Tang Poetry
- The poetry from the Tang empire were interesting to read because each other the three poets had a different passion. Li Bai wrote mostly about the state of drunkenness while Du Fu was a realist who wrote about the harsh reality of life and how it affects relationships. Wang Wei wrote about nature and his poetry was very serene. I enjoyed all the poems especially Wang Wei's "A Green Stream" because it was very calming and created a lovely visual imagery. I also liked Du Fu's "Alone in Her Beauty" for its striking realism and candidness and how he portrays human emotions so beautifully. Each of the poets had a distinct style of writing but there were some common themes. Both Li Bai and Du Fu write about being drunk. All three have the presence of nature in their poems. I think that the poems reflect Tang society well because this art of poetry gives us a glimpse of the social life back then and what things were exciting or devastating. I can sense that the Tang society liked to celebrate but also had political or economic troubles. It is also evident that nature was very prominent in their culture.
Song Poetry
- I also enjoyed Song poetry a lot mostly because it focused so much on nature which is always nice to read about. All three poets talk about nature which must play a prominent role in this culture as well as the Tang culture. Mei Yaochen and Li Yu both write about a woman. Like Tang poetry, some aspects of Song poetry (Su Shi) mention drinking. I think that the poetry reflects the society well but I think that Tang poetry reflected its society better. The poems give me a sense to more of what the individual beliefs were rather than the society as a whole. For example, I can sense that Su Shi has a somewhat degrading tone towards his newborn son because he wants him to be born ignorant.
November 22, 2011
November 13, 2011
Conversions of Two Important Men
Both Prince Vladimir and Constantine converted to Christianity during the course of their lifetime. Although how and why they converted are different events, their legacies are both great.
Prince Vladimir was what you would call a hard-core partier... but he wanted to unite his kingdom with a common religion. In something similar to auditions for a play or musical, he had scouts check out different religions. Both Islam and Judaism did not make the cut because of their dietary restrictions. The man liked to eat. The final contestants were Roman and Eastern Christianity. A few of his scouts visited the Church of the Holy Wisdom in Constantinople and were amazed. They told of how great the beauty and wonder was which in turn made the decision for Vladimir. The beauty was what bought him over. He converted to Orthodoxy and not only gained a unified nation, but also a wife by the name of Anna.
Constantine's conversion led to Vladimir's. So I suppose that these two events are similar events in history. They both wanted a better kingdom and by converting, they did obtain a larger, better kingdom. Constantine's desire to win a war led to his religious dreams and revelations which in turn made him convert. Both men spread Christianity and made it more widely known.
Prince Vladimir was what you would call a hard-core partier... but he wanted to unite his kingdom with a common religion. In something similar to auditions for a play or musical, he had scouts check out different religions. Both Islam and Judaism did not make the cut because of their dietary restrictions. The man liked to eat. The final contestants were Roman and Eastern Christianity. A few of his scouts visited the Church of the Holy Wisdom in Constantinople and were amazed. They told of how great the beauty and wonder was which in turn made the decision for Vladimir. The beauty was what bought him over. He converted to Orthodoxy and not only gained a unified nation, but also a wife by the name of Anna.
Constantine's conversion led to Vladimir's. So I suppose that these two events are similar events in history. They both wanted a better kingdom and by converting, they did obtain a larger, better kingdom. Constantine's desire to win a war led to his religious dreams and revelations which in turn made him convert. Both men spread Christianity and made it more widely known.
November 8, 2011
Art from So Far Long Ago
trends of the architecture:
- tall, rectangular buildings with rectangular windows
- domes
- peaks/ towers
- tall, rounded windows
- barely any flat roofs, the roofs are curved
is it distinctive/unique?:
The architecture is definitely distinctive to a certain point. I imagine that one can look upon a picture of a building emphasized by domes and long windows and categorize it as something of the Byzantine nature. The architecture that I looked at were either tall, rectangular buildings such as Dionysiou and Simonas Petras; or they were marked by domes and rounded windows such as Philotheou and Hagia Sophia.
functional? decorative? all of the above?
Byzantine architecture is very decorative but I also think that it was functional in a way. The churches and monasteries are absolutely breath-taking and beautiful. It is clear that the artists and architects had beauty and wonder in mind when they built them. The buildings were functional also because the churches and monasteries housed people who went there to worship and some are still standing today.
influenced American architecture?:
There are traces of Byzantine architecture in today's American architecture. This is evident in the numerous tall rectangular buildings that have taken over the country. The domes are as abundant especially on government buildings such as the Capitol Building's dome.
- tall, rectangular buildings with rectangular windows
- domes
- peaks/ towers
- tall, rounded windows
- barely any flat roofs, the roofs are curved
is it distinctive/unique?:
The architecture is definitely distinctive to a certain point. I imagine that one can look upon a picture of a building emphasized by domes and long windows and categorize it as something of the Byzantine nature. The architecture that I looked at were either tall, rectangular buildings such as Dionysiou and Simonas Petras; or they were marked by domes and rounded windows such as Philotheou and Hagia Sophia.
functional? decorative? all of the above?
Byzantine architecture is very decorative but I also think that it was functional in a way. The churches and monasteries are absolutely breath-taking and beautiful. It is clear that the artists and architects had beauty and wonder in mind when they built them. The buildings were functional also because the churches and monasteries housed people who went there to worship and some are still standing today.
influenced American architecture?:
There are traces of Byzantine architecture in today's American architecture. This is evident in the numerous tall rectangular buildings that have taken over the country. The domes are as abundant especially on government buildings such as the Capitol Building's dome.
November 7, 2011
Take Me Back to Constantinople; Now it's Istanbul, Not Constantinople
Document 1: written by a Jewish rabbi named Benjamin of Tudela who is writing to the Jews. He writes about the glorious wonders of Constantinople but how the Jews are treated poorly.
Document 2: written by Robert of Clari to the general public about the riches and wonders of Constantinople and how when it was captured its captors were amazed by its wealth and beauty. The document talks about the many cathedrals maybe to suggest the importance of religion to the Byzantine Empire.
Document 3: written by Nicetas Choniates to the general public about how the Latins went into Constantinople and destroyed the art.
Document 4: The map is not very trustworthy because the scale is not credible and the buildings look block and too large. There are few cathedrals to show how religion was important. The land is surrounded by water and watch towers to illustrate how defensive they were and ready for attacks.
Document 5: The photo of the interior of Saint Sophia Cathedral shows the new type of art and architecture that was stirring in the Byzantine Empire.
Document 6: written by George Acropolites to the world and is a third-party narrative about the journey of the emperor Michael VIII Palaeologus. The emperor performed religious ceremonies and gave the patriarch the throne.
Document 7: written from a viewpoint of a citizen and talks about the great things the Venetians have done. It also talks about the special benefits and privileges the Venetians have. This document is not very trustworthy because it only mentions Constantinople for its trading port.
I think that Document 1 and 2 are the most credible documents because they both describe Constantinople in great detail from the wealth and riches to the cathedrals, even specific ones such as Saint Sophia. Many of the other documents do not discuss Constantinople in this much of detail or barely mentions it.
Document 2: written by Robert of Clari to the general public about the riches and wonders of Constantinople and how when it was captured its captors were amazed by its wealth and beauty. The document talks about the many cathedrals maybe to suggest the importance of religion to the Byzantine Empire.
Document 3: written by Nicetas Choniates to the general public about how the Latins went into Constantinople and destroyed the art.
Document 4: The map is not very trustworthy because the scale is not credible and the buildings look block and too large. There are few cathedrals to show how religion was important. The land is surrounded by water and watch towers to illustrate how defensive they were and ready for attacks.
Document 5: The photo of the interior of Saint Sophia Cathedral shows the new type of art and architecture that was stirring in the Byzantine Empire.
Document 6: written by George Acropolites to the world and is a third-party narrative about the journey of the emperor Michael VIII Palaeologus. The emperor performed religious ceremonies and gave the patriarch the throne.
Document 7: written from a viewpoint of a citizen and talks about the great things the Venetians have done. It also talks about the special benefits and privileges the Venetians have. This document is not very trustworthy because it only mentions Constantinople for its trading port.
I think that Document 1 and 2 are the most credible documents because they both describe Constantinople in great detail from the wealth and riches to the cathedrals, even specific ones such as Saint Sophia. Many of the other documents do not discuss Constantinople in this much of detail or barely mentions it.
November 1, 2011
Follow the Silk Road
3 things that went well
- working with a partner- it divided the workload and made everything easier since everybody has their strengths and weaknesses
- writing the essay- the internet database is so easily navigated through google, makes me wonder how civilization made it this far without it........
- coloring the map- the public school system has been training us since day 1
3 things that turned my smile upside down
- drawing the map- ocd+attempting to make a grid+a not so accurate grid+a not so great scale= disaster
- time management- oh, the things that distract you in class
- the fact that we had a day off- oh mother nature, how you tease us so
the hardest part(s?): trying to get enough work done in class so we could do the least amount possible at home & actually picking our products, so indecisive ...
collaboration: sarah parker. was a fabulous time. the only downfall was when we couldn't get in contact of each other for like 2 days
l'esprit de l'escalier (things left unsaid/things left undone): if i had a time machine and could go back again, i would work faster on the map and actually remember to take it home so i could work on it over the weekend!
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