Bell Ringer How does audience influence a text? As an author, what purpose does it serve to be aware of your audience?

The audience for a piece of writing is the person(s) intended to read it. (Who is the author writing for?) La Relación is intended for a specific audience-the King of Spain. As we read, note how Cabeza de Vaca’s sense of audience determined the content, format, and organization of his report.

One more definition… The slave narrative is a genre of literature that portrays the daily life of slaves as written by the slaves themselves after having gained their freedom. (Some 6,000 known to exist) Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman

At the end of this story… You will be required to cite textual evidence in order to answer the prompt: “How does the historical account of Cabeza de Vaca illustrate the cultural conflicts faced amongst early explorers?” AND …

(cont’d) support the arguments of: 1. Cabeza de Vaca and his men exhibit cultural understanding toward the Karankawas… 2. Cabeza de Vaca and his men demonstrate cultural ignorance and conflict arises…

You should know the answers to… How is the text organized? Why does Cabeza de Vaca include so many details about his own and his men’s suffering in his report to the king? What are the internal and external conflicts introduced on p. 76? How do Cabeza de Vaca and his men view themselves in comparison to the Karankawa Indians they met? How do the Karankawas view Cabeza de Vaca and his men?