Friday, April 16, 2010
Power and Equality
How was the Medieval concept of power and equality different from our contemporary concept?
The medieval people had many different ideas of power and equality than we do today. The life someone was born into, whether it be a knight, a peasant, a slave, or so on, would be the life they would live forever. Today, we accept that everyone is equal. Some people may be richer or have more opportunity, but equality is our ideal. In the medieval world, you were born, lived, and died in inequality. This system governed the medieval world for centuries. In modern times, we can be born without money and rise to become very rich and wealthy. We are not categorized into groups. In the middle ages, a noble's life was worth six times a peasant's. If one person killed another, they would have to pay for it according to the deceased's social class. "The value of your life was determined by the class into which you were born." There were three fixed classes/orders that the people were divided into: those who pray, those who fight, and those who work. Our lives are very different today. We are all given opportunity, treated as equals, and are not put into social classes.
Youtube. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaHvtxFqxjc&feature=related>.
Picture Source:
Flickr. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/william_attard_mccarthy/3643594550/>.
Instict to Be Free
Do human beings have an innate instinct to be free?
The United States of America's Declaration of Independence includes some of the rights that we as human beings have. It states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident:
That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." (http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/declare.asp) In the first amendment to the Constitution, it states that we have the freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition. (http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/about.aspx?item=about_firstamd) We all have the ability to be free in our country. We have free will and are able to make our own decisions, and most humans have an innate instinct to be free. Most people want to have the ability to say, do, and think whatever they want. People have the desire to be free, but do not always use their freedom. Many people for example, instead of speaking out, follow the crowd. We want to be able to say and do what we want, but we sometimes follow what other people do and do not make a choice based completely on our thoughts and feelings. Most humans have the desire to be free, but some do not use their freedom or some use it in the wrong way.
"Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776." Web. 13 Apr. 2010. <http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/declare.asp>.
First Amendment Center. Web. 13 Apr. 2010. <http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/about.aspx?item=about_firstamd>.
Picture Source:
Flickr. Web. 13 Apr. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/38301474@N05/3526572270/>.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Medieval Mind
From the 10th to 15th centuries, the West was dominated by supernatural religious beliefs. Boundaries were blurred between the natural and the supernatural. An abbot recorded a series of events that occurred and described men who died and their corpses buried. Then it was said that two alien beings roamed the woods. The village was terrified of these men and was ordered to dig up the bodies. The corpses were cut up, their head put between their legs, and their hearts burned. This story was taken very seriously. Horror stories were taken as fact during this time. Another example of one of these stories was one in Scotland of a corpse spreading the plague with his breath. In the 1190s, there was a story of a dead man returning to his widow's bed and almost crushing her with his weight. The people in the middle ages took stories to the extreme and believed everything that went on. They lived a lost of their life worrying and fearing what may occur.
Youtube. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Oj92Ns4Oa0&feature=related>.
Picture Source:
Youtube. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq5zkhuvhpM&feature=watch_response>.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
The Church and the Monestaries
Why do you think the Church and the monasteries became the centers of learning?
In the medieval times, the Church played a greater role in the lives of the people than it does today. The Church dominated everyone's lives, including the peasants and town people. (http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medieval_church.htm) The Church was the only European universal institution and was such a major part of this time that it therefore because the source of learning. The Pope was the head of the Church and established supreme power. The public became literate and were therefore able to understand readings. The Church served as the government and was also there for spiritual guidance. (http://csis.pace.edu/grendel/projs2c/middle.html Because the Church had so much power and was a part of everyone's life, it was able to teach the public. People spent time at church very often so they were able to learn and become literate. The Church was a great center of learning.
"The Church and the Middle Ages." Web. 14 Apr. 2010. <http://csis.pace.edu/grendel/projs2c/middle.html>.
"The Medieval Church." Web. 14 Apr. 2010. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medieval_church.htm>.
Picture Source:
Flickr. Web. 13 Apr. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/mirepapa/4210434730/>.