Why do People Explore?

In PLP right now we have been focusing on the question “Why Do People Explore?” This unit we went deeper in what drove the early explorers to go out into the unknown and look for land and trading routes. We also talked about the early stages of exploration and how humans populated the earth over time.

The project for this unit was to create a comic about a certain explorer and their famous expedition. We were supposed to have it wrote as if we were trying to convince the king and queen to fund their crew for another expedition. This requires us to try and make it as interesting and exciting as we could. We were put into groups and each person had to make a page of the comic. My group was given Joan Rodriguez Cabrillio . Despite the confusing name, he was actually quite an interesting guy. Before we started, we had to plan out the story with the climax, downfall, beginning etc. I made the first page which focused on him and his crew setting out to go explore the California coast. He was very influential because he was the first to explore the Coast. Before him, people thought California was an island. He needed to explore that area because he was asked to colonize the coast and make acquaintances with Indian (Natives) if they were there.

Our comic went though many stages and drafts that allowed us to create the best of the best. The first draft was rough and was only to plan out the squares. The second was to plan some of the artwork. The third was our final and turned out quite amazing. Even though each page’s illustrations differed because of each of our individual styles, the booked still flowed and looked put together.

In the end, this short unit was very jam packed with information and learning, which helped me understand a lot about the motives of exploration and how it came to be today. Fashion, Power and Money were not the only motives because their also was human curiosity that drove other explorers.