Renaissance Vs Dark Ages Dbq Essay

The middle ages are often identified as the Dark Age because of the Black Death, invasions by the Barbarians, and because of lack of enlightenment for the common people. A plague most likely originating from Asia spread throughout Europe. Towns and

This, compared to the belief about the zodiac signs, is a significant change during the

The stars in the sky are filled with numerous patterns and constellations, which has sparked the birth of zodiac signs. Early Babylonians identified twelve constellations that represented the seasonal progression of the earth. They later called this the science of stars or celestial bodies, which is known as astrology. These twelve “signs” each have their own set of characteristics. John Gardner, author of Grendel, was able to intelligently place a zodiac representation into each chapter of the novel, which either was shown through Grendel, humans, or the environment. Throughout the novel, Grendel is constantly changing feelings and developing new emotions, which can be represented by these signs. Additionally, Grendel expresses that he is “locked in the deadly progression of moon and stars” (Gardner 8), which shows the novel’s progression with the patterns of stars. Three zodiac signs that closely relate to the changing of Grendel’s emotions are Aries, Libra, and Pisces.

These changes indicated that man was not tied to the Church, and that he could think freely for himself. As can be seen, astronomy changed man’s view of man during the Renaissance by showing that the lives of people were not controlled by outside institutions.

The cultural rebirth that occurred in Europe from the 14th century through mid-1600s was called the Renaissance based on the rediscovery of the literature of Greece and Rome. The Reformation occurred, modern times are often considered to have begun with the Renaissance. Some major figures were Galileo, Shakespeare, da Vinci, and Michelangelo. This led to the scientific revolution, with its emphasis on science which led to new Universities. Which led to the Industrial Revolution. (PDF William Shakespeare, Galileo, Michelangelo, da Vinci)

When people associate things with the word “dark” there mainly referring to things that are evil, bad or have an evil look. So when you put the label “Dark ages” on the Middle ages, you make the assumption that it was not a good time. But you’d be mistaken, it was completely the opposite. Though not much revolution took place in the early Middle Ages, the people were happy and content, and "the Dark Ages" just doesn’t fit with that, it’s not a accurate label to put on the Middle Ages.

There are many contrasts in the beliefs and values of the Renaissance and the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages was a time of great suffering, including famine and widespread disease. The Renaissance, however, was a revival of art, learning, and literature. Their views of the purpose of life in the present world and man's place in the world was, perhaps, the greatest contrast. However, their views on politics, religion, and education were very different as well.

First, “The Dark Ages” was the time that followed the collapse of the Western Roman Empire but before the Renaissance from the 5th to 15th century. Very few writings survived during the Dark Ages, so most believe that people during this time were illiterate;

The middle ages are often identified as the Dark Age because of the Black Death, invasions by the Barbarians, and because of lack of enlightenment for the common people. A plague most likely originating from Asia spread throughout Europe. Towns and even large cities

In the 1300's, an Italian scholar named Petrarch used the term, "dark ages" to describe Europe in the middle ages.People think that Petrarch used this term to describe Europe in the middle ages, because it seemed as if everything was turning/going bad. Not everyone agrees with him, some people think that the middle ages in Europe was in a growth age instead of a dark age. There were good events, like economic growth and education got more significant. But, there were lot's of bad things like, government order and the Black Death, so it is a debatable topic.

In the 1300's an Italian scholar named Petrarch came up with the name "Dark Age" to describe the time Europe was going through during the Middle Ages in 500AD-1500AD. Throughout the Middle Ages Europe was going through some rough times, but there were also moments of growth. For example the Black Death was a time of darkness but there were positive times like when universities were built. Although the dark ages were looked at as a negative occurrence, more events show a sign of growth.

Between 500 AD- 1500 AD Europe was said to be in a Dark Age. The term Dark Age came from Petrarch. He was an Italian Scholar who said, talking about Europe through the time 500 AD- 1500 AD, that before Europe was full of ideas and now there was not any at all. Europe witnessed tragic events like the Black Death and The Crusades. Europe has been said to be in both a Dark Age and a Growth Age, but ultimately the evidence proves that it was in more of a Dark Age.

The “Dark ages” was found by an Italian scholar, Petrarch, in the 1300s. The term Dark Age was used to explain the period (movie talk-dark ages).The Dark Age could be in a growth age or a dark age. This is applied to “dark” and “light”. This can be argued by the evidence of what is going on during 500AD-1500AD. The debate between Europe being in a Dark Age or growth age is based off of how well the evidence supports the statement and this judgment is clearly stated that Europe is NOT in a dark age based on all the supported evidence.

There are many factors that one could say to support the theory that Europe was in a dark age such as, the first crusade, the black death, and the government. The black death was the biggest reason that Europe was in a dark age because the black death killed one third of Europe's population. As read in Document A ¨ Frightened people abandoned the house and fled to another.¨ this shows how there were small towns, small population and isolated communities, as you can see since the disease spread so quickly, people would do anything to keep them and their family safe. When the first crusade started many fought to to their deaths. Many Christians, knights, lords, and peasants killed 70,000 muslims so they could have salvation. In document B

Through discovery, our perception of human nature changes alongside the world we live in. this is shown in Micheal de Montaigne’s essay “of cannibals” and ‘The Tempest’ drama written by William Shakespeare. Both show, when man is left alone in a natural state, humans grow to perfection, compared to the state of a civilized man whom is corrupt and alters human nature to an animalistic form. The tempest portrays human beings in a civilized state, whom the characters do inhuman acts for material gain and Micheal de Montaigne’s “ of Cannibals” represent man in a natural state whom when left untouched grows to an paragon society. Yet, which is better? a man in a natural state or a man in a civilized state.