Friday, November 29, 2019

Liberty University Chhi 302 History of the Christian Church free essay sample

Soon it became strong and dominate. It is easy to see that the influence of Contemporary Christianity comes from the roots in Roman Catholicism. Contemporary Christian missionary work from America to Central India began in 1872 when Rev. Clark, along with some fellow Christians that had learned a village language, began to preach the gospel. Today that work shows for 2. 3 percent of the population claiming Christianity as a religion. India, to its credit, in the early 1900’s, took the lead in promoting Christian Unity. India holds the largest number of poor, and the 4th largest number of millionaires. This makes India the country with the greatest disparity between the rich and the poor. Many Christian Missionaries take this as an open door to help build hospitals and orphan homes. According to the Christian mission company WorldVenture, India has 266 million children that suffer from some form of oppression, be it abuse, trafficking, abandonment, or slavery. We will write a custom essay sample on Liberty University Chhi 302 History of the Christian Church or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Contemporary Christianity sees the need in India and uses that need to reach the people that are rapped, sometimes quite literally, in the religion of their government and bring them to Jesus through that. One of the biggest opposition to Christianity would be that of the religion of Islam. The Muslim movements are strong and sweeping throughout the entirety of the Middle East. Their message is not one of love and mercy, but of dominance and fear. To one caught in the middle, the safer choice would be to side with that of Islam. This presents a problem to Contemporary Christianity as missionaries and local Christians try to reach their neighbors for the cause of Christ. Hinduism is ubiquitous, and is still obviously the predominant faith,† Woodburne says. He also states that, â€Å"religious toleration which hitherto has been a pretty theory, posited alike by Hindu philosophy and the Christian government, is becoming more and more an accomplished fact. † This should giv e Contemporary Christianity hope in the mission of the conversion of India. As the country evolves, so does the understanding and sympathy of most of the people. India has always been a country proud of her spirituality. Returning to Woodburne on the topic, he states also that â€Å"Hindus are increasingly discontented to allow the study and ritual practice of religion to be confined to the priestly class, for religion is the common property of all. † The reality of the Indian culture becoming fused with the teachings of Jesus at its source is another major obstacle. It could be argued easily that the reason Hindus are not converting to Contemporary Christianity is because the teachings of Jesus – the foundation of Christianity – has teachings rooted deeply in the Hindu religion. As the Hindu teaching becomes more permeated by the teaching of Jesus, the need for separation between the two becomes blurred. This country hold’s the world’s largest democracy by far. This presents a problem in the form of Anti-Conversional laws. These laws in place in India’s government not only place limits on Contemporary Christianity, but they encourage the violent attacks on Christians, especially clergy. The most intense form of oppression on Contemporary Christianity in India would be that of the Caste System. â€Å"India’s notorious Caste System has been abolished by law, yet such traditions die hard. Being that most Christians in the country of India fall into the â€Å"Dalits† classification, this presents a massive problem in reaching upwards. Because Dalits are the lowest of society, they receive the most oppression. By default, Christian Dalits are seen as even lower than Dalits in general. According to Marshall, the 2001 Indian Gove rnment Census severely underestimated the Christian population by limiting the religions Dalits were allowed to claim. The Indian Government also limits educational and job opportunities for Christian Dalits. The Oppression in Modern India on Contemporary Christianity is not a new concept, however. Christianity is a religion that has been persecuted since the death of its foundation – Jesus Christ. Perhaps the most important piece in this puzzle is known to all as Gandhi, or Mahatma, meaning â€Å"great soul. † â€Å"Mr. Ghandi professes to find his greatest inspiration from a study of the teachings of Jesus, which teaching he tries to put into effect literally. He does not call himself a Christian, but rebukes the Christians with the charge of failing to observe the teachings of their own Master. † India is a vast and empty nation when it comes to the subject of Contemporary Christianity. Yohannan, an Indian missionary to his own people says if his time on the mission field, â€Å"the northern Indian state is known as the graveyard of missions. We were driven out of the cities and stoned for preaching the gospel. † The Christian situation in India is dangerous, and yet still it grows. In conclusion, it can be summed up that while the oppression of Contemporary Christianity has tried to stomp out the flame, it still burns and grows. It is easy to look at the numbers of growing oppression, yet it is most important to look at the numbers of the growth in Contemporary Christianity. Despite all efforts to decrease it, the number slowly, but steadily rises. As Paul says to the church of Corinth in 1 Corinthians 15:58, â€Å"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. † The labor of Contemporary Christianity in India is not in vain. BIBLIOGRAPHY Eaton, Richard Maxwell. Religious Conversion in Modern India. Journal of World History. Vol 8 No 2. 1997. Pp 243-271. University of Hawaii Press Gonzales, Justo. The Story of Christianity. HarperCollins. 2010. Marshall, P. Gilbert, L. Shea, N. Persecuted: The Global Assault on Christians. Thomas Nelson. 2013. Schermerhorn, W. D. Syncretism in the Early Christian Period and in Present-Day India. The Journal of Religion. Vol 4 No 5. 1924. The University of Chicago Press. Stable URL: http://www. jstor. org/stable/1195557 . Woodburne, Angus Stewart. The Present Religious Situation in India. The Journal of Religion. Vol 3, No 4. 1923. Pp 387-397. The University of Chicago Press Stable URL: http://www. jstor. org/stable/1195078 . WorldVenture. India/Asia. http://www. worldventure. com/India (retrieved May 5,2013) Yohannan, K. P. Revolution in World Missions. Gfa books. 1986.

Monday, November 25, 2019

An Analysis of the Energizer Bunny Commercial Sequ Essays

An Analysis of the Energizer Bunny Commercial Sequ Essays An Analysis of the Energizer Bunny Commercial Sequence Energizer batteries have been equated with long-lasting energy in your Walkman or other battery-operated appliance. "That damned Energizer bunny" is the cause; he's so aggravating. It seems like that pink bunny rabbit is running across the television screen every other second, it's so annoying. The advertising campaign has been so effective that not only did the company (finally) surpass Duracell in sales, but the advertising company was awarded an Obie (the advertising equivalent of the "Oscar") as best commercial of the year. This essay shall attempt to analyze the series of "Energizer bunny" advertisements. There is a current trend in modern television advertising for a series of commercials for the same product. An excellent example is the ad sequence for "Taster's Choice" coffee brand, where a man and a woman share (cups of) coffee amid alluring looks and sexual innuendos. But I digress. The Energizer camp decided to run a series, but the ingenuity in the Energizer series is that in every commercial in the series, not one begins or ends with suggestions or hints that there was, or will be, another ad before or after it. A brief explanation of the plots of these advertisements is warranted. The first in the sequence shows two toy bunnies, waddling back and forth across the television screen, and all beating bass drums. The one not running on Energizer batteries dies out, and the one on Energizer batteries continues. The next ad showed the same thing, but with a different ending: the Energizer bunny waddled off the television screen, out of camera range, and towards the doors of the studio. The last camera shot is that of the bunny, headed for the doors amid wires and lights and such, and a voice over the intercom says, in an authoritarian voice (probably the director of the commercial), "Stop the bunny." The humor from this scene stems from the unexpectedness of the bunny's actions; it has a life of its own. The voice of the director adds to this because his words and tone of voice suggest that he, too, was unaware of this happening. We don't know what happened to the bunny at this point in time, until they show the other ads. The other ads can be grouped into two categories: commercials which advertise other "fake" products until the bunny comes barging in with that damned bass drum, and views of vast, wide-open spaces (which sometimes include landmarks around the world, like Notre Dame in France, an island in the Bermuda Triangle, et cetera) with the sounds which naturally occur at these sites, then having one's ears assailed with those @%!#$ drums! It is now that the viewer subconsciously realizes that yes, the bunny has truly "escaped" from the jail called the television studio, and is now free to roam the world and do as it pleases (which is simply just to follow the beat of his own drummer [being himself this is getting WAY too parenthetical}]). A similar correlation can be made from this thought and another scene involving toys and freedom/incarceration: in the movie "Toys" with Robin Williams (which I truly hated, sans the Magritte style it used), a war is declared within the toy factory. To help Robin's side towards freedom from the maze the other side created, toys of the company became "accessorized", if you will, with various military tools. Robin exclaims, "F.A.O. Schwartzkopf!" However, a note must be made. Initially, the advertising campaign did poorly, and the ad company did not know why, until they realized that the public was not looking for Energizer batteries, but "the bunny batteries." It was at this time that the ad campaign persuaded the company to put the bunny on the packaging. It worked. People bought the batteries simply because of one thought that ran through their collective head: "That @%!#$ bunny won't ever stop, so I'll buy batteries that won't ever stop! I need batteries that will last as long as possible!" Furthermore, the ads were the first ads in a long time that actually made us sit up and take notice. Most couch potatoes sit through commercials subconsciously, not even aware that they

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Discussion Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Discussion - Movie Review Example Salvador painting represents surrealism painted in 1931 with significant representation of Dreamscapes that depicts the aforementioned logical attack (Smarthistory 1:23). A view of the painting creates a feeling and thought of desert-scape that inherently gives the sense of safety and satisfaction of being within the landscape generated by the art. The painting depicts an unbearable moment of quietness with significantly no observable movements amongst the elements. The environment created by the art displays absurd nature with seemingly dead tree and unrealistic clocks. The ants that seem to eat from a metal piece rather than rotten flesh further explains the irrational nature depicted in the art (Smarthistory 2:26). Besides the impossibilities and absurdity represented by the art, historians argue that the cliff in the background represents those of Catalonian coast that exist within Northern Spain. In addition, historians argue that the strange figure within the art represents a profile face with nose, tongue and eyelashes (Smarthistory 3:40). The art remains authoritative in explaining the conflict between rational and irrational ideas in humanity thoughts, feelings, and ideas.  Inherent elements of the art, including the strange figure, clock, cliff, and the dead tree explains how the human mind and thinking remain wired in reality. Salvador art represents objectivity of reality with the idealistic question over the existence of particular natural objects such as a clock. Ann Temkin explains the inherent era of artists that dominated by abstract expressionism that occurred between the 1940s and 1950s in New York. The event of abstract expressionism that brought several artists together had the urgency to explore self-creativity in artistry. Most importantly, abstract expressionism aimed at expressing the post-war occurrences. The event had great originality and creativity about the

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

American life between the years 1919-1929 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American life between the years 1919-1929 - Essay Example Besides, there were hysterical fears regarding the red Russia, which were attributed to the influence caused by Bolshevik revolution that had occurred earlier in 1917; in fact, this paper will focus on exploring significant issues concerning life between the years 1919 to 1929. During this period, there was anxiety heightened by epidemic attack, which had convulsed the America at the end of the war; in fact, some people had a belief that there were labor tribulations fomented by Bolsheviks. Moreover, this led to campaigns against people who were suspected of having relations with radicals that had been deported to Russia due to cases of Wall Street bombing that led to death of thirty eight people (Aboukhadijeh 1). Furthermore, it was during the same period that a number of state legislature was passed, which involved laws on criminal syndicalism. Besides, this prohibited advocacy of violence in the effort to securing social change, through use of words to achieve the same were not cr iminalized. Conservative businesspeople abolished their association with unions, thereby leading to a reflection of cases referred to as â€Å"judicial lynching.† These cases led to conviction of people such as Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti; in fact, this case involved prejudice by the judge against the defendant due to the mere fact that they were foreigners from Italy, however, this led to rallies made by liberal radicals, and this led to their execution (Aboukhadijeh 1). It was during the same period that America saw the spawning of Ku Klux Klan after the reaction of the war aftermath; in fact, this was seriously spread during the 1920s (Aboukhadijeh 1). Moreover, this was related to notions against Catholics, Jews, Pacifist, Communist, birth-control, evolution, and internationalist; thus, Klan was spreading vigorously to the Midwest of south peak in the mod 1920s, thereby affecting more than five million American citizens. Later in 1920s, there were efforts, made b y some American to end this movement through the congressional investigation after a stern warning. This period was also faced with increased number of immigrants, who entered and settled in the country; in fact there approximately eight hundred thousand, whereby two-third came from southern and eastern part of Europe. On the other hand, it was during the same period, the Congress focused in ending the breach with Emergency Quota Act of 1921, whereby immigrants from Europe were constrained in duration of year based on the quota (Aboukhadijeh 1). Later in 1924, there was a replacement of the Immigration Act with a stopgap legislation that had been formulated in 1921. In fact, this led to reduction of the three to two percent of the national origins for those who migrated. Apparently, there were prohibitions against immigrants from Japan, since America was not allies with this country; in fact, others in this list included Canadians and Latin Americans. Therefore, the immigration act in 1924 was the end of the immigration that has been unrestricted; thus, by this moment America has turned into country with numerous ethnic communities. There were efforts aimed at organizing the labor unions but they were all in vain due to ethnic difference, which led discrimination based on social class and political solidarity. During this period, there were progressive reforms aimed at prohibiting the support for crusading churches and women, due to Eighteenth Amendment in 1919 (Aboukhadijeh 1).

Monday, November 18, 2019

Curriculum Based Assessment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Curriculum Based Assessment - Research Paper Example The research sought to establish the possibility of developing a formative assessment system. Teachers could use this system to grow their effectiveness in teaching learners with academic disabilities. Eventually, a comparative study showed that teachers were more effective on using this formative model. In this regard, the validity criteria and conventional credibility in writings, expressions, and spellings were emphasized. There were three key questions addressed in creating a curriculum based assessment procedures. This included the mode of structuring the activities of evaluation in order to produce adequate data, the parameters of measuring the results, and the possibility of using the data to grow educational programs (Stecker & Fuchs, 2000, P.130). These questions were answered using a systematic evaluation of three major issues relevant to each of the measures. The logistical feasibility of the measures and treatment of utility or validity of the measures were technically ev aluated. The procedures for developing the assessment have been specified and will be briefly discussed. Definition Curriculum is the content that is organized for delivery to students. It is done with respect to sequence and scope of methods and materials by intended learning results (Lemons et al, 2013, p.450). Curriculum based assessment is a term that is used to refer to school based assessment that evaluates student performance in accordance to what is being taught. Curriculum based test measures the functioning of student in relation to knowledge and skills as outlined in the curriculum. It is noteworthy that the curriculum-based measurement measures the progress and competency of a student in the basic areas of skill such as... This essay approves that curriculum based assessment is an approach to measuring the educational growth of each student. The main objective of the curriculum-based assessment is to assist teachers in testing the effectiveness of the lessons offer to individual students. Curriculum based assessment has both advantages and disadvantages. They are efficient and economical in that most of the important characteristics that are used in developing curriculum based measurement procedures are within the context of the ongoing instructions. This report makes a conclusion that the results of CBM research have provided a ground for developing standardized procedures of measurement used to evaluate the effects of modifying the students’ instructional program. A research on the student’s achievement effects on teachers of special education using these procedures proved that the effectiveness of instruction could be improved by the use of CBM in formative evaluation. The assessment of CBM focuses mainly on reading and math as a basic skill. The broad focus is on the measurement areas, basic skills, behavior and others. The basic skills of reading, spelling, math, written expression and critical thinking skills are assessed. Curriculum based assessment procedures focus majorly on special education planning and development. It is evident that response to intervention is nowadays common. This improves teaching and learning with regard to the effective component of RTI that requires particular attention from admini strators.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Impressionist Artists and Artworks

Impressionist Artists and Artworks The Impressionism movement in art was followed by the Realism and Romantic periods. In complete contrast to Realism and Romanticism, with its detailed, accurate and photo-like paintings of contemporary life, Impressionism brought about more of a blurred reality to the canvas. Specific techniques Impressionist artists used were unblended colors and quick, short brush strokes with a unique play on light. An Impressionist artists goal was to objectively paint reality in terms of transient effects of light and color.(1) The Impressionist artist would place vibrantly contrasting colors directly on the canvas; which was a great contrast to the traditional art of blending somber colors. Not understanding, or accepting these new techniques, the Salon of the French Academy consistently rejected most artwork by Impressionist artist. These rejections from the Salon eventually forced a group of Impressionist painters to organize their own exhibitions; Exhibitions of the Independent Artists. Claude Monet was the chief pioneer of the Impressionism period. Monet was born in Paris (1840-1926) and moved near Le Havre at a young age. At only the age of 15, Monet created his first successful drawings of caricatures. Monet continued to study drawing until he met Eugene Boudin, who is responsible for intruding Monet to a new style of painting; stepping outside the studio and painting in the open air. This style would give way to more than 60 years of art that used effective methods to transform perception into pigment. (1) During Monets later years of life he began to paint series of paintings, each one based on a certain subject. Each series offered different views of the same subject, by painting at different times of day or seasons. One series in particular, which is exhibited at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, is the Water Lilies series. This series by Monet are also personally my favorite paintings from all the ones that were covered this semester. The death of his wife and stepdaughter took a great toll on his spirit, fortunately, Monet he was able to find peace in the water of his pond and garden. Monet was captivated daily by the opening and closing of the lilys blossoms. He meditated while watching the reflections the clouds drift across the ponds surface. Although he began to lose his eye sight due to cataracts around this time, he did not let that hinder his paintings. Monet painted approximately 250 oil paintings that completed his series of Water Lilies. The Water Lilies series was the last series of paintings by Monet. There is a noticeable difference in his portrayal of light and air in most of his Water Lilies series. Despite the loss of light, color seems to be more expressive, along with curling movement of his brushstrokes. Monets Impressionist style starts to become more subjective with this series- which may be due to the loss of his eyesight. The lilies have large pads and blossoms which look as though they are floating in space. Monet was able to spatially embrace his canvas which allowed us to feel and know the painting went beyond the frame. He encompassed the canvas with flowing clouds, which are only seen as reflections on the lily pond with an open composition. Imagine a circular room, the dado below the wall molding entirely filled with a plane of water scattered with these plants, transparent screens sometimes green, sometimes mauve. The calm, silent, still waters reflecting the scattered flowers, the colors evanesce nt, with delicious nuances of a dream-like delicacy. (3) Edgar Degas is another Impressionist painter who also was born in Paris (1834-1917.) Degas came from a proud, wealthy, Parisian family who were related to minor aristocrats. He was fortunate enough to attend a prestigious all boys school, the Lycee Louis-le-Grand. Music played a huge role during his upbringing. His mother was an opera singer and his father arranged recitals. Degass mother passed when he was only 15 years old, leaving behind 5 children. With encouragement from his father he enrolled at the prominent Ecole des Beaux-Arts school in 1855. Only one year later, Degas left Paris and went on a three year study and travel in Italy. During this time, he saturated himself with antiquity paintings and sculptures and the Renaissance. He filled his sketchbook with hundreds of copies of art by Michelangelo, da Vinci and other artist. After his return home, Degas began to paint portraits of family members with the intentions of submitting them to the Salon. However, Degas was never satisfied with his own work. humbled by his exposure to the Italian masters, Degas scraped down and reworked parts of his own canvases, initiating a habit of technical self-criticism that was to last a lifetime. (4) Degas painted many history paintings; however, he began to find himself drawn to paintings of the everyday life. His transition to paint modern subject matter was a very gradual one. He was able to apply his knowledge of past artist but steer it towards people of the modern day and subject matter like no other artist. Degass variety with his use of mediums and subjects matters seems to be endless. His drawings include examples in pen, ink, pencil, chalk, pastel, charcoal, and oil on paper, often in combination with each other, while his paintings were carried out in watercolor, gouache, distemper, metallic pigments, and oils, on surfaces including card, silk, ceramic, tile, and wood panel, as well as widely varied textures of canvas. (4) Combine his talent with his knowledge of traditional art makes him the most accomplished draftsman of the Impressionist. While he is most well known for his works with humans (particularly females) he also painted a great deal on the modern life of P aris and successfully sketched many landscape pieces. In Degass later years can began to combine his love for the female body with his love for landscapes. The pastel Russian Dancer (exhibited in the Houston Museum of Fine Arts) is a great example of how Degas united both of his loves to reveal his true abilities as an artist. This pastel also is reflective in his shift toward his series work. Degas executed these pastels by studying the poses of the Russian women and sketched them first in charcoal on tracing paper, then transferred particular poses and gestures from work to work. Degas invented the technique of superimposing layers of pastel, which created a sort of transparency in the art piece. Layering the pastels intensified the hues and contrasts within the landscape. Through his use of vibrant colors, mediums, innovative techniques and explosively drawn movements, make Russian Dancers and Degass other late pastels among the most extraordinary in the history of that medium.(5) Romantic Period with works from Francisco de Goyas Still Life with Golden Bream and Joseph Mallord William Turners Sheerness as Seen from the Nore The term Romanticism in art is given to a time period from about the mid 18th century through mid 19th century. Romanticism, like most other art movements, was an art that was trying to push away from the previous (neoclassical) styles of arts. This movement renounced the neoclassical styles of balance, precise lines, clarity, order, unity and symmetry. Romantic artist emphasized on emotion, including terror, awe, joy, and loneliness. These artists wanted nothing to do with the harmony, rationality, and order of the neoclassical painters. They rejected the tiny brushstrokes of previous artist and celebrated their works with active, stimulating brushwork. Nature landscapes were also a major part of the romantic period. Romantics felt a strong connection with nature and had a deep interest in capturing the serenity or exoticism of it. Also, they used nature to convey emotions. During this time period, the works of art derived from the individual, opposed to collective reactions of othe rs. Romanticism can basically be described as irrational, imaginative, personal and mostly emotional. The Romantic movement first developed in northern Europe with a rejection of technical standards based on the classical ideal that perfection should be attained in art.(6) Francisco Jose de Goya was a famous romantic artist born in Spain (1746-1828.) Goya was trained in Naples, Madrid and Italy. It was in Rome that Goya received his first significant commission for frescoes in the cathedral. It took Goya 10 years to finish all the frescoes; however, these first works of art from Goya are considered Rococo style. In 1771, Goya began a career as a court painter. These painting consisted mostly of contemporary life aristocratic and popular pastimes. In 1785, he was appointed deputy director of painting at the Academy and the following year painter to King Charles III.(7) During this time, Goyas painted portraits of figures in full-length, mostly of society women. The death of Charles III in 1788, a few months before the outbreak of the French Revolution, brought to an end the period of comparative prosperity and enlightenment in which Goya reached maturity.(7) An illness in 1792 left Goya permanently deaf. At this point, is when Goya begins to take on a n ew personality with freedom of expression and imagination is his art. His experiences allowed him to have a more critical point of view, which in turn, allowed more maturity in his art work. Goyas Still Life with Golden Bream (exhibited at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts) is one still life painting, out of only one dozen still lifes, that Goya painted, all being painted in the last decade of his life. This painting depicts a pile of bream fish. The incredible use of light makes it seems as though the fish are very much alive and staring directly at you. The detail captured in the blank expressions have the audience feeling that at any moment, the fish will stop playing dead and start whaling about on the table. The eyes of the fish are yellow, huge and wide opened and give this painting an unbelievable eeriness. Although the subject of this work is simple-a pile of dead fish-it expresses a moving pathos reminiscent of Goyas etching series Disasters of War, one of the artists great achievements. Both the print series and Still Life with Golden Bream were completed during the terrible war between Spain and France, and both serve as meditations on death and violence.(8) Joseph Turner was an English Romantic landscape painter born in 1775. There are several professional drawings on record from Turner starting at the age of only 12. At the age of 14, Turner enrolled in the Royal Academy and soon began to exhibit his watercolor paintings there. His early works of art were traditional in techniques and in character, painting mostly topographical places. Welsh landscape painter Richard Wilson helped broaden Turners outlook and revealed to him a more poetic and imaginative approach to landscape, which he would pursue to the end of his career with ever-increasing brilliance.(7) Turner began publishing a series of 100 plates known as the Liber Studiorum in 1807. The goal was for Turner to document a vast variety and range of landscapes. In 1808, Turner completed a seascape named Sheerness as Seen from the Nore. This painting depicts the smaller boats being thrown about in angry part of the ocean. The white peaks on wave give way to unsettling events that seem to take place more in the future than the present. The fearful emotions from the swirling clouds only add to the anticipation The composition is dominated by the light of the sun rising at the left, and by the vigor of the foreground swell; as so often in Turner, the distant ships are silhouetted against a strip of light at the horizon, the guard ship at the left forming an area of repose in otherwise turbulent design. (9) Turner ruled the art world with his range and sublimity of his expressive study of light, color, and atmosphere and is commonly referred to as the painter of light.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Gender Emergence in England’s History Essay -- European History

Gender Emergence in England’s History "Historicizing Patriarchy: The Emergence of Gender Difference in England, 1660-1760" by Michael McKeon is a powerful and original hypothesis as to "how and why the modern system of gender difference was established during the English Restoration and eighteenth century" (295). McKeon, a professor of English literature at Rutgers University is also the author of several essays, including "Politics and Poetry in Restoration England" and "Origins of the English Novel." McKeon uses the term 'patriarchalism' because it attaches itself to a "traditional regime" which will in later centuries be replaced by the "modern conception of gender" (296). This term is mainly identified with as traditional because it is not normally questioned nor objected to; people interpret it as the natural order of things. McKeon's patriarchal system is founded on the belief that there was a "hierarchical notion of authority" which existed not only in Britain's government, but in the family as well. The oldest male figure of the household was most often looked upon as the leader; he simultaneously played the roles of father, husband, and ruler of the house. His word was absolute law for the family. As with most issues, there are two sides. Parliamentarian Henry Parker and feminist Mary Astell disagreed on many issues, including whether the family and state were both founded on the concept of absolute power. However, they both agree on the "continued plausibility of the analogy between family and state" (297). So, although many critics do not feel comfortable with absolute power being the ruling force of family and state, they do agree that there is a direct correlation between them. Debates continued until arou... ...es embraced it sooner than others. The ideology and rationale are there, yet this change has many exceptions and abstractions which will not allow historians to fully confirm their thesis. There are many overlapping levels of experience, class, and gender that encompass a broad sexual, political, economic, cultural, and intellectual range. A good metaphor that McKeon uses throughout the essay to compare gender to a web from which other lifestyles stem. McKeon cleverly sums up his argument by stating that "it is therefore a determinant regime in that it establishes the outer limits of our experience, and it is under the aegis of difference that we formulate our efforts to go beyond it" (316). Works Cited McKeon, Michael. "Historicizing Patriarchy: The Emergence of Gender Difference in England, 1660-1760." Eighteenth-Century Studies vol. 28, no. 3, 1995: 295-322.