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DBQ Essay On How The Renaissance Has Changed The World

Decent Essays

The Renaissance, which is French for the word “rebirth” or “revival”, was the cultural bloom for Europe. Before this era, life was an everyday battle, facing warfare, poverty, and disease. Starting in around 1400 C.E and lasting until about 1700 C.E, the Renaissance brought about new philosophies, lifestyles, and ideas that changed the world forever. The Renaissance changed the way people saw the world and their place in it by focusing more on education and decreasing religion’s importance.
During the Renaissance, education became a big hit. There were more studies in the mathematics, sciences, literature, and arts. Because of these academic growths, inventions were created that helped with trade and exploration. In Document C, which …show more content…

Created by the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, the illustration was labeled “The Heliocentric Universe of Copernicus”. The drawing from the Roman astronomer, who lived during the Middle Ages, was labeled “The Geocentric Universe of Ptolemy”. Heliocentric means “sun-centered” and geocentric means “earth-centered”. Not only was the geocentric model based off of a theory, but it shows that humans were the center of the universe. The heliocentric model shows that the sun was the center of the universe, and that there was so much in the world to be explored. In Document D, the two images represent woodcuts of the human body from two different eras, the Renaissance and the Middle Ages. The image from the Renaissance was based off of research from a man named Andreas Vesalius. This scientist dissected human corpses in …show more content…

In subjects, such as the arts and literature, the involvement of religion was reduced. There was more focus on humans and life. This focus on humans is called Humanism. Humanism is the study of human behavior, abilities, and culture. In Document A, there are two paintings, one which was drawn during the Renaissance and one was drawn during the Middle Ages. The Mona Lisa, which was done by Leonardo da Vinci in the early 1500’s, portrays a beautiful woman. The painting drawn by Duccio di Buoninsegna in the late 1200’s is of a man and a child. The artwork which was done during the Middle Ages is very religious, as the two people are wearing halos. Not only is it religious, but it is also very plain. The image is 2-dimensional and very flat. There is hardly any creativity, nor any beautiful features. The painting from the Renaissance, on the other hand, depicts a beautiful woman with a nature-filled background. This shows how life was viewed as during the Renaissance. During the Middle Ages, life was poor and the afterlife was good. During the Renaissance, not only was the afterlife a “safe haven’, but life itself was also appreciable. “What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable!” (Document B). This excerpt from the play Hamlet, written by Shakespeare in 1601,

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