Raphael's painting "The School of Athens" is an accurate look at the society that existed during the "High Renaissance", as the narrator of the short video referred to it. In fact, this painting is an excellent example of how art and artistic styles can actually represent the details of a real situation, such as a society.
"The School of Athens" is actually as much of a picture of Renaissance society as it is a great work of art. With the flowering of thought and new ideas that took place during the Renaissance, there seemed to be two main types of seeking and gaining knowledge that developed. One was the way of Plato, who believed that there was some higher philosophy that man needed to understand in order to make sense of the world. Plato had his followers, and many of them are shown on the left side of the painting. However, those on the right side of the painting represent the large division in society between Plato, the philosopher, and Aristotle, the scientific thinker. Among his followers, are those who tried to seek understanding of the world around them through their observation and perception, men such as Euclid the mathematician. On this side of the painting, we see those who look for truth in what they can see and hear.
Nevertheless, I must also say that "The School of Athens" does not represent all of the society that existed at the time of the Renaissance. From my observation, the painting only shows and makes comments on the society of the educated. This may be a bit lopsided since what wedon't see are the other members of society: the poor, the uneducated, the sick, mentally ill, lower class or outcasts of society. The painting doesn't tell us much about those people, and we could end up thinking that Renaissance society was made up only of the educated. And, after all, society is made up of more than just educated mathematicians and philosophers.
All in all, Raphael's "The School of Athens" shows the main views that existed in Renaissance society towards the gaining of knowledge and for that, it is a great and beautiful painting. However, it does not give us a total picture of society. Despite this, I think it is a meaningful and interesting work of art that tells us much about a fascinating period of history.
Euclid and Me
If I had to identify with something or someone in Raphael's painting "The School of Athens", I would feel most comfortable with those people on the right side of the painting: those who were more rooted in observation of the real world and perception, as was Aristotle. I do not identify as well with those who were more interested in seeking heavenly or divine sources and ideals and philosophies for everything. I see the right side of the painting as representing the ideas of science - making sense of the world through what we see, similar to the way we do experiments: we first observe through our senses basing our ideas on the reality of our perception. Nevertheless, I do not see myself as Euclid himself, because Euclid had reached an extremely high level of knowledge from his observations and senses. Because I am also a student and trying to understand things around me, I would be one of the students who are surrounding Euclid, listening to him and trying to understand how his observations have led to his conclusions about geometry. Specifically, looking at the painting, there is a figure immediately to the left of Euclid. The figure is kneeling. This person seems to be a woman, although I am not certain that it is. However, assuming that it is a woman, I am impressed by this figure because it would be one of the few women that appear in this painting and it shows that women have a part to play in the gaining of knowledge and in science. Whether or not the figure is a woman, I see myself as a person who wants to learn, but, additionally, as a person who is more oriented toward drawing conclusions based on what I can take in through my senses. That is why I will always respect those who can understand the earth with a sense of reality, seeing and hearing what is all around us, and not through a search for philosophies, like those on the Plato side of the painting.
"Renaissance" actually means 're-birth'. The Renaissance was a time of new ideas, new ways of thinking and a time when Europe flowered with learning. When we think of a "Renaissance man", it makes me think of someone who can change, evolve and learn to do different things. He is someone who either thinks 'out-of-the-box' or who can enable others to think that way. A 'Renaissance man' is a person who is driven by creativity, curiosity and a desire to be innovative; a person who, by his own feelings, heart, emotion and skill, can do many things and do them well and in a way that is important to others. This was Leonardo DaVinci. He is well-known for his painting of the Mona Lisa, the lady with the mysterious smile, and also The Last Supper, the famous painting of Jesus with his disciples. Yet, what a lot of people may not know is that DaVinci was a brilliant inventor whose ideas were revolutionary for when he lived. DaVinci was the inventor of the helicopter, the armored car, the machine gun, among other things. He was a musician, architect, engineer and scientist. Yes, Leonardo DaVinci represented the spirit and enlightenment of the Renaissance. He was a man whose many talents really symbolized the 're-birth' of Europe and showed the potential of the human mind.
To dream the impossible dream To fight the unbeatable foe To bear with unbearable sorrow To run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong To love pure and chaste from afar To try when your arms are too weary To reach the unreachable star
This is my quest To follow that star No matter how hopeless No matter how far
To fight for the right Without question or pause To be willing to march into Hell For a heavenly cause
And I know if I'll only be true To this glorious quest That my heart will lie peaceful and calm When I'm laid to my rest
And the world will be better for this That one man, scorned and covered with scars Still strove with his last ounce of courage To reach the unreachable star
These are the lyrics of one of the most famous songs from an old Broadway show called "Man of La Mancha". The show tells us of the life of Don Quixote, the wonderful, but sad man who dreamed of being a knight and of ridding the world of evil and impurity.
The song describes the value of sticking to our dreams and tells us how powerful a simple dream can be in motivating a person. From what I have learned about Don Quixote, he was a character who had little to offer others. He was not rich, strong, handsome, powerful or intelligent. Yet, he dreamed. He dreamed of a world in which there was beauty and greatness in all members of society, even the prostitutes. And he dreamed of a world in which any goal, no matter how difficult, painful or out of reach, can come true and can motivate us to be greater than we appear to be to others.
Even though the song is from a show that was about someone who lived in the 16th century, I think that the value it speaks about is really true for all people, from all cultures and times: the power of a dream in our lives. The song shows that we must not be disappointed by our failures to reach our goals and that we must expect difficulty and obstacles. However, the song also teaches us that no obstacle is too great to defeat us when we truly believe in our mission, in our goals; and that our greatness as people is not measured by the ease of our success, but in our struggles to succeed. Although this song is old, it is still relevant and important today, to all of us. So, the value of struggling to reach our most difficult dreams is definitely one that transcends time and culture.
Truth escapes down life's stairway. Cloaked in a veil of darkness, Invisible and swift, it eludes us.
Truth is the one thing that we look for and expect from our friends, our family, and our loved ones. Nobody wants to be lied to, and everyone looks for honesty. When someone we are close to lies to us, it is the greatest injury we could have. A lie conveys the disappointment that comes with not being able to trust someone we believed in. When we find that our friends have lied or have somehow been dishonest, it takes away, bit by bit, all that we believe is good in the world and leaves us with a feeling of emptiness and solitude. It is for that reason that I wrote in my poem that truth easily escapes us and is the one thing we seek more than anything else. We look for it and hope for it, knowing that it is among the most important virtues in our lives. Without it, we lose our ability to trust, which is among the most important parts of our humanity.
"You came so that you could learn about your dreams," said the old woman. "And dreams are the language of God. When he speaks in our language, I can interpret what he has said. But if he speaks in the language of the soul, it is only you who can understand."
Santiago, the heroic character in the story The Alchemist, is in search of his destiny; as he is capable enough to do so. Santiago, who happens to be a boy from Andalusia, sets out on a journey to find his destiny, and to follow his dreams. At first, he didn't know about him finding his destiny. He did not think he would achieve it. But as Santiago continued to look for his destiny, he figured out that what he had been dreaming of what his destiny would be like was what he had been all along; a shepherd boy.
Before Santiago started off on his journey, Santiago took a lot of time to think about what he really wanted: to stay and to continuously work as a shepherd, or to set out and find his destiny. When Santiago decides to look for his destiny, Santiago believes that traveling through deserts and experiencing a life as a shepherd boy is all he wanted to live for. However, as he is in the midst of looking for his journey, he meets a wonderful woman named Fatima, who takes his mind off the merchant’s daughter. Santiago feels that a life of shepherding was to be his dream all along. It was all that the boy felt was necessary to discover for himself in his own life. He didn’t want people telling him which path to take. Santiago wanted to live the dream that made him happy; not to live a so-called ‘delusion’ for money. Santiago is advised by two people: an old man, Melchizedek, but also known to be the king of Salem, and a Gypsy woman, to seek out his dream that would be most significant to him. The old man had said to the boy to “never stop dreaming”, which really made Santiago want to chase after his dreams even more. But later on, Santiago figures that his dream was where he was all along and what he had been doing for a long time. It was a dream that made him happy every single time. His anxiety and setbacks are what gave this dream importance in Santiago’s journey of self-discovery.
On his journey, Santiago gains knowledge, determination, and bravery in many different ways. As Santiago is in search of his aspiration, he gains knowledge in several different ways. Melchizedek guides him, taking half of his sheep, and from here, he journeys across the continent and to Africa. There, he comes across an abundance of people who aid him along his journey who help him in his quest for knowledge. A merchant, who happens to be an Englishman, works to gain enough money to continue on with his journey. They search for the alchemist, who gets his hands on the secrets to advancing the Philosopher’s Stone and the Elixir of Life. They also help him to ponder the woman of the desert, Fatima, who turns into the love of Santiago’s life. By this advancing Santiago’s knowledge, it makes Santiago think more, about the positive and the negative necessities in life.
As Santiago advances one of his top character-traits during his journey in search of his dream, he gains determination in numerous ways. For example, when Santiago works as a shepherd before he sets out on his journey, he was not superbly determined. He was only determined enough to take care of his flock. But, when he starts to look for his destiny, the people he meets help him to gain his courage and determination. For example, Melchizedek talks through with Santiago the meaning of true destiny; to follow one’s heart, not what others tell us to follow, or to be; to do what you want to do; what you’ve always dreamed of becoming. After Melchizedek lets Santiago know the true meaning of him finding his destiny, Santiago became more determined and brave to find it. In this sense, knowledge fits best as one of Santiago’s character traits. Santiago had to think; to think about what he’d like and wished to do, and to also think about the consequences of what he dreamed of doing. Santiago did not just go straight to the point and decide to come what he knew he had always wanted to become. Rather, he thought about what would be logical. He thought about the consequences, for example, money, and happiness. Later on, Santiago figures that money doesn’t mean anything to him; happiness does. When Santiago is in search of his destiny, his main focus was to achieve his destiny just for money. But later on, as Melchizedek, the Gypsy woman and the Englishman encourage him to follow his heart. Santiago realizes that he’d rather do something that makes him happy- unlike doing something just for money.
... when each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lies every day the sun rises. –Pg 29
This quote speaks a lot to me, and I think this quote refers to one of Santiago’s main character traits: determination. This quote is trying to say that, if every day is the exact same day as every other day, it’s just because people don’t want to try anything else; because people just want to concentrate on only one thing, nothing else. They don’t recognize the great things that happen every day, as they lie, as they speak the truth; as they communicate with others; and especially how they communicate with themselves. Determination is when you have the confidence to do something for something or someone, and to do it because it makes you happy, not because you’re being forced to. Santiago cared for his flock non-stop- as if his sheep were his own children. He was determined to take care of his sheep, not because he had to, but because he wanted to. It was what made him happy every single day. And that’s what makes him figure out that his dream was to stay a shepherd boy, because that was what always had and always will make him happy.
The one character trait that stands out the most to me out of the three character traits would be ‘bravery’. Santiago went through everything without a doubt- he wanted to continue to be in search of his destiny. He never wanted to stop looking for his finality until he actually found it, and in the end, he does find it. When Santiago meets the alchemist, he expects the boy to be his apprentice for a while, just to test his courage to see if he is worthy enough to find his destiny with the help of the alchemist. In the end, Santiago proves to the alchemist that he is indeed worthy, and courageous, too. He shows that he is courageous enough to find his destiny on his own, with or without the help of the alchemist.
If you start out by promising what you don’t even have yet, you’ll lose your desire to work toward getting it. – page 26
I think that this quote relates a lot to ‘bravery’, because it really shows the depth of promising something you don’t even have. However, in Santiago’s case, he was brave enough to keep his promises until he actually saw that he was able to fulfill them.
Starting off to find your destiny is always hard, because you never know what foot to start off on. In Santiago’s case, he took the path that he wanted to take, not the path that everyone else took. He looked for the dream that he wanted to live, and, ultimately, ends up living the dream that he had been living all along. Santiago did not have to look for his destiny that hard, because his destiny was what he had been all along; a shepherd boy. This was his destiny.
The Power To Communicate Without Doubting
There are many obstacles in life in which you have to overcome without giving up on what you have to achieve. You have to take a chance in order to make these things happen. However, as I have seen myself grow and overcome obstacles in life, I have realized that my superior character trait for me would be gregarious. I know that 'gregarious' does not show any significance to a good learner, however, I feel that a person who is gregarious, they show a lot of confidence as they live and overcome the difficulties in life. A person who is gregarious is someone who is confident of communicating with anyone without any problem- the power to socialize without thinking that it is hard to talk to anyone. Another word for a gregarious person could be sociable, or maybe outgoing or extroverted. Since, most of my life has been through the experience of school, I have accepted and gotten used to the fact that being gregarious is a big part of your school life, and your own life in general. If no one was gregarious, then no one would understand the meaning of socializing. In my life, socializing with my friends and family, means a lot to me. I cannot go a day without speaking to my friends nor family in any way. Being gregarious does not only make you the type of person who chitter-chatters til' they are asked to stop, however, being gregarious brings you closer to the fact that you can work well in activities and tasks with other unknown people. Being greagarious is a strong trait in which many people do not possess, but at the same time, it is a trait that many other people possess, too. In the novel written by Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist, it reflects on a wonderful boy named Santiago who wishes to achieve his destiny. As he looks for his destiny, he is extroverted enough to communicate with people he does not know along the way of his search of his destiny, just like the Englishman, the alchemist, Fatima, the old man, the Gypsy woman, and so on so forth. All of these people were strangers to Santiago at first, but the boy manages to communicate with them to find his destiny.
To sum this up, the power of being gregarious is a great trait in which you should be proud of, because it doesn't make you feel like you are left out, or to feel as if you don't have the power to speak up for your own rights or opinions of various things. Don't count on yourself the whole time, always keep an open hand to someone who is in need of you; even if they are complete strangers, or people in which you have known throughout your whole life.
