Essay Sample on the Renaissance and Contemporary Society

The Renaissance and the modern world have a multitude of similarities and differences. The Renaissance era bring to the rebirth of arts and architecture and also renewal of interest in erudition. It is clear that both time periods made advancements in similar diverse areas. Comparatively, in the Renaissance era, people lived in a society dominated by the church and did not have the right to think on their own. The environment was not conducive for learning during the Renaissance period. In the modern life, states were built on the philosophy that anyone is at will to do whatever he/she wants. There are immeasurable similarities and differences regarding art, education, food, technology, politics, and military technology during the Renaissance Era and Contemporary Society in Europe.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Publication

Pettegree, A. (2010). The book in the Renaissance. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press.

Annotation

Pettegree believes that the Renaissance era is completely different from the modern day life. In the Article, Pettegree made a comparison of different theme that occurred between the two periods such as women, art, religion and family. Pettegree notes that women were considered as property, or rather housewives in the Renaissance era. Pettegree states that women were neither politically nor socially empowered to make such a case for themselves p21. The article argues that although the technology differs across the two eras, similarities can be observed in terms of execution. It opines that our current technological society would be impossible to imagine without two powerful effects of perspective image p26. The article also makes a significant contribution that individuals in the Renaissance era were, just like in the modern life, obsessed with the notion of changing the world. It states Leonardo (a philosopher who lived in the Renaissance era) wanted more than a better understanding of nature; he wanted to change nature p25. Pettegree also argues that in the Renaissance, chivalry was a code of conduct enforced upon knights, lords and nobles. These codes dictated what and how individuals acted and what was appropriate. However, as the article articulate, social standards and manners guide the behaviors and habits in the contemporary society. Pettegrees arguments are logically correct and therefore vital to the analysis of the two time periods.

Publication

Vickers, B. (2004). THE IDEA OF THE RENAISSANCE, REVISITED. Retrieved 19 May 2016, from http://sederi.org/docs/yearbooks/12/12_4_%20vickers.pdf

Annotation

In the article The Ideas of The Renaissance, Brian Vickers argues that in some context, the Renaissance era is very similar to the modern life. Brian points out that if I were asked for the starting-point of modern literature-and the fact that we still can call it modern shows that this particular period isnt finished yet p2. The article outlines that although art might be viewed to be similar in the two time period, writers differs in terms of the level of faith in civilization and cultural standpoints. Ancient authors viewed humanism in a religious context unlike in the contemporary society, where worshipping humanism is regarded as secular creed. Brain noted that the humanist tradition carried right on through into the seventeenth century p20. It accentuates that most humanist traditions were adopted from the Renaissance and therefore quite similar. The article also makes a comparison of fashion between the two periods. It argues that ...recent fashion, deriving from the great upheaval in intellectual attitudes that has been going on since the 1960s p21. I disagree with the notion that humanism across the two times is similar, given development of science, social standards and moral in the modern life.

References

Pettegree, A. (2010). The book in the Renaissance. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press.

Vickers, B. (2004). THE IDEA OF THE RENAISSANCE, REVISITED. Retrieved 19 May 2016, from http://sederi.org/docs/yearbooks/12/12_4_%20vickers.pdf