Q Instructions: Write a 300-400 word mini essay in response to the following prompt: At times throughout their journey, Cabeza de Vaca and his companions are asked to heal the sick. These acts of healing offer us a glimpse of the dynamics of inter-religious encounter between European Catholics and indigenous North Americans. Choose one of these acts of healing, and analyze it. As Catholics, what underlying assumptions about the nature of the world and the nature of God did Cabeza de Vaca and his companions bring to the table? How did their hosts likely understand these acts of healing? (Note: by "choose one act of healing," I am asking you to analyze one story from the text in which healing occurred, not a single action within a large sequence, such as making the sign of the cross) Be sure to draw directly from the reading by Cabeza de Vaca as you formulate your answer, along with the course lectures and the reading by Richter. In particular, check out the following quotation by Richter (though be sure to read it in context to grasp his larger argument): "For eastern Indians, the world was a morally neutral universe of potentially hostile or potentially friendly spiritual forces - some human, most other-than-human- with whom one had to deal. . .. Especially when dealing with beings whose power was greater than one's own, it was important to fulfill ceremonial obligations that demonstrated not only reciprocity but respect" (14). Due to the brevity of the assignment, introduction and conclusion paragraphs are not needed. However, answers must be composed using complete sentences and paragraphs, using clearly developed topic sentences. Your response should assume that the reader is already familiar with the readings. That is, limit your summary of the readings to a few sentences and dedicate the majority of your time to analysis. In other words, most of your assignment should be dedicated to developing your own answers in response to the prompt above. If you use quotations in your essay, keep them brief (no more than 20% of your answer). Do not start a sentence with a quotation. Quotations should cited in accordance with the following example: According to the author, initiation into the kachina cult "is the formal introduction into the religious life of the Hopi" (Gill, 66). Grades will be based on: Level of engagement with class materials: (5 points) Depth and originality of analysis: (5 points) Writing quality (grammar, punctuation, organization, etc): (5 points) See the Reading Analysis Grading Rubric Actions for more details on our expectations for the reading analysis assignment