Blog 4

            LoriLee Davis

11/10/2011

101-W1- Blog 4

Shakespeare, Cervantes, and Inca de la Vega

            The works of William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes, and Garcilaso Inca de la Vega, were all writers that lived during  the same time period and died at around the same time. They each have influenced our story telling, culture, and way of writing.

            Miguel de Cervantes was an unlikely person to find success in the literary community. According to Tabarés-Seisdedos and Corral-Márque, he had several mishaps in life. As a result of his military service,  he was hurt in battle. This battle damaged his hand. Later on, he was held as a prisoner of war by pirates. After he was free, he returned to Spain. He was arrested for seizing goods during his job. Liukkonen and Personen say that it was there, in prison, he wrote his famous work,  Don Quixot. While the work was popular, it didn't cause for him to be wealthy. But never the less, Liukkonen and Personen go on to say that Don Quixot, was known by just about everyone, even by King Philip III.  King Phillip III, acknowledge this with a statement he made when he saw a man laughing while reading a book. King Phillip is reported saying, "That man is either crazy or he is reading Don Quixote."

            According to Liukkonen and Personen, Don Quixote is known as the very first modern novel. Tabarés-Seisdedos and Corral-Márque, say that  Don Quixote is still considered to be the best novel even today. They point out that he used elements of hallucinations, paranoia, and schizophrenia. This created the idea in the novel of imagination versus reality. His work as influenced many writers and artist.  Tabarés-Seisdedos and Corral-Márque say that some of these are Mark Twain,  James Joyce,  and Picasso. He also influenced the work of Sigmund Freud. The influence of the novel still continues today. According to Coepfert, the Capital Repertory Theatre is putting on a show based on Don Quixote called "Man of La Mancha."

            Garcilaso Inca de la Vega has also been very important. According to Martinez, Kagan, and Bakewell,  Inca de la Vega was the first Andean to make a timeline of the Incas. Because he was of Incan decent, he was able to ask his own family and friends to provide first account information. He described how the Incans were affected by the Spanish. He included undertones of criticism  of the Spanish's treatment towards the Incans. However, while one of his parents was of Incan decent, his other parent was from Spain. For this reason, he was able to explain the actions of the Spanish. According to Shipler, one of the reasons Inca de la Vega wrote  on the Incas was to go against what the Spanish had illustrated as the common idea and image of an Incan.

            According to information found by Vose,  Inca de la Vega suggested that the problems between the Incas and the Spanish were just a miss understanding.  She also says that his hopes of getting a understanding for both cultures didn't occur till many years after his death. According to Margret and JC, Inca de la Vega, along with Boscan,  also helped to create new stanza types. These were: octava rima, tercet, cancion, free verse, lira, and the sonnet.

            William Shakespeare was one of the most influential writers ever to live. According to Haley, in Shakespeare's early career, he wrote Henry VI,  Richard III, and Titus Andronicus.  Other notable works were Romeo and Juliet, and a Midsummer Night's Dream. In addition to these, he was also famous for his plays that were comedies, histories, and tragedies. Some of the notable ones were: Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, and Julius Caesar. According to Mabillard,  Shakespeare's work has had such an impact and influence because of his style of writing. She says that he was able to show the "Human Experience" which meant he was able to work with people's emotions. She says his characters were very complex. Lastly, she says that he was able to coin terms or phrases that are still used today.

            In another article by Mabillard titled "Shakespeare's influence on other Artist", Shakespeare has also influenced the works of popular culture. Authors such as John Steinbeck, Ray Bradbury, and John van Druten were influenced in such a way that they named some of their works to allude to the work of Shakespeare. Many films have been made based on his work. Mabillard says that some of these are West Side Story,  Kiss me Kate, 10 things I have about you,  and My own Private Idaho.

             Of the three writers, personally, I'm most familiar with William Shakespeare. I never had to study the works of Miguel de Cervantes or Garcilaso inca de la Vega. In school, I had to read, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Cesar, and Othello.  Growing up, I've always been into art an animation. I'm a big fan of Disney and my favorite movie is The Lion King. Well, if you compare Hamlet with The Lion King, you can see that there very similar. From personal knowledge I can say, the plot is basically the same in both works: a brother  kills his brother to be king.

            So, in conclusion, William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes, and Garcilaso inca de la Vega have all be very important and influential . Cervantes Don Quixote which some consider the greatest novel. Don Quixote also dealt with delusions between real and fantasy. Garcilaso inca de la Vega wrote on the Incan's and also invented new types of stanzas. William Shakespeare is famous for his historical, tragedies and historic plays.  His plays influences literature and entertainment.

Works Cited

Goepfert, Bob. "Musical Puts a Spin on ‘Don Quixote’ at Capital Repertory Theatre - Saratogian.com." The Saratogian, 9 Nov. 2011. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://saratogian.com/articles/2011/11/09/entertainment/doc4ebb36213d2b7319401529.txt>.

Haley, David. "WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (1564-1616)." Department of English : University of Minnesota. The University of Minnesota, 2008. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. <http://english.umn.edu/faculty/haley/Shakesp.htm>.

Liukkonen, Petri, and Ari Pesonen. "Miguel De Cervantes." Www.kirjasto.sci.fi. Kuusankosken Kaupunginkirjasto, 2008. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://kirjasto.sci.fi/cervante.htm>.

Mabillard, Amanda. Shakespeare's Influence on Other Writers Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. (date when you accessed the information) < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/shakespearewriter.html >.

Mabillard, Amanda. Why Study Shakespeare? Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. (date when you accessed the information) < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/whystudyshakespeare.html >.

Margaret, and J C. "Garcilaso: Innovations." Garcilaso De La Vega and Italianate Verse. Spainthenandnow. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://www.spainthenandnow.com/spanish-literature/garcilaso-innovations/default_103.aspx>.

MARTÍNEZ, MARÍA E., RICHARD KAGAN, and PETER BAKEWELL. "When Worlds Collide: Garcilaso De La Vega." PBS. Red Hill Productions and Community Television of Southern California, 2010. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://www.pbs.org/kcet/when-worlds-collide/people/garcilaso-de-la-vega.html>.

Shipler, Michael. "Inca Garcilaso De La Vega's Story of the Melons." Haverford College. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://www.haverford.edu/span/spanish/Docs/shipler.html>.

Tabarés-Seisdedos, Rafael, and Rosana Corral-Márque. "Miguel De Cervantes, 1547–1616." The American Journal of Psychiatry 158.9: 1392. Psychiatry Online. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 1 Sept. 2001. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.

<http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleID=175007>.

Vose, Robin. "Garcilaso Inca De La Vega - Biography." Library of Juse Durand. University of Notre Dame, 2001. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. <http://www.library.nd.edu/rarebooks/exhibits/durand/biographies/garcilaso.html>

Blog 3: Black Death

LoriLee Davis

10/20/2011

101-W1- Blog 3

Black Death

                According to Hunt, Martin, Rozenwein and Smith (2010), the "Black Death" hit in a time that the population was already weakened due to the Great Famine that had ended about 25 years earlier. But despite this, many places still experienced small, localized, epidemics such as smallpox, influenza and tuberculosis. The "Black Death" refers to a disease that hit Europe during the years 1346 to 1353. The disease itself was a calamitous disease. Original, many called the black death a "pestilential disease." Typically, the symptoms of the disease were described as early death, outgrowing tumors, and ulcerations that bleed. Today, some historians say the plague was caused by "yersinia pestis," a type of bacteria. Eventually, the plague spread to people in the Middle east and to the coast of North Africa.               

                The work of Hunt, Martin, Rozenwein and Smith (2010), also says, the disease was spread by fleas. The fleas moved all over because they would travel on rats.  Not only did the fleas invest the areas that they entered, but they also infected the goods on ships such as spices, silks, and porcelain. And thus, contaminating the items. The first outbreak was in 1347, in Caffa, a colony that resided on the near the Black sea.  Within a year, it had traveled to Europe. It effected cities such as Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, and Marseille. Within six months, it had spread to Aragon, Italy, Balkan, and France. Eventually, it reached Germany, England and Scandinavia. It also had spread to Baghdad, North Africa, and al-Andalus.

                The work of Hunt, Martin, Rozenwein and Smith (2010), also points out that what made the plague even worse is that it returned every ten to twelve years. However, the years 1346 to 1353 years the plague is referred to as the "Black Death." In any case, the plague proved to be devastating. In the city of Florence, it killed about of the residents. It is debated on the actually death toll but its estimated to be anywhere from one-third of the population to 60 percent.

                According to Hunt, Martin, Rozenwein and Smith (2010), some places tried to used quarantine and church as a way to prevent the epidemic. They point out when the famine first reached Italy, the government forbid anyone living in Pistoia to go to outside cities. They also didn't allow anyone to enter the city. This was done in hopes of keeping it from being contaminated. They thought that the plague was carried in the air. They told the butchers and those who sold meat  not to allow mud or feces in the shop. Other places said plague was a due to God punishing the citizens for their sins. As result,  many people flocked to churches in hopes of repentance and ending the plague. Some in the religious community blamed the Jews for the Black Death.  And this lead to violence against Jews. In Germany, thousands of Jews were killed.  I would say the religious aspect played no role in helping to prevent the plague. If anything, it exposed people more to world and could have even helped to spread the plague. As for the cities that attempted to "quarantine," these attempts may have helped some, but  it would still be exposed to the rats that traveled into the city or have contaminated food sources.

                Hunt, Martin, Rozenwein and Smith (2010), also said that those that survived the epidemic had it better off. Due to the smaller population, farmers didn't need to plant and harvest as much.  While wheat was popular before the plague, it became less popular afterwards. Instead, Barley became much more profitable. And products of animals remained profitable and some farms even switched to animal husbandry. This change in agriculture created a better standard of living and economy. Peasants and works were able to come to agreements with their landlords/bosses and were able to work under better conditions or with more pay. With more money, people were able to pay for a better diet. This diet would sometimes include beer and meat.  Life changed in other ways as well. The rate of marriage increased dramatically. Due to the number of deaths, many professors and students died. In an effort to educate more people, new colleges and universities were built . The new educational facilities also allowed for people remain closer to home while getting an education.

Workcited

Hunt, Lynn, Martin, Thomas R., Rosenwein, Barbara H., and Smith, Bonnie G. (2010). The making of the West. Peoples and cultures. Concise Third Edition. Bedford/ St Martin’s: Boston, Massachusetts

Blog 2

LoriLee Davis

His 101 - W1

Blog 2

9/28/2011

From Jesus to Christianity versus from Mohammad to Islam

            In the Christian Religion, the Bible is the main religious text. However, after being examined, some have noted that quotes by Jesus are similar to  hundreds of passages. Consequently, this discovery caused some historians to think that these passages drew from the same source. More specifically, a common "Q" source.

            So what is the Q source exactly? According to an article published in 1998 by Elaine Pagels of Princeton University, The Q has been misunderstood by many to be part of the gospel when in reality, it's just a hypothesis. Pagels also says that the "Q" is a collection of quotes by Jesus, but the person/persons who collected it didn't care about his Crucifixion or about his resurrection. They only seemed interested in what he taught. Pagels also pointed out that in Matthew and Luke, the similar passages were the most obvious.  Strangely, when the passages are translated into Greek, they are nearly identical. But they are not similar when translated into Aramaic. This is bizarre because  Aramaic was Jesus' native tongue.  This suggests the idea that if the sayings came from the "Q", then instead of originally being written in Aramaic, that they were written in Greek. Pagel reassures that since it's just a hypothesis, that the "Q" has never actually been found

            In addition to this, many churches have different views and teachings of the Bible because of the different versions and  interruptions. Many churches don't completely follow the word of Jesus. In Matthew 19:4 and 19:5, Jesus said, "Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?"  Jesus openly condemned homosexuality. However, from my experience as a Methodist, I  can say my preachers have never condemned it, but they have never condemned it either. According to the United Methodist Church website,  there stand on homosexuality is as follows: " United Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexuality and considers this practice incompatible with Christian teaching. We affirm that God's grace is available to all, and we will seek to live together in Christian community. We implore families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends. We commit ourselves to be in ministry for and with all persons" Other churches have different views than this. According to an 2005 article by MSNBC titled "United Church of Christ endorses gay marriage," The United Church of Christ became the largest denomination to allow same-sex marriages. According to the 2001 article, "The Church and Homosexuality" by Loren Johns, some churches see homosexuality as " Those who attempt to support homosexual practice from the Bible use approaches to the Bible that do not support the understandings historically held by the Christian church."

            Different views of the Koran have developed as well. In an article called, "Theological and historical error in the Qur'an", it pointed out that Muhammad misunderstood and thought that Mary was part of the Christian Ttrinity. As a result sometimes in the Koran,  it says the holy trinity is "Father, son and mother." He also says that God was Allah, and that Gabriel was the holy spirit.  Also, due to the different views of Islam, there are different denominations.  According to  a article, "The Sects of Islam," Islam has different denominations. These are, Shunni Muslims, Shi'ite Muslims, Wahhabis, Suffis, and Bahaiism.

            There have been some conflicts between Islam's and Christians.  In a article by Laura Hayes, Borgna Brunner, and Beth Rowen, an example of the conflicts was the September 11th attacks. The attackers were members of Al-Qaeda, Muslim extremist, wanted American out of there nations. They also wanted to wipe out anyone that went against their faith. According to "The Crusades" article by History World International, another example of conflict was the Crusades. They go on to explain that "The Crusades were a series of wars by Western European Christians to recapture the Holy Land from the Muslims"

Andrew. "Theological and Historical Error in the Qur'an"" Interactive Bible Home Page Www.bible.ca. Bible Ca. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://www.bible.ca/islam/islam-bible-koran-errors-catholic-mariolatry-trinity-father-son-mary.htm>.

"The Crusades." World History International: World History Essays From Prehistory To The Present. History World International. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://history-world.org/crusades.htm>.

Hayes, Laura, Borgna Brunner, and Beth Rowen. "Al-Qaeda." Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free Online Reference, Research & Homework Help. — Infoplease.com. Pearson Education, 2007. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://www.infoplease.com/spot/al-qaeda-terrorism.html>.

"Human Sexuality." The United Methodist Church. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?mid=1728>.

Johns, Loren L. "THE CHURCH AND HOMOSEXUALITY." AMBS. Lancaster Conference of the Mennonite Church, 19 Sept. 1997. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://www.ambs.edu/lJohns/Lancaste.htm>.

Matthew. King James. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Print.

Pagels, Elaine H. "Q - The Hypothetical Gospel." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Frontline:WGBH Educational Foundation, Apr. 1998. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/story/hypothetical.html>.

"The Sects of Islam." Contender Ministries Apologetics, News, Forums, and Information for Christian Contenders. Contender Ministries. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://contenderministries.org/islam/divisions.php>.

"United Church of Christ Endorses Gay Marriage - US News - Msnbc.com." Msnbc.com - Breaking News, Science and Tech News, World News, US News, Local News- Msnbc.com. The Associated Press, 2011. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8463741/ns/us_news/t/united-church-christ-endorses-gay-marriage/>.

Blog 1

LoriLee Davis

His 101 - W1

Blog 1

9/5/2011

Blog 1

            According to our text book, The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures, King Phillip II turned Macedonia into a powerful nation during his reign. However, after King Phillip II was murdered in 336 B.C.E, his  son, Alexander III, took the thrown. Alexander was a violent ruler. He had the city of Thebes wiped out for defecting. He ran one of the most powerful militaries in history.

            Early in his reign, he took control of Turkey, Egypt, and Uzbekistan. Because of this, he earned the nickname, Alexander The Great. He  his men to victory time and time again. In battle, Alexander showed no concern for his own safety. He was known for charging into battle on his warhouse. To make his build up his alliances, gave away his land to officers.

            During Alexander's conquest of the Persian Empire, he tried to untie a the Gordian Knot. It was predicted that whoever untied this knot would rule Asia. Using his sword, he sliced the knot. Despite capturing the wives and daughters of the king of Persia, he treated the women with honor and did not harm them. For this, the women wanted for him to be the king. Later, Alexander created a technology that allowed for him to break down the walls of Tyre.

            Alexander wanted to keep the governments the same in areas he took over. When he took control of Egypt, he created the city of Alexandria. He later married a Princess named Roxane.  He continued on his conquest. Many of his men were tired and no longer cared for the cause. They were so fed up that they turned against Alexander. This caused for him to return home.

            When Alexander was returning home, he went though the deserts of Iran. Due to starvation and lack of water, many of his men died. After returning home, perpetrations for his next invasion begun.. However, these plans never happened. He died of drinking and of a fever. As he died, Alexander expressed he wanted the next ruler to be the "most powerful."

            Based on studies, its believed that Alexander was obsessed with war and conquest, but at the same time, he wanted to cultivate and discover other lands. In his time, Alexander was seen as a legend and an idol. He wanted to be respected as a god. His followers gave him this treatment, however, he took it too literally. He actually thought he was Zeus's son.

            During his conquest, Alexander had the findings written and documented. This has helped in fields of science and in geography. The cities that were formed during his rule helped to enhance trade between the cities. Because of conquest, alliances were formed between Greece and his formed cities.

Works cited:

Hunt , Lynn A., Martin, Thomas R., Barbara H. Rosenwein, R. Po-chia Hsia, and Bonnie G. Smith. "Chapter 4: From the Classical to the Hellenistic World." The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures. Third ed. Vol. 1. Boston [u.a.: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. 111-115. Print.