The Era Of The Heian Era

Heian period, with the abundance of the Japanese cultural influence, are considered as the peak of the development of the literature, art, and poetry. The poetry in today’s society is the literary work that expresses ideas, feelings, and thoughts through short verses. However, it played significant role in Heian period society, because it was not merely a piece of literature but people in Heian period used poetry in various ways to express their thoughts to the society. The poetry in the society were very critical for both men and women because it created the way to communicate with other people. In addition, the writing processes required skills which also led to the improvement educational thoughts and ideas among people. Lastly, the poetry represented the standard of beauty in the society among aristocratic women. The poetry represented more than just text.

Poetry in light of European tradition was measured and fit strict guidelines. It had strong religious roots and it was more formal than the types of

Poetry is often regarded the genre of the elite, but just as often champions are oppressed. Discuss with a detailed reference to two or more poems.

EPÙÓ, Greek for Eros, is shown to be beautiful in Bridges’ poem: beautiful and adored, yet forgotten. Eros is venerated—called “idol”, and he plagues the heart as a “tyrant.” He is a “flower” of “lovely

The era between 350 and 310 BC marked a dramatic change in the Western World from the first, classical Hellenic Age of the Greeks, to the second, Hellenistic Age of the Greek Civilization. This classical period was considered the height of Greek civilization and deemed “The Golden Age” of ancient Greece. The polis (Greek city-state) was the center of Greek political life for the majority of this period. The poleis were small, independent, and self-sufficient; however, too politically divided to survive the blow of the Peloponnesian war. In 338 BC, Greece was concurred by Macedonia and the polis had lost their independence. “The abiding devotion to the polis […] greatly diminished during the fourth century” (Perry 45). The mentality of Greek citizens changed because of their defeat; they were now an individualistic, rational and secular society. People were no longer viewing the law as “an expression of sacred traditions ordained by the gods” but now saw it as merely mortal, obedience to the law faded, leading to a weakened society (Perry 46). The pride and duty of the polis mentality dwindled and emotional and political ties to the city weakened. Subsequently, Alexander the Great’s conquests, in 330 BC, moved the Greek civilization beyond the polis, to the Near East. For the first time, Greeks had to define their existence as part of a much bigger, more complex and alienating world. The death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC marked the end of the Hellenic age and the

3. The poems included showed the kinds of things that the Japanese people were interested in at the time.

In modern times, youth and beauty is an image seen everywhere. For example, a Versace billboard, magazine ad, TV commercial, all of which displays images of beautiful people. But what happens when this beauty fades? Shakespeare in his 12th sonnet talks about his experience and fading beauty. The purpose of this poem is to encourage a young man to not lose his beauty to the ravages of time. In order to do this, one must reproduce so beauty will live.

Poetry has a role in society, not only to serve as part of the aesthetics or of the arts. It also gives us a view of what the society is in the context of when it was written and what the author is trying to express through words. The words as a tool in poetry may seem ordinary when used in ordinary circumstance. Yet, these words can hold more emotion and thought, however brief it was presented.

The poetry of Ovid exemplified in The Art of Love is one of the only examples of the contemporary social behavior exhibited during the time of Rome. Ovid writes about social activities, proper style, women, and how to obtain them. Through Ovid’s perspective, there are three different ways to consider a woman. These three views include relating a woman to a game, a beautiful treasure, and as a means to assert social status. Comparatively, Andreas Capellanus writes in a way that makes women seem respected, worthy and as something to a man would willingly devote his life to. Both men have a clear fascination with women and their relationship to men. However, their distinct writing styles cause

Throughout the letters, Abelard and Heloise’s perspectives on gender roles were strictly based upon the traditional views on sexuality. For instance, in the egotistical mind of Abelard, women in the medieval society were viewed as a weaker sex who need help of the a stronger male since there were certainly things that “cannot be carried out by women”5. Moreover, Heloise, despite her being a woman, did not seem to be shocked at the idea that men are superior to women. Instead, she instinctively acknowledged the weaker nature of women indicated by her discussion of her abbey which she called “feminine”; she also described it as weak, frail, and needing a more careful attention6. Throughout the first four letters from Abelard and Heloise, they both held congruent views regarding masculinity and femininity, and this dichotomous way of looking at gender indeed did not deviate much from the conventional thinking of the medieval society.

Poetry have existed longer than one would truly think. Infact, Homer author of ‘The Odyssey,” is one of the most epic poetry has been in existence since been around longer than most would think, Homer the author of one of the most epic poetry The Odyssey has been in existence since the 12Th Century B.C. However, poety was still existence proir to Homer. So now the question remain, why does poetry even matter throughout these years? I would definetly assume that since poetry has been around for all this years, it’s significantly important in some way. But how and why does peotry matter so much?

Individuals in society are compelled and feel restricted to follow certain social rules, but for some, their emotions towards the restrictions are negative. Many find different ways to release their constrained emotions, such as art, writing, music and physical activity. In like manner, Christina Rossetti releases her feelings and opinions about restrictions and situations occurring around her, which is evident in her sonnet “A Triad.” Christina Rossetti’s Petrarchan sonnet, “A Triad,” was published in the 1800s; during this period, the image and presentation of women was strict and had to be upheld. In “A Triad,” Rossetti is expressing the lack of variety, labels and freedom of women through the three women illustrated in the poem. The three women are categorized under married and lack of love, ideal woman, and promiscuous. Rossetti’s expressions about the society’s restrictions on women are evident in her use of symbolism of colours and words that are chosen to rhyme.

Periods of time with peace and stability politically and religiously, paired with flourishing arts, are called "Golden Ages". One thriving, revolutionizing time like this occurred in Heian, Japan from 794 to 1185 C.E., under the rule of the Fujiwara family. Succeeding the Nara period, many aspects of the Heian culture, such as Buddhism and the writing system, were borrowed from China. However, in this time, Japan took those preconceived ideas and really made them their own, adding many new ones along the way. The peace and stability, as well as influential literature greatly contributed to this period’s golden legacy. Poetry during this time, most importantly Lady Murasaki 's novel, "Tale of Genji", reflected this time period and forever changed today 's writing, making this era a truly prosperous golden age.

Though not named, the writer, Byron seeks to captivate the essence of a mysterious woman’s beauty through his almost fairy-tale description of her. Written in the 1700s at a time when women were expected to be delicate and assume the role of puppets for their puppeteer men, the woman was juxtaposed between conventional and unconventional norms of beauty. The first line is one such example of him describing her beauty in unconventional terms. ‘She walks in beauty, like the night’ Night is not normally described as being beautiful; writers usually attribute adjectives such as scary, dark, lonely and cold to night. Hence, from the beginning, Byron grabbed the reader’s attention by letting his audience know that this beauty was not just the usual

In his poem, “But love whilst that thou mayst be loved again”, he focuses on warning women to find love soon because beauty will not last with age. He compares a woman’s beauty to a flower: “the fairest flower that ever saw the light / men do not weigh the stalk for what it was / when they find her flower, her glory, pass” (Daniel 6, 13-14). Through this metaphor, he shows how men view beauty in love. No one looks at a dead flower and thinks about what it used to be, rather, he or she looks towards other flowers that bloom with life and colour. This sonnet begins as an admiration for his subject’s beauty, but it ends by telling the subject that when her physical beauty deteriorates, no one will love her. This poem reflects society’s fixation on superficial beauty because it reminds women that they will never find love without external beauty, as a result of the superficiality of men in society. Both poems of the Renaissance Period assert the idea of perfection and the importance of physical beauty in love and relationships.