Essay 3 Final Draft

Grace Leung

4/27/11

West Civ Essay 3

            

The traditions of structure and patterns in Romanesque and Gothic Churches are truly diverse. Each of these different and detailed types of churches represents something. The Gothic churches show how important it was to be a community and how close the community was, with crypts underneath the church. While the Romanesque churches describe how important privacy was and how closer of the soul was a big part of a person’s life. Romanesque and Gothic churches show how important theology was to each ones culture, through the appearance of their diverse structures.

            

Both Gothic and Romanesque churches tell their theologies by just one look. Gothic churches have many different features. One is the attempt to look like German towns. In figure 1 this is succeeded as the top of the church has a point to it, just like houses in Germany often do. This church looks almost roomy and very large. Community, being very important, was one contributor to the size and architecture of this church. The theology for the Gothic church was to show how important it was to let God in. This structure is a very good example, since the church is very open looking. In figure 2 this is a Romanesque church. It has thick walls and a concealed look, while the Gothic church is the opposite. The lack in openings is evident and the high towers show how secluded it is. It was very important to this particular theology to work on your inner self, making this a great example, since the church is very enclosed.

           

It is evident how different these two churches can be, the difference in each ones theology is a contributor to the contrasts. Figure 3 is decorative for a Gothic church, but is still relevant to what a Gothic church looks like. This church has a very high ceiling and a wide area. It has many windows, to show how “open” it is. Figure 4, the Romanesque church, is very confined looking; there are not doors on the side of the church. The windows on this church are completely open and surrounded by a brick looking material. The solitude look of this church gives off vibes that it is very serious and almost a judge mental atmosphere.

            

The Gothic tradition is a more open and an open, society like tradition. Figure 5 is a very vivid example of Gothic theology. The church wings are huge and the ceiling is enormous. It is very open and makes a person feel like they could walk right in. It is very much a community place and displays openness towards God. This is exactly what Gothic theology wants to display. An example of a Romanesque church is Figure 6; it is very closed, with a stone structure. Also it is not that high and instead is strong around the base and structure of the church.

 The dissimilarities between these two churches can be of great importance to each ones theology. The Gothic church is very open to the community to experience learning about God together. The Romanesque church is more secluded and focuses more on a person’s inner soul, and their relationship with God. Each church is represented greatly in there look and appearance.

Figure 5: Neo- Gothic Church at Kylemore 

Neo- Gothic Church at Kylemore, 13^th Century, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Neo-gothic_church_at_Kylemore.jpg, published August 14, 2009

Figure 2: Ostseite von St. Gereon 

Osteite von St. Gereon, 13^th Century, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Gereon_K%C3%B6ln_-_Ostseite_(2520).jpg, published Jun 1, 2008

 

 Figure 3: Reims Cathedral Notre Dame Interior 

Reims Cathedral Notre Dame Interior, 13^th Century, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reims_Cathedrale_Notre_Dame_interior_002.JPG,  published January 28, 2008

 Figure 4: 

Saint Andreas Church 

Saint Andreas Church, 13^th Century, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kosciol_sw._Andrzeja_w_Krakowie.jpg, published December 1999

 Figure 1: Reims Cathedral of Notre Dame 

Reims Cathedral of Notre Dame, 13^th Century, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ReimsCattedraleEsternoAbside.jpg, published November 2008

Figure 6: Church of Holy Trinity and Virgin Mary 

Church of Holy Trinity and Virgin Mary, 13^th Century, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Strzelno_3.JPG, published 2005

Essay 3

Grace Leung

4/27/11

West Civ Essay 3

            The traditions of structure, and patterns in Romanesque and Gothic Churches are truly diverse. Each of these different and detailed types of  churches represent something. The Gothic churches show how important it was to be a community and how close the community was, with crips underneath the church. While the Romanesque churches describe how important privacy was and how closer of the soul was a big part of a person’s life. Romanesque and Gothic churches are well represented through the diversity of each’s architecture and appearance.

            Both Gothic and Romanesque churches tell their own story, by just one look. Gothic churches have many different features, one is the attempt to look like German towns. In figure 1 this is succeeded as the top of the church has a point to it. This church looks almost roomy and very large, community was one contributor to the size and architecture of this church. The church looks very open and has many different openings. In figure 2 this is a Romanesque church. It has thick walls and a concealed look, while the Gothic church is the opposite. The lack in openings is evident and the high towers show how succluded it is. This is what the Romanesque churches went for.

            It is evident how different these two churches can be, each church may symbolize something different to add to the contrast. Figure 3 is decorative for a Gothic church, but is still relevant to what a Gothic church looks like. This church has a very high ceiling and a wide area. It is very spacious. Figure 4, the Romanesque church is very secluded looking there are no doors on the side, but only visible on the front. The windows are completely open and thick brick it the base for this structure.

            The Gothic tradition is a more open and an open society like tradition. Figure 5 is a very vivid example of Gothic tradition. It’s wings on the church are huge and the ceiling enormous. It is very open and makes a person feel like they could walk right in. An example of a Romanesque church is Figure 6, it is very closed, with a stone structure. Also it is not that high and instead is strong around the base and structure of the church.

            The dissimilarities between these two traditional churches vary from large ones and small ones. The Gothic tradition is to have many fancy windows, while Romanesque is to have open windows on brick layer walls. This little difference is very signifigant. Another different that stood out in these few examples was the number of openings in the churches and how open it seemed to the community. The Gothis and Romanesque are truly different in the simplest and unimaginable ways.

Figure 1

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/ReimsCattedraleEsternoAbside.jpg/679px-ReimsCattedraleEsternoAbside.jpg

Figure 2

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/St._Gereon_K%C3%B6ln_-_Ostseite_%282520%29.jpg/400px-St._Gereon_K%C3%B6ln_-_Ostseite_%282520%29.jpg

Figure 3

 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/St._Mary%27s_Basilica_Cracow_interior.jpg/800px-St._Mary%27s_Basilica_Cracow_interior.jpg

Figure 4

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Kosciol_sw._Andrzeja_w_Krakowie.jpg/361px-Kosciol_sw._Andrzeja_w_Krakowie.jpg

Figure 5

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/ReimsCattedraleEsternoAbside.jpg/679px-ReimsCattedraleEsternoAbside.jpg

Figure 6

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Strzelno_3.JPG/800px-Strzelno_3.JPG

Essay 2 Final

Grace Leung

4/12/11

Western Civ Essay 2

The Roman Empire was one of the strongest empires in the beginning of ancient civilization, yet this large and powerful empire eventually began to fall apart. The Roman Empire began under the rule of Augustus. After August died, the Roman government was in  disarray, especially when choosing a new emperor. The instability in leaders led to dangerous power struggles between competitors for the throne. Rome’s large military needed to be taken care of and repaid, but the great Roman Empire could not care for its soldiers. The Roman Empire’s lack of structure and discipline among those who ruled the Roman Empire caused it to fall.

The first step to the weakening of the Roman Empire involved the end of the blood line of Augustus. When the throne ran out of heirs, the Roman people had to fill the Emperor’s  position with non-royalty. This difficulty created many power struggles between people who wanted the throne. Although the Roman people were allowed to vote, the voting process was influenced most by the wealthiest people. “Even the system of voting was weighted to give more influence to the votes of the wealthy” (Beard, 2011). The wealthy had a greater voice in government because they were more educated and could afford to spend time and money supporting who they wanted to rule. This partiality to the wealthy would threaten the structure of the Roman Empire.

A second step that hastened the decline of the Roman Empire involved the increasing number of people seeking the power of the Empire and their undisciplined behavior. Because an Emperor had to be voted in, many sought to control the government that previously had been only available to a royal succession. The normal place or forum where politics were discussed and an emperor was chosen quickly became chaotic and undisciplined. According to one ancient writer,“ this was when daggers first entered the forum” (Beard, 2011). The intensity of the Roman forum was high during discussions for the new emperor and tempers were short. The forum’s lack of discipline undermined the Roman Empire’s power because it hurt the voting process.

The strongest evidence of the weakening of the Roman Empire was concerning its treatment of Roman soldiers. The Roman Empire was built on its extremely large and strong military. Many soldiers returning from war campaigns fell into poverty because they were not paid by the Roman government as promised. The government was disorganized and could not pay its military. “How were the needs of such soldiers to be met?” (Beard, 2011) became a growing concern for many of the people because they were soldiers themselves or related to soldiers. When the Roman Empire cannot pay its military, it is in true economic crisis. With so many dissatisfied veterans, few people wanted to risk their lives to defend the Roman Empire from threats from other countries. This unrest in the Roman people caused the Roman Empire to crumble..

Although the Roman Empire began strong, it began its decline when heirs to the throne were gone. The instability of the government was reflected in the struggles for power as well as the decrease in ideas and increase of  influence among the wealthiest of the Roman people. Those who had privilege and money influenced the process of voting held in the forum. Soldiers who fought long and hard for Rome returned home to poverty, and many of the Roman people grew resentful. The Roman Empire fell because of its own inability to stay focused and organized through economic turmoil.

Works Cited

Beard, Mary. (2011). The fall of the roman republic. BBC.

Evans, J. A. S. "Roman Empire." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol. 12. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 299-322. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 12 Apr. 2011.

Essay 2

Grace Leung

4/12/11

Western Civ Essay 2

Question: Did the Roman Empire 'decline and fall' or did it evolve into something new?

Thesis: The Roman Empire did fall, the cause of this tragedy was the lack of structure in the Roman Government and the lack of discipline among those who ruled the Roman Empire.

The Roman Empire was one of the strongest empires in the beginning of ancient civilization, this large and powerful empire eventually made a large decline. The Roman Empire was first ruled by Augustus, the Roman government was also in a disarray, in choosing the new emperors. This eventually lead to dangerous power struggles between competator’s to the throne. Rome’s large military needed to be taken care of and repaid for their time served, but the great Roman Empire could not help their own soldiers. The Roman Empire did fall and the cause of this tragedy was the lack of structure in the Roman Government and the lack of discipline among those who ruled the Roman Empire.   The Roman Empire did not fall, but instead grew into a different type of government over the years and course of its history.

The government in Rome was a system at the beginning of its empire. The first ruler of Rome of Augustus, who later died leaving his throne to his hiers. The people chosen to rule the throne were not always family, there were many power struggles between people who wanted the throne. Voting for an emperor was based on more of the wealthiest people’s votes, even though the Roman people also had a great amount of influence. “Even the system of voting was weighted to give more influence to the votes of the wealthy. Yet ultimate power lay with the Roman people.”(Beard, 2011) The wealthy were very influential to who was in the government and had a certain amount of control. This was not completely fair to the poor or the un-wealthy. This shows that the Roman Empire was not organized and very partial to those who had the most “worth” in society.

The Roman Empire was controlled by a number of different rulers, this was caused by the amount of desire for power. The Roman Government has a forum, where the new emperor of Rome is chosen. This is a very important meeting. “As one ancient writer put it, this was when 'daggers first entered the forum'.”(Beard, 2011) This quote describes how the intensity of the Roman forum and how much it mounted during 133 B.C. A man named Gracchus, purposed an idea to help the poor. This strong idea was genius, unfortunately Gracchus went straight to the Roman people. This angered the forum causing an uproar in the Roman people.

The Roman Empire also was very strong in its army and it’s military. Many soldiers coming back from the war went into poverty causing an economic obstacle. “How were the needs of such soldiers to be met? Who in Rome was to profit from its empire, which already stretched from Spain to the other end of the Mediterranean?”(Beard, 2011) This quote describes the economic crisis that occurred in Rome after the soldiers came home from war. Rome needed to supply all their soldiers with their needs, but could not afford to. This was a huge part of Rome’s downfall because of threats from other countries, causing Rome to need its army in a big way.

The Roman Empire was a strong empire that fell through the lack of a stable government. Another contribution to the demolishion to this powerful government was the fall of its forum and new ideas coming to the surface. The Roman Empire falling was a very tragic time for Rome since it was such a powerful country.

Works Cited

Beard, Mary. (2011). The fall of the roman republic. BBC.

Evans, J. A. S. "Roman Empire." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol. 12. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 299-322. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 12 Apr. 2011

Stoicism Essay Final

 Grace Leung

4/6/11

Seneca

The Death of Seneca

            Although forced to suffer an unjust and painfully cruel death, Seneca epitomized Stoicism in his actions and words till his last breath. Convicted of a crime he did not commit, Seneca took the accusations dispassionately. When he received his death sentence by the tribune, he remained unmoved. Even when his beloved wife proclaimed that she wanted to die with him and the physical punishment began, Seneca remained calm. Stoicism is a belief that when confronted with hardships one has to control their emotions; the events surrounding the deaths of Seneca are a perfect demonstration of Stoicism in action.

            Seneca was a man accused of plotting against the famous ruler Nero. Seneca heard of the accusations against him while dinning with his wife and family. When he was brought before the tribune, Seneca remained calm and pointed.  He was asked to describe Seneca’s reaction, he “asserted that he saw no signs of fear, and perceived no sadness in his words or in his (Seneca’s) looks” (Tacitus).  There were no cries of injustice from Seneca. No attempt to change refute the charges against him. A prime example of stoic behavior, Seneca remained unmoved before his accusers.

Even when Seneca was told of his death sentence, he remained stoic. Seneca “quite unmoved, asked for tablets” (Tacitus) to end his life. And when the centurion refused this, Seneca quietly “turned to his friends, protesting that as he was forbidden to requite them, he bequeathed to them the only, but still the noblest possession yet remaining to him, the pattern of his life, which, if they remembered, they would win a name for moral worth and steadfast friendship.”(Tacitus). Still Seneca remained calm and steadfast. Seneca showed how noble he was in this quote and he also showed how willing he was in taking his death sentence. Offering to take the pills was a calm reaction to Seneca knowing he would eventually die. He was the perfect example of stoicism. .

            The last test to Seneca’s stoic beliefs was in his wife’s plea that she would follow him in death. He stoicly told her "I have shown you ways of smoothing life; you prefer the glory of dying. I will not grudge you such a noble example. Let the fortitude of so courageous an end be alike in both of us, but let there be more in your decease to win fame."(Tacitus) His steadfast love has him have her taken away, so she does not endure the pain that he has to. Seneca is calm when she begs him to let her die with him. He simply does not make an emotional parting but instead sends his wife away from harm’s way.

            Seneca was a man who was a perfect example of a Stoic. He showed no emotion in painful situations and in the face of fear. He was steadfast and determined to let no one stand in his way. Seneca’s death and every element surround it perfectly exemplified for his belief in stoicism. Seneca applied his beliefs to his life and demonstrated perfectly the belief of stoicism.

Work Cited

Tacitus: the death of seneca, 65 ce. Tacitus: The Death of Seneca, 65 CE. <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/tacitus-ann15a.html>

Stoicism Essay Final

 Grace Leung

4/6/11

Seneca

The Death of Seneca

            Although forced to suffer an unjust and painfully cruel death, Seneca epitomized Stoicism in his actions and words till his last breath. Convicted of a crime he did not commit, Seneca took the accusations dispassionately. When he received his death sentence by the tribune, he remained unmoved. Even when his beloved wife proclaimed that she wanted to die with him and the physical punishment began, Seneca remained calm. Stoicism is a belief that when confronted with hardships one has to control their emotions; the events surrounding the deaths of Seneca are a perfect demonstration of Stoicism in action.

            Seneca was a man accused of plotting against the famous ruler Nero. Seneca heard of the accusations against him while dinning with his wife and family. When he was brought before the tribune, Seneca remained calm and pointed.  He was asked to describe Seneca’s reaction, he “asserted that he saw no signs of fear, and perceived no sadness in his words or in his (Seneca’s) looks” (Tacitus).  There were no cries of injustice from Seneca. No attempt to change refute the charges against him. A prime example of stoic behavior, Seneca remained unmoved before his accusers.

Even when Seneca was told of his death sentence, he remained stoic. Seneca “quite unmoved, asked for tablets” (Tacitus) to end his life. And when the centurion refused this, Seneca quietly “turned to his friends, protesting that as he was forbidden to requite them, he bequeathed to them the only, but still the noblest possession yet remaining to him, the pattern of his life, which, if they remembered, they would win a name for moral worth and steadfast friendship.”(Tacitus). Still Seneca remained calm and steadfast. Seneca showed how noble he was in this quote and he also showed how willing he was in taking his death sentence. Offering to take the pills was a calm reaction to Seneca knowing he would eventually die. He was the perfect example of stoicism. .

            The last test to Seneca’s stoic beliefs was in his wife’s plea that she would follow him in death. He stoicly told her "I have shown you ways of smoothing life; you prefer the glory of dying. I will not grudge you such a noble example. Let the fortitude of so courageous an end be alike in both of us, but let there be more in your decease to win fame."(Tacitus) His steadfast love has him have her taken away, so she does not endure the pain that he has to. Seneca is calm when she begs him to let her die with him. He simply does not make an emotional parting but instead sends his wife away from harm’s way.

            Seneca was a man who was a perfect example of a Stoic. He showed no emotion in painful situations and in the face of fear. He was steadfast and determined to let no one stand in his way. Seneca’s death and every element surround it perfectly exemplified for his belief in stoicism. Seneca applied his beliefs to his life and demonstrated perfectly the belief of stoicism.

Work Cited

Tacitus: the death of seneca, 65 ce. Tacitus: The Death of Seneca, 65 CE. <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/tacitus-ann15a.html>

Stoicism Essay

 Grace Leung

4/6/11

Seneca

                                                 The Death of Seneca

Thesis: Stoicism is a belief that when confronted with hardships one has to control their emotions; the events surrounding the deaths of Seneca are a perfect demonstration of Stoicism in action.

            Although forced to suffer an unjust and painfully cruel death, Seneca epitomized Stoicism in his actions and words till his last breath. Convicted of a crime he did not commit, Seneca took the accusations dispassionately. When the he received his death sentence, he remained unmoved. Even when his beloved wife proclaimed that she wanted to die with him, Seneca remained calm. Stoicism is a belief that when confronted with hardships one has to control their emotions; the events surrounding the deaths of Seneca are a perfect demonstration of Stoicism in action. (Soicsim is a belief that when confronted with hardships one has to control their emotions; the events that occurred during the murder of Seneca were a horrible demonstration of Stoicism altogether.)

            Seneca was a man accused of plotting against the famous ruler Nero. Seneca heard of the accusations against him while dinning with his wife and family. Known for having “no aptitude for natural flattery,” Seneca remained calm during the arrest. When the tribune was asked to describe Seneca’s reaction, he “asserted that he saw no signs of fear, and perceived no sadness in his words or in his (Seneca’s) looks”. There were no cries of injustice from Seneca. No attempt to change the tribune’s mind. Seneca remained unmoved.

Even when Seneca was told of his death sentence, he remained stoic. Seneca “quite unmoved, asked for tablets” to end his life. And when the centurion refused this, Seneca quietly “turned to his friends, protesting that as he was forbidden to requite them, he bequeathed to them the only, but still the noblest possession yet remaining to him, the pattern of his life, which, if they remembered, they would win a name for moral worth and steadfast friendship.” Still Seneca remained calm and steadfast. He was the perfect example of Stoicsim. .

            The last test to Seneca’s stoic beliefs was in his wife’s  plea that she would follow him in death. He stoicly told her "I have shown you ways of smoothing life; you prefer the glory of dying. I will not grudge you such a noble example. Let the fortitude of so courageous an end be alike in both of us, but let there be more in your decease to win fame." His steadfast love has him ask “that she be removed to another chamber”.

            Seneca was a man who was a perfect example of a Stoic. He showed no emotion in painful situations in the face of fear. He was steadfast and determined to let no one stand in his way. Seneca’s death and every element surround it perfectly exemplified for his belief in stoicsim.


Work Cited:
 Tacitus: the death of seneca, 65 ce. Internet Ancient History Sourcebook.

Essay Rules

News Flash: Starting tomorrow, April 7th, we will stop doing dailies. Instead, we will be concentrating on the weekly essays. This week's rough draft we are finishing in class. From then on, every Wednesday you will have a rough draft due for Peer review (you'll receive participation credit: P/F for having the draft ready). On your rough draft, please underline the thesis statement and in a different color prove it is an opinion by writing the opposite side; underline one quote properly cited with in-text citations for each body paragraph; make bold your four-sentence analysis of each quote; analysis should explain how the quote serves to support your thesis. After peer review, a final draft will be due on Fri by Midnight.

Eleven-Point Critique (for peer reviews and grading of final drafts)

1. 5 paragraphs -- 5 to 7 sentences per paragraph.

2 Clear, coherent thesis statement expressing an opinion to be argued in the paper.

3. One quote or piece of sourcable evidence properly cited in APA format per body paragraph / proper in-text citation format

(author, date). APA format bibliography at end of paper. Use top-notch sources (BBC, Met Museum, Nat Geo, Internet History

Sourcebook, school-library based databases, etc.)

4. Four sentences per body paragraph analysis. This is your own analysis demonstrating how the evidence supports your thesis.

5. Solid conclusion demonstrating the validity of the argument.

6. Emphasis: Put strongest evidence in the fourth paragraph.

7. No 1st or 2nd person personal pronouns (I, we, us, me, my, myself, you, etc.)

8. Academic Tone: No slang, no contractions, make it coherent and readable.

9. Avoid generalizations -- give specific information; I'm not looking for you to write an "encyclopedia" article. I'm looking for

your ability to construct an academic argument.

10. Avoid unnecessary information: "more" quotes doesn't mean a "better" paper.

11. Original and honest writing voice and a creative and remarkable take on the subject.

Week 6 Blog 1

Quotes:
Marcus Aurelius Antonius:
"From Fronto I learned to observe what envy, and duplicity, and hypocrisy are in a tyrant, and that generally those among us who are called Patricians are rather deficient in paternal affection."

"To the gods I am indebted for having good grandfathers, good parents, a good sister, good teachers, good associates, good kinsmen and friends, nearly everything good."

"All that is from the gods is full of Providence. That which is from fortune is not separated from nature or without an interweaving and involution with the things which are ordered by Providence."

"Live with the gods. And he does live with the gods who constantly shows to them, his own soul is satisfied with that which is assigned to him, and that it does all that the daemon wishes, which Zeus hath given to every man for his guardian and guide, a portion of himself. And this is every man's understanding and reason."


The Death of Seneca:

"No one knew this better than Nero, who had oftener experienced Seneca's free spokenness than his servility."
This quote describes stoicism because believing in stoicism means having intelligence which is what Nero is described to have in this quote.
"Let the fortitude of so courageous an end be alike in both of us, but let there be more in your decease to win fame." This quote is telling of how Seneca is making a sacrifice and how noble he is. Being noble is very important to being a stoic.


Notes:
- Seneca is the best example because he skipped his emotions and did what he needed to
- Stoicism is a belief that when confronted with hardships one has to control their emotions; the events surrounding the deaths of Seneca are a perfect demonstration of Stoicism in action.