The European Renaissance Essay Example for Free

The European Renaissance Essay The European Renaissance was one of the most important periods of time in all of Western Civilization’s history as many of the cultural, social and philosophical movements that derived from this movement not only greatly effected the people who lived during the time period of the Renaissance, but much of what occurred during this time period still resonates and influences cultures, ideologies and philosophical beliefs to this very day. As such, it becomes critical to examine the European Renaissance so as to understand what it achieved and how it still resonates to the modern era. A significant reason for this is that most arts and sciences build upon one each another in a logical progression. The attitudes of freedom in art, for example, slowly evolved into the more mature themes in art and film that were previously held back due to religious and government censorship. Current advances in science such as stem cell research are not much different than the arguments for and against spontaneous generation in prior centuries. As such, there is still much that exists today that is a logical extension of what was started many years ago. There were several areas of social change that derived from the Renaissance and the most important of these areas included art (painting, sculpture, architecture all evolved into phases that were far removed from what had been considered â€Å"classical† art), humanism (a theory of instilling knowledge that was a radical departure from traditional modes of education), religion (it was during this era that the concept of secularism as a response to classical religion began to take shape) and the philosophical notion of self awareness (this essentially refers to those living during the time period acknowledging the changes that were occurring). These changes were not mere changes within the realm of the elites, however. The changes that occurred in all these phases greatly affect the infrastructure of the western world as a whole and it did so by changing the fabric of the society and this would resonate with the population as a whole with the end result of civilization as a whole radically changing from a classical society that had become stagnant and overly reliant on tradition for its very existence. To a great degree, the scientific community was strongly affected but the knowledge that was derived from the renaissance period. While primitive compared to today’s standards, the concepts and ideas regarding astronomy have greatly impacted the way the modern world operates. For example, the common telescope was invented during the period of the Renaissance and from the telescope the study of the stars and the planets derived. This, of course, has manifested into what is now the modern space age of satellites and explorations to the moon. While this may seem like a â€Å"jump† if one does not look at the complete timeline or progression of such achievements, however, if one were to look at the advent of a number of modern achievements, the achievments can be traced back to the era of the renaissance. Of course no mention of the development of astronomy during the period of the Renaissance without mentioning the great advancements provided by Galileo; of course, Galileo was the inventor of the telescope as well as the man who developed the theory that the sun was the center of the universe and this, of course, forever sent science on the path of accuracy that is of paramount importance to subscribe to for scientific theories to remain accurate and relevant in the modern era. In terms of the modern era, it would be doubtful that the great expansion of the space age would exist without the foundations that were devised by Galileo. Considering the fact that the primary principles founded by Galileo have not been discarded or altered, it would be safe to say that their accuracy is irrefutable and, as such, still permeate in the sciences today. The American and European political institutions of the modern are also heavily reliant upon theories and ideologies of political thought that derive from the Renaissance period. In particular, the module of â€Å"classical liberalism† still manages to affect political thought in the modern western world today. (Please note: there are significant differences between classical liberalism and the modern version, although there are certain similarities between the two) For example, consider the classic renaissance thinker Voltaire and his famous statement â€Å"I may disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. This is clearly a contributing influence on the notion of freedom of speech to this day. In fact, in can be seen in the Constitution of the United States, a document which often used the common wisdom of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment as a guiding principle in the modern political theory of the United States. There are a number of examples of how events from the Renaissance shape modern cultural, social and political life and this can be seen in the following four examples: Skepticism: the notion of self awareness led greatly to the concept of questioning traditional norms and beliefs. From this, a number of examples can be put forth but one of the most prevalent in the news these days is the modern atheism movement, much of which derives its origins from the thought process of the Renaissance period. (Skepticism can be seen today in much of the modern political discourse that forces both parties to the center) Secularism: some confuse the notion of secularism with atheism and this is an inaccurate assessment. In reality, secularism simply means that religious law does not provide the basis for the supreme law of the land. In a secular society such as Europe and to varying extents, the United States, the law derives from secular origins and not from religious rule. Modern Art: While some would say that the Pop Art as devised by Andy Warhol is far removed from the Renaissance, the reality is that it, along with many different forms of modern art, derives from the changing concepts of art that originated in the Renaissance period. During the Renaissance, there was a significant shift away from art that centered on traditional images of â€Å"gods and kings† and this deviation from the classical module still exists to this day. Psychology: The field of psychology is also based in the concept of self-awareness that originated during the Renaissance period. Much of what exists in modern psychology centers on understanding oneself, the world and one’s surroundings and this was a notion that was born of the renaissance that still exists to this very day. The notion of looking inward, for example, as opposed to gods and mystics for enlightenment is the hallmark of modern psychology and looking inward as opposed to external structures is what is commonplace today in modern American pop culture and psychology and its origins are found in the Renaissance. To that extent, much of what exists in the United States today and well as the Western World in general is an extension of the success of the models of thought of the Renaissance. The perpetual extension of these modules of thought speak volumes for their accuracy.

Revenge and Violence in Cassandra :: Cassandra Essays

Revenge and Violence in Cassandra   Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   In "Mycenae Lookout," Seamus Heaney tells the story of Agamemnon, Clytemnestra and Cassandra after the Trojan war. "Cassandra" is the second part of "Mycenae Lookout" and chronicles Cassandra, Apollo's ill-fated prophetess, who is captured by Agamemnon at the war's end and brought back to Mycenae as a slave. The fates of Cassandra and the House of Atreus collide with Agamemnon's return to Mycenae, where his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus plot his murder.   Aegisthus and Clytemnestra both seek revenge: Clytemnestra for her daughter's sacrifice and Aegisthus for the overthrow of his father and the sins of Agamemnon's father Atreus, of which Aegisthus was the only survivor. While Heaney probably drew from many classical sources for his poem, the section entitled "Cassandra" seems especially drawn from Aeschylus' play Agamemnon. Heaney compresses the events of Agamemnon into a mere 64 lines but still retains, partially through uses of the binaries w hich are contained in the play, the classic and timeless story of revenge and a violent vicious circle.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "Cassandra" begins with Cassandra's description. She is described as a prisoner of war might look, "soiled" (4), "devastated" (6-7) and "camp-fucked" (12), rather than marble smooth and serene, as one might expect a classical Greek figure to appear. Heaney focuses on her appearance and describes her clothing, "her little breasts" and the state of her head in lines four through ten. It is not until he gets to line 11, though, that he comments on what may have happened to her as a prisoner of the Trojan War. "Camp-fucked," with its feel of sexual violence, implies that, along with physical abuse and enslavement, Cassandra has endured rape as well (12). In lines eight through thirteen, Heaney chooses words, such as "punk," "char-eyed" and "gawk" to illustrate succinctly Cassandra's position in the House of Atreus: she is an alien, traumatized by the destruction she has witnessed and stunned to awkwardness by her descent from princess of Troy to slave of Myc enae.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The speaker says, "People / could feel / a missed / trueness" in Cassandra (14-17). This paragraph comes to a point with the word "focus," which is used as a verb.

A Garden Lover in my family Essay

It gives me immense pleasure to talk about a garden lover in my family. As we all know gardening is a creative activity in which nature is made to order. Garden provides inexhaustible sources for paintings and poems all over the world and it is a home for many species of birds and flies which lend charm to the verdant looks of the garden. The heartening sounds of birds distract us from the monotonous regimen of our daily lives. My father is a garden lover. He devotes his leisure time in gardening. I think it is natural in human that he likes gardens. After all the first man Adam and first woman hawa ever lived in the garden of Eden. He has a piece of plot to practice and pursue gardening. There he has varieties of crops and vegetables and a couple of fruit trees. The vegetables include spinach, bitter guard, chillies, tomato, lady’s finger, cucumber etc. Also there are roses, jasmine which turn the garden into a rich feast of colors to eyes. The fruit trees include mango, bana na and guava. Many birds visit the garden and some lives there. Gardening keeps him physically fit, mentally alert and fresh. The air here is fresh, fragrant and invigorating. The atmosphere is quiet’ calm and soothing. Gardening involves digging, weeding, cutting, grafting, watering, maturing and tilling of the soil. These activities give him sufficient physical exercise to keep me bodily fit and mentally alert. Many of our friends and relatives appreciate his hobby and skills in it. Moreover we help him in maintain the garden during our spare time. Plants are as sensitive as we human beings are. They react to our actions of love, affection or cruelty. But one requires a very sensitive heart and acute senses to understand their language. He never feels lonely, sad, unemployed or bored because of his hobby. Plants, flowers, birds and butterflies give us a pleasant and delightful company. We feel amidst them very happy and fortunate. There are beauty, pleasure, education and instructions in their company. Sometimes, he seeks help and advice from a gardener as well. He spends all his pocket money in purchasing seeds, manure, fertilizer, gardening implements or books on gardening. He never misses a program on gardening if it is there on the television. He also visit flower-shows, vegetable and fruit exhibitions. The delight he derives from gardening helps him a lot in concentrating on his working. He feels more close to nature and  God when he is in his garden. To him gardening is like a prayer. It inspires his imagination and gives him noble thoughts. We are nearer God when we are in the garden because in the garden there are peace, calmness, beauty, pleasure, colors, coolness, purity and leisure. And these are some of the qualities closely associated with God.

Machiavelli on Religion Essay - 2299 Words

Niccolà ² Machiavelli thoroughly discusses the importance of religion in the formation and maintenance of political authority in his famous works, The Prince and The Discourses. In his writing on religion, he states that religion is beneficiary in the formation of political authority and political leaders must support and endorse religion in order to maintain power. However, Machiavelli also critiques corrupt religious institutions that become involved in politics and in turn, cause corruption in the citizenry and divisions among the state. In the following essay, I will examine Machiavellis analysis of religion and discuss the relationship between religion and politics in Machiavellis thought. It is important to establish from the†¦show more content†¦Among the praiseworthy deeds of Hannibal is counted this: that, having a very large army, made up of all kinds of men, which he commanded in foreign lands, there never arose the slightest dissention, neither among themselv es nor against their princes, both during his good and bad fortune. (The Prince Chapter XVII) On the other hand, he gives credit to Scipio for being an extraordinary man but states that Scipio gave his men more liberty than military discipline should allow and his own men rebelled against him. His tolerant nature allowed the wrongdoing of the Locrians to go uncorrected adding to his reputation as a leader who only knew how not to harm his people, but didnt know how to prevent them from harm either. This brings my analysis to the subject of religion and its relationship with political authority. Machiavelli feels religion is a double edged sword where an excess of it in government is harmful but the appearance that it is part of government is not only beneficiary, but necessary. Machiavelli writes that a political leader, Â…should appear, upon seeing and hearing him, to be all mercy, all faithfulness, all integrity, all religion. And there is nothing more necessary than to seem to possess this last quality. (The Prince Chapter XVIII) Machiavellis argument centers arou nd his assertion that having all these qualities and employing them at all times is harmful because a leader often has to resort to contradictory measures in order toShow MoreRelatedThe Prince And Discourse On Livy900 Words   |  4 PagesLivy, Machiavelli meticulously discusses the importance of religion in the formation and maintaining a political order. Machiavelli regards religion as a political tool used by political elites for political purposes. He argues that the appearance of religion is good while the practice of it is harmful. One of the memorable passage from the Prince that supports Machiavelli’s claim is when he advices the prince to not to be good, and the prince should cultivate the appearance of the religion if heRead MoreSigmund Freud And Machiavellis Role Of Religion And Society1368 Words   |  6 Pagesfrequently associate religions with them. The United States is mostly Christian. North African countries are overwhelming Muslim (â€Å"Global†). A cross the world, the number of religions possibly reaches the thousands due to various sects and circumstances. When analyzing religion, each example has different origins, but a general understanding of religion is necessary, and an interesting relationship between religion and society will appear. 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Machiavelli would not feel the need to fully align with one societal group, like Dante did with the White Guelphs or More did with Catholicism. Rather, he would see both groups, and religion in generalRead MoreThe Source of a Princes Happiness and Misery in Augustine’s City of God and Aquinas’s On Kingship and Machiavelis The Prince1459 Words   |  6 Pagesprince should rule contrast with Niccolo Machiavelli’s described The Prince. Augustine breaks down the true source of a prince’s happiness as revolving around God while Machiavelli focuses on the prince’s material lusts. In On Kingship, Aquinas describes the sources of a prince’s misery being suspicion, jealousy and lust. Machiavelli disagrees, saying those emotions makes a prince happy. Augustine talks about a prince’s happiness in book 5 chapter 24 in the City of God. He states five goals that doRead MoreThe Different Types Of Government868 Words   |  4 PagesThe three different types of government in this text are very different. The first of the governments with Niccolo Machiavelli did not believe a divine rule. The second one with Thomas Hobs believed that there was some type of divine rule. The third had Niccolo Machiavelli, he was a Florentine statesman and a political theorist, which is â€Å"someone who engages in a constricting or evaluating political theory and is used to describe and evaluate political events and institutions.† (DictionaryRead MoreThe Ideal Ruler Of Kant s Ruler1070 Words   |  5 Pagescenturies and is still asked today. In 1516, Niccolà ² Machiavelli attempted to answer this question in his work The Prince(Machiavelli 8). Centuries later a different view of an ideal ruler was proposed by an Enlightenment writer, Immanuel Kant. Although Niccolà ² Machiavelli and Immanuel Kant lived 250 years apart, both views have advantages and disadvantages in leading a country, Kant s ruler is a early model of a democratic ruler while Machiavelli s ruler was an ideal model for a absolute monarch