much less its tongue. Miranda and Prospero take it upon themselves to educate Caliban in "civilized" language. Miranda says:"I pitied thee, took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each hour one thing or other, When thou didst not, savage, know thine own meaning, but wouldst gabble, like a thing most brutish, I endowed thy purposes with words that made them known." (p. 20)Miranda believes that communication indicates that one is civilized. She does not for a moment consider that Calibans "gabble" was most likely his own language, the language he used to with Sycorax. Miranda believes that true communication (and true civilization) comes only in the words of her own language.Prospero agrees with this notion. He believes that Calibans deformity and inability to communicate with foreigners make the native his subordinate. Caliban is only "a lying slave, whom stripes may move, not kindness" (p. 54). Prospero refuses to hear Calibans exclamation that he was "firstmine own king" (p. 54). Once Caliban controlled his own life. With the arrival of Prospero, who sees no redeeming qualities but brute strength in Caliban, the native becomes a slave. Prospero believes that Caliban is not human and sees no reason to treat him as one. Montaigne and de Las Casas also explore the humanity of natives. Though their portrayals of the Indians are very different, their aim is the same: to promote the humane treatment of the Indians. Both works oppose the colonialist mentality that appears in The Tempest. Montaigne and de Las Casas argue that differences in culture are not tantamount to inferiority. De Las Casas account of the Indians describes a race of people who are "completely innocent, meek, harmless, and temperate" (p.26). Like Caliban, de Las Casas natives are very simple, even childlike. However, de Las Casas believes his child-natives are capable of "growing up." He maintains that "they are quite ready and willing to receive and e...
