...Shandrika Shreves Professor Alexandra Hill HUM 2232 16 October 2012 Renaissance Besides the horrific natural disasters of the plague, the signs of intense human creativity flourished in all the arts. The deep-rooted scholastic approach to learning increased interest in Classical literature. Therefore, people began incorporating new ideas to political systems, economics, and trade. The ideal Renaissance man and woman wanted a better understanding of life. The passion for enlightenment changed the culture and scholasticism of this period. Francis Petrarch, Christine de Pisan, and Lavinia Fontana contributions to the Renaissance are the signs of intense human creativity, and created a new perspective on life. Men during the Renaissance controlled of everything. They had a voice in the political and social systems. Social categorizing of the Renaissance people depended on a person classification of wealth. Men were supposed to be loyal to their king and the Church. Learning from outside sources other than the Church became popular. They did not reject the church, but people started to question the traditional history and teachings. In this era, people started to focus back on their history and began to have a strong passion for investigating and learning more about their past. Education became paramount. The more educated, the more a person understood about life as a whole; it became a necessity to become well rounded and successful. Social status played a huge role during...
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...The Evolution of Women in Comedy: From the Italian Renaissance to Today Since the rejuvenation of comedies during the Italian Renaissance, the roles of women in comedy have changed and fluctuated dramatically along with the roles of women in society. Female characters in comedy have ranged from stock characters with no control, to women who take some control via masquerades, to women with freedom but no personality, and finally to the fully empowered, funny women we watch on screen today. Throughout the centuries these changes in comedy have occurred to allow many women to reach their full comedic potential. Changes in comedy to include funny women are ultimately tied to changes in societal views, and this paper aims to explore the journey it took to empower women in comedy, starting from the return of comedy during the Italian Renaissance. Just as in the Middle Ages, women of the Italian Renaissance were granted neither freedom nor independence. With very little exception, women were controlled by men for their entire lives, first ruled over by their parents during childhood and then sent straight into a marriage arranged by their family to a man they probably did not want to marry (“Women”). This lack of freedom encompassed many areas. Women were expected to be housewives and only housewives. They could not leave the home without a male escort and in fact could not even own a home. Women who did not marry were forced to live with a male relative or live in a convent and become...
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...time in which Christine lived and the types of concerns she voiced with regard to women’s rights. During the Renaissance, a woman’s place in society was so limited and seemed to revolve almost entirely around subservience to her husband. As the most well-known female writer of her time, Christine was not afraid to question some of the stereotypes about and injustices against women in society. The Handmaid’s Tale is a painful glimpse into a not so distant totalitarian dystopia where women have been stripped of their rights and are being forced into servitude for men. Oddly enough, I see similarities in both the...
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...What kind of hierarchies do we encounter in the study of art from 1400-1600? Ideas of the Renaissance The hierarchical phenomenon operating between the years 1400-1600 shaped and organised Renaissance society, heavily defining codes of conduct and correct communal correlations. What’s more, it was a comprehensive and widespread concept that manifested from various angles in Italian Renaissance art. Hierarchical influence can be encountered when considering the contention between several aspects of Renaissance art, and the bearing this classification and ranking process had on the canon of art history was considerable given the periods place in it. Specifically, this ladder of position operated within the competitive frameworks between the liberal and mechanical arts, Early Renaissance and High Renaissance artists, male and female artists, patrons and their employees in the practice of patronage, genres of art works, and painters and sculptors. When trying to understand how a period is structured and works as a whole, consideration of the hierarchies operating within it reveal some clear points of focus. Societies generally work on a ‘pyramid of prestige’, and Renaissance Italy followed this rule. Each societal member had a place, and was expected to fully understand the boundaries this position placed upon them. Societal roles were clear, and every person was conscious of their social standing, whether it be that they were higher or lower than the next person...
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...Dannette Tejeda 10/03/10 Family & Gender Comanducci Public Rituals of Marriages Flowers, a white gown, a venue or perhaps a church, family and friends, a ceremony, a reception, and above all love are the fundamental essentials for a wedding, let a lone a marriage. Yet, occasions such as weddings were not as passive in the fourteenth century as they are now. During the renaissance, weddings were not just the bond of two individual people who wished to be committed to each other by the law or their religion; but it was the binding of a patrilineal alliance and for that reason it was vital for all aspects of a marriage to be a public, communal spectacle. This notion took away from all that was personal from a woman as it was inscribed in her code of honor to accept her public passing from her father’s legal possession to her new husband. The wedding in itself had at the least four different steps, which were: the impalmamento, the sponsalia, the matrimonium, and the nozze. They were specific transactions because during the Renaissance women were in some terms irrelevant and were only allowed to walk the streets to attend masses in church. However, when these stages were taken in action, the publicity announced the benefit of the alliances made between families and that is what makes them so significant. The first stage towards a marriage was the impalmamento. The impalmamento signifies “engagement, a promise of marriage, specifically, as a confirmation of...
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...Transformation, the inevitable progress of society, whether it be positive or negative, reflects clearly through many means. Towering Renaissance architecture and Victorian Palaces, different political systems and rulers, food and language and literature, each period consists its own uniqueness. Clothing is no exception. From the toga of the Romans to the gown of Elizabethans, clothing reflects on the taste and style of the people in that particular era. It is of relatively absolute truth to acknowledge that dress is more than an object of concealment. The physical body when dressed gave intimation about the personality of its wearer and the surrounding society as well. For example, Romans royals wore purple while its citizens garb in simple garments like tunic. In Renaissance era, men and women of noble births would wear satin, velvet decorative dresses, while the peasants would only drape in cheap clothes. The disparity in apparel between noble people and poor people is a quintessence of reflection on social orders. During these periods that segregate people according to their ranks, clothing is affected by the segregation as well. However, as we move into Colonial Period, the idea of ranks begin to dissolve. Instead, clothing is more synonymous with a person’s occupation and religious affiliation. Now in our contemporary society, a society of complete freedom and equality, clothing plays more a key role in expressing personality. From the roaring twenties with flapper’s...
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...Throughout history there have been all sorts of representations of women some were beautiful paintings, pictures, stone marvels and many others were ideas or various types of portrayals. How exactly has the idea or portrayal of women changed throughout history? How did history first really begin to see women, and what are the most recent results in art revolving around women. Some of the most extravagant works began with Kore from Chios, c. 520 BCE. a beautifully crafted work of marble with beautiful clothing falling across the body of the figure. This piece shows the new found ideas of drapery while still sticking with the geometric patterns of the hair adopted from the Egyptians. Kore was created by a Greek and now sits in the Acropolis...
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...Time Capsule HUM-102 Time Capsule I.) Art a. Renaissance i. One point perspective was one of the forms of painting during the renaissance period. This type of painting created a real kind of depth as each of its planes going further into the back of the back in space to look as it were from the eye of the viewer. ii. “Linear perspective is a depth cue that is related to both relative size and the next depth cue, texture gradient.” (Dictionary, 2011) Using these linear parallel lines that go back into the distance seems to get closer together. These types of painting were widely used throughout the renaissance period and can still be found in many famous paintings in today’s art museums. b. Age of Baroque iii. Still Life - “According to the collector Vincenzo Giustiniani, the painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610)—who rocked artistic conventions with his shockingly naturalistic style, and secured lifelong notoriety for subversive ideas and behavior—commented that it was just as difficult to paint a good picture of flowers as it was to make a picture of figures.” (Measher, 2008) Still life paintings allowed the artist the ability to paint with greater detail and depth. Many still life paintings were from oil based paintings. iv. A wonderful example of Vermeer and Dutch Art was the Milkmaid painting by Johannes Vermeer during the time of 1657-58. This painting could be considered to be one of the final works...
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...Ladies and Gentlemen Abstract While many believe that the idea of chivalry is dead, and that noble ladies and gentlemen are things of past, and you may think that you can only see a man hold a door open for a lady at a renaissance festival, I know a few people who might disagree. Ladies and Gentlemen Many people believe that etiquette is nothing more than the art of trying to catch someone using the incorrect fork at a dinner party. They however are mistaken, as etiquette has served as a code of social behavior for centuries, starting with the nobles, and the idea of ladies, gentlemen courtier. Although few people think of etiquette at any time except on the occasion of their wedding, we all however mostly practice it every day, often as a matter of routine. Though formal and elaborate manners have always been required for life in the Royal Court, but are these ideas of ladies and gentlemen an out dated notion, or do more people than you would think still believe in this way of life. When considering the definitions of a lady or gentlemen, you would most likely thing of a lady as a well-mannered and considerate woman with high standards of proper behavior, and a gentleman as a man of gentle or noble birth or superior social position, or something very similar to the definition of a lady. Etiquette as we think of it was established in the Versailles court of French King Louis XIV. There was a large circle of courtiers, ladies and gentlemen whose main occupation...
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...will happen with little difficulty. We tend to think that shifting gears from preventing pregnancy to planning conception and childbirth will proceed in a relatively smooth and orderly fashion. A failure to conceive, then, is a major life stressor, which can wreak havoc on otherwise well-adjusted couples. Even in today's society, we tend to assume that individuals in committed relationships have the goal of procreation. Women are often identified with their ability to give birth. Both men and women are supposed to pass on their genetic and generational legacies. Failure by either party to "fulfil their end of the bargain" can be devastating, humiliating, and emotionally destructive. The continuing taboo against discussing the subject of infertility compounds these reactions. Even though tremendous strides have been made in treating this relatively common condition, infertility is typically not openly discussed. Infertility is typically defined as the inability to become pregnant after one year of sexual intercourse without contraception. For women over age 35, this condition is diagnosed after 6 months of an inability to conceive. Using this threshold, there will be women, albeit a minority, who meet the criteria for "infertility" but who go on to conceive without medical intervention. However, this definition is used to ensure that people who are experiencing problems that can be remedied will seek timely medical intervention. Having trouble conceiving is more common that you...
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...matter how thin you are, no matter how beautiful you are, someone will always call you ugly because it is impossible to please the world.” (Demi Lovato, 2014). In today’s society young women are constantly struggling mentally, physically and psychologically with accepting their own bodies. According to the Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders (2003), this trend started since the Renaissance period where self-starvation was practiced for religious purposes, however due to the growing influence of the Media, eating disorders have become more popular in the twentieth century and as a result the death rate has climbed horrifyingly (Frey, 2003). The Media has a heavy influence on how young women in the United States view and modify their bodies to achieve a perfect body type, however this ideology can lead to negative outcomes such as; low self-esteem, body dissatisfaction and eating disorders, as well as affect other spheres of life. In examining the role of the Media and the negative effects it has on an individual one can clearly see that the issue have gotten to the point where young women live a life where they are mentally tormented and pressured to achieve one body type. Media attacks the subconscious mind and imprint false images of beauty which in turn leads to downward social comparison and allows young women to feel insecure in their own skin which leads them to a web of negative thoughts and feelings about their own bodies. The result of this mental and physical torment...
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...African Americans were brought to North America via the middle passage which originated during the fifteenth century. They were enslaved for approximately 400 hundred years until the end of the Civil War in 1865. Although African Americans were enslaved in America, they were determine to survive and one day be freed in this great country. During The African American’s journey to freedom several significant events took place which was inclusive of but not limited to: The Civil Rights Movement of 1865-1877, Separate but Equal Legislation (Plessy vs. Ferguson court case) in 1896, The Harlem Renaissance of 1920, Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954, The March on Washington Movement of 1963, and The Black Power Movement of the late 1960s and 1970. I will discuss the significance of these events in relation to the African American journey to freedom and how they have help shape American society today. THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT OF 1865-1877 Frequently when one hears of the Civil Rights Movement we automatically think of the Civil Rights events that had taken place in the 1950-1970s. However, the Civil Rights Movement actually began in the 1860-1870s immediately following the Conclusion of the Civil War. After hundreds of years of enslavement of African Americans, the Civil War was fought with the intent to abolish slavery. The winning of the...
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...commercial in our society today there is a half-naked lady dancing around with a man. The intended affect is that the company will sell a few more bottles of vodka or rum. There unintended affect was now men believe if there is booze there will be half-naked woman, and if woman get half-naked, there will be men to dance with. Now it is almost an expectation to show up to a party and see all of those things. Bordo: 1. In the west, from the Renaissance to the eighteenth century, what did men wear instead of trousers? In the time before the eighteenth century, men wore what we would call today, tights. Then, it was just a regular thing in society. Because of that change in outfit that stopped all of that nonsense, we have now gone backwards a little bit. In indigenous tribes, breasts don’t even make their tribal members blink an eye. It is just a part of their society. If one day every girl in America stopped wearing a shirt, right away it would be a little crazy. After two generations pass, it wouldn’t even make us get anything uncomfortable. 2. According to Anne Hollander, what did this article of clothing signify? In the 18th century tights didn’t really signify anything. It was just what the men back then wore. Now the tights signify more of a sex appeal. We hear the word “bulge” and that immediately signifies some sort of dominance. We think that because one man’s “bulge” is larger than the other he asserts some sort of male dominance. 3. Though both the men and women in the Jockey...
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...Homosexuality in music is another piece of art that is slowly making it more acceptable and known in today’s society. Recently, it seems as if more celebrities and music artists are coming out as homosexual more than ever, perhaps because it is finally becoming normalized. One example of this is Frank Ocean. Ocean is an R&B artist and a member of Odd Future, a group that produces music. In the rap and R&B industry, it is rare that there is a homosexual R&B singer, let alone be comfortable enough to admit it. After being sick of hiding his secret, he published a post on Tumblr after a “British journalist speculated about the use of the pronoun ‘he’ in love songs.” (Staff, par. 1) After doing so, he was applauded by the Grammys, award ceremonies,...
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...Log My Personal Interest Project topic was chosen with my micro world in mind, due to my interest in art as well as being a Visual Art student. Through studying gender roles during my Visual Art course and exploring social exclusion in Society and Culture, it compelled me to want to learn more about the representation of women within the art world. As a socially aware individual with an interest in art, I felt the need to explore these inequalities to see if they still exist and how this may impact on other young artists. The research methods that I chose were interview, statistical analysis and content analysis, which would provide me qualitative results, as well as quantitative by being able to collect data and statistics. Originally, I planned on conducting a focus group discussion, however as my project progressed, I decided on content analysis as it allowed me to observe a variety of sources and immerse myself in the art world. By choosing an interview I was able to gain insightful knowledge from four females who were either art curators or historians and one male who is an art historian. This gave me qualitative results as I was able to receive in-depth answers from numerous people and allowed and exploration of my cross-cultural by interviewing both genders and gaining their perspectives on this. However, there were some limitations such as by completing my interviews through e-mail, I was not able to ask any follow up questions for answers to be further elaborated...
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