War 2, Chinese Wars, Korean Wars and Japanese Wars (Lestringant 1997). European Attitudes towards Cannibalism The information about cannibals was collected by means of colonization and settlement. Europeans settlers moved towards cannibal lands by keeping the mission of civilizing them with the help of religion but they do not succeeded in their set mission (Lery 1992). The Europeans were required to understand the values of cannibals. Cannibals are people who are close to nature and follow the laws of nature for their survival on earth (Montaigne 1925). The people of the cannibalistic societies are perfect in terms of their health and suffer no problems associated to health as when they are surveyed, not even a single sick, injured or old person is found among them (Montaigne 1925). They are aware of no problems related to our societies such as employment, treachery, theft, wealth or property and many other social and other kinds of values and concepts of modern societies. They live near seashores and have high mountainous regions around them (Montaigne 1925). They dance everyday as it is a custom followed by them. The oldest person or their chief uses to preach them about their relations in terms of enmity and love. They are required to show valour to their enemies. For them, their souls are immortal and live forever and gain reward or punishment on the basis of the acts performed in this world. They take their food once a time in the whole day and drink the other times of the day. They have their own food items to eat. They do not cook the way we do. They have their own religious priests whom they follow (Montaigne 1925). According to Montaigne, the cannibals do not eat the human flesh as to fulfil their need for food but as revenge against their enemy (1925). He informs that the cannibals go to fight with their enemies and fight furiously by showing their valour and bravery and for indicating towards their valour and bravery, they cut the heads of their enemies and come back with the heads of the enemies and hang them on their doors (1925). They also hold prisoners of the battle whom they feed and keep for several days and at last, they arrange a feast and call their friends at their home. In this feast, they kill their held prisoner by the help of their friends and roast his flesh and eat it (Montaigne 1925). According to Montaigne, in the cannibal tribes, there is no person who is not eaten at the end (1925). Montaigne also informs that cannibals do not kill and eat other people for the possession of property and financial and other types of gains but only as a display of their valour and bravery (1925). They are not interested in broadening their borders and usurping the rights of other people. They act according to the laws of nature and nature wants the survival of the fittest. They kill their enemies by the help of their valour. They love their wives and family and give them refuge (Montaigne 1925). Being cannibalistic does not mean that a person is habitual of eating human flesh and kills human beings for his/her nutrition but for taking revenge. The numbers of wives which, cannibals have also are many. A cannibal can have more wives on the basis of his valour (Montaigne 1925). According to Montaigne, the Native Americans that are cannibalistic are better than the Europeans and the reasons that he informs in his essay, “Of Cannibals” are that the cannibals do not kill for the acquisition of land and wealth, they are not interested in doing vices of European society and they are better because they do not show concern towards political disputes (1925). They are governed by natural laws and they follow what they are preached by their priests. Montaigne informs that they are not barbaric but just follow their life pattern which is simple and closer to nature (1925). It is unjustified to call them barbaric on the basis of their not having technological development or other aspects that the European society has. For Montaigne, the savagery of the cannibals is moralistic and they have a focused lifestyle (1925). Jean de Lery passed some time in Brazil during which, he gained awareness about cannibalism and cannibals. His attitude towards the cannibals was established on humanitarian grounds. Like Montaigne, his attitude towards cannibals was somehow sympathetic. Unlike other European writers and informers, he regards the cannibalistic experiences as less savage as compared to the religious turmoil in French society. With colonization, it was thought that the cannibalistic society will be somehow changed by means of civilization and culture brought by the European invaders (Lery 1992). According to Lery, the cannibals are quite close to nature as they remain nude and do not clothe themselves so they do not hide their original identity by means of false cultural values and civilization (1992). Lery like Montaigne informs that the prisoners of wars captured by cannibalistic tribes are killed and eaten not because of their taste but because of revenge by the tribes. Lery informs that cannibalistic society is more human as compared to European society on the basis of their social values (1992). They follow nature for their living and do what they learn from nature. Lery informs that the European culture is much more less humanistic as compared to cannibalistic culture. In case of clothing, Lery emphasizes that French clothing is based on worldliness and show off while the nudity of cannibals depicts simplicity and closeness to nature. According to Lery, the cannibals do not show immodest attitude by not wearing clothes but they show their honesty by remaining as such as they are born by nature (1992). As far as killing and eating by cannibals is concerned, Lery again regards it a better practice than the killing done in European societies on the names of wars, reformations and political grounds that result in violent massacres of people (1992). Cannibals kill not for their appetite but for taking their revenge. The cannibals are not in the custom of killing and eating on a massive scale but to a minimized extent. They do not eat human flesh because they have a taste for it but because they indicate towards their victory and valorous nature (Lery 1992). The violence done in French Reformation was much more extensive and Protestants suffered at the hands of Catholics (Lery 1992). The French society was a civilized society at the time of French Reformation but the wild massacre of Protestants indicated towards the barbarous nature of humanity on a universal scale (Lery 1992). The cannibals are less barbarous as the people of civilized societies. The cruel practices are not only common in cannibalistic society but in European societies as well. According to Lery, the killing during French Reformation was much more barbarous and inhuman as compared to cannibalistic killing (1992). Lery points out that cannibalism exists not only in cannibalistic society but also in European societies (1992). Lery likes the openness and generosity of the Brazilian cannibals to the Frenchs. According to Lery, the cannibals do not kill and eat human beings because they consider the human beings their appetite but because their enemies that have done wrong with them earlier on are punished by means of killing and eating (1992). Both the writers, Montaigne and Lery regard the cannibalistic society as a society with its own values and customs. According to the writers, the cannibals are better than European nations on the basis of their closeness to nature and being away from European civilization. The writings of these writers indicate that Europeans show a sympathetic attitude towards the cannibals. Not only, they sympathize with the cannibals but they also regard the culture better than the European societies because humanity is regarded better in the cannibalistic society. According to the writers, in place of changing the culture and society of the cannibals, the society should be comprehended in detail because of the virtues of the society. The writers do not negate the fact that killing and eating humans is wrong but by comparing the cannibalistic society to their own, they feel that cannibalistic societies are better because they do not show greed for wealth, land and other things. Whatever, they do, they do it for depicting their valour and bravery. They do not kill because they are willing to prepare a meal for them but because they have to take revenge from their enemies. The cannibals follow the laws of nature and do what seems suitable to them. They are not justified with killing and eating but they are better because killing and eating is not done on a massive level as it is done in our societies. By reading and analyzing the writings of Jean de Lery and Michel de Montaigne, it is clear that Europeans do not regard the cannibals as fully erroneous but they sympathize with them. It cannot be said that all Europeans have the same opinions and attitudes towards cannibals. The attitudes can differ but by analyzing their own societies and by comparing them with cannibalistic societies, they feel that the cannibals cannot be regarded as savage and animals because they eat human beings after killing. According to cannibals, when someone is killed and eaten afterwards, he/she does not feel any pain because he/she is dead, so according to them, eating is not a bad practice but necessity of the hour. Europeans regard cannibalism not as a crime or savagery but as a society and culture that is separate from European culture and this idea came after reading the writings of Jean de Lery and Michel de Montaigne. Conclusion After reading and reviewing the writings of Jean de Lery and Michel de Montaigne, it is quite clear that they consider the cannibals as existing in a different kind of society that is better than European society. This fact cannot be negated that cannibals kill and eat human beings but they do not kill to fill their appetite but because they consider it their valour and want to revenge the enemy. According to the writers, the cannibalistic societies are simple and close to nature unlike the European societies. The Europeans have sympathetic attitudes towards the cannibals. In the ear of colonization and settlement, Europeans moved towards lands where cannibals lived and tried to civilize them with their religious preaching. They came up with news about the human flesh eating practices of the cannibals. The writers judged the cannibalistic societies to a great extent and regarded them as better because the cannibals showed no interest towards land, riches or any other social aspect that is regarded as worthy in European societies. Therefore, it is quite clear that cannibalism is considered wrong but cannibals are human beings and have their own ideologies related to human existence. If cannibals kill other human beings, so do other people of civilized societies. Europeans show a considerable behaviour towards cannibals and cannibalistic societies. Works Cited Lery, Jean de.  History of a Voyage to the Land of Brazil.  Trans. Janet Whatley.  Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992. Lestringant, Frank.  Cannibals: The Discovery and Representation of the Cannibal from Columbus to Jules Verne. Trans. Rosemary Morris. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997. Montaigne, Michel de. “Of Cannibals”. The Essays of Montaigne. Trans. George P. Ives. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1925. Read More