Humanities & Classics 1002
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Renaissance Forum
Humanities & Classics 1002 |
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In Reply to: PLEASE POST YOU FIRST REQUIRED POSTING AS A REPLY TO THIS posted by TOM BACIG on December 13, 1998 at 19:30:06:
As I have read and tried to understand the readings, a few things came to mind. I believe that the Medievel attitude, as strong in faith as the people were, is why the Renaissance stands out as much as it does. The drastic difference in attitudes is amazing, and in a way kind of scary. Thomas a Kempis states that one should reject outward things and to turn inwards unto oneself. Each day, each moment should be spent accepting and loving God. No other thoughts or selfish wants should clutter and disrupt the soul of a man. How can this thought change so drastically in such a short time? I don't think it was a drastic change, it just followed the path of religious beliefs. As a person spends his/her whole time living to join God, and only living to please Him, the self slowly begins to take the faith into heart, which is what was wanted. As the faith grows, so does the person. Each thought is taken to heart and with each new thought and sight a new love is born. The love does not necessarily take away from the love for God, but it develops the human being into a wonderful, newly fulfilled being. When the Renaissance began people began to look and see what the world around them was full of and the beauty it contained a new life was born. Slowly, I believe, the idea of how one goes to heaven changed as to how one lives the life they have on earth. As Pico della Mirandola quoted God, "....that thou mayest from thence more easily observe whatever is in the world." I think he is saying the world is here to observe and to fulfill a person's desire. If everything around him or her is not loved and taken "into oneslef" than they are not taking in God Himself. I do not think that the love for God is any less, in fact, I think it is much stronger than in the Medievel time.
The Name of the Rose uses both aspects, Medievel and Renaissance. The mentor, Sean Connery, is a good example of Renaissance, and throughout the movie he is passing that new and wonderful knowledge of inner searching to Edgil. The monks seemed to be in the Medievel. No laughter or fun because each moment is to be spent learning and living for God. The poor monks who died (or killed) were the middle stage that must have been a horribly hard process. There was a want for change, they want to become more knowledgeable, and that is what many people were afraid of happening.
Both the Renaissance and Medievel eras are intersting, and the writers do a brilliant job at representing the ideas that were common and representative of the time period.