Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Martin Luther: Myth, Legend, Man

Controversial topics cannot help but draw many diverse opinions...some more bizarre and uneducated than others. Martin Luther's views that spurred the Protestant Reformation most definitely falls into this category.

Growing up a "cradle Catholic," I thought that Martin Luther was a "bad guy" who split apart the Church just because he was a trouble-maker. I can't remember if I was actually taught that way, or if, in my 10 year old mind, not doing what you're told, going against the rule of the Church, and causing political/religious upheaval automatically made you bad. Even in high school, when I realized that Luther was calling for reform in a Church that very much needed it, I was still thinking like Luther did when he first started speaking out: the Pope, surely, could not have known what was going on; it is his clerics and church officials that were corrupt. Now I really know just how awful the Church was back then.

Protestants, on the other hand, have probably grown up with just the opposite view. One of my friends, Andrew, was just telling me how Luther was seen as a beacon of light and hope, a man who had the courage to speak the Truth and fight for justice when all those around him were corrupt.


I found this guy on YouTube...he definitely represents a radical view of Luther...can you guess which extreme he is?

Martin Luther: Epitome of Evil

- I am interested that he suggests the Luther was driven by fear, which we have mentioned in class

- Other than that, he's got some facts seriously messed up

The Power of the Press


This comic made me laugh, so I put it up here.

It also reminded me, however, of the increasing importance of the written word that was in common circulation (among lay/common people) during this time period. One of the big reasons Luther's ideas were able to spread and catch on so quickly was because of the invention of the printing press. Luther did not share the fate of John Hus because Church officials were not able to easily discard his ideas - they couldn't just burn one book to end the controversy.

"Wait, but Luther wanted EVERYONE to see this!"

"And everyone will!"

  • Just how big of a factor was the printing press - was it a big part of the success of Lutheranism, or just a convenient tool to be used?
  • Without the printing press, would Luther's ideas have caught on and spread as they did?
  • Would we still have Lutheranism, or would it have been crushed like so many "heretical" movements before him?
  • Would we have Protestants, Calvanists, Anabaptists?

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Ain't No Other Man

With all the talk of "the perfect man" in respect to Castiglione's The Book of the Courtier, I thought of Christina Aguilera's single "Ain't No Other Man."

Ain't No Other Man

At first I thought of this song simply due to the refrain, which talks about THE man among men, who outshines all the rest, as the much-debated courtier does in Castiglione's famous work. Watching this music video, however, I couldn't help but think about the courtly lady.

Although Christina is about as far from being the quite, polite woman that was described by Castiglione, this video does raise some interesting questions about how little has changed in our society since the Renaissance.

Women are still using their sexuality as a weapon of sorts. Rather than relying on her voice to sell the song, Christina is rather scantily clad and dances seductively. Is this an indication that after all these generations and women's rights movements, under the surface that shows the advancements of women since the 1500s, women still must rely on their sexuality to get them anywhere? Even if they are talented, intelligent and hard working?

Well, this took a rather unexpected turn. From the perfect man to the imperfect image of women. Interesting.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

The Trouble With Theories: A Reflection on Diversity and Sexuality

After I walked out of the "Diversity and Sexuality: Saint Mary's and Beyond" workshop on Thursday morning, I had a lot of thoughts running around in my head. They kind of found their way into this poem...

The Trouble With Theories

Theories and hypotheses
contained in speeches give and books printed
tell us to love one another, to see
in each other the life that links us.

And yet, in practice
so little of this is reality.
Civil rights and Women's Suffrage
Each cause had to fight for equality
Separately.

People are people.
Why is that not enough?
Have we learned nothing?
We are repeating this discrimination stuff.

Rather than embrace men and women
Regardless of their sexuality
We are quick to point out differences
And treat them differently.

The trouble with theories, you see,
is that they are just that:
Theories.
Ideas.
Thoughts.
Not real.
Every action begins with an idea.
But the trouble is, how to make that transition.

While homophobia is a well known term, while
sexual orientation
gender identity
The Stonewall Rebellion
Queer Theory
LGBT
are foreign to most.

Ignorance is too often accompanied by fear,
of this I am sure.
And so, to stop this prejudice
knowledge is the only cure.



Here is a link to SAGA, an organization on St. Mary's campus. Before Thursday morning I honestly could not tell you what those four letters stood for. Straight and Gay Alliance

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Women in the Workplace

Reading Laura Cereta and her need to "steal" time, having to write or sew only when night has fallen, I couldn't help but think of the same struggle for balance that women face today (ie; 31 -32)

Roles women play in society include (but are not limited to):
  • mother: compassion, time for kids, chauffer, cook
  • worker: success, money, recognition
  • woman: desires, emotions, needs
  • religious: devotion to faith
Balancing all these things is difficult, to say the least. Women of the 21st century definitely have more help than Laura did -today men do more to share these burdens with their wives, and women are also much more respected in the workplace. But this does not mean that the feeling of guilt, of duty to her home is any easier to overcome.

As I am planning to be a doctor, whether or not I want a family heavily influences the specialty I will choose. Although there are more women than men in medical schools across the country, male doctors are much more prevalent in society because a few years after earning their M.D.s, women will hang up their degree to become a full-time mom. This is a very big issue that I am going to have to deal with very soon...and I'm not looking forward to it.

Here is an article giving working women advice on how to effectively balance their lives - the theory is good maybe, but I'm not sure that it was entirely useful advice.
Strategies for Working Moms

Over 500 years has past since Cereta was alive, and yet women are still facing the same issues.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

I wish I could think of a clever title...

While studying for the midterm, and trying to think of big, broad themes that link all of our authors together, I made a rather startling discovery.

Of the five great Renaissance figures we have read this semester, all of them have highlighted the "downfalls" of man. I find it interesting, in this time of great optimism and celebration of man's achievements, that some of the most famous thinkers of the Renaissance are condemning the pleasures that man seeks so diligently.

Dante's Inferno obviously goes into great detail about the trespasses of mankind, and their corrupt nature that refuses to recognize God as the only way to find salvation. This is a very medieval idea, which is part of the reason he is technically considered a medieval text. It is interesting that he was very Renaissance in his style (individual, unique terza rima; vernacular) but not in his content.

Petrarch's My Secret is all about fighting the desires of the flesh, his internal struggle to overcome the "pure" love he has for Laura.

In The Decameron Boccaccio recognizes humans' inability to fight their carnal desires (4th day intro, goslings...). He is the only one out of the five to celebrate it instead of condemning it - if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Sir John Mandeville admits in Mandeville's Travels that "it is no wonder that [the Saracens] call us sinful and wicked, for it is true." Despite constantly talking up the Christians as the best and most sophisticated people, Mandeville obviously sees that they could use some work.

Finally, Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales is full of satire and social commentaries on the corruptness of mankind. His opinion of marriage and fidelity are especially harsh.

Maybe this is only because we're halfway through the semester, and we haven't quite transitioned completely into the Renaissance way of thinking, but I was surprised that only one of the five authors we have read thus far openly celebrate humans' carnal needs.

Take a look at this link - it's combining the temporal aspect of the Renaissance with the very money-driven and earthly society of today.

RenaissanceFaire