Of Cannibals Montaigne Analysis

Barbarity in Montaigne

In “Of Cannibals” by Michel de Montaigne there is repeated usage of the word barbarous in different forms. Montaigne uses this word to describe the natives several times, however he also uses it introspectively to look at European society. The author’s usage of barbarous is revealing, it’s usage questions if the natives acts are savage or simply different but in no way more primitive than European acts. This question is explored throughout the essay as Montaigne struggles to define barbarity; whether it is acts of savagery, or simply foreign ideas or actions. Often times when he is referring to European acts he deems barbaric to be savage or uncouth actions. In contrast, Montaigne uses barbarous to mean foreign when referring to the natives he encounters. In this way he forces the reader to examine the customs and practices of Europe in that time period. Montaigne immediately discusses the definition of barbarous in the first paragraph. He references the origin of the word in which Greeks used to refer to all foreigners as barbarous. “I do not know what barbarians these are...but the formation of this army that I see is not at all barbarous” (Montaigne 150). The “barbarians” the Greeks speak of are Romans.

“So we may well call these people barbarians, in respect to the rules of reason, but not in respect to ourselves, who surpass them in every kind of barbarity” (Montaigne 156). Here Montaigne directly addresses the idea that Europeans are more savage and “barbaric” in many ways than the natives are. In this instance, once again while critiquing European society, he employs barbaric in a negative way. Montaigne argues that although Europeans may call the natives “barbaric” and mean this in a derogatory way however in reality, he inherently suggests the indigenous peoples should only be called barbaric if they are being described as