(1213,30,'2011-05-02 21:41:10','2011-05-03 03:41:10','The <em>Canon of Medicine</em> was the standard medical text in the East and West until about the 16<sup>th</sup> century. It is a five volume medical encyclopedia written by the Persian Muslim scientist Ibn Sina (Iqbal). It was completed in 1025. It is considered one of the most famous books in medical history.  “The <em>Canon of Medicine</em> was translated into Latin and was used more than Hippocrates and Galen in Europe” (Gallagher). This piece of literature should be preserved for generations to come because it set the basis for many medical procedures, introduced medical terminology, and ultimately showed how one man’s discoveries can spread throughout the world and cause a positive impact.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/avicenna2.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1214\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/avicenna2-228x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"228\" height=\"300\" /></a>http://www.kollewin.com/EX/09-16-09/avicenna2.jpg</p>\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\nAt this time historically, countries across the world were striving to advance in ways of knowledge, religion, art, and ultimately power. In the Islamic lands, the church and the state were inseparable, thus theocratic rule was present. This type of rule brought a strong sense of unity to the Islamic culture. “Islamic,” then, is a term used to describe the culture of geographically diverse regions—Arab and non-Arab—dominated by Islam” (Fiero B2.54).\r\n\r\nIslam was openly receptive to the achievements in intellect from other cultures and had a strong will to discover the workings of the natural world. There were few Westerners who could read or write Latin; Arab scholars preserved works of Greek manuscripts, like those from Aristotle, Plato, Hippocrates, etc., by translating them into Arabic. Paper, which was invented in China as early as the second century, was widely available in Baghdad from the ninth century and on. Paper in the Islamic world was used to produce new literature like cookbooks, poems, tales, and scientific treatises (Fiero, B2.54). Muslims made contributions to the Western World, too. They made contributions in math, medicine, chemistry, optics, astronomy, philosophy, and geography.\r\n\r\nThe <em>Canon of Medicine</em> is typical of this era because the world at the time, both Eastern and Western, was searching for explanations and knowledge, especially in the medicinal field. There were new discoveries in different aspects of life, from mathematics to anatomy. Intellectualists, Ibn Sina included, were avid in inventing new concepts or proving new theories that could be revolutionary.\r\n\r\nThis work is innovative of its time because he gave new ideas to the field of medicine. He believed medicine was divided into two categories: theoretical and practical. He believed illnesses were caused by internal or external causes. Internal illnesses were those that were caused by an imbalance of temperament in the human body or are the result of psychological elements (Aminrazavi). External causes were of course caused by the environment or external harm.\r\n\r\nIn the first volume of the <em>Canon of Medicine</em>, Ibn Sina stated, “Medicine is the science of knowing the structure of the human body” (Aminrazavi). He discussed the fundamentals necessary to maintain human health as well as surgery being an independent branch of medicine. He greatly elaborates on anatomy and proposed many innovative ways on how the body is composed structurally.\r\n\r\nIn the second volume, Ibn Sina explains different healing properties of simple and compound drugs and their applications. In the third and fourth volumes, he expresses his diagnosis of a variety of illnesses, from meningitis and cancer to tuberculosis and gastrointestinal illnesses. In the fifth volume, he offers discussion of pharmacology, providing a detailed description of many medications’ effects on the body (Aminrazavi).\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Avicenna-Canon-of-Medicine.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1215\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Avicenna-Canon-of-Medicine-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" /></a>http://www.payvand.com/news/07/jan/Avicenna-Canon-of-Medicine.jpg</p>\r\nAt the time, this work was greatly accepted by people. Some of the observations Ibn Sina had were very ahead of his time. People were blown away by the complexity and creativity of many of his proposals. For example, he attributed to the cause of plague to mice, commented on many contagious diseases, proposed using horse hair for stitches during surgery, experimented with different drugs for anesthesia, described surgical procedures, proposed certain spices could be used to help with blood clotting after a surgery, and understood the relationship between temperature and the spread of diseases (Aminrazavi).\r\n\r\nToday, the impact of the <em>Canon of Medicine</em> can still be seen. In many Islamic countries, Ibn Sina’s technical medical terminology is still used (Aminrazavi). It set the foundation for many surgeries, pharmacology practices, and illness diagnoses. People today, especially those in the medical field, are grateful for Ibn Sina’s research, experimentation, and innovative ideas. During the eleventh century, people were less intelligent of the medical field so were more shocked by Ibn Sina’s introduction of his ideas to the medical world. Today, people, especially from Islamic countries, are appreciative that he did create this book and because of this, the techniques and observations have been further tested and elaborated upon. “The historical museum in Bukhara displays many of his writings, surgical instruments from the period when he practiced medicine, and paintings of patients undergoing treatment” (Kerschberg).\r\n\r\nIbn Sina’s Canon of Medicine personally impressed me. For someone to even imagine some of his ideas about surgery, illness, and medicine astounds me. He was so advanced for his time and it is amazing that he contributed so much to the world of medicine. For one person to be so devoted to studies of the body and to discover so many new ideas is absolutely great.\r\n\r\nThe <em>Canon of Medicine</em> can be compared to the Tacuinum Sanitatis. This medieval health handbook was created by Arab physicians who examined the effects of various foods, drinks, and clothing on human well-being (Fiero, B2.54). The Tacuinum Sanitatis was created by multiple physicians, and did not offer as astounding ideas to medicine like Ibn Sina’s work did. But, both pieces contributed ample knowledge to the medicinal world and both, after translated to Latin, spread throughout the West. Both pieces preached that a healthy life is lived in harmony and promoted healthy living.\r\n\r\nIt is important for future generations to know that the <em>Canon of Medicine</em> was the foundation for a great amount of introductory ideas on surgery, illness, medicine, and ultimately healthy living. It formed “formed the basis of teaching at all European universities” from the twelfth century and on (Iqbal). It is important that generations ahead see how a single person’s discoveries can change the world forever. This great encyclopedia should inspire us all to feed our hunger for knowledge and discovery. Many of Ibn Sina’s ideas were elaborated upon and have evolved into some of the most successful and accurate ideas and procedures used in today’s medicinal world.\r\n\r\nWorks Cited:\r\n\r\nAminrazavi, Mehdi. \"Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna).\" <em>Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures</em>. Ed. Helaine Selin. 2nd ed. Berlin, Germany: Springer, 2008. 1119-1121. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. I gathered the majority of my information from here. It elaborated on the Canon of Medicine so I got details on the piece.\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria K. <em>The Humanistic Tradition</em>. 6th. McGraw-Hill, 2011. eBook. This is a humanities online textbook. I gathered information on Islamic culture, contributions, and other literature. I also got information on the comparison piece.\r\n\r\nGallagher, Nancy. \"Healing and Medicine: Healing and Medicine in Islamic Texts and Traditions.\" <em>Encyclopedia of Religion</em>. Ed. Lindsay Jones. 2nd ed. Vol. 6. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 3831-3833. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. I gathered information on what an impact Ibn Sina’s work had on the world.\r\n\r\nIqbal, Muzaffar. \"Avicenna.\" <em>Encyclopedia of Science and Religion</em>. Ed. J. Wentzel Vrede van Huyssteen. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2003. 49-51. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. This article discussed Ibn Sina’s life and accomplishments.\r\n\r\nKerschberg, Benjamin S. \"Ibn Sina.\" <em>Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History</em>. Ed. William H. McNeill, Jerry H. Bentley, and David Christian. Vol. 3. Great Barrington, MA: Berkshire Publishing, 2005. 951-952. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. I gathered information on Ibn Sina and saw how he is appreciated today.','Ibn Sina\'s Canon of Medicine','','publish','open','open','','ibn-sinas-canon-of-medicine-2','','','2011-05-02 21:41:10','2011-05-03 03:41:10','',0,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1213',0,'post','',9),(1214,30,'2011-05-02 21:38:49','2011-05-03 03:38:49','','avicenna2','','inherit','open','open','','avicenna2','','','2011-05-02 21:38:49','2011-05-03 03:38:49','',1213,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/avicenna2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1215,30,'2011-05-02 21:40:25','2011-05-03 03:40:25','','Avicenna-Canon-of-Medicine','','inherit','open','open','','avicenna-canon-of-medicine','','','2011-05-02 21:40:25','2011-05-03 03:40:25','',1213,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Avicenna-Canon-of-Medicine.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1216,30,'2011-05-02 21:40:41','2011-05-03 03:40:41','The <em>Canon of Medicine</em> was the standard medical text in the East and West until about the 16<sup>th</sup> century. It is a five volume medical encyclopedia written by the Persian Muslim scientist Ibn Sina (Iqbal). It was completed in 1025. It is considered one of the most famous books in medical history.  “The <em>Canon of Medicine</em> was translated into Latin and was used more than Hippocrates and Galen in Europe” (Gallagher). This piece of literature should be preserved for generations to come because it set the basis for many medical procedures, introduced medical terminology, and ultimately showed how one man’s discoveries can spread throughout the world and cause a positive impact.\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/avicenna2.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1214\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/avicenna2-228x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"228\" height=\"300\" /></a>http://www.kollewin.com/EX/09-16-09/avicenna2.jpg</p>\n<!--more-->\n\nAt this time historically, countries across the world were striving to advance in ways of knowledge, religion, art, and ultimately power. In the Islamic lands, the church and the state were inseparable, thus theocratic rule was present. This type of rule brought a strong sense of unity to the Islamic culture. “Islamic,” then, is a term used to describe the culture of geographically diverse regions—Arab and non-Arab—dominated by Islam” (Fiero B2.54).\n\nIslam was openly receptive to the achievements in intellect from other cultures and had a strong will to discover the workings of the natural world. There were few Westerners who could read or write Latin; Arab scholars preserved works of Greek manuscripts, like those from Aristotle, Plato, Hippocrates, etc., by translating them into Arabic. Paper, which was invented in China as early as the second century, was widely available in Baghdad from the ninth century and on. Paper in the Islamic world was used to produce new literature like cookbooks, poems, tales, and scientific treatises (Fiero, B2.54). Muslims made contributions to the Western World, too. They made contributions in math, medicine, chemistry, optics, astronomy, philosophy, and geography.\n\nThe <em>Canon of Medicine</em> is typical of this era because the world at the time, both Eastern and Western, was searching for explanations and knowledge, especially in the medicinal field. There were new discoveries in different aspects of life, from mathematics to anatomy. Intellectualists, Ibn Sina included, were avid in inventing new concepts or proving new theories that could be revolutionary.\n\nThis work is innovative of its time because he gave new ideas to the field of medicine. He believed medicine was divided into two categories: theoretical and practical. He believed illnesses were caused by internal or external causes. Internal illnesses were those that were caused by an imbalance of temperament in the human body or are the result of psychological elements (Aminrazavi). External causes were of course caused by the environment or external harm.\n\nIn the first volume of the <em>Canon of Medicine</em>, Ibn Sina stated, “Medicine is the science of knowing the structure of the human body” (Aminrazavi). He discussed the fundamentals necessary to maintain human health as well as surgery being an independent branch of medicine. He greatly elaborates on anatomy and proposed many innovative ways on how the body is composed structurally.\n\nIn the second volume, Ibn Sina explains different healing properties of simple and compound drugs and their applications. In the third and fourth volumes, he expresses his diagnosis of a variety of illnesses, from meningitis and cancer to tuberculosis and gastrointestinal illnesses. In the fifth volume, he offers discussion of pharmacology, providing a detailed description of many medications’ effects on the body (Aminrazavi).\n\n<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Avicenna-Canon-of-Medicine.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1215\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Avicenna-Canon-of-Medicine-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nAt the time, this work was greatly accepted by people. Some of the observations Ibn Sina had were very ahead of his time. People were blown away by the complexity and creativity of many of his proposals. For example, he attributed to the cause of plague to mice, commented on many contagious diseases, proposed using horse hair for stitches during surgery, experimented with different drugs for anesthesia, described surgical procedures, proposed certain spices could be used to help with blood clotting after a surgery, and understood the relationship between temperature and the spread of diseases (Aminrazavi).\n\nToday, the impact of the <em>Canon of Medicine</em> can still be seen. In many Islamic countries, Ibn Sina’s technical medical terminology is still used (Aminrazavi). It set the foundation for many surgeries, pharmacology practices, and illness diagnoses. People today, especially those in the medical field, are grateful for Ibn Sina’s research, experimentation, and innovative ideas. During the eleventh century, people were less intelligent of the medical field so were more shocked by Ibn Sina’s introduction of his ideas to the medical world. Today, people, especially from Islamic countries, are appreciative that he did create this book and because of this, the techniques and observations have been further tested and elaborated upon. “The historical museum in Bukhara displays many of his writings, surgical instruments from the period when he practiced medicine, and paintings of patients undergoing treatment” (Kerschberg).\n\nIbn Sina’s Canon of Medicine personally impressed me. For someone to even imagine some of his ideas about surgery, illness, and medicine astounds me. He was so advanced for his time and it is amazing that he contributed so much to the world of medicine. For one person to be so devoted to studies of the body and to discover so many new ideas is absolutely great.\n\nThe <em>Canon of Medicine</em> can be compared to the Tacuinum Sanitatis. This medieval health handbook was created by Arab physicians who examined the effects of various foods, drinks, and clothing on human well-being (Fiero, B2.54). The Tacuinum Sanitatis was created by multiple physicians, and did not offer as astounding ideas to medicine like Ibn Sina’s work did. But, both pieces contributed ample knowledge to the medicinal world and both, after translated to Latin, spread throughout the West. Both pieces preached that a healthy life is lived in harmony and promoted healthy living.\n\nIt is important for future generations to know that the <em>Canon of Medicine</em> was the foundation for a great amount of introductory ideas on surgery, illness, medicine, and ultimately healthy living. It formed “formed the basis of teaching at all European universities” from the twelfth century and on (Iqbal). It is important that generations ahead see how a single person’s discoveries can change the world forever. This great encyclopedia should inspire us all to feed our hunger for knowledge and discovery. Many of Ibn Sina’s ideas were elaborated upon and have evolved into some of the most successful and accurate ideas and procedures used in today’s medicinal world.\n\nWorks Cited:\n\nAminrazavi, Mehdi. \"Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna).\" <em>Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures</em>. Ed. Helaine Selin. 2nd ed. Berlin, Germany: Springer, 2008. 1119-1121. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. I gathered the majority of my information from here. It elaborated on the Canon of Medicine so I got details on the piece.\n\nFiero, Gloria K. <em>The Humanistic Tradition</em>. 6th. McGraw-Hill, 2011. eBook. This is a humanities online textbook. I gathered information on Islamic culture, contributions, and other literature. I also got information on the comparison piece.\n\nGallagher, Nancy. \"Healing and Medicine: Healing and Medicine in Islamic Texts and Traditions.\" <em>Encyclopedia of Religion</em>. Ed. Lindsay Jones. 2nd ed. Vol. 6. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 3831-3833. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. I gathered information on what an impact Ibn Sina’s work had on the world.\n\nIqbal, Muzaffar. \"Avicenna.\" <em>Encyclopedia of Science and Religion</em>. Ed. J. Wentzel Vrede van Huyssteen. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2003. 49-51. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. This article discussed Ibn Sina’s life and accomplishments.\n\nKerschberg, Benjamin S. \"Ibn Sina.\" <em>Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History</em>. Ed. William H. McNeill, Jerry H. Bentley, and David Christian. Vol. 3. Great Barrington, MA: Berkshire Publishing, 2005. 951-952. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. I gathered information on Ibn Sina and saw how he is appreciated today.','Ibn Sina\'s Canon of Medicine','','inherit','open','open','','1213-revision','','','2011-05-02 21:40:41','2011-05-03 03:40:41','',1213,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1216',0,'revision','',0),(1218,29,'2011-05-02 22:11:19','2011-05-03 04:11:19','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51M1M0ZR1NL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"252\" height=\"428\" />http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51M1M0ZR1NL.jpg</p>\r\n\"The Arabian Nights\" also known as \"The Thousand and One Nights\" is a classic assembly of stories whose origins branch from the eighth and tenth centuries from Arabic, Persian and Indian cultures (WHO wrote the actual stories is uncertain). This collection of stories is the most famous piece of Arabic literature in the west. Famous characters such as Ali Baba, Aladdin and Sinbad all stem from these adventurous tales. The collection of prose tales, uses a narrative technique called a \"frame tale,\" where a story is \"composed for the purpose of including a group of shorter stories\" (Fiero, 19).  The specific frame story used in \"The Arabian Nights\" focuses on an Indian fairy tale: \"Shahrasad (in English, Scheherazade) marries a king who fears female infidelity so greatly that he kills each new wife on the morning after the wedding night. <!--more-->In order to forestall her own death, Scheherazade entertains the king by telling stories, each of which she carefully brings to a climax just before dawn, so that, in order to learn the ending, the king must allow her to live.\" (Fiero, 19). The storytelling techniques of Scheherazade has a \"humanizing\" effect on the kind who, after exactly a thousand nights begins to love his witty wife (so he decides not to behead her like the rest!) Within the story lies 250 tales which include fantasy, romance and erotica. \"The Arabian Nights\" has been translated into various languages throughout time. In the 1700s, Jean Antoine Galland executed the first translation in French and in the 1880\'s John Payne and Sir Richard Francis Burton did an English translation. Since then, the stories have been translated into various other languages including Persian and Egyptian. Stories such as Aladdin focus on the lower people in society; rogues, tricksters and vagabonds were all added during the Egyptian translations of the stories. Islam, from the very beginning, has had the status of being a state-sponsored religion. Islam holds ethnic diversity, where theocratic rule brought together an assimilation of many different people. The main languages of the Islamic world include: Arabic, Persian and Turkish (but there are many, many others). Like \"The Arabian Nights,\" Islam \"absorbed\" different styles of art from non-Arab people as it expanded. \"The Arabian Nights\" can be compared with the ever-changing styles of Islam; as the stories of \"The Thousand and One Nights\" expanded, so did its content and art styles. Muhammad had a dictum where people were to \"seek knowledge,\" like the western world in order to understand the happenings of the natural world. A burst of literacy happened during the 1300-1500s and people began to explore literature from all over the world. The availability of paper was an important factor in the burst for knowledge, \"and in the production of new types of literature, such as scientific treatises, cookbooks, poems and tales, paper provided a major advance over parchment and papyrus, expensive materials from whose surfaces ink could easily be erased.\" If paper wasn\'t easily attainable and knowledge wasn\'t sought after, like Muhammad had asked, \"The Arabian Nights\" would have never graced this Earth.\r\n\r\nThe story of the nights circulated in various manuscript forms until they were eventually written down and put into definitive form (its original version). This happened in the second part of the thirteenth century in the Mamluk domain in Syria or Egypt. This version, which is now lost, served as an archetype for copies of the text afterwards. The branches of the stories that came from Syria is now held at the Bibliotheque in Paris in three volumes, this manuscript is the oldest and more similar to the original texts written in the fourteenth century). Copyist that translated the stories added stories, fables and anecdotes from Indian, Persian and Turkish cultures from oral and written traditions. These facts added to the diversity of the stories which lends to the many layers of culture and styles seen in the stories. The mania for competing the unfinished stories led some copyists to forgery: Stories like \"Aladdin and the Magic Lamp\" were not among the basic eleven of the original works and cannot be found in any of the Arabic manuscripts during the early time period the stories were written. Galland who wrote a French translation, was given the story of Aladdin around 1787 and it was added to the stories during this time period. The \"Arabian Nights\" have been translated and exposed in many editions: The Mahdi Edition, English, French, Egyptian, etc.\r\n\r\nThe stories of \"The Thousand and One Nights\" continues to inspire many Western readers about the ideas of the \"romantic\" East. Most stories during this time period focused on tribal wars, heroic deeds and brave warriors. Shortly after the printing press was invented, people began printing cheap books, some with illustrations. \"The Arabian Nights\" was different for its time because it was pure entertainment. The stories are fun and adventurous which is why they became so popular. \"The Arabian Nights\" inspired stories of romance and fairy tales in a time period when mostly poetry, riddles, lullabies and war tales were circulating. \"The Arabian Nights\" were collected over many centuries from Persia, India and Arabia and include a vast assortment of subjects and styles. The stories include: Adventure fantasies, erotica, animal fables and display an accurate descriptions of the daily entertainments of the Islamic world. The stories are compared to the Islamic art in the way that they loop into each other, linking each story to the last. This technique is a principe of the design in Islamic art, where repetition and \"infinite extension\" loop within each other to \"form a meandering overall pattern\" (Fiero, 19).\r\n\r\n\"The Thousand and One Nights\" can be compared to various stories in the United States today. Collections of stories and fairy tales are incredibly important to our society. Stories like \"The Three Little Pigs\" compares to the story of the king and his bride in \"The Arabian Nights\". The new bride of the king has to find a way to keep the king from killing her, she does this by being clever enough to tell him stories that keep him entertained. In \"The Three Little Pigs,\" the pigs have to work to find ways of convincing the wolf not to blow their houses down. Eventually the pigs win, like the bride, and their intelligence leads them to victory (staying alive!) The comparison of the two stories seems strange, since \"The Arabian Nights\" is well written and is a literary masterpiece, but the two stories have similar bones. \"The Arabian Nights\" serves the same purpose in Islamic culture as do our fairy tales about little pigs and magic carpets. The story of \"Aladdin and the Magic Lamp\" was made into a Disney movie and is loved by millions of children every year. This collection of stories made many of its characters household names, what child doesn\'t know who Aladdin, Sinbad or Ali Baba? What kid doesn\'t know the song \"Arabian Nights\" from Aladdin the movie? These stories are still relevant today because they inspired generations of writers and readers to dream and feel free to explore parts of the world they aren\'t familiar with. This collection of stories should be preserved because the themes and literary advancements in the texts were so far before their times. The stories speak and will continue to speak to generations to come. Anyone can pick up a copy of \"The Thousand and One Nights\" and be entertained. The stories are not strictly Islamic in lesson, they speak to every culture. Entertainment is what we live for today- people during the time when these stories were written looked at them like we do movies today. The tales let people escape from their lives and dream about the lives of the characters in the stories they read. \"The Arabian Nights\" is not only a literary classic, but a fine example of pure entertainment.\r\n\r\nWork Cited\r\n\r\n\"ARABIAN Nights.\" Literary Cavalcade 52.8 (2000): 20. Middle Search Plus. EBSCO. Web. 2 May 2011.\r\n\r\n\"Arabian Nights.\" The New Encyclopedia Britannica. Volume 22. 15th Edition. Peter B. Norton, Chicago. Print.\r\n\r\n\"Arabian Nights.\" World Book Encyclopedia. Volume 1-A. Chicago. pgs 582-583.     Print.\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.\r\n\r\nHaddawy, Husain. \"The Arabian Nights.\" Norton &amp; Company, 1995. Print.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','\"The Arabian Nights\": The Thousand and One Nights','','publish','open','open','','the-arabian-nights-the-thousand-and-one-nights','','','2011-05-04 13:28:58','2011-05-04 19:28:58','',0,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1218',0,'post','',9),(1219,29,'2011-05-02 22:11:06','2011-05-03 04:11:06','Arabian Nights- The Thousand and One Nights\n\n\"The Arabian Nights\" also known as \"The Thousand and One Nights\" is a classic assembly of stories whose origins branch from the eighth and tenth centuries from Arabic, Persian and Indian cultures (WHO wrote the actual stories is uncertain). This collection of stories is the most famous piece of Arabic literature in the west. Famous characters such as Ali Baba, Aladdin and Sinbad all stem from these adventurous tales. The collection of prose tales, uses a narrative technique called a \"frame tale,\" where a story is \"composed for the purpose of including a group of shorter stories\" (Fiero, 19).  The specific frame story used in \"The Arabian Nights\" focuses on an Indian fairy tale: \"Shahrasad (in English, Scheherazade) marries a king who fears female infidelity so greatly that he kills each new wife on the morning after the wedding night. In order to forestall her own death, Scheherazade entertains the king by telling stories, each of which she carefully brings to a climax just before dawn, so that, in order to learn the ending, the king must allow her to live.\" (Fiero, 19). The storytelling techniques of Scheherazade has a \"humanizing\" effect on the kind who, after exactly a thousand nights begins to love his witty wife (so he decides not to behead her like the rest!) Within the story lies 250 tales which include fantasy, romance and erotica. \"The Arabian Nights\" has been translated into various languages throughout time. In the 1700s, Jean Antoine Galland executed the first translation in French and in the 1880\'s John Payne and Sir Richard Francis Burton did an English translation. Since then, the stories have been translated into various other languages including Persian and Egyptian. Stories such as Aladdin focus on the lower people in society; rogues, tricksters and vagabonds were all added during the Egyptian translations of the stories. Islam, from the very beginning, has had the status of being a state-sponsored religion. Islam holds ethnic diversity, where theocratic rule brought together an assimilation of many different people. The main languages of the Islamic world include: Arabic, Persian and Turkish (but there are many, many others). Like \"The Arabian Nights,\" Islam \"absorbed\" different styles of art from non-Arab people as it expanded. \"The Arabian Nights\" can be compared with the ever-changing styles of Islam; as the stories of \"The Thousand and One Nights\" expanded, so did its content and art styles. Muhammad had a dictum where people were to \"seek knowledge,\" like the western world in order to understand the happenings of the natural world. A burst of literacy happened during the 1300-1500s and people began to explore literature from all over the world. The availability of paper was an important factor in the burst for knowledge, \"and in the production of new types of literature, such as scientific treatises, cookbooks, poems and tales, paper provided a major advance over parchment and papyrus, expensive materials from whose surfaces ink could easily be erased.\" If paper wasn\'t easily attainable and knowledge wasn\'t sought after, like Muhammad had asked, \"The Arabian Nights\" would have never graced this Earth. <!--more-->The story of the nights circulated in various manuscript forms until they were eventually written down and put into definitive form (its original version). This happened in the second part of the thirteenth century in the Mamluk domain in Syria or Egypt. This version, which is now lost, served as an archetype for copies of the text afterwards. The branches of the stories that came from Syria is now held at the Bibliotheque in Paris in three volumes, this manuscript is the oldest and more similar to the original texts written in the fourteenth century). Copyist that translated the stories added stories, fables and anecdotes from Indian, Persian and Turkish cultures from oral and written traditions. These facts added to the diversity of the stories which lends to the many layers of culture and styles seen in the stories. The mania for competing the unfinished stories led some copyists to forgery: Stories like \"Aladdin and the Magic Lamp\" were not among the basic eleven of the original works and cannot be found in any of the Arabic manuscripts during the early time period the stories were written. Galland who wrote a French translation, was given the story of Aladdin around 1787 and it was added to the stories during this time period. The \"Arabian Nights\" have been translated and exposed in many editions: The Mahdi Edition, English, French, Egyptian, etc.\n\nThe stories of \"The Thousand and One Nights\" continues to inspire many Western readers about the ideas of the \"romantic\" East. Most stories during this time period focused on tribal wars, heroic deeds and brave warriors. Shortly after the printing press was invented, people began printing cheap books, some with illustrations. \"The Arabian Nights\" was different for its time because it was pure entertainment. The stories are fun and adventurous which is why they became so popular. \"The Arabian Nights\" inspired stories of romance and fairy tales in a time period when mostly poetry, riddles, lullabies and war tales were circulating. \"The Arabian Nights\" were collected over many centuries from Persia, India and Arabia and include a vast assortment of subjects and styles. The stories include: Adventure fantasies, erotica, animal fables and display an accurate descriptions of the daily entertainments of the Islamic world. The stories are compared to the Islamic art in the way that they loop into each other, linking each story to the last. This technique is a principe of the design in Islamic art, where repetition and \"infinite extension\" loop within each other to \"form a meandering overall pattern\" (Fiero, 19).\n\n\"The Thousand and One Nights\" can be compared to various stories in the United States today. Collections of stories and fairy tales are incredibly important to our society. Stories like \"The Three Little Pigs\" compares to the story of the king and his bride in \"The Arabian Nights\". The new bride of the king has to find a way to keep the king from killing her, she does this by being clever enough to tell him stories that keep him entertained. In \"The Three Little Pigs,\" the pigs have to work to find ways of convincing the wolf not to blow their houses down. Eventually the pigs win, like the bride, and their intelligence leads them to victory (staying alive!) The comparison of the two stories seems strange, since \"The Arabian Nights\" is well written and is a literary masterpiece, but the two stories have similar bones. \"The Arabian Nights\" serves the same purpose in Islamic culture as do our fairy tales about little pigs and magic carpets. The story of \"Aladdin and the Magic Lamp\" was made into a Disney movie and is loved by millions of children every year. This collection of stories made many of its characters household names, what child doesn\'t know who Aladdin, Sinbad or Ali Baba? What kid doesn\'t know the song \"Arabian Nights\" from Aladdin the movie? These stories are still relevant today because they inspired generations of writers and readers to dream and feel free to explore parts of the world they aren\'t familiar with. This collection of stories should be preserved because the themes and literary advancements in the texts were so far before their times. The stories speak and will continue to speak to generations to come. Anyone can pick up a copy of \"The Thousand and One Nights\" and be entertained. The stories are not strictly Islamic in lesson, they speak to every culture. Entertainment is what we live for today- people during the time when these stories were written looked at them like we do movies today. The tales let people escape from their lives and dream about the lives of the characters in the stories they read. \"The Arabian Nights\" is not only a literary classic, but a fine example of pure entertainment.\n\nWork Cited\n\n\"ARABIAN Nights.\" Literary Cavalcade 52.8 (2000): 20. Middle Search Plus. EBSCO. Web. 2 May 2011.\n\n\"Arabian Nights.\" The New Encyclopedia Britannica. Volume 22. 15th Edition. Peter     B. Norton, Chicago. Print.\n\n\"Arabian Nights.\" World Book Encyclopedia. Volume 1-A. Chicago. pgs 582-583.     Print.\n\nFiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.\n\nHaddawy, Husain. \"The Arabian Nights.\" Norton &amp; Company, 1995. Print.\n\n\n\n&nbsp;','\"The Arabian Nights\": The Thousand and One Nights','','inherit','open','open','','1218-revision','','','2011-05-02 22:11:06','2011-05-03 04:11:06','',1218,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1219',0,'revision','',0),(1220,29,'2011-05-02 22:13:25','2011-05-03 04:13:25','&nbsp;\n\nArabian Nights- The Thousand and One Nights\n\n\"The Arabian Nights\" also known as \"The Thousand and One Nights\" is a classic assembly of stories whose origins branch from the eighth and tenth centuries from Arabic, Persian and Indian cultures (WHO wrote the actual stories is uncertain). This collection of stories is the most famous piece of Arabic literature in the west. Famous characters such as Ali Baba, Aladdin and Sinbad all stem from these adventurous tales. The collection of prose tales, uses a narrative technique called a \"frame tale,\" where a story is \"composed for the purpose of including a group of shorter stories\" (Fiero, 19).  The specific frame story used in \"The Arabian Nights\" focuses on an Indian fairy tale: \"Shahrasad (in English, Scheherazade) marries a king who fears female infidelity so greatly that he kills each new wife on the morning after the wedding night. In order to forestall her own death, Scheherazade entertains the king by telling stories, each of which she carefully brings to a climax just before dawn, so that, in order to learn the ending, the king must allow her to live.\" (Fiero, 19). The storytelling techniques of Scheherazade has a \"humanizing\" effect on the kind who, after exactly a thousand nights begins to love his witty wife (so he decides not to behead her like the rest!) Within the story lies 250 tales which include fantasy, romance and erotica. \"The Arabian Nights\" has been translated into various languages throughout time. In the 1700s, Jean Antoine Galland executed the first translation in French and in the 1880\'s John Payne and Sir Richard Francis Burton did an English translation. Since then, the stories have been translated into various other languages including Persian and Egyptian. Stories such as Aladdin focus on the lower people in society; rogues, tricksters and vagabonds were all added during the Egyptian translations of the stories. Islam, from the very beginning, has had the status of being a state-sponsored religion. Islam holds ethnic diversity, where theocratic rule brought together an assimilation of many different people. The main languages of the Islamic world include: Arabic, Persian and Turkish (but there are many, many others). Like \"The Arabian Nights,\" Islam \"absorbed\" different styles of art from non-Arab people as it expanded. \"The Arabian Nights\" can be compared with the ever-changing styles of Islam; as the stories of \"The Thousand and One Nights\" expanded, so did its content and art styles. Muhammad had a dictum where people were to \"seek knowledge,\" like the western world in order to understand the happenings of the natural world. A burst of literacy happened during the 1300-1500s and people began to explore literature from all over the world. The availability of paper was an important factor in the burst for knowledge, \"and in the production of new types of literature, such as scientific treatises, cookbooks, poems and tales, paper provided a major advance over parchment and papyrus, expensive materials from whose surfaces ink could easily be erased.\" If paper wasn\'t easily attainable and knowledge wasn\'t sought after, like Muhammad had asked, \"The Arabian Nights\" would have never graced this Earth. <!--more-->The story of the nights circulated in various manuscript forms until they were eventually written down and put into definitive form (its original version). This happened in the second part of the thirteenth century in the Mamluk domain in Syria or Egypt. This version, which is now lost, served as an archetype for copies of the text afterwards. The branches of the stories that came from Syria is now held at the Bibliotheque in Paris in three volumes, this manuscript is the oldest and more similar to the original texts written in the fourteenth century). Copyist that translated the stories added stories, fables and anecdotes from Indian, Persian and Turkish cultures from oral and written traditions. These facts added to the diversity of the stories which lends to the many layers of culture and styles seen in the stories. The mania for competing the unfinished stories led some copyists to forgery: Stories like \"Aladdin and the Magic Lamp\" were not among the basic eleven of the original works and cannot be found in any of the Arabic manuscripts during the early time period the stories were written. Galland who wrote a French translation, was given the story of Aladdin around 1787 and it was added to the stories during this time period. The \"Arabian Nights\" have been translated and exposed in many editions: The Mahdi Edition, English, French, Egyptian, etc.\n\nThe stories of \"The Thousand and One Nights\" continues to inspire many Western readers about the ideas of the \"romantic\" East. Most stories during this time period focused on tribal wars, heroic deeds and brave warriors. Shortly after the printing press was invented, people began printing cheap books, some with illustrations. \"The Arabian Nights\" was different for its time because it was pure entertainment. The stories are fun and adventurous which is why they became so popular. \"The Arabian Nights\" inspired stories of romance and fairy tales in a time period when mostly poetry, riddles, lullabies and war tales were circulating. \"The Arabian Nights\" were collected over many centuries from Persia, India and Arabia and include a vast assortment of subjects and styles. The stories include: Adventure fantasies, erotica, animal fables and display an accurate descriptions of the daily entertainments of the Islamic world. The stories are compared to the Islamic art in the way that they loop into each other, linking each story to the last. This technique is a principe of the design in Islamic art, where repetition and \"infinite extension\" loop within each other to \"form a meandering overall pattern\" (Fiero, 19).\n\n\"The Thousand and One Nights\" can be compared to various stories in the United States today. Collections of stories and fairy tales are incredibly important to our society. Stories like \"The Three Little Pigs\" compares to the story of the king and his bride in \"The Arabian Nights\". The new bride of the king has to find a way to keep the king from killing her, she does this by being clever enough to tell him stories that keep him entertained. In \"The Three Little Pigs,\" the pigs have to work to find ways of convincing the wolf not to blow their houses down. Eventually the pigs win, like the bride, and their intelligence leads them to victory (staying alive!) The comparison of the two stories seems strange, since \"The Arabian Nights\" is well written and is a literary masterpiece, but the two stories have similar bones. \"The Arabian Nights\" serves the same purpose in Islamic culture as do our fairy tales about little pigs and magic carpets. The story of \"Aladdin and the Magic Lamp\" was made into a Disney movie and is loved by millions of children every year. This collection of stories made many of its characters household names, what child doesn\'t know who Aladdin, Sinbad or Ali Baba? What kid doesn\'t know the song \"Arabian Nights\" from Aladdin the movie? These stories are still relevant today because they inspired generations of writers and readers to dream and feel free to explore parts of the world they aren\'t familiar with. This collection of stories should be preserved because the themes and literary advancements in the texts were so far before their times. The stories speak and will continue to speak to generations to come. Anyone can pick up a copy of \"The Thousand and One Nights\" and be entertained. The stories are not strictly Islamic in lesson, they speak to every culture. Entertainment is what we live for today- people during the time when these stories were written looked at them like we do movies today. The tales let people escape from their lives and dream about the lives of the characters in the stories they read. \"The Arabian Nights\" is not only a literary classic, but a fine example of pure entertainment.\n\nWork Cited\n\n\"ARABIAN Nights.\" Literary Cavalcade 52.8 (2000): 20. Middle Search Plus. EBSCO. Web. 2 May 2011.\n\n\"Arabian Nights.\" The New Encyclopedia Britannica. Volume 22. 15th Edition. Peter B. Norton, Chicago. Print.\n\n\"Arabian Nights.\" World Book Encyclopedia. Volume 1-A. Chicago. pgs 582-583.     Print.\n\nFiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.\n\nHaddawy, Husain. \"The Arabian Nights.\" Norton &amp; Company, 1995. Print.\n\n&nbsp;','\"The Arabian Nights\": The Thousand and One Nights','','inherit','open','open','','1218-autosave','','','2011-05-02 22:13:25','2011-05-03 04:13:25','',1218,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1220',0,'revision','',0),(1221,29,'2011-05-02 22:11:19','2011-05-03 04:11:19','Arabian Nights- The Thousand and One Nights\r\n\r\n\"The Arabian Nights\" also known as \"The Thousand and One Nights\" is a classic assembly of stories whose origins branch from the eighth and tenth centuries from Arabic, Persian and Indian cultures (WHO wrote the actual stories is uncertain). This collection of stories is the most famous piece of Arabic literature in the west. Famous characters such as Ali Baba, Aladdin and Sinbad all stem from these adventurous tales. The collection of prose tales, uses a narrative technique called a \"frame tale,\" where a story is \"composed for the purpose of including a group of shorter stories\" (Fiero, 19).  The specific frame story used in \"The Arabian Nights\" focuses on an Indian fairy tale: \"Shahrasad (in English, Scheherazade) marries a king who fears female infidelity so greatly that he kills each new wife on the morning after the wedding night. In order to forestall her own death, Scheherazade entertains the king by telling stories, each of which she carefully brings to a climax just before dawn, so that, in order to learn the ending, the king must allow her to live.\" (Fiero, 19). The storytelling techniques of Scheherazade has a \"humanizing\" effect on the kind who, after exactly a thousand nights begins to love his witty wife (so he decides not to behead her like the rest!) Within the story lies 250 tales which include fantasy, romance and erotica. \"The Arabian Nights\" has been translated into various languages throughout time. In the 1700s, Jean Antoine Galland executed the first translation in French and in the 1880\'s John Payne and Sir Richard Francis Burton did an English translation. Since then, the stories have been translated into various other languages including Persian and Egyptian. Stories such as Aladdin focus on the lower people in society; rogues, tricksters and vagabonds were all added during the Egyptian translations of the stories. Islam, from the very beginning, has had the status of being a state-sponsored religion. Islam holds ethnic diversity, where theocratic rule brought together an assimilation of many different people. The main languages of the Islamic world include: Arabic, Persian and Turkish (but there are many, many others). Like \"The Arabian Nights,\" Islam \"absorbed\" different styles of art from non-Arab people as it expanded. \"The Arabian Nights\" can be compared with the ever-changing styles of Islam; as the stories of \"The Thousand and One Nights\" expanded, so did its content and art styles. Muhammad had a dictum where people were to \"seek knowledge,\" like the western world in order to understand the happenings of the natural world. A burst of literacy happened during the 1300-1500s and people began to explore literature from all over the world. The availability of paper was an important factor in the burst for knowledge, \"and in the production of new types of literature, such as scientific treatises, cookbooks, poems and tales, paper provided a major advance over parchment and papyrus, expensive materials from whose surfaces ink could easily be erased.\" If paper wasn\'t easily attainable and knowledge wasn\'t sought after, like Muhammad had asked, \"The Arabian Nights\" would have never graced this Earth. <!--more-->The story of the nights circulated in various manuscript forms until they were eventually written down and put into definitive form (its original version). This happened in the second part of the thirteenth century in the Mamluk domain in Syria or Egypt. This version, which is now lost, served as an archetype for copies of the text afterwards. The branches of the stories that came from Syria is now held at the Bibliotheque in Paris in three volumes, this manuscript is the oldest and more similar to the original texts written in the fourteenth century). Copyist that translated the stories added stories, fables and anecdotes from Indian, Persian and Turkish cultures from oral and written traditions. These facts added to the diversity of the stories which lends to the many layers of culture and styles seen in the stories. The mania for competing the unfinished stories led some copyists to forgery: Stories like \"Aladdin and the Magic Lamp\" were not among the basic eleven of the original works and cannot be found in any of the Arabic manuscripts during the early time period the stories were written. Galland who wrote a French translation, was given the story of Aladdin around 1787 and it was added to the stories during this time period. The \"Arabian Nights\" have been translated and exposed in many editions: The Mahdi Edition, English, French, Egyptian, etc.\r\n\r\nThe stories of \"The Thousand and One Nights\" continues to inspire many Western readers about the ideas of the \"romantic\" East. Most stories during this time period focused on tribal wars, heroic deeds and brave warriors. Shortly after the printing press was invented, people began printing cheap books, some with illustrations. \"The Arabian Nights\" was different for its time because it was pure entertainment. The stories are fun and adventurous which is why they became so popular. \"The Arabian Nights\" inspired stories of romance and fairy tales in a time period when mostly poetry, riddles, lullabies and war tales were circulating. \"The Arabian Nights\" were collected over many centuries from Persia, India and Arabia and include a vast assortment of subjects and styles. The stories include: Adventure fantasies, erotica, animal fables and display an accurate descriptions of the daily entertainments of the Islamic world. The stories are compared to the Islamic art in the way that they loop into each other, linking each story to the last. This technique is a principe of the design in Islamic art, where repetition and \"infinite extension\" loop within each other to \"form a meandering overall pattern\" (Fiero, 19).\r\n\r\n\"The Thousand and One Nights\" can be compared to various stories in the United States today. Collections of stories and fairy tales are incredibly important to our society. Stories like \"The Three Little Pigs\" compares to the story of the king and his bride in \"The Arabian Nights\". The new bride of the king has to find a way to keep the king from killing her, she does this by being clever enough to tell him stories that keep him entertained. In \"The Three Little Pigs,\" the pigs have to work to find ways of convincing the wolf not to blow their houses down. Eventually the pigs win, like the bride, and their intelligence leads them to victory (staying alive!) The comparison of the two stories seems strange, since \"The Arabian Nights\" is well written and is a literary masterpiece, but the two stories have similar bones. \"The Arabian Nights\" serves the same purpose in Islamic culture as do our fairy tales about little pigs and magic carpets. The story of \"Aladdin and the Magic Lamp\" was made into a Disney movie and is loved by millions of children every year. This collection of stories made many of its characters household names, what child doesn\'t know who Aladdin, Sinbad or Ali Baba? What kid doesn\'t know the song \"Arabian Nights\" from Aladdin the movie? These stories are still relevant today because they inspired generations of writers and readers to dream and feel free to explore parts of the world they aren\'t familiar with. This collection of stories should be preserved because the themes and literary advancements in the texts were so far before their times. The stories speak and will continue to speak to generations to come. Anyone can pick up a copy of \"The Thousand and One Nights\" and be entertained. The stories are not strictly Islamic in lesson, they speak to every culture. Entertainment is what we live for today- people during the time when these stories were written looked at them like we do movies today. The tales let people escape from their lives and dream about the lives of the characters in the stories they read. \"The Arabian Nights\" is not only a literary classic, but a fine example of pure entertainment.\r\n\r\nWork Cited\r\n\r\n\"ARABIAN Nights.\" Literary Cavalcade 52.8 (2000): 20. Middle Search Plus. EBSCO. Web. 2 May 2011.\r\n\r\n\"Arabian Nights.\" The New Encyclopedia Britannica. Volume 22. 15th Edition. Peter B. Norton, Chicago. Print.\r\n\r\n\"Arabian Nights.\" World Book Encyclopedia. Volume 1-A. Chicago. pgs 582-583.     Print.\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.\r\n\r\nHaddawy, Husain. \"The Arabian Nights.\" Norton &amp; Company, 1995. Print.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','\"The Arabian Nights\": The Thousand and One Nights','','inherit','open','open','','1218-revision-2','','','2011-05-02 22:11:19','2011-05-03 04:11:19','',1218,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1221',0,'revision','',0),(3463,74,'2013-10-14 12:17:15','2013-10-14 18:17:15','[caption id=\"attachment_3405\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"284\"]<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/fie23976_21025.png\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-3405\" alt=\"fie23976_21025\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/fie23976_21025-284x300.png\" width=\"284\" height=\"300\" /></a> Xu Yang, <em>Bird\'s Eye View of the Capital</em> http://textflow.mcgraw-hill.com//figures/0077346181/fie23976_21025.png[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe Forbidden City \"was the most elaborate imperial monument of the Ming and Qing eras\" (Fiero). Once the Ming court settled it in 1421, it remained a cornerstone of Chinese government and artistic vision into the early 20th century. The longevity of this work and it\'s importance as the seat of Chinese government make a strong case for it\'s worth as an object of preservation. Built in Beijing, China, it represented the separation between the government bureaucracy and aristocracy from the peasants. This elitism is what earned the name Forbidden City, and the 10 foot high walls surrounding the complex added to the mystique and exclusivity of the work. Inside those walls were an elaborate microcosm of imperial life, and it\'s residents had every necessity and luxury possible without ever having to go into the outside world. The central structure was the Hall of Supreme Harmony where the emperor (In Chinese 皇帝, pronounced huangdi literally meaning \"Son of Heaven\") conducted his affairs. This marriage of spirituality with governance shows itself in the numerous temples and gardens alongside administrative buildings.\r\n\r\nHISTORICAL CONTEXT Prior to the Forbidden City, China already had a history of dynasties and strong central government. Confucianism, the\r\n\r\nAround the world imperial palaces such as Versailles in France and Shahjahanabad in India were being constructed by powerful authoritarian rulers.\r\n\r\nAs a work the Forbidden City has been declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. In modern China the Forbidden City is highly regarded, and a backlash was triggered when the coffee chain Starbucks was planning on expanding onto the site. News anchor Rui Chenggang blogged \"...having one inside the <strong>City</strong> is inappropriate. This is not globalization, but an erosion of Chinese culture.\" (Chenggang qtd. in Roberts)\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria. \"The Humanistic Tradition Book 3, The European Renaissance, The Reformation, And Global Encounter.\" <em>6<sup>th</sup>. McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages</em>, 2010.  September 29, 2013.\r\n\r\nChanghong, Guo. 2008. \"The Qing Palace: from a Forbidden City to a Public Heritage.\" <i>Museum International</i> 60, no. 1/2: 78-88. <i>Academic Search Complete</i>, EBSCO<i>host</i> (accessed September 29, 2013).\r\n\r\nNaquin, Susan. 2004. \"The Forbidden City Goes Abroad: Qing History and the Foreign Exhibitions of the Palace Museum, 1974–2004.\" <i>T\'oung Pao</i> 90, no. 4: 341-397. <i>Academic Search Complete</i>, EBSCO<i>host</i> (accessed September 29, 2013).\r\n\r\nGao, Xiang, Yilin, tr Deng, and Shiwu, tr Deng. 2010. \"The rise of a new tradition: Changes in values and life styles in late Ming China /.\" <i>Frontiers Of History In China</i> 5, no. 1: 1-29. <i>Humanities Full Text (H.W. Wilson)</i>, EBSCO<i>host.</i> (accessed September 29, 2013).\r\n\r\nUNESCO. \"Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang\" <em>UNESCO. </em>Web. 14 Oct. 2013.\r\n\r\nMichaelson, Carol. <i>Ming Dynasty</i>. n.p.: Oxford University Press, 1996. <i>Grove Art Online</i>. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.\r\n\r\nRoberts, Dexter. \"Forbidden Starbucks.\" <i>Businessweek Online</i> (2007): 14. <i>Business Source Complete</i>. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','','','inherit','open','open','','3404-revision-v1','','','2013-10-14 12:17:15','2013-10-14 18:17:15','',3404,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=3463',0,'revision','',0),(1225,34,'2011-05-02 22:51:47','2011-05-03 04:51:47','The Treasury of a Well-Turned Verse, also known as “Subhasitaratnakosa,” is one of the many collected pieces of poetry that consisted of 1739 verses from a Buddhist monk by the name of Vidyakara. During the eleventh century, the anthologies of Sanskrit poetry started to rise. This anthology consisted more on the erotic love rather than the emotional love. The details that are described in this poem are based on physical passion and the female beauty. During the life and time of India in the fourth through eleventh centuries, many accomplishments had come about. There were “ruling hereditary chiefs or “rajputs” (sons of kings) followed a code of chivalry that set them apart from the lower classes” (Fiero). The caste system, which was a system to keep higher and lower social classes divided up properly.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nThis anthology was typical of its era due to the alliteration, assonance, and lack of rhyme. The alliteration portrayed in the poems had the same consonant sound. For example, the words “scent of the sweat” would be the alliteration used in the poem, Treasury of a Well-Turned Verse. The assonance in the poems would have the same vowel sound. For example, the words “wished to kiss” would be the assonance that is portrayed in the poem.  This type of work was unusual for its time because Indian poetry has more of a sexual and erotic perspective rather than a romantic perspective. Since this work was unusual for its time, this type of poetry was not really seen until the mid 600<sup>th</sup> century. People saw it as a new perspective on love and not the romantic aspect of it. People today find this work very important. It shows that Indian anthologies in the earlier times have demonstrated amazing progress and have influenced many poets and authors to create such successful work.\r\n\r\nMy personal reaction to the work is that I find it very distinctive and diverse. The anthologies that Vidyakara had collected revealed different perspectives of love. It showed that there could be poems written either about the romantic aspects or the erotic and sexual aspects. I find this type of work meaningful due to it being different and unusual. It focuses more on the romantic and physical aspects rather than on most Islamic verses. The Treasury of a Well-Turned Verse specifically compares to any collected poem of Vidyakara. This poem can compare to another poem, Song of Muhamudra, written by Tilopa during the eleventh century. The poems consist of two literary devices; alliteration and assonance. The differences between them is that The Treasury of a Well-Turned Verse has passionate and erotic love, whereas, Song of Muhamudra depicts more of the love of friendship. This work is most significant to future generations because it shows that there are different views on love. Vidyakara’s anthologies portray beauty, passion, and erotic romance. It shows that there are different emotions that can be displayed in poems, which could then lead to future collections such as Vidyakara’s anthologies.\r\n\r\n<!--  /* Font Definitions */ @font-face 	{font-family:Times; 	panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; 	mso-font-charset:0; 	mso-generic-font-family:auto; 	mso-font-pitch:variable; 	mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face 	{font-family:Calibri; 	panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; 	mso-font-charset:0; 	mso-generic-font-family:auto; 	mso-font-pitch:variable; 	mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face 	{font-family:Cambria; 	panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; 	mso-font-charset:0; 	mso-generic-font-family:auto; 	mso-font-pitch:variable; 	mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}  /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal 	{mso-style-parent:\"\"; 	margin:0in; 	margin-bottom:.0001pt; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:12.0pt; 	font-family:\"Times New Roman\"; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:\"Times New Roman\"; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} p 	{margin:0in; 	margin-bottom:.0001pt; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:10.0pt; 	font-family:\"Times New Roman\"; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Times; 	mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Times; 	mso-bidi-font-family:\"Times New Roman\";} @page Section1 	{size:8.5in 11.0in; 	margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; 	mso-header-margin:.5in; 	mso-footer-margin:.5in; 	mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 	{page:Section1;} -->Works Cited\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria K.\r\nThe Humanistic Tradition. Gloria K. Fiero- 6<sup>th</sup> ed. New York, NY. McGraw-Hill, 2011.\r\n\r\nThis citation shows the rulings of the hereditary chiefs and how the caste system worked.','TompkinsAllie- TCP4','','publish','open','open','','tompkinsallie-tcp4','','','2011-05-09 15:25:46','2011-05-09 21:25:46','',0,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1225',0,'post','',11),(1226,34,'2011-05-02 22:51:44','2011-05-03 04:51:44','The Treasury of a Well-Turned Verse\n\nThe Treasury of a Well-Turned Verse, also known as “Subhasitaratnakosa,” is one of the many collected pieces of poetry that consisted of 1739 verses from a Buddhist monk by the name of Vidyakara. During the eleventh century, the anthologies of Sanskrit poetry started to rise. This anthology consisted more on the erotic love rather than the emotional love. The details that are described in this poem are based on physical passion and the female beauty. During the life and time of India in the fourth through eleventh centuries, many accomplishments had come about. There were “ruling hereditary chiefs or “rajputs” (sons of kings) followed a code of chivalry that set them apart from the lower classes” (Fiero). The caste system, which was a system to keep higher and lower social classes divided up properly.\n\n                This anthology was typical of its era due to the alliteration, assonance, and lack of rhyme. The alliteration portrayed in the poems had the same consonant sound. For example, the words “scent of the sweat” would be the alliteration used in the poem, Treasury of a Well-Turned Verse. The assonance in the poems would have the same vowel sound. For example, the words “wished to kiss” would be the assonance that is portrayed in the poem.  This type of work was unusual for its time because Indian poetry has more of a sexual and erotic perspective rather than a romantic perspective. Since this work was unusual for its time, this type of poetry was not really seen until the mid 600<sup>th</sup> century. People saw it as a new perspective on love and not the romantic aspect of it. People today find this work very important. It shows that Indian anthologies in the earlier times have demonstrated amazing progress and have influenced many poets and authors to create such successful work.\n\n                My personal reaction to the work is that I find it very distinctive and diverse. The anthologies that Vidyakara had collected revealed different perspectives of love. It showed that there could be poems written either about the romantic aspects or the erotic and sexual aspects. I find this type of work meaningful due to it being different and unusual. It focuses more on the romantic and physical aspects rather than on most Islamic verses. The Treasury of a Well-Turned Verse specifically compares to any collected poem of Vidyakara. This poem can compare to another poem, Song of Muhamudra, written by Tilopa during the eleventh century. The poems consist of two literary devices; alliteration and assonance. The differences between them is that The Treasury of a Well-Turned Verse has passionate and erotic love, whereas, Song of Muhamudra depicts more of the love of friendship. This work is most significant to future generations because it shows that there are different views on love. Vidyakara’s anthologies portray beauty, passion, and erotic romance. It shows that there are different emotions that can be displayed in poems, which could then lead to future collections such as Vidyakara’s anthologies.','TompkinsAllie- TCP4','','inherit','open','open','','1225-revision','','','2011-05-02 22:51:44','2011-05-03 04:51:44','',1225,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1226',0,'revision','',0),(1301,22,'2011-05-09 21:49:21','2011-05-10 03:49:21','<span style=\"font-size: large;\"> </span>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">CREATIONS</p>\r\nFrom the beginning art has played a really important part in human history. In fact it has made a remarkable memory in earth, because of artist we the future generations had been able to learn about other cultures from different time and place all around the world. It is a true statement that art reveals the creation and imagination of humans mind, it also displays the intellect of those individuals who apply it. In addition, human curiosity has always been the best weapon to discover new ways and ideas to make something better that it can mark one’s existence. Now it’s the year 2100 and earth is uninhabitable we most build a spaceship to travel and find a better place to live , but first able we need to know what are we going to carry on and how does it need to be designed. To begin we need to consider the people and the only four pieces of art that we have left from our ancestors : THE CHURCH OF ST DENIS, THE SCHOOL OF ATHENS, STATUE OF ARISTOTLES, AND RUMI’S DIWAN-E SHAMS. Our main goal is to show future generations how human development has been progressing through the years. Art is the magic of humans mind that reveals one’s creativity, imagination and intellect of those individuals who apply it.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nFirst the spaceship needs to be big enough to carry our pieces of art and designed in a way that will be able to fly carrying the people and the belongings from the community . Since one of our master pieces is going to be a cathedral in fact, the church of ST Denis France, the spaceship needs to have enough room. The spaceship will have a longitude of 100 miles square around in the first floor, now on the second floor it needs to have at least 80 miles square for the use of our master pieces the third floor need to have somewhere about 60 miles square, and the last floor would have to be the smallest with a longitude of 40 miles square the top of the spaceship need to have a triangular shape for dynamic purposes. All the floors will be separated in different sections and use for a specific purpose. For instance, in the first floor which it will be the biggest we need to install all the engines and the turbines that will keep the spaceship in movement. in addition, the engines need to be designed in a way that will work with gases that can be found in the outer space, gases such as hydrogen and plasma. Now on the second floor which is the next we need to put all of our master pieces. First, the church of ST Denis from France it need to be placed in the middle of everything then we will display each of the other three on one corner to form a triangle around the cathedral each one of the will contain a displacement. Now on the third floor will be occupied with the citizens of the community it will be full of NANO buildings and its only purpose in life is be use as a rest place, a place where people will be able to spend their free time and have a little big of fun so they don’t forget how earth used be. The four and our last floor will be used as commander of the spaceship , there we will have the capital and the people who command the spaceship, the end of the spaceship. The spaceship will have a triangular form require for dynamic purposes. to travel at high speeds.\r\n\r\nGoing back to the third floor a school will be added around of our masters pieces of art.\r\n\r\nThere children’s and young adults will have the opportunity to be educated. As expected, every monument will have a displacement on why is important for the community to preserve this monument, the purpose of the author on trying to do the master piece, the author of the masters piece, and the year and how it was build. Now the first and biggest monument is THE CHUCH OF ST DENIS FRANCE which is going to be placed in the center of the second floor, its message will have a displacement related to GOD and the importance of its present spiritually in the community, it will also display the story of ST DENIS. Our second monument will be RAPHAEL’S THE SHOOL OF ATHENS and it will have a displacement related with mathematics and physics based on how Raphael incorporated mathematics on the shapes of if his master piece it will also serve as inspiration to those students who choose to go on the field of mathematics. The third of our master pieces of art would be statue of Aristotle’s representing his teachings on philosophy, logic, science, and biology these particular monument will serve as inspiration of those students who choose to go in the field of medicine and philosophy.\r\n\r\nOur last but not least will RUMI’S DIWAN-E SHAMS and the displacement of this figure will be a tablet that will have written a poem of the master piece of Rumi’s Diwan-e Shams but since this is big collection of about 40000 verses that were written in a period of 30 years we will choose just one of the most important for our displacement. I think the best one will be (empty the glass of your desire) because it will explain in reinforcement with the church of ST DENIS the importance of the spiritual side of humanity. Moreover on the top of the tablet there will be a little square figure build of pure fine crystal that will have a sentence written on in. the sentence will be the rule of gold that everyone should fallow regardless of any particular situation the rule will say: “THREAT OTHER HOW YOU WUOLD YOU LIKE TO BE THREAT”.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHumans creativity has no limits as we seem it before there are certain things that humans do naturally and art is consider to be one of them. In fact, since the beginning early civilizations of humans painted inside the caves and drew many pictures of people and animals that were important at that time. Furthermore the importance of art goes beyond our imagination, there is an old saying that says “ the key of the future can only be found on the pass” so if artist will never done there work and preserved how we the future generations would be able to understand their way of living at that time??? In addition. Art have the essential elements to construct things never been though before elements such as history, creativity, imagination and intellect, so if we don’t care about the pieces of art that we have left where or how are we going to acquire all this knowledge.\r\n\r\nBased in my own opinion, I strongly belief that the four pieces of art will have a extreme importance in our community. In fact, if we take the four master pieces that we have left from our ancestors with us our children’s will have the opportunity to study them and eventually they would discover something that we didn’t see before. To sum all up, art is the magic of humans mind that reveals ones creativity, imagination and intellect. To end the story , The four pieces of art should be recognized as symbols of inspiration and triumph over humanity successfulness in the community.','HUMANS CREATIONS ','','publish','open','open','','humans-creations','','','2011-05-10 12:14:15','2011-05-10 18:14:15','',0,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1301',0,'post','',2),(1246,1,'2011-05-02 22:14:19','2011-05-03 04:14:19','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51M1M0ZR1NL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"295\" height=\"500\" />http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51M1M0ZR1NL.jpg</p>\r\n\"The Arabian Nights\" also known as \"The Thousand and One Nights\" is a classic assembly of stories whose origins branch from the eighth and tenth centuries from Arabic, Persian and Indian cultures (WHO wrote the actual stories is uncertain). This collection of stories is the most famous piece of Arabic literature in the west. Famous characters such as Ali Baba, Aladdin and Sinbad all stem from these adventurous tales. The collection of prose tales, uses a narrative technique called a \"frame tale,\" where a story is \"composed for the purpose of including a group of shorter stories\" (Fiero, 19).  The specific frame story used in \"The Arabian Nights\" focuses on an Indian fairy tale: \"Shahrasad (in English, Scheherazade) marries a king who fears female infidelity so greatly that he kills each new wife on the morning after the wedding night. In order to forestall her own death, Scheherazade entertains the king by telling stories, each of which she carefully brings to a climax just before dawn, so that, in order to learn the ending, the king must allow her to live.\" (Fiero, 19). The storytelling techniques of Scheherazade has a \"humanizing\" effect on the kind who, after exactly a thousand nights begins to love his witty wife (so he decides not to behead her like the rest!) Within the story lies 250 tales which include fantasy, romance and erotica. \"The Arabian Nights\" has been translated into various languages throughout time. In the 1700s, Jean Antoine Galland executed the first translation in French and in the 1880\'s John Payne and Sir Richard Francis Burton did an English translation. Since then, the stories have been translated into various other languages including Persian and Egyptian. Stories such as Aladdin focus on the lower people in society; rogues, tricksters and vagabonds were all added during the Egyptian translations of the stories. Islam, from the very beginning, has had the status of being a state-sponsored religion. Islam holds ethnic diversity, where theocratic rule brought together an assimilation of many different people. The main languages of the Islamic world include: Arabic, Persian and Turkish (but there are many, many others). Like \"The Arabian Nights,\" Islam \"absorbed\" different styles of art from non-Arab people as it expanded. \"The Arabian Nights\" can be compared with the ever-changing styles of Islam; as the stories of \"The Thousand and One Nights\" expanded, so did its content and art styles. Muhammad had a dictum where people were to \"seek knowledge,\" like the western world in order to understand the happenings of the natural world. A burst of literacy happened during the 1300-1500s and people began to explore literature from all over the world. The availability of paper was an important factor in the burst for knowledge, \"and in the production of new types of literature, such as scientific treatises, cookbooks, poems and tales, paper provided a major advance over parchment and papyrus, expensive materials from whose surfaces ink could easily be erased.\" If paper wasn\'t easily attainable and knowledge wasn\'t sought after, like Muhammad had asked, \"The Arabian Nights\" would have never graced this Earth. <!--more-->The story of the nights circulated in various manuscript forms until they were eventually written down and put into definitive form (its original version). This happened in the second part of the thirteenth century in the Mamluk domain in Syria or Egypt. This version, which is now lost, served as an archetype for copies of the text afterwards. The branches of the stories that came from Syria is now held at the Bibliotheque in Paris in three volumes, this manuscript is the oldest and more similar to the original texts written in the fourteenth century). Copyist that translated the stories added stories, fables and anecdotes from Indian, Persian and Turkish cultures from oral and written traditions. These facts added to the diversity of the stories which lends to the many layers of culture and styles seen in the stories. The mania for competing the unfinished stories led some copyists to forgery: Stories like \"Aladdin and the Magic Lamp\" were not among the basic eleven of the original works and cannot be found in any of the Arabic manuscripts during the early time period the stories were written. Galland who wrote a French translation, was given the story of Aladdin around 1787 and it was added to the stories during this time period. The \"Arabian Nights\" have been translated and exposed in many editions: The Mahdi Edition, English, French, Egyptian, etc.\r\n\r\nThe stories of \"The Thousand and One Nights\" continues to inspire many Western readers about the ideas of the \"romantic\" East. Most stories during this time period focused on tribal wars, heroic deeds and brave warriors. Shortly after the printing press was invented, people began printing cheap books, some with illustrations. \"The Arabian Nights\" was different for its time because it was pure entertainment. The stories are fun and adventurous which is why they became so popular. \"The Arabian Nights\" inspired stories of romance and fairy tales in a time period when mostly poetry, riddles, lullabies and war tales were circulating. \"The Arabian Nights\" were collected over many centuries from Persia, India and Arabia and include a vast assortment of subjects and styles. The stories include: Adventure fantasies, erotica, animal fables and display an accurate descriptions of the daily entertainments of the Islamic world. The stories are compared to the Islamic art in the way that they loop into each other, linking each story to the last. This technique is a principe of the design in Islamic art, where repetition and \"infinite extension\" loop within each other to \"form a meandering overall pattern\" (Fiero, 19).\r\n\r\n\"The Thousand and One Nights\" can be compared to various stories in the United States today. Collections of stories and fairy tales are incredibly important to our society. Stories like \"The Three Little Pigs\" compares to the story of the king and his bride in \"The Arabian Nights\". The new bride of the king has to find a way to keep the king from killing her, she does this by being clever enough to tell him stories that keep him entertained. In \"The Three Little Pigs,\" the pigs have to work to find ways of convincing the wolf not to blow their houses down. Eventually the pigs win, like the bride, and their intelligence leads them to victory (staying alive!) The comparison of the two stories seems strange, since \"The Arabian Nights\" is well written and is a literary masterpiece, but the two stories have similar bones. \"The Arabian Nights\" serves the same purpose in Islamic culture as do our fairy tales about little pigs and magic carpets. The story of \"Aladdin and the Magic Lamp\" was made into a Disney movie and is loved by millions of children every year. This collection of stories made many of its characters household names, what child doesn\'t know who Aladdin, Sinbad or Ali Baba? What kid doesn\'t know the song \"Arabian Nights\" from Aladdin the movie? These stories are still relevant today because they inspired generations of writers and readers to dream and feel free to explore parts of the world they aren\'t familiar with. This collection of stories should be preserved because the themes and literary advancements in the texts were so far before their times. The stories speak and will continue to speak to generations to come. Anyone can pick up a copy of \"The Thousand and One Nights\" and be entertained. The stories are not strictly Islamic in lesson, they speak to every culture. Entertainment is what we live for today- people during the time when these stories were written looked at them like we do movies today. The tales let people escape from their lives and dream about the lives of the characters in the stories they read. \"The Arabian Nights\" is not only a literary classic, but a fine example of pure entertainment.\r\n\r\nWork Cited\r\n\r\n\"ARABIAN Nights.\" Literary Cavalcade 52.8 (2000): 20. Middle Search Plus. EBSCO. Web. 2 May 2011.\r\n\r\n\"Arabian Nights.\" The New Encyclopedia Britannica. Volume 22. 15th Edition. Peter B. Norton, Chicago. Print.\r\n\r\n\"Arabian Nights.\" World Book Encyclopedia. Volume 1-A. Chicago. pgs 582-583.     Print.\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.\r\n\r\nHaddawy, Husain. \"The Arabian Nights.\" Norton &amp; Company, 1995. Print.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','\"The Arabian Nights\": The Thousand and One Nights','','inherit','open','open','','1218-revision-3','','','2011-05-02 22:14:19','2011-05-03 04:14:19','',1218,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1246',0,'revision','',0),(1249,1,'2011-05-02 17:05:41','2011-05-02 23:05:41','[caption id=\"attachment_1178\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"The Master said, &quot;Learning without thought is labour lost; thought without learning is perilous.&quot;\"]<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Confucius.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-1178\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Confucius-300x240.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"240\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe Analects are, in fact, a compilation of moral and ethical insights from the Chinese philosopher K’ong Fu-Tzu (551–479 b.c.e.), better known as Confucius (a Latin form of his Chinese name), supporting set principles for individual conduct and the ethical administration of government and community; guiding principles for a just and compassionate world or more succinctly described by Confucius, \"the supreme virtue of humanity\" (Confucius). Though this text is not the direct writings of Confucius\'s sayings, the Analects do provides an exceptional digest of his philosophical and idealistic concepts that continues to be a significant influence on education, society, and culture thought in China and in many other countries as well.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nInterpretations vary for these twenty books of the <em>Analects</em>, each running about five pages in English translation. The virtue of <em>Jen</em>, a key concept in the <em>Analects</em> refers to humanity, good, or reciprocity while the term <em>Tao</em> speaks to the correct obligations, actions, and conduct of individuals, families, and governments. Rituals, ceremonies, and group activities and the accepted their performance that encourages a link to that world which is beyond daily life is referred to as <em>Li</em>. The Analects emphasized the importance of independent thinking, identifying models in an abstract, universal style; a style was relevant to diverse cultures. This method of teaching has resulted in conflicting interpretations through the ages.  For example, the <em>Analects</em>’ emphasis on discipline, duty, and etiquette giving credence to Confucius notion that the state exists to serve its citizens; however, various political leaders use these same terms and concepts to validate autocratic government. In some ways the Analects are reminiscent of  Castiglione’s The Well-Rounded Person, Book Four of <em>The Courtier, “</em>must possess the refinements of a humanistic education” (Fiero). Though Castiglione asserts that should master all the skills of the medieval warrior and display the physical proficiency of a champion athlete” (---F), Confucius explains that a ruler should lead by the sway of his ethics. Two of characteristic considered vital for civilization, maintain and promote rituals and music, are set through moral example. If the ruler of the land cannot provide these things, the allegiance of his ministers vanishes along with the people’s confidence, resulting in a calamity for the realm.\r\n\r\nThe Chinese were humanist and their values reflected those of morality and righteous behavior. Confucius teachings hardly ever referred to gods and spirits and his did not contemplate the makeup of realism, yet Confucianism is often referred to as a religion. The wisdom of Confucius passed down through generations of Chinese, spoke to the social and political concepts of his time; ideas with roots as old as the Shang and Zhou dynasties. He taught that tradition was essential, respectfulness of one’s’ elders, and the exercise of <em>Li </em>(not simply performing ceremonies by rote, but applying a fitting reverence to the ritual.)  In the first following excerpts from the  <em>Analects </em> , Confucius reveals that it is the duty of humans to do nothing that may harm others; even give his own life to protect this tenant. While the second is the infamous “Golden Rule,” that one should act (do) toward others as one                                                       might act (do) on one’s own behalf.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1184\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"240\" caption=\"“At fifteen I set my heart upon learning.  At thirty, I had planted my feet firmly upon the ground.  At forty, I no longer suffered from perplexities.  At fifty, I knew what were the biddings of Heaven.  At sixty, I heard them with docile ear.  At seventy, I could follow the dictates of my own heart; for I no longer overstepped the boundaries of right.”  \"]<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/images-cartoon.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-1184\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/images-cartoon.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"159\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe Analects developed from the oral dissertation provided by Confucius in various conversations and instructive talks with his disciples. “…it was not at all clear at the time that the Confucian tradition was to emerge as the most powerful persuasion in Chinese history” (Ropp). After his death in 479 B.C.E., Confucius’ disciples worked diligently, collecting these works and transcribing them. It was not until 221 B.C.E., over 250 years after Confucius breathed his last breath, his followers were able complete the Analects used today. A common thread, weaving through the Analects: measured and judicious thought, action, and deed build strength of character and a superior human being. Qualities illustrated in the Analects include: Experience profound affection for one’s fellow humankind; hold one’s elders in high esteem; encourage camaraderie with others who are virtuous; obligate oneself to a lifetime of scholarship; manage subordinates evenhandedly; contribute to social improvements, and mindfully set good examples.\r\n\r\nVery outspoken and often at odds with authority, Confucius had a reputation of “… at once more austere, more pompous, harsh even, and as a reinforcer of the status quo…” (Spence).  This assessment of Confucius has been linked to a celebrated Chinese historian, Ssu-ma Ch’ien (145-89 B.C.E.), who lived during the Han dynasty and, in part, caused this view of Confucius. In an effort to apply the appropriate importance of Confucius work to the historical contexts of the Historical Records, Ssu-ma Chi’ien’s tribute to Confucius and his work was located in the era of the early China ruling houses instead of placing him with “…other individual thinkers and statesmen…”  (---S). However, in the abstract of Confucius’s, Ssu-ma Ch’ien offered his touching yet succinct respect:\r\n\r\n“In this world there have been many people-from kings to wise men-who had a glory while they lived that ended after their death. But Confucius, though a simple commoner, has had his name transmitted for more than 10 generations; all those who study his works consider him their master. From the Son of Heaven, the princes, and the lords on down, anyone in the Central Kingdom who is dedicated to a life of learning, follows the precepts and the rules of the Master. Thus it is that we call him a true Sage” (---S).\r\n\r\nThe crumbling of the Zhou dynasty, in power since 1027 B.C.E. and the relocation of the capital farther east by the leaders of the Zhou dynasty placed the kingdom in danger; an unsafe, precarious position brought on by the aggressive Mongols and Turkic horsemen from Central Asia, as well as, escalating conflicts among the autonomous Chinese states. This instability in the land did not to impede the prosperity and industry of China. Examples of the Chinese ongoing development of these turbulent times include the development of “chopsticks, cast iron, square-holed coins, and finely lacquered objects...”(Fiaro). China’s trade and its urban growth continued throughout this period. Interestingly, the Chinese intellectual minds during this time produced some of “China’s oldest moral and religious precepts,” paralleling similar developments in Greek philosophy of the same time (Fiaro).\r\n\r\nA devastating event, impacting the Analects survival and that of other important texts, occurred in the Qin Dynasty, during which much of the territories’ history was lost in the infamous “book-burnings” and wars; “chronicles of events as far back as 1000 years before the Han Era” consisted of records of events were kept as a tradition by the Chinese court historians. (---F). The Qin dynasty favored the doctrine of Legalism in which evil was considered an inborn trait of all humans. Consequently, the severe Qin laws were able to derive a benefit from the validation for a \"civil and political oppressiveness of imperial authority…”  (---F).  All personally owned copies of Confucian works were ordered burned due to the Emperors’ disquiet over any resistance that might arise from the “free exercise of thought…” (---F).  He took further steps to insure his authority by executing political oppositionists and their families. The Qin empire was tripled in size by the Han leaders and reinstate Confucianism, Confucian texts, and the Confucian scholars/official.  And prosperity reigned during the Han dynasty with technological develops and advancements in farming techniques encouraging trade and industry within its borders and abroad. Innovations from this period of Chinese history prove the concentration and importance of Chinese technology of the age.\r\n\r\nConfucianism is “Cited as a major force behind East Asia\'s economic ‘miracles,’ it is now finding a renewed following among mainland Chinese grown disillusioned with communism” (---S). China has, in the past decade, embraced the Confucius dogmas as “… the old and venerable tradition of Confucianism, which is being revived by government officials, critical intellectuals and ordinary citizens” (Bell). For instance, during the 2008 opening ceremonies of the Olympic games hosted by China, quotes from the Analects of Confucius were used in place of the formerly and ever present quotes from Marx.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/bros.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-1185 aligncenter\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/bros-300x170.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"170\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<strong>“The world’s peoples are all brothers” and “isn’t one of life’s greatest pleasures to have friends visiting from afar?” </strong>broadcasted around the world to billions of viewers. This \" ‘official’ Confucianism being revived today may be less dangerous — it emphasizes social harmony, meaning the peaceful resolution of conflicts — but it remains a conservative morality. Today, the most viable alternative to China\'s political status quo is left Confucianism” (---B). In the time of Confucius life and for hundreds of years to follow, The Analects of Confucius took its place in society as the ultimate guide to living a meaningful and fulfilling life. The resurgence of interest in Confucianism by the Chinese state government is an effort to soften its own world reputation as a harsh, autocratic, dictatorial government by, at least on the surface, infusing some of the humanistic ideals of Confucianism. However, even the government officials admit that its form of Confucianism is a more left focused style and the adherence to policy and obedience by its citizens is still expected.\r\n\r\nThe author of a more recent English and French translation of the <em>Analects, </em>Simon Leys claims the originally crafted text might have actually been the first to express human personage; that is, the life of an individual (Leys).\r\n\r\nIn general, The Analects of Confucius is a common sense handbook with a somewhat austere approach to life. The constant vigilance required to elevate ones being to that of <em>superior</em> is daunting in this writers’ opinion. It is understood that the life in a young country with abundant personal freedoms would certainly color ones judgment of such strict guidelines. Though, the concepts of working for communal good, living an ethical life, and treating others with compassion are values the writer cherishes, she does so with a much lighter approach than some of those expressed in the Analects of Confucius.\r\n\r\nTaoism is most influential religion or philosophy among the Chinese people after Confucianism. The Taoist scriptures, written in the sixth century B.C.E. are, as with The Analects of Confucius, a collection of moral and ethical codes intended to guide people in their everyday lives.    The Tao Te Ching [DOWduh jing], “Classic of the Way and Its Working,” and the Chaung-tsu [jwahng tzoo] are held in high esteem throughout the world, remaining prominent significant work of literature down through the centuries. The compilation of the Taoist canon is known as the Tao Tsang [dow tsahng]. The primary printing was in 1926 and consisted of 1,120 volumes, a significant number compared to the twenty books of the Analects.\r\n\r\nThe text of the Tao Tsang is assembled into the “Three Caverns,” which relate to three historic traditions of Taoism: the Supreme Clarity school; the Numinous Treasure school; and the Three Sovereigns school.  Each of these is then divided into twelve segments. “They are original revelations; divine talismans; interpretations; diagrams; chronologies and genealogies; moral codes; ceremonial decorum; rituals; esoteric techniques (alchemy, astrology, exorcism, etc.); lives of past Taoist worthies; hymns; and messages …” (Van Voorst). The Analects are written as they were delivered, in a dialog form and cover a range of ideals from a humanistic approach, ideals as mentioned earlier: Experience profound affection for one’s fellow humankind; hold one’s elders in high esteem; encourage camaraderie with others who are virtuous; obligate oneself to a lifetime of scholarship; manage subordinates evenhandedly; contribute to social improvements, and mindfully set good examples.\r\n\r\nThe Analects of Confucius present a timeless personification of a society built on order and structure; a society that generates respect for all and encourages scholarship. Confucius words reach out from the pages of the Analects, seemingly speaking to present day issues as readily as it spoke to the issues of his time. For those seeking “the supreme virtue of humanity,” Confucius offers in brief and succinct axioms a fountain of knowledge from which to drink. The Analects  of Confucius is collection of moral and ethical principles advocated by the teacher/philosopher, Confucius. These principles guide individuals in matters of conduct and the moral administration of government and community. Analects do provides an exceptional digest of his philosophical and idealistic concepts that are sure to serve a new colony well by, continuing to be a significant influence on education, society, and culture thought.  For these reasons, The Analects of Confucius must be preserved for posterity.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1188\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"211\" caption=\"“When he is told one thing, he understands ten.” \"]<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/images.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-1188\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/images.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"211\" height=\"238\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt;-->\r\n/* Style Definitions */\r\ntable.MsoNormalTable\r\n{mso-style-name:\"Table Normal\";\r\nmso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;\r\nmso-tstyle-colband-size:0;\r\nmso-style-noshow:yes;\r\nmso-style-priority:99;\r\nmso-style-qformat:yes;\r\nmso-style-parent:\"\";\r\nmso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;\r\nmso-para-margin-top:0in;\r\nmso-para-margin-right:0in;\r\nmso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;\r\nmso-para-margin-left:0in;\r\nline-height:115%;\r\nmso-pagination:widow-orphan;\r\nfont-size:11.0pt;\r\nfont-family:\"Calibri\",\"sans-serif\";\r\nmso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;\r\nmso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;\r\nmso-fareast-font-family:\"Times New Roman\";\r\nmso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;\r\nmso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;\r\nmso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;\r\nmso-bidi-font-family:\"Times New Roman\";\r\nmso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 115%\">Cited Work</span></p>\r\n\r\n<h1 style=\"line-height: 150%\"><span>Bell, Daniel A.<span> </span>Confucianism makes a comeback in China.<span> </span>The Japan Times Online. </span><span><a href=\"http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/eo20080710a1.html\"><span style=\"color: windowtext\">http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/eo20080710a1.html</span></a></span><span> . July 10, 2008.</span></h1>\r\n<h1 style=\"line-height: 150%\"><span>Spence, Jonathan D. is George B. Adams. CONFUCIUS. Wilson Quarterly. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. 1993</span></h1>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;line-height: 150%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 150%\"> </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 150%\">Van Voorst, Robert E.<span> </span><em>Taoism</em>. Anthology of World Scriptural Thomson Wadsworth. 2007. 6<sup>th</sup>. Page 162</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 150%\">Ropp, Paul S. <em>Heritage of China Contemporary Perspectives on Chinese Civilization</em>.1990 University of California Press, Berkeley, California. Page 121</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 150%\">Waley, Arthur. The Book of Songs, The Ancient Chinese Classic of Poetry. Grover Press, New York, NY. 1996</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;line-height: 150%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 150%\">Leys, Simon (Pierre Ryckmans Governor General of Congo), <em>The Analects of Confucius Translation and Notes by Simon Leys</em>. <span> </span>Introduction. W.W. Norton Company. New York, NY. (1997). Page xxx</span></p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div class=\"mcePaste\" style=\"width: 1px;height: 1px;overflow: hidden\">\r\n<h1><span>Daniel A.<span> </span>Confucianism makes a comeback in China.<span> </span>The Japan Times Online. </span><a href=\"http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/eo20080710a1.html\"><span>http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/eo20080710a1.html</span></a><span> . July 10, 2008.</span></h1>\r\n<h1><span>Spence, Jonathan D. is George B. Adams. CONFUCIUS. Wilson Quarterly. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. 1993</span></h1>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt\"><span> </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Van Voorst, Robert E.<span> </span><em>Taoism</em>. Anthology of World Scriptural Thomson Wadsworth. 2007. 6<sup>th</sup>. Page 162</p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Ropp, Paul S. <em>Heritage of China Cointemporary Perspectives on Chinese Civilization</em>.1990 University of California Press, Berkeley, California. Page 121</p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 115%\">Waley, Arthur. The Book of Songs, The Ancient Chinese Classic of Poetry. Grover Press, New York, NY. 1996</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 115%\">Leys, Simon (Pierre Ryckmans Governor General of Congo), <em>The Analects of Confucius Translation and Notes by Simon Leys</em>. <span> </span>Introduction. W.W. Norton Company. New York, NY. (1997). Page xxx</span><span> </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt\"><span> </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt\"><span>Fiero, Gloria.<em> The Humanistic Tradition</em>. McGraw-Hill Companies, The. January 2010. 6<sup>th</sup> Edition.<span> </span></span><span><span> </span></span><span>Page B3.30</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt\"><span> </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 115%;letter-spacing: -.1pt\">Confucius<em>. The Analects of Confucius</em>. Penguin Books. London, England. 1979. 2.4.<span> </span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: normal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;letter-spacing: -.1pt\"> </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: normal\"><span> </span></p>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"mcePaste\" style=\"width: 1px;height: 1px;overflow: hidden\">\r\n\r\n<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] -->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt\"><span><span> </span>Cited Work</span></p>\r\n\r\n<h1><span>Bell, Daniel A.<span> </span>Confucianism makes a comeback in China.<span> </span>The Japan Times Online. </span><a href=\"http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/eo20080710a1.html\"><span>http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/eo20080710a1.html</span></a><span> . July 10, 2008.</span></h1>\r\n<h1><span>Spence, Jonathan D. is George B. Adams. CONFUCIUS. Wilson Quarterly. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. 1993</span></h1>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt\"><span> </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Van Voorst, Robert E.<span> </span><em>Taoism</em>. Anthology of World Scriptural Thomson Wadsworth. 2007. 6<sup>th</sup>. Page 162</p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Ropp, Paul S. <em>Heritage of China Cointemporary Perspectives on Chinese Civilization</em>.1990 University of California Press, Berkeley, California. Page 121</p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 115%\">Waley, Arthur. The Book of Songs, The Ancient Chinese Classic of Poetry. Grover Press, New York, NY. 1996</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 115%\">Leys, Simon (Pierre Ryckmans Governor General of Congo), <em>The Analects of Confucius Translation and Notes by Simon Leys</em>. <span> </span>Introduction. W.W. Norton Company. New York, NY. (1997). Page xxx</span><span> </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt\"><span> </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt\"><span>Fiero, Gloria.<em> The Humanistic Tradition</em>. McGraw-Hill Companies, The. January 2010. 6<sup>th</sup> Edition.<span> </span></span><span><span> </span></span><span>Page B3.30</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt\"><span> </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 115%;letter-spacing: -.1pt\">Confucius<em>. The Analects of Confucius</em>. Penguin Books. London, England. 1979. 2.4.<span> </span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: normal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;letter-spacing: -.1pt\"> </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: normal\"><span> </span></p>\r\n\r\n</div>','Confucius’ Analects','','inherit','open','open','','1176-revision-11','','','2011-05-02 17:05:41','2011-05-02 23:05:41','',1176,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1249',0,'revision','',0),(1230,35,'2011-05-03 21:10:53','2011-05-04 03:10:53','','diamond sutra','','inherit','open','open','','diamond-sutra','','','2011-05-03 21:10:53','2011-05-04 03:10:53','',0,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/diamond-sutra.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1231,35,'2011-05-03 21:11:36','2011-05-04 03:11:36','','The cave of thousand Buddas','','inherit','open','open','','cave17','','','2011-05-03 21:11:36','2011-05-04 03:11:36','',0,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/cave17.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1233,35,'2011-05-03 21:23:52','2011-05-04 03:23:52','http://www.silk-road.com/artl/diamondsutra.shtml\r\n\r\nThe Diamond Sutra or in Sanskrit, Vajracchedika-prajnaparamita-sutra is a significant manuscript that should be considered for our Time Capsule because not only is it a sacred Buddhist text, which will help future generations learn about the culture and beliefs of people of the Buddhist faith but also because it is the oldest known printed and dated book. The Diamond Sutra has a fascinating history that sheds light on the historical background of its time, which can answer many questions of culture and technology in China during the Tang era.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nThe Diamond Sutra was produced using the Chinese technology of block printing in the 9th century.  Block printing was the first form of book printing; it was used in East Asia thousands of years before printing was established in Europe in the 15th century. Although The Diamond Sutra was not the first example of block printing during this era it is however the world’s first printed book that bares a date. It was printed on seven yellow-stained strips of paper carved from large wood blocks. The over 16 ft long and approximately 12 in tall scroll was carved by a skilled and practiced man named Wang Jie in 868. We know the date of the sutra because of a written colophon at the inner end of the scroll. According to The Diamond Sutra website the colophon inscription is as follows: “reverently made for universal free distribution by Wang Jie on behalf of his parents on the fifteenth of the fourth moon of the ninth year of Xian Long (May 11, 868).”  The Diamond Sutra has only 300 lines divided into 32 short chapters that can be read in less than an hour. Because of this, monks and other Buddhist followers have been reciting these essential teachings of Buddha since before the book put in print. In this sutra Buddha teaches of the “perception of nature” (Fiero B2 156). According to the article The Buddha’s Diamond written by Richard Rosen in The Yoga Journal just like this one, sutras come in the form of an “answer and question session between Buddha and one of his disciples”(141). While reading the scripture the reader is taking place of the questioner, so as we are all learning Buddha’s wisdom together. The Diamond Sutra teaches “the manner in which you should conduct yourself, both in outward behavior and inward attitude, in order to “be like Buddha” (Rosen 142).\r\n\r\nThe Buddhist religion originated in India and is thought to have made its way to Asia by the famous ancient trade route known as the Silk Road, which connected Asia to the Western world. During the Tang era, according to Gloria Fiero, author of The Humanistic Tradition, Buddhism was at its peak (B2 154). However, the silk road website states that in the 840’s the “resurgence of the old Confucian and Taoist ideas, China turned against foreign religions” and Buddhism “came under an imperial ban in 845; over 4,600 temples and monasteries were shut down and their devotees barred from the religious life.” Although 2 decades later the ban was rescinded, the Buddhist religion never regained the height it had during the Tang era. Invasions by northern nomadic tribes, known as His Hsia along the Silk Road and the walled city and military base, Dunhuang located near the trade route forced an unknown person to hide thousands of Buddhists sutras and other literature, sometime around the early 1000’s, in caves surrounding Dunhuang. The Diamond Sutra was one of the precious manuscripts stored safely in what is now known as the “Caves of the Thousand Buddha’s” until the 20th century when they were rediscovered by the British archeologist Sir Marc Aurel Stein in a walled-up cave.\r\n\r\nIn monotheistic religions such as Christianity with the Bible and Islam with the Koran, Buddhism doesn’t have one significant book that teaches the truth about God, it has sacred texts that serve as guides to the truth.  It is obvious how priceless the scroll’s philosophies were during its age for many reasons; one being the fact that it was skillfully printed after centuries of oral tradition. Another reason is that someone took the time and the risk to conceal and preserve the ancient teachings in a walled up cave.  Rosen writes that “[L]egend has it that the Sixth Patriarch of Zen, Huineng, achieved enlightenment after hearing just one line of The Diamond Sutra”, he goes on to declare it “[O]ne of the holiest and most popular of the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures” (Rosen 141). Today it is still perceived as a priceless sutra of the Buddhist faith. The Diamond Sutra is considered one of the most consecrated important Sutra of the Mahayana sutras according to Barbara Hoetsu O\'Brien a journalist and student of Zen Buddhism, who writes articles about Buddhism for the about website. It has been translated numerous times and in many different languages. “The Diamond Sutra has been rendered into English many times over the last 40-odd years; those editions are now joined by a wonderful new translation and commentary The Diamond Sutra, the Perfection of Wisdom by Red Pine, an American who dropped out of his graduate studies in anthropology to become a Buddhist scholar and acclaimed translator” (Rosen 141).\r\n\r\nAnother book printed using the Chinese block printed method during the same era is The Book of Songs. This collection of over 300 hundred poems is similar to The Diamond Sutra in the way that they were recited or sang, however the poems are not considered religious texts. Although according to Dr. Robert Churchill of Creighton University in his Handbook for the Study of Eastern Literatures, Confucius treasured them and recommended his followers to study them in detail. Churchill goes on to say that “Confucius personally selected these 305 poems from an earlier collection of over three thousand. Choosing poems which exemplified his ideas about statecraft and harmonious personal relations, Confucius arranged them in their present order, revising the musical scores to which the songs were customarily sung.” The purpose of The Diamond Sutra is to enlighten ones perception to live a more fulfilled life whereas The Book of Songs has a more of a political and societal view. It deals with common dilemmas such as marriage, work and war. A major achievement of both works of Chinese literature is that they have survived over the centuries and are still valued and studied by scholars. They both also have been translated and printed in multiple languages.\r\n\r\nI personally find The Diamond Sutra meaningful because of its fascinating path of concealment and rediscovery. Looking into why this and other Buddhist manuscripts were essentially buried just like our time capsule, for future generations to ascertain is an exciting concept. Because someone had the courage and keenness during a conflict to preserve this outlawed religious sutra, we now have a better idea of how the Chinese and the Buddhist religion progressed into what it is in the modern world. We also have an enhanced education of the technology, social, and economic trade advancements of the time.\r\n\r\nI think what makes this work the most significant for future generations is the myriad of ways it can educate both religiously and culturally. The Diamond Sutra deserves the chance to live on because it is the world’s earliest known printed and dated book as well as one of the most sacred sutras of the Buddhist religion.\r\n\r\nWorks Cited\r\n\r\n\"Barbara O\'Brien.\" Buddhism. 2011. Web. 01 May 2011. .\r\n\r\nChurchill, Dr. Robert. \"Book of Songs.\" Your Home Page Goes Http://mockingbird.creighton.edu/english/Here. Web. 02 May 2011. .\r\n\r\nDiamond Sutra - A New Translation of the Classic Buddhist Text. Alex Johnson Productions, 2005-2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria K. \"The World Beyond the West: India, China, and Japan Ca. 500–1300.\" The Humanistic Tradition. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2011. B2 152-2 158. Print.\r\n\r\nKuhlman, James R. \"The Diamond Sutra: The Perfection of Wisdom.\r\n(Religion).\" Library Journal 126.20 (2001): 134.Health Reference Center Academic. Web. 28 April. 2011.\r\nhttp://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&amp;contentSet=IAC-Documents&amp;type=retrieve&amp;tabID=T003&amp;prodId=HRCA&amp;docId=A81222825&amp;source=gale&amp;srcprod=HRCA&amp;userGroupName=txshracd2487&amp;version=1.0\r\n\r\n\"The Diamond Sutra.\" The Silk Road Foundation. 2007-2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. http://www.silk-road.com/artl/diamondsutra.shtml\r\n\r\nRosen, Richard. \"The Buddha\'s Diamond.\" Yoga Journal 165 (2002): 141-44. Alt HealthWatch. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. http://ehis.ebscohost.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=d9000b15-68ce-42cd-9818-576050e23379%40sessionmgr114&amp;vid=1&amp;hid=103\r\n\r\n.\"Sacred Texts: Diamond Sutra.\" THE BRITISH LIBRARY - The World\'s Knowledge. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .','The Diamond Sutra','','publish','open','open','','the-diamond-sutra','','','2011-05-03 21:49:57','2011-05-04 03:49:57','',0,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1233',0,'post','',10),(1234,35,'2011-05-03 21:14:22','2011-05-04 03:14:22','','diamond sutra','','inherit','open','open','','diamond-sutra-2','','','2011-05-03 21:14:22','2011-05-04 03:14:22','',1233,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/diamond-sutra1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1235,35,'2011-05-03 21:21:39','2011-05-04 03:21:39','','cave of 1000 Buddas','','inherit','open','open','','cave17-2','','','2011-05-03 21:21:39','2011-05-04 03:21:39','',1233,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/cave171.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1236,35,'2011-05-03 21:18:06','2011-05-04 03:18:06','The Diamond Sutra or in Sanskrit, Vajracchedika-prajnaparamita-sutra is a significant manuscript that should be considered for our Time Capsule because not only is it a sacred Buddhist text, which will help future generations learn about the culture and beliefs of people of the Buddhist faith but also because it is the oldest known printed and dated book. The Diamond Sutra has a fascinating history that sheds light on the historical background of its time, which can answer many questions of culture and technology in China during the Tang era.  \n\nThe Diamond Sutra was produced using the Chinese technology of block printing in the 9th century.  Block printing was the first form of book printing; it was used in East Asia thousands of years before printing was established in Europe in the 15th century. Although The Diamond Sutra was not the first example of block printing during this era it is however the world’s first printed book that bares a date. It was printed on seven yellow-stained strips of paper carved from large wood blocks. The over 16 ft long and approximately 12 in tall scroll was carved by a skilled and practiced man named Wang Jie in 868. We know the date of the sutra because of a written colophon at the inner end of the scroll. According to The Diamond Sutra website the colophon inscription is as follows: “reverently made for universal free distribution by Wang Jie on behalf of his parents on the fifteenth of the fourth moon of the ninth year of Xian Long (May 11, 868).”  The Diamond Sutra has only 300 lines divided into 32 short chapters that can be read in less than an hour. Because of this, monks and other Buddhist followers have been reciting these essential teachings of Buddha since before the book put in print. In this sutra Buddha teaches of the “perception of nature” (Fiero B2 156). According to the article The Buddha’s Diamond written by Richard Rosen in The Yoga Journal just like this one, sutras come in the form of an “answer and question session between Buddha and one of his disciples”(141). While reading the scripture the reader is taking place of the questioner, so as we are all learning Buddha’s wisdom together. The Diamond Sutra teaches “the manner in which you should conduct yourself, both in outward behavior and inward attitude, in order to “be like Buddha” (Rosen 142). \n\nThe Buddhist religion originated in India and is thought to have made its way to Asia by the famous ancient trade route known as the Silk Road, which connected Asia to the Western world. During the Tang era, according to Gloria Fiero, author of The Humanistic Tradition, Buddhism was at its peak (B2 154). However, the silk road website states that in the 840’s the “resurgence of the old Confucian and Taoist ideas, China turned against foreign religions” and Buddhism “came under an imperial ban in 845; over 4,600 temples and monasteries were shut down and their devotees barred from the religious life.” Although 2 decades later the ban was rescinded, the Buddhist religion never regained the height it had during the Tang era. Invasions by northern nomadic tribes, known as His Hsia along the Silk Road and the walled city and military base, Dunhuang located near the trade route forced an unknown person to hide thousands of Buddhists sutras and other literature, sometime around the early 1000’s, in caves surrounding Dunhuang. The Diamond Sutra was one of the precious manuscripts stored safely in what is now known as the “Caves of the Thousand Buddha’s” until the 20th century when they were rediscovered by the British archeologist Sir Marc Aurel Stein in a walled-up cave.\n\nIn monotheistic religions such as Christianity with the Bible and Islam with the Koran, Buddhism doesn’t have one significant book that teaches the truth about God, it has sacred texts that serve as guides to the truth.  It is obvious how priceless the scroll’s philosophies were during its age for many reasons; one being the fact that it was skillfully printed after centuries of oral tradition. Another reason is that someone took the time and the risk to conceal and preserve the ancient teachings in a walled up cave.  Rosen writes that “[L]egend has it that the Sixth Patriarch of Zen, Huineng, achieved enlightenment after hearing just one line of The Diamond Sutra”, he goes on to declare it “[O]ne of the holiest and most popular of the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures” (Rosen 141). Today it is still perceived as a priceless sutra of the Buddhist faith. The Diamond Sutra is considered one of the most consecrated important Sutra of the Mahayana sutras according to Barbara Hoetsu O\'Brien a journalist and student of Zen Buddhism, who writes articles about Buddhism for the about website. It has been translated numerous times and in many different languages. “The Diamond Sutra has been rendered into English many times over the last 40-odd years; those editions are now joined by a wonderful new translation and commentary The Diamond Sutra, the Perfection of Wisdom by Red Pine, an American who dropped out of his graduate studies in anthropology to become a Buddhist scholar and acclaimed translator” (Rosen 141).\n\nAnother book printed using the Chinese block printed method during the same era is The Book of Songs. This collection of over 300 hundred poems is similar to The Diamond Sutra in the way that they were recited or sang, however the poems are not considered religious texts. Although according to Dr. Robert Churchill of Creighton University in his Handbook for the Study of Eastern Literatures, Confucius treasured them and recommended his followers to study them in detail. Churchill goes on to say that “Confucius personally selected these 305 poems from an earlier collection of over three thousand. Choosing poems which exemplified his ideas about statecraft and harmonious personal relations, Confucius arranged them in their present order, revising the musical scores to which the songs were customarily sung.” The purpose of The Diamond Sutra is to enlighten ones perception to live a more fulfilled life whereas The Book of Songs has a more of a political and societal view. It deals with common dilemmas such as marriage, work and war. A major achievement of both works of Chinese literature is that they have survived over the centuries and are still valued and studied by scholars. They both also have been translated and printed in multiple languages. \n\nI personally find The Diamond Sutra meaningful because of its fascinating path of concealment and rediscovery. Looking into why this and other Buddhist manuscripts were essentially buried just like our time capsule, for future generations to ascertain is an exciting concept. Because someone had the courage and keenness during a conflict to preserve this outlawed religious sutra, we now have a better idea of how the Chinese and the Buddhist religion progressed into what it is in the modern world. We also have an enhanced education of the technology, social, and economic trade advancements of the time. \n\nI think what makes this work the most significant for future generations is the myriad of ways it can educate both religiously and culturally. The Diamond Sutra deserves the chance to live on because it is the world’s earliest known printed and dated book as well as one of the most sacred sutras of the Buddhist religion. \n\nWorks Cited\n\n\"Barbara O\'Brien.\" Buddhism. 2011. Web. 01 May 2011. .\n\nChurchill, Dr. Robert. \"Book of Songs.\" Your Home Page Goes Http://mockingbird.creighton.edu/english/Here. Web. 02 May 2011. .\n\nDiamond Sutra - A New Translation of the Classic Buddhist Text. Alex Johnson Productions, 2005-2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .\n\nFiero, Gloria K. \"The World Beyond the West: India, China, and Japan Ca. 500–1300.\" The Humanistic Tradition. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2011. B2 152-2 158. Print. \n\nKuhlman, James R. \"The Diamond Sutra: The Perfection of Wisdom.\n(Religion).\" Library Journal 126.20 (2001): 134.Health Reference Center Academic. Web. 28 April. 2011.\nhttp://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&amp;contentSet=IAC-Documents&amp;type=retrieve&amp;tabID=T003&amp;prodId=HRCA&amp;docId=A81222825&amp;source=gale&amp;srcprod=HRCA&amp;userGroupName=txshracd2487&amp;version=1.0\n\n\"The Diamond Sutra.\" The Silk Road Foundation. 2007-2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. http://www.silk-road.com/artl/diamondsutra.shtml\n\nRosen, Richard. \"The Buddha\'s Diamond.\" Yoga Journal 165 (2002): 141-44. Alt HealthWatch. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. http://ehis.ebscohost.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=d9000b15-68ce-42cd-9818-576050e23379%40sessionmgr114&amp;vid=1&amp;hid=103\n\n.\"Sacred Texts: Diamond Sutra.\" THE BRITISH LIBRARY - The World\'s Knowledge. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .\n\n\n','The Diamond Sutra','','inherit','open','open','','1233-revision','','','2011-05-03 21:18:06','2011-05-04 03:18:06','',1233,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1236',0,'revision','',0),(1238,35,'2011-05-03 21:24:10','2011-05-04 03:24:10','The Diamond Sutra or in Sanskrit, Vajracchedika-prajnaparamita-sutra is a significant manuscript that should be considered for our Time Capsule because not only is it a sacred Buddhist text, which will help future generations learn about the culture and beliefs of people of the Buddhist faith but also because it is the oldest known printed and dated book. The Diamond Sutra has a fascinating history that sheds light on the historical background of its time, which can answer many questions of culture and technology in China during the Tang era.\r\n\r\nThe Diamond Sutra was produced using the Chinese technology of block printing in the 9th century.  Block printing was the first form of book printing; it was used in East Asia thousands of years before printing was established in Europe in the 15th century. Although The Diamond Sutra was not the first example of block printing during this era it is however the world’s first printed book that bares a date. It was printed on seven yellow-stained strips of paper carved from large wood blocks. The over 16 ft long and approximately 12 in tall scroll was carved by a skilled and practiced man named Wang Jie in 868. We know the date of the sutra because of a written colophon at the inner end of the scroll. According to The Diamond Sutra website the colophon inscription is as follows: “reverently made for universal free distribution by Wang Jie on behalf of his parents on the fifteenth of the fourth moon of the ninth year of Xian Long (May 11, 868).”  The Diamond Sutra has only 300 lines divided into 32 short chapters that can be read in less than an hour. Because of this, monks and other Buddhist followers have been reciting these essential teachings of Buddha since before the book put in print. In this sutra Buddha teaches of the “perception of nature” (Fiero B2 156). According to the article The Buddha’s Diamond written by Richard Rosen in The Yoga Journal just like this one, sutras come in the form of an “answer and question session between Buddha and one of his disciples”(141). While reading the scripture the reader is taking place of the questioner, so as we are all learning Buddha’s wisdom together. The Diamond Sutra teaches “the manner in which you should conduct yourself, both in outward behavior and inward attitude, in order to “be like Buddha” (Rosen 142).\r\n\r\nThe Buddhist religion originated in India and is thought to have made its way to Asia by the famous ancient trade route known as the Silk Road, which connected Asia to the Western world. During the Tang era, according to Gloria Fiero, author of The Humanistic Tradition, Buddhism was at its peak (B2 154). However, the silk road website states that in the 840’s the “resurgence of the old Confucian and Taoist ideas, China turned against foreign religions” and Buddhism “came under an imperial ban in 845; over 4,600 temples and monasteries were shut down and their devotees barred from the religious life.” Although 2 decades later the ban was rescinded, the Buddhist religion never regained the height it had during the Tang era. Invasions by northern nomadic tribes, known as His Hsia along the Silk Road and the walled city and military base, Dunhuang located near the trade route forced an unknown person to hide thousands of Buddhists sutras and other literature, sometime around the early 1000’s, in caves surrounding Dunhuang. The Diamond Sutra was one of the precious manuscripts stored safely in what is now known as the “Caves of the Thousand Buddha’s” until the 20th century when they were rediscovered by the British archeologist Sir Marc Aurel Stein in a walled-up cave.\r\n\r\nIn monotheistic religions such as Christianity with the Bible and Islam with the Koran, Buddhism doesn’t have one significant book that teaches the truth about God, it has sacred texts that serve as guides to the truth.  It is obvious how priceless the scroll’s philosophies were during its age for many reasons; one being the fact that it was skillfully printed after centuries of oral tradition. Another reason is that someone took the time and the risk to conceal and preserve the ancient teachings in a walled up cave.  Rosen writes that “[L]egend has it that the Sixth Patriarch of Zen, Huineng, achieved enlightenment after hearing just one line of The Diamond Sutra”, he goes on to declare it “[O]ne of the holiest and most popular of the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures” (Rosen 141). Today it is still perceived as a priceless sutra of the Buddhist faith. The Diamond Sutra is considered one of the most consecrated important Sutra of the Mahayana sutras according to Barbara Hoetsu O\'Brien a journalist and student of Zen Buddhism, who writes articles about Buddhism for the about website. It has been translated numerous times and in many different languages. “The Diamond Sutra has been rendered into English many times over the last 40-odd years; those editions are now joined by a wonderful new translation and commentary The Diamond Sutra, the Perfection of Wisdom by Red Pine, an American who dropped out of his graduate studies in anthropology to become a Buddhist scholar and acclaimed translator” (Rosen 141).\r\n\r\nAnother book printed using the Chinese block printed method during the same era is The Book of Songs. This collection of over 300 hundred poems is similar to The Diamond Sutra in the way that they were recited or sang, however the poems are not considered religious texts. Although according to Dr. Robert Churchill of Creighton University in his Handbook for the Study of Eastern Literatures, Confucius treasured them and recommended his followers to study them in detail. Churchill goes on to say that “Confucius personally selected these 305 poems from an earlier collection of over three thousand. Choosing poems which exemplified his ideas about statecraft and harmonious personal relations, Confucius arranged them in their present order, revising the musical scores to which the songs were customarily sung.” The purpose of The Diamond Sutra is to enlighten ones perception to live a more fulfilled life whereas The Book of Songs has a more of a political and societal view. It deals with common dilemmas such as marriage, work and war. A major achievement of both works of Chinese literature is that they have survived over the centuries and are still valued and studied by scholars. They both also have been translated and printed in multiple languages.\r\n\r\nI personally find The Diamond Sutra meaningful because of its fascinating path of concealment and rediscovery. Looking into why this and other Buddhist manuscripts were essentially buried just like our time capsule, for future generations to ascertain is an exciting concept. Because someone had the courage and keenness during a conflict to preserve this outlawed religious sutra, we now have a better idea of how the Chinese and the Buddhist religion progressed into what it is in the modern world. We also have an enhanced education of the technology, social, and economic trade advancements of the time.\r\n\r\nI think what makes this work the most significant for future generations is the myriad of ways it can educate both religiously and culturally. The Diamond Sutra deserves the chance to live on because it is the world’s earliest known printed and dated book as well as one of the most sacred sutras of the Buddhist religion.\r\n\r\nWorks Cited\r\n\r\n\"Barbara O\'Brien.\" Buddhism. 2011. Web. 01 May 2011. .\r\n\r\nChurchill, Dr. Robert. \"Book of Songs.\" Your Home Page Goes Http://mockingbird.creighton.edu/english/Here. Web. 02 May 2011. .\r\n\r\nDiamond Sutra - A New Translation of the Classic Buddhist Text. Alex Johnson Productions, 2005-2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria K. \"The World Beyond the West: India, China, and Japan Ca. 500–1300.\" The Humanistic Tradition. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2011. B2 152-2 158. Print.\r\n\r\nKuhlman, James R. \"The Diamond Sutra: The Perfection of Wisdom.\r\n(Religion).\" Library Journal 126.20 (2001): 134.Health Reference Center Academic. Web. 28 April. 2011.\r\nhttp://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&amp;contentSet=IAC-Documents&amp;type=retrieve&amp;tabID=T003&amp;prodId=HRCA&amp;docId=A81222825&amp;source=gale&amp;srcprod=HRCA&amp;userGroupName=txshracd2487&amp;version=1.0\r\n\r\n\"The Diamond Sutra.\" The Silk Road Foundation. 2007-2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. http://www.silk-road.com/artl/diamondsutra.shtml\r\n\r\nRosen, Richard. \"The Buddha\'s Diamond.\" Yoga Journal 165 (2002): 141-44. Alt HealthWatch. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. http://ehis.ebscohost.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=d9000b15-68ce-42cd-9818-576050e23379%40sessionmgr114&amp;vid=1&amp;hid=103\r\n\r\n.\"Sacred Texts: Diamond Sutra.\" THE BRITISH LIBRARY - The World\'s Knowledge. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .','The Diamond Sutra','','inherit','open','open','','1233-revision-3','','','2011-05-03 21:24:10','2011-05-04 03:24:10','',1233,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1238',0,'revision','',0),(1237,35,'2011-05-03 21:23:52','2011-05-04 03:23:52','<p>The Diamond Sutra or in Sanskrit, Vajracchedika-prajnaparamita-sutra is a significant manuscript that should be considered for our Time Capsule because not only is it a sacred Buddhist text, which will help future generations learn about the culture and beliefs of people of the Buddhist faith but also because it is the oldest known printed and dated book. The Diamond Sutra has a fascinating history that sheds light on the historical background of its time, which can answer many questions of culture and technology in China during the Tang era.  </p>\r\n<p>The Diamond Sutra was produced using the Chinese technology of block printing in the 9th century.  Block printing was the first form of book printing; it was used in East Asia thousands of years before printing was established in Europe in the 15th century. Although The Diamond Sutra was not the first example of block printing during this era it is however the world’s first printed book that bares a date. It was printed on seven yellow-stained strips of paper carved from large wood blocks. The over 16 ft long and approximately 12 in tall scroll was carved by a skilled and practiced man named Wang Jie in 868. We know the date of the sutra because of a written colophon at the inner end of the scroll. According to The Diamond Sutra website the colophon inscription is as follows: “reverently made for universal free distribution by Wang Jie on behalf of his parents on the fifteenth of the fourth moon of the ninth year of Xian Long (May 11, 868).”  The Diamond Sutra has only 300 lines divided into 32 short chapters that can be read in less than an hour. Because of this, monks and other Buddhist followers have been reciting these essential teachings of Buddha since before the book put in print. In this sutra Buddha teaches of the “perception of nature” (Fiero B2 156). According to the article The Buddha’s Diamond written by Richard Rosen in The Yoga Journal just like this one, sutras come in the form of an “answer and question session between Buddha and one of his disciples”(141). While reading the scripture the reader is taking place of the questioner, so as we are all learning Buddha’s wisdom together. The Diamond Sutra teaches “the manner in which you should conduct yourself, both in outward behavior and inward attitude, in order to “be like Buddha” (Rosen 142). </p>\r\n<p>The Buddhist religion originated in India and is thought to have made its way to Asia by the famous ancient trade route known as the Silk Road, which connected Asia to the Western world. During the Tang era, according to Gloria Fiero, author of The Humanistic Tradition, Buddhism was at its peak (B2 154). However, the silk road website states that in the 840’s the “resurgence of the old Confucian and Taoist ideas, China turned against foreign religions” and Buddhism “came under an imperial ban in 845; over 4,600 temples and monasteries were shut down and their devotees barred from the religious life.” Although 2 decades later the ban was rescinded, the Buddhist religion never regained the height it had during the Tang era. Invasions by northern nomadic tribes, known as His Hsia along the Silk Road and the walled city and military base, Dunhuang located near the trade route forced an unknown person to hide thousands of Buddhists sutras and other literature, sometime around the early 1000’s, in caves surrounding Dunhuang. The Diamond Sutra was one of the precious manuscripts stored safely in what is now known as the “Caves of the Thousand Buddha’s” until the 20th century when they were rediscovered by the British archeologist Sir Marc Aurel Stein in a walled-up cave.</p>\r\n<p>In monotheistic religions such as Christianity with the Bible and Islam with the Koran, Buddhism doesn’t have one significant book that teaches the truth about God, it has sacred texts that serve as guides to the truth.  It is obvious how priceless the scroll’s philosophies were during its age for many reasons; one being the fact that it was skillfully printed after centuries of oral tradition. Another reason is that someone took the time and the risk to conceal and preserve the ancient teachings in a walled up cave.  Rosen writes that “[L]egend has it that the Sixth Patriarch of Zen, Huineng, achieved enlightenment after hearing just one line of The Diamond Sutra”, he goes on to declare it “[O]ne of the holiest and most popular of the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures” (Rosen 141). Today it is still perceived as a priceless sutra of the Buddhist faith. The Diamond Sutra is considered one of the most consecrated important Sutra of the Mahayana sutras according to Barbara Hoetsu O\'Brien a journalist and student of Zen Buddhism, who writes articles about Buddhism for the about website. It has been translated numerous times and in many different languages. “The Diamond Sutra has been rendered into English many times over the last 40-odd years; those editions are now joined by a wonderful new translation and commentary The Diamond Sutra, the Perfection of Wisdom by Red Pine, an American who dropped out of his graduate studies in anthropology to become a Buddhist scholar and acclaimed translator” (Rosen 141).</p>\r\n<p>Another book printed using the Chinese block printed method during the same era is The Book of Songs. This collection of over 300 hundred poems is similar to The Diamond Sutra in the way that they were recited or sang, however the poems are not considered religious texts. Although according to Dr. Robert Churchill of Creighton University in his Handbook for the Study of Eastern Literatures, Confucius treasured them and recommended his followers to study them in detail. Churchill goes on to say that “Confucius personally selected these 305 poems from an earlier collection of over three thousand. Choosing poems which exemplified his ideas about statecraft and harmonious personal relations, Confucius arranged them in their present order, revising the musical scores to which the songs were customarily sung.” The purpose of The Diamond Sutra is to enlighten ones perception to live a more fulfilled life whereas The Book of Songs has a more of a political and societal view. It deals with common dilemmas such as marriage, work and war. A major achievement of both works of Chinese literature is that they have survived over the centuries and are still valued and studied by scholars. They both also have been translated and printed in multiple languages. </p>\r\n<p>I personally find The Diamond Sutra meaningful because of its fascinating path of concealment and rediscovery. Looking into why this and other Buddhist manuscripts were essentially buried just like our time capsule, for future generations to ascertain is an exciting concept. Because someone had the courage and keenness during a conflict to preserve this outlawed religious sutra, we now have a better idea of how the Chinese and the Buddhist religion progressed into what it is in the modern world. We also have an enhanced education of the technology, social, and economic trade advancements of the time. </p>\r\n<p>I think what makes this work the most significant for future generations is the myriad of ways it can educate both religiously and culturally. The Diamond Sutra deserves the chance to live on because it is the world’s earliest known printed and dated book as well as one of the most sacred sutras of the Buddhist religion. </p>\r\n<p>Works Cited</p>\r\n<p>\"Barbara O\'Brien.\" Buddhism. 2011. Web. 01 May 2011. .</p>\r\n<p>Churchill, Dr. Robert. \"Book of Songs.\" Your Home Page Goes Http://mockingbird.creighton.edu/english/Here. Web. 02 May 2011. .</p>\r\n<p>Diamond Sutra - A New Translation of the Classic Buddhist Text. Alex Johnson Productions, 2005-2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .</p>\r\n<p>Fiero, Gloria K. \"The World Beyond the West: India, China, and Japan Ca. 500–1300.\" The Humanistic Tradition. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2011. B2 152-2 158. Print. </p>\r\n<p>Kuhlman, James R. \"The Diamond Sutra: The Perfection of Wisdom.<br />\r\n(Religion).\" Library Journal 126.20 (2001): 134.Health Reference Center Academic. Web. 28 April. 2011.<br />\r\nhttp://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&amp;contentSet=IAC-Documents&amp;type=retrieve&amp;tabID=T003&amp;prodId=HRCA&amp;docId=A81222825&amp;source=gale&amp;srcprod=HRCA&amp;userGroupName=txshracd2487&amp;version=1.0</p>\r\n<p>\"The Diamond Sutra.\" The Silk Road Foundation. 2007-2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. http://www.silk-road.com/artl/diamondsutra.shtml</p>\r\n<p>Rosen, Richard. \"The Buddha\'s Diamond.\" Yoga Journal 165 (2002): 141-44. Alt HealthWatch. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. http://ehis.ebscohost.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=d9000b15-68ce-42cd-9818-576050e23379%40sessionmgr114&amp;vid=1&amp;hid=103</p>\r\n<p>.\"Sacred Texts: Diamond Sutra.\" THE BRITISH LIBRARY - The World\'s Knowledge. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .</p>\r\n','The Diamond Sutra','','inherit','open','open','','1233-revision-2','','','2011-05-03 21:23:52','2011-05-04 03:23:52','',1233,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1237',0,'revision','',0),(1239,35,'2011-05-03 21:26:48','2011-05-04 03:26:48','','diamond sutra','','inherit','open','open','','diamond-sutra-3','','','2011-05-03 21:26:48','2011-05-04 03:26:48','',1233,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/diamond-sutra2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1240,35,'2011-05-03 21:27:41','2011-05-04 03:27:41','','cave of 1000 Buddas','','inherit','open','open','','cave17-3','','','2011-05-03 21:27:41','2011-05-04 03:27:41','',1233,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/cave172.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1241,35,'2011-05-03 21:49:03','2011-05-04 03:49:03','The Diamond Sutra or in Sanskrit, Vajracchedika-prajnaparamita-sutra is a significant manuscript that should be considered for our Time Capsule because not only is it a sacred Buddhist text, which will help future generations learn about the culture and beliefs of people of the Buddhist faith but also because it is the oldest known printed and dated book. The Diamond Sutra has a fascinating history that sheds light on the historical background of its time, which can answer many questions of culture and technology in China during the Tang era.<!--more-->\n\nThe Diamond Sutra was produced using the Chinese technology of block printing in the 9th century.  Block printing was the first form of book printing; it was used in East Asia thousands of years before printing was established in Europe in the 15th century. Although The Diamond Sutra was not the first example of block printing during this era it is however the world’s first printed book that bares a date. It was printed on seven yellow-stained strips of paper carved from large wood blocks. The over 16 ft long and approximately 12 in tall scroll was carved by a skilled and practiced man named Wang Jie in 868. We know the date of the sutra because of a written colophon at the inner end of the scroll. According to The Diamond Sutra website the colophon inscription is as follows: “reverently made for universal free distribution by Wang Jie on behalf of his parents on the fifteenth of the fourth moon of the ninth year of Xian Long (May 11, 868).”  The Diamond Sutra has only 300 lines divided into 32 short chapters that can be read in less than an hour. Because of this, monks and other Buddhist followers have been reciting these essential teachings of Buddha since before the book put in print. In this sutra Buddha teaches of the “perception of nature” (Fiero B2 156). According to the article The Buddha’s Diamond written by Richard Rosen in The Yoga Journal just like this one, sutras come in the form of an “answer and question session between Buddha and one of his disciples”(141). While reading the scripture the reader is taking place of the questioner, so as we are all learning Buddha’s wisdom together. The Diamond Sutra teaches “the manner in which you should conduct yourself, both in outward behavior and inward attitude, in order to “be like Buddha” (Rosen 142).\n\nThe Buddhist religion originated in India and is thought to have made its way to Asia by the famous ancient trade route known as the Silk Road, which connected Asia to the Western world. During the Tang era, according to Gloria Fiero, author of The Humanistic Tradition, Buddhism was at its peak (B2 154). However, the silk road website states that in the 840’s the “resurgence of the old Confucian and Taoist ideas, China turned against foreign religions” and Buddhism “came under an imperial ban in 845; over 4,600 temples and monasteries were shut down and their devotees barred from the religious life.” Although 2 decades later the ban was rescinded, the Buddhist religion never regained the height it had during the Tang era. Invasions by northern nomadic tribes, known as His Hsia along the Silk Road and the walled city and military base, Dunhuang located near the trade route forced an unknown person to hide thousands of Buddhists sutras and other literature, sometime around the early 1000’s, in caves surrounding Dunhuang. The Diamond Sutra was one of the precious manuscripts stored safely in what is now known as the “Caves of the Thousand Buddha’s” until the 20th century when they were rediscovered by the British archeologist Sir Marc Aurel Stein in a walled-up cave.\n\nIn monotheistic religions such as Christianity with the Bible and Islam with the Koran, Buddhism doesn’t have one significant book that teaches the truth about God, it has sacred texts that serve as guides to the truth.  It is obvious how priceless the scroll’s philosophies were during its age for many reasons; one being the fact that it was skillfully printed after centuries of oral tradition. Another reason is that someone took the time and the risk to conceal and preserve the ancient teachings in a walled up cave.  Rosen writes that “[L]egend has it that the Sixth Patriarch of Zen, Huineng, achieved enlightenment after hearing just one line of The Diamond Sutra”, he goes on to declare it “[O]ne of the holiest and most popular of the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures” (Rosen 141). Today it is still perceived as a priceless sutra of the Buddhist faith. The Diamond Sutra is considered one of the most consecrated important Sutra of the Mahayana sutras according to Barbara Hoetsu O\'Brien a journalist and student of Zen Buddhism, who writes articles about Buddhism for the about website. It has been translated numerous times and in many different languages. “The Diamond Sutra has been rendered into English many times over the last 40-odd years; those editions are now joined by a wonderful new translation and commentary The Diamond Sutra, the Perfection of Wisdom by Red Pine, an American who dropped out of his graduate studies in anthropology to become a Buddhist scholar and acclaimed translator” (Rosen 141).\n\nAnother book printed using the Chinese block printed method during the same era is The Book of Songs. This collection of over 300 hundred poems is similar to The Diamond Sutra in the way that they were recited or sang, however the poems are not considered religious texts. Although according to Dr. Robert Churchill of Creighton University in his Handbook for the Study of Eastern Literatures, Confucius treasured them and recommended his followers to study them in detail. Churchill goes on to say that “Confucius personally selected these 305 poems from an earlier collection of over three thousand. Choosing poems which exemplified his ideas about statecraft and harmonious personal relations, Confucius arranged them in their present order, revising the musical scores to which the songs were customarily sung.” The purpose of The Diamond Sutra is to enlighten ones perception to live a more fulfilled life whereas The Book of Songs has a more of a political and societal view. It deals with common dilemmas such as marriage, work and war. A major achievement of both works of Chinese literature is that they have survived over the centuries and are still valued and studied by scholars. They both also have been translated and printed in multiple languages.\n\nI personally find The Diamond Sutra meaningful because of its fascinating path of concealment and rediscovery. Looking into why this and other Buddhist manuscripts were essentially buried just like our time capsule, for future generations to ascertain is an exciting concept. Because someone had the courage and keenness during a conflict to preserve this outlawed religious sutra, we now have a better idea of how the Chinese and the Buddhist religion progressed into what it is in the modern world. We also have an enhanced education of the technology, social, and economic trade advancements of the time.\n\nI think what makes this work the most significant for future generations is the myriad of ways it can educate both religiously and culturally. The Diamond Sutra deserves the chance to live on because it is the world’s earliest known printed and dated book as well as one of the most sacred sutras of the Buddhist religion.\n\nWorks Cited\n\n\"Barbara O\'Brien.\" Buddhism. 2011. Web. 01 May 2011. .\n\nChurchill, Dr. Robert. \"Book of Songs.\" Your Home Page Goes Http://mockingbird.creighton.edu/english/Here. Web. 02 May 2011. .\n\nDiamond Sutra - A New Translation of the Classic Buddhist Text. Alex Johnson Productions, 2005-2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .\n\nFiero, Gloria K. \"The World Beyond the West: India, China, and Japan Ca. 500–1300.\" The Humanistic Tradition. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2011. B2 152-2 158. Print.\n\nKuhlman, James R. \"The Diamond Sutra: The Perfection of Wisdom.\n(Religion).\" Library Journal 126.20 (2001): 134.Health Reference Center Academic. Web. 28 April. 2011.\nhttp://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&amp;contentSet=IAC-Documents&amp;type=retrieve&amp;tabID=T003&amp;prodId=HRCA&amp;docId=A81222825&amp;source=gale&amp;srcprod=HRCA&amp;userGroupName=txshracd2487&amp;version=1.0\n\n\"The Diamond Sutra.\" The Silk Road Foundation. 2007-2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. http://www.silk-road.com/artl/diamondsutra.shtml\n\nRosen, Richard. \"The Buddha\'s Diamond.\" Yoga Journal 165 (2002): 141-44. Alt HealthWatch. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. http://ehis.ebscohost.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=d9000b15-68ce-42cd-9818-576050e23379%40sessionmgr114&amp;vid=1&amp;hid=103\n\n.\"Sacred Texts: Diamond Sutra.\" THE BRITISH LIBRARY - The World\'s Knowledge. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .','The Diamond Sutra','','inherit','open','open','','1233-autosave','','','2011-05-03 21:49:03','2011-05-04 03:49:03','',1233,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1241',0,'revision','',0),(1242,35,'2011-05-03 21:34:37','2011-05-04 03:34:37','','diamond sutra','http://www.silk-road.com/artl/diamondsutra.shtml','inherit','open','open','','diamond-sutra-4','','','2011-05-03 21:34:37','2011-05-04 03:34:37','',1233,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/diamond-sutra3.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1243,35,'2011-05-03 21:25:22','2011-05-04 03:25:22','The Diamond Sutra or in Sanskrit, Vajracchedika-prajnaparamita-sutra is a significant manuscript that should be considered for our Time Capsule because not only is it a sacred Buddhist text, which will help future generations learn about the culture and beliefs of people of the Buddhist faith but also because it is the oldest known printed and dated book. The Diamond Sutra has a fascinating history that sheds light on the historical background of its time, which can answer many questions of culture and technology in China during the Tang era.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nThe Diamond Sutra was produced using the Chinese technology of block printing in the 9th century.  Block printing was the first form of book printing; it was used in East Asia thousands of years before printing was established in Europe in the 15th century. Although The Diamond Sutra was not the first example of block printing during this era it is however the world’s first printed book that bares a date. It was printed on seven yellow-stained strips of paper carved from large wood blocks. The over 16 ft long and approximately 12 in tall scroll was carved by a skilled and practiced man named Wang Jie in 868. We know the date of the sutra because of a written colophon at the inner end of the scroll. According to The Diamond Sutra website the colophon inscription is as follows: “reverently made for universal free distribution by Wang Jie on behalf of his parents on the fifteenth of the fourth moon of the ninth year of Xian Long (May 11, 868).”  The Diamond Sutra has only 300 lines divided into 32 short chapters that can be read in less than an hour. Because of this, monks and other Buddhist followers have been reciting these essential teachings of Buddha since before the book put in print. In this sutra Buddha teaches of the “perception of nature” (Fiero B2 156). According to the article The Buddha’s Diamond written by Richard Rosen in The Yoga Journal just like this one, sutras come in the form of an “answer and question session between Buddha and one of his disciples”(141). While reading the scripture the reader is taking place of the questioner, so as we are all learning Buddha’s wisdom together. The Diamond Sutra teaches “the manner in which you should conduct yourself, both in outward behavior and inward attitude, in order to “be like Buddha” (Rosen 142).\r\n\r\nThe Buddhist religion originated in India and is thought to have made its way to Asia by the famous ancient trade route known as the Silk Road, which connected Asia to the Western world. During the Tang era, according to Gloria Fiero, author of The Humanistic Tradition, Buddhism was at its peak (B2 154). However, the silk road website states that in the 840’s the “resurgence of the old Confucian and Taoist ideas, China turned against foreign religions” and Buddhism “came under an imperial ban in 845; over 4,600 temples and monasteries were shut down and their devotees barred from the religious life.” Although 2 decades later the ban was rescinded, the Buddhist religion never regained the height it had during the Tang era. Invasions by northern nomadic tribes, known as His Hsia along the Silk Road and the walled city and military base, Dunhuang located near the trade route forced an unknown person to hide thousands of Buddhists sutras and other literature, sometime around the early 1000’s, in caves surrounding Dunhuang. The Diamond Sutra was one of the precious manuscripts stored safely in what is now known as the “Caves of the Thousand Buddha’s” until the 20th century when they were rediscovered by the British archeologist Sir Marc Aurel Stein in a walled-up cave.\r\n\r\nIn monotheistic religions such as Christianity with the Bible and Islam with the Koran, Buddhism doesn’t have one significant book that teaches the truth about God, it has sacred texts that serve as guides to the truth.  It is obvious how priceless the scroll’s philosophies were during its age for many reasons; one being the fact that it was skillfully printed after centuries of oral tradition. Another reason is that someone took the time and the risk to conceal and preserve the ancient teachings in a walled up cave.  Rosen writes that “[L]egend has it that the Sixth Patriarch of Zen, Huineng, achieved enlightenment after hearing just one line of The Diamond Sutra”, he goes on to declare it “[O]ne of the holiest and most popular of the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures” (Rosen 141). Today it is still perceived as a priceless sutra of the Buddhist faith. The Diamond Sutra is considered one of the most consecrated important Sutra of the Mahayana sutras according to Barbara Hoetsu O\'Brien a journalist and student of Zen Buddhism, who writes articles about Buddhism for the about website. It has been translated numerous times and in many different languages. “The Diamond Sutra has been rendered into English many times over the last 40-odd years; those editions are now joined by a wonderful new translation and commentary The Diamond Sutra, the Perfection of Wisdom by Red Pine, an American who dropped out of his graduate studies in anthropology to become a Buddhist scholar and acclaimed translator” (Rosen 141).\r\n\r\nAnother book printed using the Chinese block printed method during the same era is The Book of Songs. This collection of over 300 hundred poems is similar to The Diamond Sutra in the way that they were recited or sang, however the poems are not considered religious texts. Although according to Dr. Robert Churchill of Creighton University in his Handbook for the Study of Eastern Literatures, Confucius treasured them and recommended his followers to study them in detail. Churchill goes on to say that “Confucius personally selected these 305 poems from an earlier collection of over three thousand. Choosing poems which exemplified his ideas about statecraft and harmonious personal relations, Confucius arranged them in their present order, revising the musical scores to which the songs were customarily sung.” The purpose of The Diamond Sutra is to enlighten ones perception to live a more fulfilled life whereas The Book of Songs has a more of a political and societal view. It deals with common dilemmas such as marriage, work and war. A major achievement of both works of Chinese literature is that they have survived over the centuries and are still valued and studied by scholars. They both also have been translated and printed in multiple languages.\r\n\r\nI personally find The Diamond Sutra meaningful because of its fascinating path of concealment and rediscovery. Looking into why this and other Buddhist manuscripts were essentially buried just like our time capsule, for future generations to ascertain is an exciting concept. Because someone had the courage and keenness during a conflict to preserve this outlawed religious sutra, we now have a better idea of how the Chinese and the Buddhist religion progressed into what it is in the modern world. We also have an enhanced education of the technology, social, and economic trade advancements of the time.\r\n\r\nI think what makes this work the most significant for future generations is the myriad of ways it can educate both religiously and culturally. The Diamond Sutra deserves the chance to live on because it is the world’s earliest known printed and dated book as well as one of the most sacred sutras of the Buddhist religion.\r\n\r\nWorks Cited\r\n\r\n\"Barbara O\'Brien.\" Buddhism. 2011. Web. 01 May 2011. .\r\n\r\nChurchill, Dr. Robert. \"Book of Songs.\" Your Home Page Goes Http://mockingbird.creighton.edu/english/Here. Web. 02 May 2011. .\r\n\r\nDiamond Sutra - A New Translation of the Classic Buddhist Text. Alex Johnson Productions, 2005-2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria K. \"The World Beyond the West: India, China, and Japan Ca. 500–1300.\" The Humanistic Tradition. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2011. B2 152-2 158. Print.\r\n\r\nKuhlman, James R. \"The Diamond Sutra: The Perfection of Wisdom.\r\n(Religion).\" Library Journal 126.20 (2001): 134.Health Reference Center Academic. Web. 28 April. 2011.\r\nhttp://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&amp;contentSet=IAC-Documents&amp;type=retrieve&amp;tabID=T003&amp;prodId=HRCA&amp;docId=A81222825&amp;source=gale&amp;srcprod=HRCA&amp;userGroupName=txshracd2487&amp;version=1.0\r\n\r\n\"The Diamond Sutra.\" The Silk Road Foundation. 2007-2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. http://www.silk-road.com/artl/diamondsutra.shtml\r\n\r\nRosen, Richard. \"The Buddha\'s Diamond.\" Yoga Journal 165 (2002): 141-44. Alt HealthWatch. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. http://ehis.ebscohost.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=d9000b15-68ce-42cd-9818-576050e23379%40sessionmgr114&amp;vid=1&amp;hid=103\r\n\r\n.\"Sacred Texts: Diamond Sutra.\" THE BRITISH LIBRARY - The World\'s Knowledge. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .','The Diamond Sutra','','inherit','open','open','','1233-revision-4','','','2011-05-03 21:25:22','2011-05-04 03:25:22','',1233,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1243',0,'revision','',0),(1244,35,'2011-05-03 21:40:16','2011-05-04 03:40:16','The Diamond Sutra or in Sanskrit, Vajracchedika-prajnaparamita-sutra is a significant manuscript that should be considered for our Time Capsule because not only is it a sacred Buddhist text, which will help future generations learn about the culture and beliefs of people of the Buddhist faith but also because it is the oldest known printed and dated book. The Diamond Sutra has a fascinating history that sheds light on the historical background of its time, which can answer many questions of culture and technology in China during the Tang era.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nThe Diamond Sutra was produced using the Chinese technology of block printing in the 9th century.  Block printing was the first form of book printing; it was used in East Asia thousands of years before printing was established in Europe in the 15th century. Although The Diamond Sutra was not the first example of block printing during this era it is however the world’s first printed book that bares a date. It was printed on seven yellow-stained strips of paper carved from large wood blocks. The over 16 ft long and approximately 12 in tall scroll was carved by a skilled and practiced man named Wang Jie in 868. We know the date of the sutra because of a written colophon at the inner end of the scroll. According to The Diamond Sutra website the colophon inscription is as follows: “reverently made for universal free distribution by Wang Jie on behalf of his parents on the fifteenth of the fourth moon of the ninth year of Xian Long (May 11, 868).”  The Diamond Sutra has only 300 lines divided into 32 short chapters that can be read in less than an hour. Because of this, monks and other Buddhist followers have been reciting these essential teachings of Buddha since before the book put in print. In this sutra Buddha teaches of the “perception of nature” (Fiero B2 156). According to the article The Buddha’s Diamond written by Richard Rosen in The Yoga Journal just like this one, sutras come in the form of an “answer and question session between Buddha and one of his disciples”(141). While reading the scripture the reader is taking place of the questioner, so as we are all learning Buddha’s wisdom together. The Diamond Sutra teaches “the manner in which you should conduct yourself, both in outward behavior and inward attitude, in order to “be like Buddha” (Rosen 142).\r\n\r\nThe Buddhist religion originated in India and is thought to have made its way to Asia by the famous ancient trade route known as the Silk Road, which connected Asia to the Western world. During the Tang era, according to Gloria Fiero, author of The Humanistic Tradition, Buddhism was at its peak (B2 154). However, the silk road website states that in the 840’s the “resurgence of the old Confucian and Taoist ideas, China turned against foreign religions” and Buddhism “came under an imperial ban in 845; over 4,600 temples and monasteries were shut down and their devotees barred from the religious life.” Although 2 decades later the ban was rescinded, the Buddhist religion never regained the height it had during the Tang era. Invasions by northern nomadic tribes, known as His Hsia along the Silk Road and the walled city and military base, Dunhuang located near the trade route forced an unknown person to hide thousands of Buddhists sutras and other literature, sometime around the early 1000’s, in caves surrounding Dunhuang. The Diamond Sutra was one of the precious manuscripts stored safely in what is now known as the “Caves of the Thousand Buddha’s” until the 20th century when they were rediscovered by the British archeologist Sir Marc Aurel Stein in a walled-up cave.\r\n\r\nIn monotheistic religions such as Christianity with the Bible and Islam with the Koran, Buddhism doesn’t have one significant book that teaches the truth about God, it has sacred texts that serve as guides to the truth.  It is obvious how priceless the scroll’s philosophies were during its age for many reasons; one being the fact that it was skillfully printed after centuries of oral tradition. Another reason is that someone took the time and the risk to conceal and preserve the ancient teachings in a walled up cave.  Rosen writes that “[L]egend has it that the Sixth Patriarch of Zen, Huineng, achieved enlightenment after hearing just one line of The Diamond Sutra”, he goes on to declare it “[O]ne of the holiest and most popular of the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures” (Rosen 141). Today it is still perceived as a priceless sutra of the Buddhist faith. The Diamond Sutra is considered one of the most consecrated important Sutra of the Mahayana sutras according to Barbara Hoetsu O\'Brien a journalist and student of Zen Buddhism, who writes articles about Buddhism for the about website. It has been translated numerous times and in many different languages. “The Diamond Sutra has been rendered into English many times over the last 40-odd years; those editions are now joined by a wonderful new translation and commentary The Diamond Sutra, the Perfection of Wisdom by Red Pine, an American who dropped out of his graduate studies in anthropology to become a Buddhist scholar and acclaimed translator” (Rosen 141).\r\n\r\nAnother book printed using the Chinese block printed method during the same era is The Book of Songs. This collection of over 300 hundred poems is similar to The Diamond Sutra in the way that they were recited or sang, however the poems are not considered religious texts. Although according to Dr. Robert Churchill of Creighton University in his Handbook for the Study of Eastern Literatures, Confucius treasured them and recommended his followers to study them in detail. Churchill goes on to say that “Confucius personally selected these 305 poems from an earlier collection of over three thousand. Choosing poems which exemplified his ideas about statecraft and harmonious personal relations, Confucius arranged them in their present order, revising the musical scores to which the songs were customarily sung.” The purpose of The Diamond Sutra is to enlighten ones perception to live a more fulfilled life whereas The Book of Songs has a more of a political and societal view. It deals with common dilemmas such as marriage, work and war. A major achievement of both works of Chinese literature is that they have survived over the centuries and are still valued and studied by scholars. They both also have been translated and printed in multiple languages.\r\n\r\nI personally find The Diamond Sutra meaningful because of its fascinating path of concealment and rediscovery. Looking into why this and other Buddhist manuscripts were essentially buried just like our time capsule, for future generations to ascertain is an exciting concept. Because someone had the courage and keenness during a conflict to preserve this outlawed religious sutra, we now have a better idea of how the Chinese and the Buddhist religion progressed into what it is in the modern world. We also have an enhanced education of the technology, social, and economic trade advancements of the time.\r\n\r\nI think what makes this work the most significant for future generations is the myriad of ways it can educate both religiously and culturally. The Diamond Sutra deserves the chance to live on because it is the world’s earliest known printed and dated book as well as one of the most sacred sutras of the Buddhist religion.\r\n\r\nWorks Cited\r\n\r\n\"Barbara O\'Brien.\" Buddhism. 2011. Web. 01 May 2011. .\r\n\r\nChurchill, Dr. Robert. \"Book of Songs.\" Your Home Page Goes Http://mockingbird.creighton.edu/english/Here. Web. 02 May 2011. .\r\n\r\nDiamond Sutra - A New Translation of the Classic Buddhist Text. Alex Johnson Productions, 2005-2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria K. \"The World Beyond the West: India, China, and Japan Ca. 500–1300.\" The Humanistic Tradition. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2011. B2 152-2 158. Print.\r\n\r\nKuhlman, James R. \"The Diamond Sutra: The Perfection of Wisdom.\r\n(Religion).\" Library Journal 126.20 (2001): 134.Health Reference Center Academic. Web. 28 April. 2011.\r\nhttp://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&amp;contentSet=IAC-Documents&amp;type=retrieve&amp;tabID=T003&amp;prodId=HRCA&amp;docId=A81222825&amp;source=gale&amp;srcprod=HRCA&amp;userGroupName=txshracd2487&amp;version=1.0\r\n\r\n\"The Diamond Sutra.\" The Silk Road Foundation. 2007-2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. http://www.silk-road.com/artl/diamondsutra.shtml\r\n\r\nRosen, Richard. \"The Buddha\'s Diamond.\" Yoga Journal 165 (2002): 141-44. Alt HealthWatch. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. http://ehis.ebscohost.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=d9000b15-68ce-42cd-9818-576050e23379%40sessionmgr114&amp;vid=1&amp;hid=103\r\n\r\n.\"Sacred Texts: Diamond Sutra.\" THE BRITISH LIBRARY - The World\'s Knowledge. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .','The Diamond Sutra','','inherit','open','open','','1233-revision-5','','','2011-05-03 21:40:16','2011-05-04 03:40:16','',1233,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1244',0,'revision','',0),(1245,1,'2011-05-02 22:51:47','2011-05-03 04:51:47','The Treasury of a Well-Turned Verse\r\n\r\nThe Treasury of a Well-Turned Verse, also known as “Subhasitaratnakosa,” is one of the many collected pieces of poetry that consisted of 1739 verses from a Buddhist monk by the name of Vidyakara. During the eleventh century, the anthologies of Sanskrit poetry started to rise. This anthology consisted more on the erotic love rather than the emotional love. The details that are described in this poem are based on physical passion and the female beauty. During the life and time of India in the fourth through eleventh centuries, many accomplishments had come about. There were “ruling hereditary chiefs or “rajputs” (sons of kings) followed a code of chivalry that set them apart from the lower classes” (Fiero). The caste system, which was a system to keep higher and lower social classes divided up properly.\r\n\r\n                This anthology was typical of its era due to the alliteration, assonance, and lack of rhyme. The alliteration portrayed in the poems had the same consonant sound. For example, the words “scent of the sweat” would be the alliteration used in the poem, Treasury of a Well-Turned Verse. The assonance in the poems would have the same vowel sound. For example, the words “wished to kiss” would be the assonance that is portrayed in the poem.  This type of work was unusual for its time because Indian poetry has more of a sexual and erotic perspective rather than a romantic perspective. Since this work was unusual for its time, this type of poetry was not really seen until the mid 600<sup>th</sup> century. People saw it as a new perspective on love and not the romantic aspect of it. People today find this work very important. It shows that Indian anthologies in the earlier times have demonstrated amazing progress and have influenced many poets and authors to create such successful work.\r\n\r\n                My personal reaction to the work is that I find it very distinctive and diverse. The anthologies that Vidyakara had collected revealed different perspectives of love. It showed that there could be poems written either about the romantic aspects or the erotic and sexual aspects. I find this type of work meaningful due to it being different and unusual. It focuses more on the romantic and physical aspects rather than on most Islamic verses. The Treasury of a Well-Turned Verse specifically compares to any collected poem of Vidyakara. This poem can compare to another poem, Song of Muhamudra, written by Tilopa during the eleventh century. The poems consist of two literary devices; alliteration and assonance. The differences between them is that The Treasury of a Well-Turned Verse has passionate and erotic love, whereas, Song of Muhamudra depicts more of the love of friendship. This work is most significant to future generations because it shows that there are different views on love. Vidyakara’s anthologies portray beauty, passion, and erotic romance. It shows that there are different emotions that can be displayed in poems, which could then lead to future collections such as Vidyakara’s anthologies.','TompkinsAllie- TCP4','','inherit','open','open','','1225-revision-2','','','2011-05-02 22:51:47','2011-05-03 04:51:47','',1225,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1245',0,'revision','',0),(1247,1,'2011-05-02 21:25:22','2011-05-03 03:25:22','[caption id=\"attachment_1204\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"199\" caption=\"Cave 20, Yungang \"]<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/buddha.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-1204\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/buddha-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe final piece of art I would like to preserve in my time capsule is a Chinese sculpture. Cave 20 of the Yungang Caves is a massive stone sculpture carved in sandstone. It was created as a holy site of Buddhist pilgrimage. The size and attention to the astounding detail lend to this sculpture\'s beauty. I believe this masterpiece should be preserved for the future generation because it details the Chinese ideas of religion and is a monument to their faith.\r\n\r\nDuring the fifth century in China, many rich and influential members of this society ordered the commission of the arts. There have been suggestions that the 16-20 Yungang Caves had some political motives behind their commission. The mere size of these statues could symbolize a sense of imperial power. (howard)\r\n\r\nThis is considered a worship site of the Buddhist religion. Buddhism was founded by a mystic called Siddhartha Gautama, popularly renamed Buddha. The religion remains defined by\r\n\"the diverse acts and thinking of the followers of Buddha\"( bailey, 221)\r\nThese followers were to become known as the bodhisattvas. The basic fundamentals of the religion is transmigration, karma, meditation, enlightment and ultimately reaching nirvana. (bailey)\r\n\r\nCaves 16-20 are sometimes referred to as the Tanyao Five. This was in reference to the Monk Tanyao who oversaw their construction. They were commissioned by 3 sects of Northern Wei.  (huo) It is believed to be in memorial of former emperors. This was done because of ancestor worship established by Buddhist tradition. Cave 18-20 are the first to be built and their attached symbolism of the Buddhas are assumed to represent the Past, Present, and Future. (howard)\r\n\r\nCave 20 originally had three buddhas, two flanking the center statue. There were two representations of 2 smaller bodhisattvas. Unfortunately, due to the severe wear of the elements, only the center buddha and one of the bodhisattvas survived the ages. (howard) The faces have been partially restored but held to a non Chinese physiognomy. This was influenced by their predecessors of Dunhuang. (web art-arch.com) It is believe it was commissioned by Emperor Wengeng. The reason for this had been thought of as perhaps his act of atonement for the persecutions he had committed. (huo)\r\n\r\nCave 20 can be compared with the Dunghuang grottos. This is popularly known as The Caves ofthe Thousand Buddhas (Mogao Caves). It was an important stopping point along the Silk Road. (columbia) The patronage of these caves were merchants, local rulers and religious travelers. This was done to support the monastic community for over 1000 years. The reasons of why the caves were commissioned varied. Religious protection, giving thanks, and to earn religious merits are just a few.(asian art video)This site is known for it\'s painted murals and colored sculptures.(ziying)\r\n\r\nThough Cave 20 and the Dunhuang grottoes both are religious pilgrimage sites related to the Buddhist beliefs and traditions, there are a few differences. The Tanyao Five were commissioned for political reasons by political leaders, meanwhile the Dunhuang patronage scoped the entire community. Though it took a mere 64 years to complete the Tanyao Five, the works at Dunhuang continued on for about 1000 years. The main difference is size. Though Dunhuang has the many caves, Cave 20 stands out because of it\'s colossal size.\r\n\r\nBecause of the sites location on the famous Silk Road, these were trade routes that connected China with the West, these sites along the way helped spread Buddhism throughout China and the Western world. These were not merely just symbols of Buddhism, but had the responsibility to\r\n\"demonstrate China\'s import of foreign religions aesthetics as much as the wealth generated by its export of silk.\" (gardner)\r\n\r\nToday, the Yungang caves are still among the holiest of sites for Buddhist pilgrims. Frommer\'s tour book states that \"is the most significant site of Buddhist statuary in all of China.\"(frommer 298) The site is one of the best curated sites with regular daily tours. Though there are four hundred, ninety two caves, you will be able to see less than 10 of these magnificent caves on your two hour tour. (frommer)\r\nThis massive cave that is designated as a holy site, I believe, cannot have it\'s desired impression without a first hand experience. Though I don\'t connect with the religious aspect of this sculpture, I am totally in awe of this gigantic masterpiece. I believe that future generations can take from this sculpture the human\'s capabilities of artistic creation when it\'s fueled by faith.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n\"Dunhuang.\" Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition (2010): 1. Middle Search Plus. EBSCO. Web. 2 May 2011.\r\n\r\nHoward, Angela Falco. Chinese Sculpture. New Haven: Yale UP, 2006. Print.\r\n\r\nBailey, Lee Worth., and Emily Taitz. Introduction to the World\'s Major Religions. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2006. Print.\r\n\r\nZIYING. \"Yungang’s Treasure.\" :: Buddhist Travel ::. 12 Mar. 2008. Web. 02 May 2011.\r\nhttp://www.buddhistravel.com/index.php?id=66,661,0,0,1,0&gt;\r\n\r\n\"Yungang Grottoes, Datong.\" Art History Timelines, Resources, and Images. June 2009. Web. 02 May 2011. &lt;http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/china/datong/yg02.html&gt;.\r\n\r\nGardner, Helen, La Croix, Horst. De, and Richard G. Tansey. Gardner\'s Art through the Ages. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1980. Print.\r\n\r\nChinese Buddhist Cave Shrine. Asian Art Museum, 2009. Web. &lt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH3X1H6pYjY&amp;feature=player_embedded&gt;.\r\n\r\n\r\nHuo, Jianying. \"Yungang Grottoes and Buddhist Restoration.\" China Today 56.6 (2007): 66-70. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 2 May 2011.','Yungang Caves-Buddha-Cave 20','','inherit','open','open','','1203-revision-3','','','2011-05-02 21:25:22','2011-05-03 03:25:22','',1203,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1247',0,'revision','',0),(1248,1,'2011-05-02 21:23:35','2011-05-03 03:23:35','                              \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFellow Americans , we are gathered again for the last time.  Thank you all for your patience and understanding.  I want to have it documented that the year is 2100 A.D. The earth has been uninhabitable for several years. This will be our last gathering to decide what items deserve to be preserved and serve as inspiration for our children. My final choice for preservation in the future will be Hernan Cortes’ , Letters From Mexico .\r\n\r\nHernan Cortes’ was an example of a conquistador. A conquistador is an explorer. Many Spaniards in the fifteenth century were at the leading edge of exploration.  Hernan Cortes’ , Letters From Mexico , should be preserved because it represents the change from Old World to New World. \r\n\r\n Hernan Cortes’ was alive from 1485-1547. Letters from Mexico is a personal account of one man’s journey from Spain to Mexico. “Cortes’ was born in Medellin , Spain , to a family of lesser nobility. He went to Hispaniola and later to Cuba. He became magistrate of the second Spanish town founded on the island of Cuba. In 1519 he was elected captain of the third expedition to the mainland , which he partly funded. He executed a successful strategy of allying with some indigenous people against others. He used a native woman, Dona Marina, as an interpreter, she would later bear Cortes’ a son. After Cortes’ overthrew the Aztec Empire, he was awarded the title of Marquis del Valle de Oaxaca. Cortes returned to Spain in 1541 where he died six years later. Cortes grew up a pale, sickly child. He studied Law and Latin at Spain ’s great center of learning, the University of Salamanca . Cortes’ went on an expedition to Cuba  to conquer it in 1511 after recovering from syphilis. The Governor of Cuba was so impressed with Cortes’ that he secured a high political position for him in the colony. Cortes’ also became romantically involved with Catalina Xuarez , the sister-in-law of Governor Velazquez. Cortes’ had 11 ships, 500 men, 13 horses and a small number of cannons , he landed in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mayan territory. “ (Fitch)\r\n\r\n“Conquistadors sought wealth and fortune in the new world. Cortes was equipped with gunpowder and muskets. 600 soldiers, fewer than 20 horses, a 75 day siege, others factors contributed to Cortes’ victory including religious prophecy ( that Quetzalcoatl would return as a bearded white man).Cortes’ had support from rebellious aztecs , and an outbreak of smallpox among the aztecs helped Cortes win. Mexican gold and Peruvian silver weren’t the only sources of wealth for the conquerors, the Spanish soon turned to the ruthless exploitation of the native populations, enslaving them for use as miners and field laborers. When Cortes arrived , mexicos population was 25 million, by 1600 it had declined to 1 million.” (Fiero)\r\n\r\n“Warfare among the Spaniards\' opponents was governed by different rules. Aztec and Inca warriors often engaged in preliminary rituals, in which fighting was preceded by confronting the opponent face-to-face unarmed. The Aztec government was an elective monarchy. (Prescott)  The Aztecs recognized the existence of a supreme Creator and Lord of the Universe.  (Prescott)  “Montezuma is reported to have said to his messengers \" Our Lord Quetzalcoatl has arrived, go and receive him and listen to what he says with great attention, see to it that you do not forget anything that he may say, you see that these jewels that your are presenting to him  on my behalf, are all the priestly ornaments that belong to him. \" ( Castillo )\r\n“When Pizarro captured the Inca emperor and massacred his elite guard, which had served him well enough in battles against other American tribes, they were essentially unarmed, anticipating that the actual battle would take place later in the day.”(Means)\r\n\r\nSpanish conquistadors wrote the oldest history we have in America. In 1520 Cortes’ conquered the Aztecs.  The Aztec and Inca civilizations did not submit willingly to Spanish domination, and both cultures fiercely resisted the invaders. (Means) The Mexican temples - teocallis, \" houses of God\" were very numerous. (Prescott) Human sacrifices were adopted by the Aztecs early in the fourteenth century . (Prescott) The Mexicans mined the minerals of silver, lead, copper, gold, iron, obsidian- they used this for knives swords and razors (Prescott ) \r\n\r\n One of the most important factors in the triumph of Cortes and Pizarro was probably disease .  By some estimates, 90 percent of the population of the Americas died from diseases that Europeans often experienced as resistant carriers. “The Spaniards also had a tactical advantage. Europeans of the 1500s immediately charged upon enemies with swords drawn once they approached the field of battle. Warfare among the Spaniards\' opponents was governed by different rules. Aztec and Inca warriors often engaged in preliminary rituals, in which fighting was preceded by confronting the opponent face-to-face unarmed. When Pizarro captured the Inca emperor and massacred his elite guard, which had served him well enough in battles against other American tribes, they were essentially unarmed, anticipating that the actual battle would take place later in the day. “ (Means)  “The main purpose of the invasion, to acquire American gold and silver, was so successful that Spain became the dominant political and military power in the world for more than a century, seriously affecting the political situation in Europe .” (Means)  The Spaniards believed language and evangelization were the keys to making the natives  “ Spanish “  (Fitch )\r\n\r\n“ The resulting booty,  brought him unprecedented renown. For years he was a celebrity in Europe and a major power in the New World. Whereas in the early 1520\'s Cortes was viewed in Spain as a glorious instrument of imperial expansion, by the late 1530\'s and early 1540\'s he and other powerful New World conquistadores seemed instead to be agents of fragmentation of the empire. Their incredible wealth, influence over large and unruly followings, and geographical distance from the empire\'s seat in Spain threatened to dissolve the hold of the emperor and his government over the far-flung realm.”  ( Flint )\r\n\r\nFor those in the audience that are Mexican food lovers, here’s a bit of history , “  Avocados got their name from the Spanish explorers. They couldn\'t pronounce the Nauhuatl (Aztec) word for the fruit, ahuacatl, (meaning \"testicle,\" because of its shape.)  The Spanish called the fruit aguacate, leading to the guacamole we know today. “  The Spanish conquistadors also discovered a unique use for the avocado seed. The seed yields a milky liquid that becomes red when exposed to air. The Spaniards found they could use this reddish brown or even blackish indelible liquid as ink to be used on documents. Some of these documents are still in existence today. “(http://www.coyotetale.net/cooking/ahuacatl.php)\r\n\r\n“Tequila was first produced in the 16th century near the location of the city of Tequila, which was not officially established until 1656. The Aztec people had previously made a fermented beverage from the agave plant, which they called octli (later, and more popularly called pulque), long before the Spanish arrived in 1521. When the Spanish conquistadors ran out of their own brandy, they began to distill agave to produce North America\'s first indigenous distilled spirit.”      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tequila  \r\n\r\nCortes’, Letters From Mexico, is typical of this era because there were many conquistadors who were sent to explore all over the globe. It was just ironic that he was sent to Mexico where he became rich and famous by being mistaken for the Mexican God   Quetzalcoatl. He was sickly and weak as a youth as well as being pale. The Mexicans were all heavy and muscular. Cortes’ had to stick out like a sore thumb in that crowd.\r\nCortes’ , Letters From Mexico,  is unusual in that it is a first person account of an entire take over of a country . There had been letters written by prior explorers. There had been awards, promotions and ceremonies for many before Cortes’. What made this unique was that it was a day to day journal of his and his fellow explorers’ activities.\r\n\r\nIt was thought to have much embellishment due to the fact that Cortes’ was not very popular upon his departure for Mexico. His going into great detail about how fabulous and grand and wonderful his feats became would shed light onto his need for becoming a celebrity in his time. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy. \r\nLetters from Mexico was adored and translated and reviewed and studied by many generations that followed. It became part of the New World history as we know it today. After several centuries , other conquistadors writings came to be, and his was compared in a different light after that took place. He was not so revered and adored. He was looked at as a self-absorbed braggert. \r\n\r\n“Cortes’ contemporary would have been Bernal Diaz Del Castillo. Bernal Diaz Del Castillo was born in the very noble, famous and celebrated town of Medina del Campo in 1492. Bernal made up his mind to go to New Spain in 1517 when he was twenty-four years old. Bernal\'s comrades called him ( el galan ) \" the elegant\"\r\nVelasquez organized a third expedition and appointed Cortes\' to command it.\r\nBernal again enlisted as he was deeply in debt at this time.\r\nBernal went on expeditions 1517-1519 to Havana, Florida, Gran Cairo Yucatan, Jaruco, Cozumel, Isla Blanca, Isla Verde, Cuba, Trinidad, Tabasco” (Castillo) \r\n\r\nI would say the main difference between Cortes’ and Castillo is that Cortes’ writings were critiqued much more heavily. When Castillo wrote, he was not to have thought to have had any sort of political agenda behind what he wrote.  \r\n\r\nCortes’ story was the classic David and Goliath. Good versus Evil episode all over again.  Cortes’ could be thought of as the small town, noone kid, who made it big, famous and rich. Letters From Mexico should be preserved permanently for our children to see how the transformation took place between two totally different civilizations and how it was documented as the process took place. It’s the Old World becomes New World on paper right in front of us. \r\n\r\n\r\nSources Cited :\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition. 6thth ed. New York, New York: McGraw Hill, 2011. 109-14. Print.. \r\n\r\nCastillo, Bernard Diaz Del. The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico. London, England: Percy, Lund, Humphries &amp; Co. Ltd., 1928. Print. \r\n\r\nPrescott, William H. The History of the Conquest of Mexico. Chicago, Illinois: The University of Chicago Press, 1985. Print. \r\n\r\nFlint, Richard, and Shirley C. Flint. Documents of the Coronado Expedition , 1539-1542. Dallas, Texas: Southern Methodist University Press, 2005. Print. \r\n\r\n:Encyclopedia of Invasions and Conquests: From Ancient Times to the Present. Ed. Paul Davis. 2nd ed. Millerton , NY : Grey House Publishing, 2006. p189-191 \r\n\r\nWestern Hemisphere , Spanish Occupation of.\" Encyclopedia of Invasions and Conquests: From Ancient Times to the Present. Ed. Paul Davis. 2nd ed. Millerton , NY : Grey House Publishing, 2006. 189-191. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 20 Apr. 2011  \r\n\r\nBerler, Beatrice. The Conquest of Mexico. San Antonio, Texas: Corona Publishing Company, 1988. Print.\r\n\r\nLevy, Buddy. Conquistador. New York, New York: Bantam Books, 2008. Print.\r\nDiaz del Castillo, Bernal, The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico (London: Routledge, 1928); Liss, Peggy K., Mexico under Spain , 1521–1556 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1975); Means, Philip A., Fall of the Inca Empire and the Spanish Rule in Peru , 1530–1780 (New York: Gordian Press, 1971).\r\nhttp://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?&amp;id=GALE%7CCX3487400125&amp;v=2.1&amp;u=txshracd2487&amp;it=r&amp;p=GVRL&amp;sw=w\r\n\r\n \r\n','HERNAN CORTES ,  LETTERS FROM MEXICO','','inherit','open','open','','1198-revision-9','','','2011-05-02 21:23:35','2011-05-03 03:23:35','',1198,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1248',0,'revision','',0),(1252,9,'2011-05-04 12:11:10','2011-05-04 18:11:10','﻿<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://theunexplainedmysteries.com/Images/bookdead2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"634\" height=\"368\" />\n\nAs a compilation of spells, charms, passwords, hints, and magical formulas, the Book of the Dead was a guide for the deceased of Ancient Egypt on their journey to the next life.  For years, the Book of the Dead was gathered, reedited, and completed by many authors and compilers, producing what they initially called The Chapters of Coming Forth by Day (“Ancient”).  This collection was found on tomb walls, coffins, scarabs, and other objects, but is primarily known because of its illustrations on papyrus.  Although not given an exact date, the Book of the Dead was discovered in tombs as early as the Renaissance, leading to the misconception that it was the Bible equivalence for the Egyptian culture (Goelet).  This magnificent piece of history, however, provides a contradicting picture of the belief of life after death.  Composed and considered the standard afterlife text for the Egyptian elite in the 16<sup>th</sup> century, the Egyptian Book of the Dead became one of the most important artifacts in history that has assisted modern experts in understanding the culture and civilization of the ancient Egyptians.  Because humans, even today, naturally question the thought of what happens after death, I believe the Book of the Dead effectively gives insight to just one of the many views that people, throughout history, have established to comfort their uncertainties about life— providing its importance in its preservation for future generations to acknowledge.\n\n<!--more-->As afore mentioned, the Book of the Dead prepared the souls for the passage toward their heavenly domain with the sun god, Amon, “or flourish in a realm where wheat grows high and the living souls of the dead enjoy feasting and singing” (Fiero).  The book was illustrated with ancient traditions and scenes that continued after death on this journey and included the depiction of the last judgment. Associated with the Nile River, Osiris, the god of the underworld, Lord of the Dead, oversees the ceremony of weighing the heart of the deceased Princess Entiu-ny with his wife, Isis.  During this ceremony, the deceased would first ritualistically deny a list of forty-two misdeeds as the confession (Goelet).  The heart, upon judgment of the princess, is then weighed against the figure of Truth on the Great Balance prepared by Anubis, the jackal-headed god of death (Fiero).  It was said that, “one’s heart had to be as light as a feather in relation to sin” to be worthy of an external existence rather than a “final death” (Goelet).  The Egyptians highly valued happiness in the afterlife and essentially devoted a lot of their time and energy for their journey, as seen in the illustrations on the papyrus.\n\nThe text incorporated more early Egyptian religious literature.  Among these, the Pyramid Texts-- “the oldest extant funerary literature in the world,” was included.  Because of such a great compilation, the text was divided into four main divisions: Heliopolitan version, Theban version, a hieroglyphic and hieratic character version, and finally the Saite version (Budge).  Aside from the belief of an afterlife, the references of multiple gods and the metaphorical reference of the Great Balance, provides the viewer a look into the religious culture of the Ancient Egyptians as they constituted a polytheistic conception of a greater being.\n\nThe Ancient Egyptians revolved their life around the religion, specifically polytheism.  Like all of the ancient people, the Egyptians’ worship of many gods is associated with the geography, climate, and the natural environment that shaped their belief (Fiero).   According to Fiero, the sun made it possible to cultivate crops while the Nile left them fertile soil and a basis for their solar calendar, in which their civilization benefitted in wealth and order.  “In the regularity of the sun’s daily cycle and Nile’s annual deluge, ancient Egyptians found security” (Fiero).  From these gifts, the Egyptians were able to construct their theory of origin, describing the earth as a “flat platter floating on the waters of the underworld” in which a mound of silt was brought forth by the Nile (Fiero).  The self-generating Amon was then believed to be born.\n\nFiero goes on to state the symbolic importance of the sun’s daily ascent as “rebirth”, signifying “victory of the forces of day, light, purity, goodness, and life over those of night, darkness ignorance, evil, and death.”  Coincidentally, the recurring idea of “rebirth” can be seen in the story of Osiris.  According to the myth, after being slain, chopped, and thrown into the Nile by his evil brother, Set, Osiris was restored to life by his wife, Isis, Queen of Heaven.  Their son, Horus, ultimately became the ruler of Egypt after overthrowing Set (Fiero).  With resurrection as a central idea to the Ancient Egyptians, the Book of the Dead effectively illustrates this view of a continuous life.\n\nThe Book of the Dead proved to be typical of its era, simply because of its association with religion and the thought of an afterlife.  “There was never an ancient people who insisted upon believing that death was not the final act of a human being” (“Ancient”).  Through the text, historians were able to understand the Egyptian culture and their focus on taking great care of the body “to preserve it as a center of individual spirit manifestation.”  Upon the preservation of a body, all of the organs, with the exception of the heart, were removed, and preservatives were used to fill the body cavity (Fiero).  With the heart refrained from being removed, we can reference the scene of Princess Entiu-ny in the funerary text as her heart is weighed on the Great Scale.  There is no doubt that these two are correlated and thus proves the Book of the Dead’s significance in the preservation of the dead.\n\nDuring this time it was typical to mummify an Egyptian upon death along with placing in the tomb essential items such as food and weapons, as if preparing for a long journey (“Ancient”).  The Book of the Dead, as a matter of fact, was discovered in a tomb and therefore easily arguable that it was used as a tool or a guide for such a journey, and therefore fitting for the cultural context of this time.\n\nThe Book was rather unusual for its time, because although it was filled with realistic and graphic scenes for the funerary preparation, it surprisingly lacks illustrations depicting death and dying.  “For a people obsessed with the mortuary and funerary aspects of death, the Egyptians seldom dealt with the actual ways in which people lost their lives” (“Ancient”).  Also, as times were changing, the Book of the Dead was one of the first texts that “decreed that anyone who could afford the rituals would be entitled to follow the god Osiris into the afterlife” (“Ancient”).  This freedom was unfamiliar even to the Egyptians.  Funerary preparation and books were usually only meant for the pharaohs and other royals.  The Book of the Dead was associated with a great social and religious revolution, holding its unique place in Egyptian history.\n\nBecause the lives of the Ancient Egyptians greatly revolved around religion and the belief of an afterlife, they were optimistic about their souls after death as they would be guided safely in their journey.  “For them death may have been inevitable, but it was survivable” (Goelet).  The Book of the Dead was popular and greatly commissioned by the deceased before their death.  Because the promise of life after death seemingly dominated all of Egyptian culture, many paid to be granted “the help and protection of the gods while proclaiming the deceased’s identity with the gods” (Deurer).  The polytheistic belief enhanced their motivation to be among the greater beings to achieve this heavenly destination.\n\nToday, many individuals do not believe in life after death.  Many do not believe in multiple gods.  Instead, much of the world follows a monotheistic religion with the belief that the soul may live on to heaven or hell.  Despite these religious and culture disagreements, many agree that the Book is magnificent with its incredible illustrations and text that opens a window into history.  Goelet states, “There is probably no text in the popular imagination more closely associated with the ancient Egyptian beliefs about life after death than the work popularly known as the Egyptian Book of the Dead.”\n\nPersonally, the Book of the Dead caught my attention because of the illustrations and the scenes they portray both guide the living and the dead.  As the book guides the soul to its next life, it also guides the living to the “heart” of their culture and religious values.  This is one of my favorite pieces of art as it has so much meaning in the context.  The Egyptians seemed very loyal to their beliefs and passionate about their gods as seen in the Book of the Dead.  It’s amazing to see such variety of cultural and religious tradition throughout history, and I believe that the stories, pictures, and text will be able to catch the attention of future viewers as it caught mine.\n\nThe Egyptian Book of the Dead can be compared to the Tibetan Book of the Dead.  Although, similar in name, both provide different ways of achieving ultimate happiness.  Also called the <em>Bardo Thodol</em>, the Tibetan Book of the Dead was a “guide to spiritual and mental liberation” (Agha 896).  The Tibetan book focused primarily on self-awareness by meditation.  By meditating, the mind will able to control its own passage over the cycle of life, death, and rebirth (Agha 897).  This differs from that of Ancient Egyptians as they mainly focused on the life after death and spent much of their energy preparing for the anticipated journey of their final judgment.  Although a life after death to reach the heavens can be considered a spiritual liberation, the Egyptians incorporate nothing but their gods and cultural values.  The Tibetan book emphasizes the minds role as synonymous to the soul that continues on to the next state.  Although the <em>Bardo Thodol, </em>prepares you for the states after death, they can only be read by the living.  Along with the idea that “the book is a guide to liberation across the entire cycle of human existence,” the specification of only being read by the living is one of the main differences between Tibetan and Egyptian funerary scripts.\n\nWith similar name and similar misconception of bible equivalency, these two books share other similarities concerning life after death.   Just like in Egypt, the Tibetan book was a guide and a preparation for the deceased, although it called for much more effort from the conscious mind.  Tibetan Buddhists also viewed death as a process that took several days.  Because the Egyptians believed that preservation of the body was necessary and essential to your journey to the afterlife, they made sure that bodies were embalmed for ten weeks before internal organs were removed (Fiero).  The processes that were put in affect because of the importance placed on life after dead was a similar belief of both cultures.\n\nSo much effort and precision was done to make sure lives were brought to eternal bliss.  This can be viewed in the Egyptian Book of the Dead as the spells, chants, and hints made sure their people were truly guided on their journey to ultimately appear on their judgment day.  There will always be the inevitable question of what happens next.  This book provides a magnificent insight to the lives of those from ancient history that have centered their cultural and spiritual beliefs around their faith.  I believe the Book of the Dead is essential for future generations, because it sparks interest in historical background of another’s cultures and beliefs through its mysterious text and illustrations.\n\n&nbsp;','The Egyptian Book of the Dead','','inherit','open','open','','1251-revision','','','2011-05-04 12:11:10','2011-05-04 18:11:10','',1251,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1252',0,'revision','',0),(1253,9,'2011-05-04 12:12:00','2011-05-04 18:12:00','<p style=\"text-align: center\">﻿<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://theunexplainedmysteries.com/Images/bookdead2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"507\" height=\"294\" />http://theunexplainedmysteries.com/Images/bookdead2.jpg</p>\nAs a compilation of spells, charms, passwords, hints, and magical formulas, the Book of the Dead was a guide for the deceased of Ancient Egypt on their journey to the next life.  For years, the Book of the Dead was gathered, reedited, and completed by many authors and compilers, producing what they initially called The Chapters of Coming Forth by Day (“Ancient”).  This collection was found on tomb walls, coffins, scarabs, and other objects, but is primarily known because of its illustrations on papyrus.  Although not given an exact date, the Book of the Dead was discovered in tombs as early as the Renaissance, leading to the misconception that it was the Bible equivalence for the Egyptian culture (Goelet).  This magnificent piece of history, however, provides a contradicting picture of the belief of life after death.  Composed and considered the standard afterlife text for the Egyptian elite in the 16<sup>th</sup> century, the Egyptian Book of the Dead became one of the most important artifacts in history that has assisted modern experts in understanding the culture and civilization of the ancient Egyptians.  Because humans, even today, naturally question the thought of what happens after death, I believe the Book of the Dead effectively gives insight to just one of the many views that people, throughout history, have established to comfort their uncertainties about life— providing its importance in its preservation for future generations to acknowledge.\n\n<!--more-->As afore mentioned, the Book of the Dead prepared the souls for the passage toward their heavenly domain with the sun god, Amon, “or flourish in a realm where wheat grows high and the living souls of the dead enjoy feasting and singing” (Fiero).  The book was illustrated with ancient traditions and scenes that continued after death on this journey and included the depiction of the last judgment. Associated with the Nile River, Osiris, the god of the underworld, Lord of the Dead, oversees the ceremony of weighing the heart of the deceased Princess Entiu-ny with his wife, Isis.  During this ceremony, the deceased would first ritualistically deny a list of forty-two misdeeds as the confession (Goelet).  The heart, upon judgment of the princess, is then weighed against the figure of Truth on the Great Balance prepared by Anubis, the jackal-headed god of death (Fiero).  It was said that, “one’s heart had to be as light as a feather in relation to sin” to be worthy of an external existence rather than a “final death” (Goelet).  The Egyptians highly valued happiness in the afterlife and essentially devoted a lot of their time and energy for their journey, as seen in the illustrations on the papyrus.\n\nThe text incorporated more early Egyptian religious literature.  Among these, the Pyramid Texts-- “the oldest extant funerary literature in the world,” was included.  Because of such a great compilation, the text was divided into four main divisions: Heliopolitan version, Theban version, a hieroglyphic and hieratic character version, and finally the Saite version (Budge).  Aside from the belief of an afterlife, the references of multiple gods and the metaphorical reference of the Great Balance, provides the viewer a look into the religious culture of the Ancient Egyptians as they constituted a polytheistic conception of a greater being.\n\nThe Ancient Egyptians revolved their life around the religion, specifically polytheism.  Like all of the ancient people, the Egyptians’ worship of many gods is associated with the geography, climate, and the natural environment that shaped their belief (Fiero).   According to Fiero, the sun made it possible to cultivate crops while the Nile left them fertile soil and a basis for their solar calendar, in which their civilization benefitted in wealth and order.  “In the regularity of the sun’s daily cycle and Nile’s annual deluge, ancient Egyptians found security” (Fiero).  From these gifts, the Egyptians were able to construct their theory of origin, describing the earth as a “flat platter floating on the waters of the underworld” in which a mound of silt was brought forth by the Nile (Fiero).  The self-generating Amon was then believed to be born.\n\nFiero goes on to state the symbolic importance of the sun’s daily ascent as “rebirth”, signifying “victory of the forces of day, light, purity, goodness, and life over those of night, darkness ignorance, evil, and death.”  Coincidentally, the recurring idea of “rebirth” can be seen in the story of Osiris.  According to the myth, after being slain, chopped, and thrown into the Nile by his evil brother, Set, Osiris was restored to life by his wife, Isis, Queen of Heaven.  Their son, Horus, ultimately became the ruler of Egypt after overthrowing Set (Fiero).  With resurrection as a central idea to the Ancient Egyptians, the Book of the Dead effectively illustrates this view of a continuous life.\n\nThe Book of the Dead proved to be typical of its era, simply because of its association with religion and the thought of an afterlife.  “There was never an ancient people who insisted upon believing that death was not the final act of a human being” (“Ancient”).  Through the text, historians were able to understand the Egyptian culture and their focus on taking great care of the body “to preserve it as a center of individual spirit manifestation.”  Upon the preservation of a body, all of the organs, with the exception of the heart, were removed, and preservatives were used to fill the body cavity (Fiero).  With the heart refrained from being removed, we can reference the scene of Princess Entiu-ny in the funerary text as her heart is weighed on the Great Scale.  There is no doubt that these two are correlated and thus proves the Book of the Dead’s significance in the preservation of the dead.\n\nDuring this time it was typical to mummify an Egyptian upon death along with placing in the tomb essential items such as food and weapons, as if preparing for a long journey (“Ancient”).  The Book of the Dead, as a matter of fact, was discovered in a tomb and therefore easily arguable that it was used as a tool or a guide for such a journey, and therefore fitting for the cultural context of this time.\n\nThe Book was rather unusual for its time, because although it was filled with realistic and graphic scenes for the funerary preparation, it surprisingly lacks illustrations depicting death and dying.  “For a people obsessed with the mortuary and funerary aspects of death, the Egyptians seldom dealt with the actual ways in which people lost their lives” (“Ancient”).  Also, as times were changing, the Book of the Dead was one of the first texts that “decreed that anyone who could afford the rituals would be entitled to follow the god Osiris into the afterlife” (“Ancient”).  This freedom was unfamiliar even to the Egyptians.  Funerary preparation and books were usually only meant for the pharaohs and other royals.  The Book of the Dead was associated with a great social and religious revolution, holding its unique place in Egyptian history.\n\nBecause the lives of the Ancient Egyptians greatly revolved around religion and the belief of an afterlife, they were optimistic about their souls after death as they would be guided safely in their journey.  “For them death may have been inevitable, but it was survivable” (Goelet).  The Book of the Dead was popular and greatly commissioned by the deceased before their death.  Because the promise of life after death seemingly dominated all of Egyptian culture, many paid to be granted “the help and protection of the gods while proclaiming the deceased’s identity with the gods” (Deurer).  The polytheistic belief enhanced their motivation to be among the greater beings to achieve this heavenly destination.\n\nToday, many individuals do not believe in life after death.  Many do not believe in multiple gods.  Instead, much of the world follows a monotheistic religion with the belief that the soul may live on to heaven or hell.  Despite these religious and culture disagreements, many agree that the Book is magnificent with its incredible illustrations and text that opens a window into history.  Goelet states, “There is probably no text in the popular imagination more closely associated with the ancient Egyptian beliefs about life after death than the work popularly known as the Egyptian Book of the Dead.”\n\nPersonally, the Book of the Dead caught my attention because of the illustrations and the scenes they portray both guide the living and the dead.  As the book guides the soul to its next life, it also guides the living to the “heart” of their culture and religious values.  This is one of my favorite pieces of art as it has so much meaning in the context.  The Egyptians seemed very loyal to their beliefs and passionate about their gods as seen in the Book of the Dead.  It’s amazing to see such variety of cultural and religious tradition throughout history, and I believe that the stories, pictures, and text will be able to catch the attention of future viewers as it caught mine.\n\nThe Egyptian Book of the Dead can be compared to the Tibetan Book of the Dead.  Although, similar in name, both provide different ways of achieving ultimate happiness.  Also called the <em>Bardo Thodol</em>, the Tibetan Book of the Dead was a “guide to spiritual and mental liberation” (Agha 896).  The Tibetan book focused primarily on self-awareness by meditation.  By meditating, the mind will able to control its own passage over the cycle of life, death, and rebirth (Agha 897).  This differs from that of Ancient Egyptians as they mainly focused on the life after death and spent much of their energy preparing for the anticipated journey of their final judgment.  Although a life after death to reach the heavens can be considered a spiritual liberation, the Egyptians incorporate nothing but their gods and cultural values.  The Tibetan book emphasizes the minds role as synonymous to the soul that continues on to the next state.  Although the <em>Bardo Thodol, </em>prepares you for the states after death, they can only be read by the living.  Along with the idea that “the book is a guide to liberation across the entire cycle of human existence,” the specification of only being read by the living is one of the main differences between Tibetan and Egyptian funerary scripts.\n\nWith similar name and similar misconception of bible equivalency, these two books share other similarities concerning life after death.   Just like in Egypt, the Tibetan book was a guide and a preparation for the deceased, although it called for much more effort from the conscious mind.  Tibetan Buddhists also viewed death as a process that took several days.  Because the Egyptians believed that preservation of the body was necessary and essential to your journey to the afterlife, they made sure that bodies were embalmed for ten weeks before internal organs were removed (Fiero).  The processes that were put in affect because of the importance placed on life after dead was a similar belief of both cultures.\n\nSo much effort and precision was done to make sure lives were brought to eternal bliss.  This can be viewed in the Egyptian Book of the Dead as the spells, chants, and hints made sure their people were truly guided on their journey to ultimately appear on their judgment day.  There will always be the inevitable question of what happens next.  This book provides a magnificent insight to the lives of those from ancient history that have centered their cultural and spiritual beliefs around their faith.  I believe the Book of the Dead is essential for future generations, because it sparks interest in historical background of another’s cultures and beliefs through its mysterious text and illustrations.\n\n&nbsp;','The Egyptian Book of the Dead','','inherit','open','open','','1251-revision-2','','','2011-05-04 12:12:00','2011-05-04 18:12:00','',1251,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1253',0,'revision','',0),(1254,9,'2011-05-04 12:13:48','2011-05-04 18:13:48','﻿<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://theunexplainedmysteries.com/Images/bookdead2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"456\" height=\"265\" />http://theunexplainedmysteries.com/Images/bookdead2.jpg\r\n\r\nAs a compilation of spells, charms, passwords, hints, and magical formulas, the Book of the Dead was a guide for the deceased of Ancient Egypt on their journey to the next life.  For years, the Book of the Dead was gathered, reedited, and completed by many authors and compilers, producing what they initially called The Chapters of Coming Forth by Day (“Ancient”).  This collection was found on tomb walls, coffins, scarabs, and other objects, but is primarily known because of its illustrations on papyrus.  Although not given an exact date, the Book of the Dead was discovered in tombs as early as the Renaissance, leading to the misconception that it was the Bible equivalence for the Egyptian culture (Goelet).  This magnificent piece of history, however, provides a contradicting picture of the belief of life after death.  Composed and considered the standard afterlife text for the Egyptian elite in the 16<sup>th</sup> century, the Egyptian Book of the Dead became one of the most important artifacts in history that has assisted modern experts in understanding the culture and civilization of the ancient Egyptians.  Because humans, even today, naturally question the thought of what happens after death, I believe the Book of the Dead effectively gives insight to just one of the many views that people, throughout history, have established to comfort their uncertainties about life— providing its importance in its preservation for future generations to acknowledge.\r\n\r\n<!--more-->As afore mentioned, the Book of the Dead prepared the souls for the passage toward their heavenly domain with the sun god, Amon, “or flourish in a realm where wheat grows high and the living souls of the dead enjoy feasting and singing” (Fiero).  The book was illustrated with ancient traditions and scenes that continued after death on this journey and included the depiction of the last judgment. Associated with the Nile River, Osiris, the god of the underworld, Lord of the Dead, oversees the ceremony of weighing the heart of the deceased Princess Entiu-ny with his wife, Isis.  During this ceremony, the deceased would first ritualistically deny a list of forty-two misdeeds as the confession (Goelet).  The heart, upon judgment of the princess, is then weighed against the figure of Truth on the Great Balance prepared by Anubis, the jackal-headed god of death (Fiero).  It was said that, “one’s heart had to be as light as a feather in relation to sin” to be worthy of an external existence rather than a “final death” (Goelet).  The Egyptians highly valued happiness in the afterlife and essentially devoted a lot of their time and energy for their journey, as seen in the illustrations on the papyrus.\r\n\r\nThe text incorporated more early Egyptian religious literature.  Among these, the Pyramid Texts-- “the oldest extant funerary literature in the world,” was included.  Because of such a great compilation, the text was divided into four main divisions: Heliopolitan version, Theban version, a hieroglyphic and hieratic character version, and finally the Saite version (Budge).  Aside from the belief of an afterlife, the references of multiple gods and the metaphorical reference of the Great Balance, provides the viewer a look into the religious culture of the Ancient Egyptians as they constituted a polytheistic conception of a greater being.\r\n\r\nThe Ancient Egyptians revolved their life around the religion, specifically polytheism.  Like all of the ancient people, the Egyptians’ worship of many gods is associated with the geography, climate, and the natural environment that shaped their belief (Fiero).   According to Fiero, the sun made it possible to cultivate crops while the Nile left them fertile soil and a basis for their solar calendar, in which their civilization benefitted in wealth and order.  “In the regularity of the sun’s daily cycle and Nile’s annual deluge, ancient Egyptians found security” (Fiero).  From these gifts, the Egyptians were able to construct their theory of origin, describing the earth as a “flat platter floating on the waters of the underworld” in which a mound of silt was brought forth by the Nile (Fiero).  The self-generating Amon was then believed to be born.\r\n\r\nFiero goes on to state the symbolic importance of the sun’s daily ascent as “rebirth”, signifying “victory of the forces of day, light, purity, goodness, and life over those of night, darkness ignorance, evil, and death.”  Coincidentally, the recurring idea of “rebirth” can be seen in the story of Osiris.  According to the myth, after being slain, chopped, and thrown into the Nile by his evil brother, Set, Osiris was restored to life by his wife, Isis, Queen of Heaven.  Their son, Horus, ultimately became the ruler of Egypt after overthrowing Set (Fiero).  With resurrection as a central idea to the Ancient Egyptians, the Book of the Dead effectively illustrates this view of a continuous life.\r\n\r\nThe Book of the Dead proved to be typical of its era, simply because of its association with religion and the thought of an afterlife.  “There was never an ancient people who insisted upon believing that death was not the final act of a human being” (“Ancient”).  Through the text, historians were able to understand the Egyptian culture and their focus on taking great care of the body “to preserve it as a center of individual spirit manifestation.”  Upon the preservation of a body, all of the organs, with the exception of the heart, were removed, and preservatives were used to fill the body cavity (Fiero).  With the heart refrained from being removed, we can reference the scene of Princess Entiu-ny in the funerary text as her heart is weighed on the Great Scale.  There is no doubt that these two are correlated and thus proves the Book of the Dead’s significance in the preservation of the dead.\r\n\r\nDuring this time it was typical to mummify an Egyptian upon death along with placing in the tomb essential items such as food and weapons, as if preparing for a long journey (“Ancient”).  The Book of the Dead, as a matter of fact, was discovered in a tomb and therefore easily arguable that it was used as a tool or a guide for such a journey, and therefore fitting for the cultural context of this time.\r\n\r\nThe Book was rather unusual for its time, because although it was filled with realistic and graphic scenes for the funerary preparation, it surprisingly lacks illustrations depicting death and dying.  “For a people obsessed with the mortuary and funerary aspects of death, the Egyptians seldom dealt with the actual ways in which people lost their lives” (“Ancient”).  Also, as times were changing, the Book of the Dead was one of the first texts that “decreed that anyone who could afford the rituals would be entitled to follow the god Osiris into the afterlife” (“Ancient”).  This freedom was unfamiliar even to the Egyptians.  Funerary preparation and books were usually only meant for the pharaohs and other royals.  The Book of the Dead was associated with a great social and religious revolution, holding its unique place in Egyptian history.\r\n\r\nBecause the lives of the Ancient Egyptians greatly revolved around religion and the belief of an afterlife, they were optimistic about their souls after death as they would be guided safely in their journey.  “For them death may have been inevitable, but it was survivable” (Goelet).  The Book of the Dead was popular and greatly commissioned by the deceased before their death.  Because the promise of life after death seemingly dominated all of Egyptian culture, many paid to be granted “the help and protection of the gods while proclaiming the deceased’s identity with the gods” (Deurer).  The polytheistic belief enhanced their motivation to be among the greater beings to achieve this heavenly destination.\r\n\r\nToday, many individuals do not believe in life after death.  Many do not believe in multiple gods.  Instead, much of the world follows a monotheistic religion with the belief that the soul may live on to heaven or hell.  Despite these religious and culture disagreements, many agree that the Book is magnificent with its incredible illustrations and text that opens a window into history.  Goelet states, “There is probably no text in the popular imagination more closely associated with the ancient Egyptian beliefs about life after death than the work popularly known as the Egyptian Book of the Dead.”\r\n\r\nPersonally, the Book of the Dead caught my attention because of the illustrations and the scenes they portray both guide the living and the dead.  As the book guides the soul to its next life, it also guides the living to the “heart” of their culture and religious values.  This is one of my favorite pieces of art as it has so much meaning in the context.  The Egyptians seemed very loyal to their beliefs and passionate about their gods as seen in the Book of the Dead.  It’s amazing to see such variety of cultural and religious tradition throughout history, and I believe that the stories, pictures, and text will be able to catch the attention of future viewers as it caught mine.\r\n\r\nThe Egyptian Book of the Dead can be compared to the Tibetan Book of the Dead.  Although, similar in name, both provide different ways of achieving ultimate happiness.  Also called the <em>Bardo Thodol</em>, the Tibetan Book of the Dead was a “guide to spiritual and mental liberation” (Agha 896).  The Tibetan book focused primarily on self-awareness by meditation.  By meditating, the mind will able to control its own passage over the cycle of life, death, and rebirth (Agha 897).  This differs from that of Ancient Egyptians as they mainly focused on the life after death and spent much of their energy preparing for the anticipated journey of their final judgment.  Although a life after death to reach the heavens can be considered a spiritual liberation, the Egyptians incorporate nothing but their gods and cultural values.  The Tibetan book emphasizes the minds role as synonymous to the soul that continues on to the next state.  Although the <em>Bardo Thodol, </em>prepares you for the states after death, they can only be read by the living.  Along with the idea that “the book is a guide to liberation across the entire cycle of human existence,” the specification of only being read by the living is one of the main differences between Tibetan and Egyptian funerary scripts.\r\n\r\nWith similar name and similar misconception of bible equivalency, these two books share other similarities concerning life after death.   Just like in Egypt, the Tibetan book was a guide and a preparation for the deceased, although it called for much more effort from the conscious mind.  Tibetan Buddhists also viewed death as a process that took several days.  Because the Egyptians believed that preservation of the body was necessary and essential to your journey to the afterlife, they made sure that bodies were embalmed for ten weeks before internal organs were removed (Fiero).  The processes that were put in affect because of the importance placed on life after dead was a similar belief of both cultures.\r\n\r\nSo much effort and precision was done to make sure lives were brought to eternal bliss.  This can be viewed in the Egyptian Book of the Dead as the spells, chants, and hints made sure their people were truly guided on their journey to ultimately appear on their judgment day.  There will always be the inevitable question of what happens next.  This book provides a magnificent insight to the lives of those from ancient history that have centered their cultural and spiritual beliefs around their faith.  I believe the Book of the Dead is essential for future generations, because it sparks interest in historical background of another’s cultures and beliefs through its mysterious text and illustrations.\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\nWorks Cited\r\n\r\nAgha, Asif. \"Tibetan Book of the Dead.\" <em>Macmillan Encyclopedia of Death and Dying</em>. Ed. Robert Kastenbaum. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 896-898. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 2 May. 2011.  &lt;http://go.galegroup.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu&gt;.\r\nI used this reference to compare Tibetan Book of  the Dead to the Egyptian Book of the Dead.\r\n\r\n\"Ancient Egypt and the Afterlife.\" <em>The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained</em>. Ed. Brad Steiger and Sherry Hanson Steiger. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 15-22. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 1 May. 2011.  &lt;http://go.galegroup.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu&gt;.\r\nI used this reference to talk about how it was unusual for its time.\r\n\r\nBudge, E.A. Wallis.  “Egyptian Book of the Dead.”  <em>The Nazarean Way of Essenic Studies.</em> Web.  18 April 2011.  &lt;http://www.thenazareneway.com/index_egyptain_book_dead.htm&gt;.\r\nI used this website to help me with description and the historical context of the time.\r\n\r\nDeurer.  “The Egyptian Book of the Dead.”<em> Egypt Art</em>.  2010.  Web.  18 April 2011.  &lt;http://www.egyptartsite.com/book.html&gt;.\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria. “The Gods of Mesopotamia.” The Humanistic Tradition, book 1.  6th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2011.  Print.\r\nI used this book to describe the historical context along with description of the book.\r\n\r\nGoelet, Ogden, Jr. \"Egyptian Book of the Dead.\" <em>Macmillan Encyclopedia of Death and Dying</em>. Ed. Robert Kastenbaum. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 251-253. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 1 May. 2011.  &lt;http://go.galegroup.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu&gt;.\r\nI used this book to explain why it’s important today along with the dates of creation.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The Egyptian Book of the Dead','','inherit','open','open','','1251-revision-3','','','2011-05-04 12:13:48','2011-05-04 18:13:48','',1251,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1254',0,'revision','',0),(1255,9,'2011-05-04 12:14:44','2011-05-04 18:14:44','<p style=\"text-align: center\">﻿<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://theunexplainedmysteries.com/Images/bookdead2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"456\" height=\"265\" />http://theunexplainedmysteries.com/Images/bookdead2.jpg</p>\r\nAs a compilation of spells, charms, passwords, hints, and magical formulas, the Book of the Dead was a guide for the deceased of Ancient Egypt on their journey to the next life.  For years, the Book of the Dead was gathered, reedited, and completed by many authors and compilers, producing what they initially called The Chapters of Coming Forth by Day (“Ancient”).  This collection was found on tomb walls, coffins, scarabs, and other objects, but is primarily known because of its illustrations on papyrus.  Although not given an exact date, the Book of the Dead was discovered in tombs as early as the Renaissance, leading to the misconception that it was the Bible equivalence for the Egyptian culture (Goelet).  This magnificent piece of history, however, provides a contradicting picture of the belief of life after death.  Composed and considered the standard afterlife text for the Egyptian elite in the 16<sup>th</sup> century, the Egyptian Book of the Dead became one of the most important artifacts in history that has assisted modern experts in understanding the culture and civilization of the ancient Egyptians.  Because humans, even today, naturally question the thought of what happens after death, I believe the Book of the Dead effectively gives insight to just one of the many views that people, throughout history, have established to comfort their uncertainties about life— providing its importance in its preservation for future generations to acknowledge.\r\n\r\n<!--more-->As afore mentioned, the Book of the Dead prepared the souls for the passage toward their heavenly domain with the sun god, Amon, “or flourish in a realm where wheat grows high and the living souls of the dead enjoy feasting and singing” (Fiero).  The book was illustrated with ancient traditions and scenes that continued after death on this journey and included the depiction of the last judgment. Associated with the Nile River, Osiris, the god of the underworld, Lord of the Dead, oversees the ceremony of weighing the heart of the deceased Princess Entiu-ny with his wife, Isis.  During this ceremony, the deceased would first ritualistically deny a list of forty-two misdeeds as the confession (Goelet).  The heart, upon judgment of the princess, is then weighed against the figure of Truth on the Great Balance prepared by Anubis, the jackal-headed god of death (Fiero).  It was said that, “one’s heart had to be as light as a feather in relation to sin” to be worthy of an external existence rather than a “final death” (Goelet).  The Egyptians highly valued happiness in the afterlife and essentially devoted a lot of their time and energy for their journey, as seen in the illustrations on the papyrus.\r\n\r\nThe text incorporated more early Egyptian religious literature.  Among these, the Pyramid Texts-- “the oldest extant funerary literature in the world,” was included.  Because of such a great compilation, the text was divided into four main divisions: Heliopolitan version, Theban version, a hieroglyphic and hieratic character version, and finally the Saite version (Budge).  Aside from the belief of an afterlife, the references of multiple gods and the metaphorical reference of the Great Balance, provides the viewer a look into the religious culture of the Ancient Egyptians as they constituted a polytheistic conception of a greater being.\r\n\r\nThe Ancient Egyptians revolved their life around the religion, specifically polytheism.  Like all of the ancient people, the Egyptians’ worship of many gods is associated with the geography, climate, and the natural environment that shaped their belief (Fiero).   According to Fiero, the sun made it possible to cultivate crops while the Nile left them fertile soil and a basis for their solar calendar, in which their civilization benefitted in wealth and order.  “In the regularity of the sun’s daily cycle and Nile’s annual deluge, ancient Egyptians found security” (Fiero).  From these gifts, the Egyptians were able to construct their theory of origin, describing the earth as a “flat platter floating on the waters of the underworld” in which a mound of silt was brought forth by the Nile (Fiero).  The self-generating Amon was then believed to be born.\r\n\r\nFiero goes on to state the symbolic importance of the sun’s daily ascent as “rebirth”, signifying “victory of the forces of day, light, purity, goodness, and life over those of night, darkness ignorance, evil, and death.”  Coincidentally, the recurring idea of “rebirth” can be seen in the story of Osiris.  According to the myth, after being slain, chopped, and thrown into the Nile by his evil brother, Set, Osiris was restored to life by his wife, Isis, Queen of Heaven.  Their son, Horus, ultimately became the ruler of Egypt after overthrowing Set (Fiero).  With resurrection as a central idea to the Ancient Egyptians, the Book of the Dead effectively illustrates this view of a continuous life.\r\n\r\nThe Book of the Dead proved to be typical of its era, simply because of its association with religion and the thought of an afterlife.  “There was never an ancient people who insisted upon believing that death was not the final act of a human being” (“Ancient”).  Through the text, historians were able to understand the Egyptian culture and their focus on taking great care of the body “to preserve it as a center of individual spirit manifestation.”  Upon the preservation of a body, all of the organs, with the exception of the heart, were removed, and preservatives were used to fill the body cavity (Fiero).  With the heart refrained from being removed, we can reference the scene of Princess Entiu-ny in the funerary text as her heart is weighed on the Great Scale.  There is no doubt that these two are correlated and thus proves the Book of the Dead’s significance in the preservation of the dead.\r\n\r\nDuring this time it was typical to mummify an Egyptian upon death along with placing in the tomb essential items such as food and weapons, as if preparing for a long journey (“Ancient”).  The Book of the Dead, as a matter of fact, was discovered in a tomb and therefore easily arguable that it was used as a tool or a guide for such a journey, and therefore fitting for the cultural context of this time.\r\n\r\nThe Book was rather unusual for its time, because although it was filled with realistic and graphic scenes for the funerary preparation, it surprisingly lacks illustrations depicting death and dying.  “For a people obsessed with the mortuary and funerary aspects of death, the Egyptians seldom dealt with the actual ways in which people lost their lives” (“Ancient”).  Also, as times were changing, the Book of the Dead was one of the first texts that “decreed that anyone who could afford the rituals would be entitled to follow the god Osiris into the afterlife” (“Ancient”).  This freedom was unfamiliar even to the Egyptians.  Funerary preparation and books were usually only meant for the pharaohs and other royals.  The Book of the Dead was associated with a great social and religious revolution, holding its unique place in Egyptian history.\r\n\r\nBecause the lives of the Ancient Egyptians greatly revolved around religion and the belief of an afterlife, they were optimistic about their souls after death as they would be guided safely in their journey.  “For them death may have been inevitable, but it was survivable” (Goelet).  The Book of the Dead was popular and greatly commissioned by the deceased before their death.  Because the promise of life after death seemingly dominated all of Egyptian culture, many paid to be granted “the help and protection of the gods while proclaiming the deceased’s identity with the gods” (Deurer).  The polytheistic belief enhanced their motivation to be among the greater beings to achieve this heavenly destination.\r\n\r\nToday, many individuals do not believe in life after death.  Many do not believe in multiple gods.  Instead, much of the world follows a monotheistic religion with the belief that the soul may live on to heaven or hell.  Despite these religious and culture disagreements, many agree that the Book is magnificent with its incredible illustrations and text that opens a window into history.  Goelet states, “There is probably no text in the popular imagination more closely associated with the ancient Egyptian beliefs about life after death than the work popularly known as the Egyptian Book of the Dead.”\r\n\r\nPersonally, the Book of the Dead caught my attention because of the illustrations and the scenes they portray both guide the living and the dead.  As the book guides the soul to its next life, it also guides the living to the “heart” of their culture and religious values.  This is one of my favorite pieces of art as it has so much meaning in the context.  The Egyptians seemed very loyal to their beliefs and passionate about their gods as seen in the Book of the Dead.  It’s amazing to see such variety of cultural and religious tradition throughout history, and I believe that the stories, pictures, and text will be able to catch the attention of future viewers as it caught mine.\r\n\r\nThe Egyptian Book of the Dead can be compared to the Tibetan Book of the Dead.  Although, similar in name, both provide different ways of achieving ultimate happiness.  Also called the <em>Bardo Thodol</em>, the Tibetan Book of the Dead was a “guide to spiritual and mental liberation” (Agha 896).  The Tibetan book focused primarily on self-awareness by meditation.  By meditating, the mind will able to control its own passage over the cycle of life, death, and rebirth (Agha 897).  This differs from that of Ancient Egyptians as they mainly focused on the life after death and spent much of their energy preparing for the anticipated journey of their final judgment.  Although a life after death to reach the heavens can be considered a spiritual liberation, the Egyptians incorporate nothing but their gods and cultural values.  The Tibetan book emphasizes the minds role as synonymous to the soul that continues on to the next state.  Although the <em>Bardo Thodol, </em>prepares you for the states after death, they can only be read by the living.  Along with the idea that “the book is a guide to liberation across the entire cycle of human existence,” the specification of only being read by the living is one of the main differences between Tibetan and Egyptian funerary scripts.\r\n\r\nWith similar name and similar misconception of bible equivalency, these two books share other similarities concerning life after death.   Just like in Egypt, the Tibetan book was a guide and a preparation for the deceased, although it called for much more effort from the conscious mind.  Tibetan Buddhists also viewed death as a process that took several days.  Because the Egyptians believed that preservation of the body was necessary and essential to your journey to the afterlife, they made sure that bodies were embalmed for ten weeks before internal organs were removed (Fiero).  The processes that were put in affect because of the importance placed on life after dead was a similar belief of both cultures.\r\n\r\nSo much effort and precision was done to make sure lives were brought to eternal bliss.  This can be viewed in the Egyptian Book of the Dead as the spells, chants, and hints made sure their people were truly guided on their journey to ultimately appear on their judgment day.  There will always be the inevitable question of what happens next.  This book provides a magnificent insight to the lives of those from ancient history that have centered their cultural and spiritual beliefs around their faith.  I believe the Book of the Dead is essential for future generations, because it sparks interest in historical background of another’s cultures and beliefs through its mysterious text and illustrations.\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\nWorks Cited\r\n\r\nAgha, Asif. \"Tibetan Book of the Dead.\" <em>Macmillan Encyclopedia of Death and Dying</em>. Ed. Robert Kastenbaum. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 896-898. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 2 May. 2011.  &lt;http://go.galegroup.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu&gt;.\r\nI used this reference to compare Tibetan Book of  the Dead to the Egyptian Book of the Dead.\r\n\r\n\"Ancient Egypt and the Afterlife.\" <em>The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained</em>. Ed. Brad Steiger and Sherry Hanson Steiger. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 15-22. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 1 May. 2011.  &lt;http://go.galegroup.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu&gt;.\r\nI used this reference to talk about how it was unusual for its time.\r\n\r\nBudge, E.A. Wallis.  “Egyptian Book of the Dead.”  <em>The Nazarean Way of Essenic Studies.</em> Web.  18 April 2011.  &lt;http://www.thenazareneway.com/index_egyptain_book_dead.htm&gt;.\r\nI used this website to help me with description and the historical context of the time.\r\n\r\nDeurer.  “The Egyptian Book of the Dead.”<em> Egypt Art</em>.  2010.  Web.  18 April 2011.  &lt;http://www.egyptartsite.com/book.html&gt;.\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria. “The Gods of Mesopotamia.” The Humanistic Tradition, book 1.  6th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2011.  Print.\r\nI used this book to describe the historical context along with description of the book.\r\n\r\nGoelet, Ogden, Jr. \"Egyptian Book of the Dead.\" <em>Macmillan Encyclopedia of Death and Dying</em>. Ed. Robert Kastenbaum. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 251-253. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 1 May. 2011.  &lt;http://go.galegroup.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu&gt;.\r\nI used this book to explain why it’s important today along with the dates of creation.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The Egyptian Book of the Dead','','inherit','open','open','','1251-revision-4','','','2011-05-04 12:14:44','2011-05-04 18:14:44','',1251,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1255',0,'revision','',0),(1256,9,'2011-05-04 12:39:18','2011-05-04 18:39:18','<p style=\"text-align: center\">﻿<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://theunexplainedmysteries.com/Images/bookdead2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"456\" height=\"265\" />http://theunexplainedmysteries.com/Images/bookdead2.jpg</p>\nAs a compilation of spells, charms, passwords, hints, and magical formulas, the Book of the Dead was a guide for the deceased of Ancient Egypt on their journey to the next life.  For years, the Book of the Dead was gathered, reedited, and completed by many authors and compilers, producing what they initially called The Chapters of Coming Forth by Day (“Ancient”).  This collection was found on tomb walls, coffins, scarabs, and other objects, but is primarily known because of its illustrations on papyrus.  Although not given an exact date, the Book of the Dead was discovered in tombs as early as the Renaissance, leading to the misconception that it was the Bible equivalence for the Egyptian culture (Goelet).  This magnificent piece of history, however, provides a contradicting picture of the belief of life after death.  Composed and considered the standard afterlife text for the Egyptian elite in the 16<sup>th</sup> century, the Egyptian Book of the Dead became one of the most important artifacts in history that has assisted modern experts in understanding the culture and civilization of the ancient Egyptians.  Because humans, even today, naturally question the thought of what happens after death, I believe the Book of the Dead effectively gives insight to just one of the many views that people, throughout history, have established to comfort their uncertainties about life— providing its importance in its preservation for future generations to acknowledge.\n\n<!--more-->\n\nThe Book of the Dead prepared the souls for the passage toward their heavenly domain with the sun god, Amon, “or flourish in a realm where wheat grows high and the living souls of the dead enjoy feasting and singing” (Fiero).  The book was illustrated with ancient traditions and scenes that continued after death on this journey and included the depiction of the last judgment. Associated with the Nile River, Osiris, the god of the underworld, Lord of the Dead, oversees the ceremony of weighing the heart of the deceased Princess Entiu-ny with his wife, Isis.  During this ceremony, the deceased would first ritualistically deny a list of forty-two misdeeds as the confession (Goelet).  The heart, upon judgment of the princess, is then weighed against the figure of Truth on the Great Balance prepared by Anubis, the jackal-headed god of death (Fiero).  It was said that, “one’s heart had to be as light as a feather in relation to sin” to be worthy of an external existence rather than a “final death” (Goelet).  The Egyptians highly valued happiness in the afterlife and essentially devoted a lot of their time and energy for their journey, as seen in the illustrations on the papyrus.\n\nThe text incorporated more early Egyptian religious literature.  Among these, the Pyramid Texts-- “the oldest extant funerary literature in the world,” was included.  Because of such a great compilation, the text was divided into four main divisions: Heliopolitan version, Theban version, a hieroglyphic and hieratic character version, and finally the Saite version (Budge).  Aside from the belief of an afterlife, the references of multiple gods and the metaphorical reference of the Great Balance, provides the viewer a look into the religious culture of the Ancient Egyptians as they constituted a polytheistic conception of a greater being.\n\nThe Ancient Egyptians revolved their life around religion, specifically polytheism.  Like all of the ancient people, the Egyptians’ worship of many gods is associated with the geography, climate, and the natural environment that shaped their belief (Fiero).   According to Fiero, the sun made it possible to cultivate crops while the Nile left them fertile soil and a basis for their solar calendar, in which their civilization benefitted in wealth and order.  “In the regularity of the sun’s daily cycle and Nile’s annual deluge, ancient Egyptians found security” (Fiero).  From these gifts, the Egyptians were able to construct their theory of origin, describing the earth as a “flat platter floating on the waters of the underworld” in which a mound of silt was brought forth by the Nile (Fiero).  The self-generating Amon was then believed to be born.\n\nFiero goes on to state the symbolic importance of the sun’s daily ascent as “rebirth”, signifying “victory of the forces of day, light, purity, goodness, and life over those of night, darkness ignorance, evil, and death.”  Coincidentally, the recurring idea of “rebirth” can be seen in the story of Osiris.  According to the myth, after being slain, chopped, and thrown into the Nile by his evil brother, Set, Osiris was restored to life by his wife, Isis, Queen of Heaven.  Their son, Horus, ultimately became the ruler of Egypt after overthrowing Set (Fiero).  With resurrection as a central idea to the Ancient Egyptians, the Book of the Dead effectively illustrates this view of a continuous life.\n\nThe Book of the Dead proved to be typical of its era, simply because of its association with religion and the thought of an afterlife.  “There was never an ancient people who insisted upon believing that death was not the final act of a human being” (“Ancient”).  Through the text, historians were able to understand the Egyptian culture and their focus on taking great care of the body “to preserve it as a center of individual spirit manifestation.”  Upon the preservation of a body, all of the organs, with the exception of the heart, were removed, and preservatives were used to fill the body cavity (Fiero).  With the heart refrained from being removed, we can reference the scene of Princess Entiu-ny in the funerary text as her heart is weighed on the Great Scale.  There is no doubt that these two are correlated and thus proves the Book of the Dead’s significance in the preservation of the dead.\n\nDuring this time it was typical to mummify an Egyptian upon death along with placing in the tomb essential items such as food and weapons, as if preparing for a long journey (“Ancient”).  The Book of the Dead, as a matter of fact, was discovered in a tomb and therefore easily arguable that it was used as a tool or a guide for such a journey, and therefore fitting for the cultural context of this time.\n\nThe Book was rather unusual for its time, because although it is filled with realistic and graphic scenes for the funerary preparation, it surprisingly lacks illustrations depicting death and dying.  “For a people obsessed with the mortuary and funerary aspects of death, the Egyptians seldom dealt with the actual ways in which people lost their lives” (“Ancient”).  Also, as times were changing, the Book of the Dead was one of the first texts that “decreed that anyone who could afford the rituals would be entitled to follow the god Osiris into the afterlife” (“Ancient”).  This freedom was unfamiliar even to the Egyptians.  Funerary preparation and books were usually only meant for the pharaohs and other royals.  The Book of the Dead was associated with a great social and religious revolution, holding its unique place in Egyptian history.\n\nBecause the lives of the Ancient Egyptians greatly revolved around religion and the belief of an afterlife, they were optimistic about their souls after death as they would be guided safely in their journey.  “For them death may have been inevitable, but it was survivable” (Goelet).  The Book of the Dead was popular and greatly commissioned by the deceased before their death.  Because the promise of life after death seemingly dominated all of Egyptian culture, many paid to be granted “the help and protection of the gods while proclaiming the deceased’s identity with the gods” (Deurer).  The polytheistic belief enhanced their motivation to be among the greater beings to achieve this heavenly destination.\n\nToday, many individuals do not believe in life after death.  Many do not believe in multiple gods.  Instead, much of the world follows a monotheistic religion with the belief that the soul may live on to heaven or hell.  Despite these religious and culture disagreements, many agree that the Book is magnificent with its incredible illustrations and text that opens a window into history.  Goelet states, “There is probably no text in the popular imagination more closely associated with the ancient Egyptian beliefs about life after death than the work popularly known as the Egyptian Book of the Dead.”\n\nPersonally, the Book of the Dead caught my attention because of the illustrations and the scenes they portray both guide the living and the dead.  As the book guides the soul to its next life, it also guides the living to the “heart” of their culture and religious values.  This is one of my favorite pieces of art as it has so much meaning in the context.  The Egyptians seemed very loyal to their beliefs and passionate about their gods as seen in the Book of the Dead.  It’s amazing to see such variety of cultural and religious tradition throughout history, and I believe that the stories, pictures, and text will be able to catch the attention of future viewers as it caught mine.\n\nThe Egyptian Book of the Dead can be compared to the Tibetan Book of the Dead.  Although, similar in name, both provide different ways of achieving ultimate happiness.  Also called the <em>Bardo Thodol</em>, the Tibetan Book of the Dead was a “guide to spiritual and mental liberation” (Agha 896).  The Tibetan book focused primarily on self-awareness by meditation.  By meditating, the mind will able to control its own passage over the cycle of life, death, and rebirth (Agha 897).  This differs from that of Ancient Egyptians as they mainly focused on the life after death and spent much of their energy preparing for the anticipated journey of their final judgment.  Although a life after death to reach the heavens can be considered a spiritual liberation, the Egyptians incorporate nothing but their gods and cultural values.  The Tibetan book emphasizes the mind’s role as synonymous to the soul that continues on to the next state.  Although the <em>Bardo Thodol, </em>prepares you for the states after death, it can only be read by the living.  Along with the idea that “the book is a guide to liberation across the entire cycle of human existence,” the specification of only being read by the living is one of the main differences between Tibetan and Egyptian funerary scripts.\n\nWith similar name and similar misconception of bible equivalency, these two books share other similarities concerning life after death.   Just like in Egypt, the Tibetan book was a guide and a preparation for the deceased, although it called for much more effort from the conscious mind.  Tibetan Buddhists also viewed death as a process that took several days.  Because the Egyptians believed that preservation of the body was necessary and essential to your journey to the afterlife, they made sure that bodies were embalmed for ten weeks before internal organs were removed (Fiero).  The processes that were put in effect because of the importance placed on life after death was a similar belief of both cultures.\n\nSo much effort and precision was done to make sure lives were brought to eternal bliss.  This can be viewed in the Egyptian Book of the Dead as the spells, chants, and hints made sure their people were truly guided on their journey to ultimately appear on their judgment day.  There will always be the inevitable question of what happens next.  This book provides a magnificent insight to the lives of those from ancient history that have centered their cultural and spiritual beliefs around their faith.  I believe the Book of the Dead is essential for future generations, because it sparks interest in historical background of another’s cultures and beliefs of how they comforted their uncertainties through its mysterious text and illustrations.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<!--more-->\n\nWorks Cited\n\nAgha, Asif. \"Tibetan Book of the Dead.\" <em>Macmillan Encyclopedia of Death and Dying</em>. Ed. Robert Kastenbaum. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 896-898. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 2 May. 2011.  &lt;http://go.galegroup.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu&gt;.\nI used this reference to compare Tibetan Book of  the Dead to the Egyptian Book of the Dead.\n\n\"Ancient Egypt and the Afterlife.\" <em>The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained</em>. Ed. Brad Steiger and Sherry Hanson Steiger. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 15-22. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 1 May. 2011.  &lt;http://go.galegroup.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu&gt;.\nI used this reference to talk about how it was unusual for its time.\n\nBudge, E.A. Wallis.  “Egyptian Book of the Dead.”  <em>The Nazarean Way of Essenic Studies.</em> Web.  18 April 2011.  &lt;http://www.thenazareneway.com/index_egyptain_book_dead.htm&gt;.\nI used this website to help me with description and the historical context of the time.\n\nDeurer.  “The Egyptian Book of the Dead.”<em> Egypt Art</em>.  2010.  Web.  18 April 2011.  &lt;http://www.egyptartsite.com/book.html&gt;.\n\nFiero, Gloria. “The Gods of Mesopotamia.” The Humanistic Tradition, book 1.  6th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2011.  Print.\nI used this book to describe the historical context along with description of the book.\n\nGoelet, Ogden, Jr. \"Egyptian Book of the Dead.\" <em>Macmillan Encyclopedia of Death and Dying</em>. Ed. Robert Kastenbaum. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 251-253. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 1 May. 2011.  &lt;http://go.galegroup.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu&gt;.\nI used this book to explain why it’s important today along with the dates of creation.\n\n&nbsp;','The Egyptian Book of the Dead','','inherit','open','open','','1251-autosave','','','2011-05-04 12:39:18','2011-05-04 18:39:18','',1251,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1256',0,'revision','',0),(1257,9,'2011-05-04 12:15:33','2011-05-04 18:15:33','<p style=\"text-align: center\">﻿<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://theunexplainedmysteries.com/Images/bookdead2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"456\" height=\"265\" />http://theunexplainedmysteries.com/Images/bookdead2.jpg</p>\r\nAs a compilation of spells, charms, passwords, hints, and magical formulas, the Book of the Dead was a guide for the deceased of Ancient Egypt on their journey to the next life.  For years, the Book of the Dead was gathered, reedited, and completed by many authors and compilers, producing what they initially called The Chapters of Coming Forth by Day (“Ancient”).  This collection was found on tomb walls, coffins, scarabs, and other objects, but is primarily known because of its illustrations on papyrus.  Although not given an exact date, the Book of the Dead was discovered in tombs as early as the Renaissance, leading to the misconception that it was the Bible equivalence for the Egyptian culture (Goelet).  This magnificent piece of history, however, provides a contradicting picture of the belief of life after death.  Composed and considered the standard afterlife text for the Egyptian elite in the 16<sup>th</sup> century, the Egyptian Book of the Dead became one of the most important artifacts in history that has assisted modern experts in understanding the culture and civilization of the ancient Egyptians.  Because humans, even today, naturally question the thought of what happens after death, I believe the Book of the Dead effectively gives insight to just one of the many views that people, throughout history, have established to comfort their uncertainties about life— providing its importance in its preservation for future generations to acknowledge.\r\n\r\n<!--more-->As afore mentioned, the Book of the Dead prepared the souls for the passage toward their heavenly domain with the sun god, Amon, “or flourish in a realm where wheat grows high and the living souls of the dead enjoy feasting and singing” (Fiero).  The book was illustrated with ancient traditions and scenes that continued after death on this journey and included the depiction of the last judgment. Associated with the Nile River, Osiris, the god of the underworld, Lord of the Dead, oversees the ceremony of weighing the heart of the deceased Princess Entiu-ny with his wife, Isis.  During this ceremony, the deceased would first ritualistically deny a list of forty-two misdeeds as the confession (Goelet).  The heart, upon judgment of the princess, is then weighed against the figure of Truth on the Great Balance prepared by Anubis, the jackal-headed god of death (Fiero).  It was said that, “one’s heart had to be as light as a feather in relation to sin” to be worthy of an external existence rather than a “final death” (Goelet).  The Egyptians highly valued happiness in the afterlife and essentially devoted a lot of their time and energy for their journey, as seen in the illustrations on the papyrus.\r\n\r\nThe text incorporated more early Egyptian religious literature.  Among these, the Pyramid Texts-- “the oldest extant funerary literature in the world,” was included.  Because of such a great compilation, the text was divided into four main divisions: Heliopolitan version, Theban version, a hieroglyphic and hieratic character version, and finally the Saite version (Budge).  Aside from the belief of an afterlife, the references of multiple gods and the metaphorical reference of the Great Balance, provides the viewer a look into the religious culture of the Ancient Egyptians as they constituted a polytheistic conception of a greater being.\r\n\r\nThe Ancient Egyptians revolved their life around the religion, specifically polytheism.  Like all of the ancient people, the Egyptians’ worship of many gods is associated with the geography, climate, and the natural environment that shaped their belief (Fiero).   According to Fiero, the sun made it possible to cultivate crops while the Nile left them fertile soil and a basis for their solar calendar, in which their civilization benefitted in wealth and order.  “In the regularity of the sun’s daily cycle and Nile’s annual deluge, ancient Egyptians found security” (Fiero).  From these gifts, the Egyptians were able to construct their theory of origin, describing the earth as a “flat platter floating on the waters of the underworld” in which a mound of silt was brought forth by the Nile (Fiero).  The self-generating Amon was then believed to be born.\r\n\r\nFiero goes on to state the symbolic importance of the sun’s daily ascent as “rebirth”, signifying “victory of the forces of day, light, purity, goodness, and life over those of night, darkness ignorance, evil, and death.”  Coincidentally, the recurring idea of “rebirth” can be seen in the story of Osiris.  According to the myth, after being slain, chopped, and thrown into the Nile by his evil brother, Set, Osiris was restored to life by his wife, Isis, Queen of Heaven.  Their son, Horus, ultimately became the ruler of Egypt after overthrowing Set (Fiero).  With resurrection as a central idea to the Ancient Egyptians, the Book of the Dead effectively illustrates this view of a continuous life.\r\n\r\nThe Book of the Dead proved to be typical of its era, simply because of its association with religion and the thought of an afterlife.  “There was never an ancient people who insisted upon believing that death was not the final act of a human being” (“Ancient”).  Through the text, historians were able to understand the Egyptian culture and their focus on taking great care of the body “to preserve it as a center of individual spirit manifestation.”  Upon the preservation of a body, all of the organs, with the exception of the heart, were removed, and preservatives were used to fill the body cavity (Fiero).  With the heart refrained from being removed, we can reference the scene of Princess Entiu-ny in the funerary text as her heart is weighed on the Great Scale.  There is no doubt that these two are correlated and thus proves the Book of the Dead’s significance in the preservation of the dead.\r\n\r\nDuring this time it was typical to mummify an Egyptian upon death along with placing in the tomb essential items such as food and weapons, as if preparing for a long journey (“Ancient”).  The Book of the Dead, as a matter of fact, was discovered in a tomb and therefore easily arguable that it was used as a tool or a guide for such a journey, and therefore fitting for the cultural context of this time.\r\n\r\nThe Book was rather unusual for its time, because although it was filled with realistic and graphic scenes for the funerary preparation, it surprisingly lacks illustrations depicting death and dying.  “For a people obsessed with the mortuary and funerary aspects of death, the Egyptians seldom dealt with the actual ways in which people lost their lives” (“Ancient”).  Also, as times were changing, the Book of the Dead was one of the first texts that “decreed that anyone who could afford the rituals would be entitled to follow the god Osiris into the afterlife” (“Ancient”).  This freedom was unfamiliar even to the Egyptians.  Funerary preparation and books were usually only meant for the pharaohs and other royals.  The Book of the Dead was associated with a great social and religious revolution, holding its unique place in Egyptian history.\r\n\r\nBecause the lives of the Ancient Egyptians greatly revolved around religion and the belief of an afterlife, they were optimistic about their souls after death as they would be guided safely in their journey.  “For them death may have been inevitable, but it was survivable” (Goelet).  The Book of the Dead was popular and greatly commissioned by the deceased before their death.  Because the promise of life after death seemingly dominated all of Egyptian culture, many paid to be granted “the help and protection of the gods while proclaiming the deceased’s identity with the gods” (Deurer).  The polytheistic belief enhanced their motivation to be among the greater beings to achieve this heavenly destination.\r\n\r\nToday, many individuals do not believe in life after death.  Many do not believe in multiple gods.  Instead, much of the world follows a monotheistic religion with the belief that the soul may live on to heaven or hell.  Despite these religious and culture disagreements, many agree that the Book is magnificent with its incredible illustrations and text that opens a window into history.  Goelet states, “There is probably no text in the popular imagination more closely associated with the ancient Egyptian beliefs about life after death than the work popularly known as the Egyptian Book of the Dead.”\r\n\r\nPersonally, the Book of the Dead caught my attention because of the illustrations and the scenes they portray both guide the living and the dead.  As the book guides the soul to its next life, it also guides the living to the “heart” of their culture and religious values.  This is one of my favorite pieces of art as it has so much meaning in the context.  The Egyptians seemed very loyal to their beliefs and passionate about their gods as seen in the Book of the Dead.  It’s amazing to see such variety of cultural and religious tradition throughout history, and I believe that the stories, pictures, and text will be able to catch the attention of future viewers as it caught mine.\r\n\r\nThe Egyptian Book of the Dead can be compared to the Tibetan Book of the Dead.  Although, similar in name, both provide different ways of achieving ultimate happiness.  Also called the <em>Bardo Thodol</em>, the Tibetan Book of the Dead was a “guide to spiritual and mental liberation” (Agha 896).  The Tibetan book focused primarily on self-awareness by meditation.  By meditating, the mind will able to control its own passage over the cycle of life, death, and rebirth (Agha 897).  This differs from that of Ancient Egyptians as they mainly focused on the life after death and spent much of their energy preparing for the anticipated journey of their final judgment.  Although a life after death to reach the heavens can be considered a spiritual liberation, the Egyptians incorporate nothing but their gods and cultural values.  The Tibetan book emphasizes the minds role as synonymous to the soul that continues on to the next state.  Although the <em>Bardo Thodol, </em>prepares you for the states after death, they can only be read by the living.  Along with the idea that “the book is a guide to liberation across the entire cycle of human existence,” the specification of only being read by the living is one of the main differences between Tibetan and Egyptian funerary scripts.\r\n\r\nWith similar name and similar misconception of bible equivalency, these two books share other similarities concerning life after death.   Just like in Egypt, the Tibetan book was a guide and a preparation for the deceased, although it called for much more effort from the conscious mind.  Tibetan Buddhists also viewed death as a process that took several days.  Because the Egyptians believed that preservation of the body was necessary and essential to your journey to the afterlife, they made sure that bodies were embalmed for ten weeks before internal organs were removed (Fiero).  The processes that were put in affect because of the importance placed on life after dead was a similar belief of both cultures.\r\n\r\nSo much effort and precision was done to make sure lives were brought to eternal bliss.  This can be viewed in the Egyptian Book of the Dead as the spells, chants, and hints made sure their people were truly guided on their journey to ultimately appear on their judgment day.  There will always be the inevitable question of what happens next.  This book provides a magnificent insight to the lives of those from ancient history that have centered their cultural and spiritual beliefs around their faith.  I believe the Book of the Dead is essential for future generations, because it sparks interest in historical background of another’s cultures and beliefs through its mysterious text and illustrations.\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\nWorks Cited\r\n\r\nAgha, Asif. \"Tibetan Book of the Dead.\" <em>Macmillan Encyclopedia of Death and Dying</em>. Ed. Robert Kastenbaum. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 896-898. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 2 May. 2011.  &lt;http://go.galegroup.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu&gt;.\r\nI used this reference to compare Tibetan Book of  the Dead to the Egyptian Book of the Dead.\r\n\r\n\"Ancient Egypt and the Afterlife.\" <em>The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained</em>. Ed. Brad Steiger and Sherry Hanson Steiger. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 15-22. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 1 May. 2011.  &lt;http://go.galegroup.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu&gt;.\r\nI used this reference to talk about how it was unusual for its time.\r\n\r\nBudge, E.A. Wallis.  “Egyptian Book of the Dead.”  <em>The Nazarean Way of Essenic Studies.</em> Web.  18 April 2011.  &lt;http://www.thenazareneway.com/index_egyptain_book_dead.htm&gt;.\r\nI used this website to help me with description and the historical context of the time.\r\n\r\nDeurer.  “The Egyptian Book of the Dead.”<em> Egypt Art</em>.  2010.  Web.  18 April 2011.  &lt;http://www.egyptartsite.com/book.html&gt;.\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria. “The Gods of Mesopotamia.” The Humanistic Tradition, book 1.  6th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2011.  Print.\r\nI used this book to describe the historical context along with description of the book.\r\n\r\nGoelet, Ogden, Jr. \"Egyptian Book of the Dead.\" <em>Macmillan Encyclopedia of Death and Dying</em>. Ed. Robert Kastenbaum. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 251-253. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 1 May. 2011.  &lt;http://go.galegroup.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu&gt;.\r\nI used this book to explain why it’s important today along with the dates of creation.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The Egyptian Book of the Dead','','inherit','open','open','','1251-revision-5','','','2011-05-04 12:15:33','2011-05-04 18:15:33','',1251,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1257',0,'revision','',0),(1258,9,'2011-05-04 12:37:11','2011-05-04 18:37:11','<p style=\"text-align: center\">﻿<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://theunexplainedmysteries.com/Images/bookdead2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"456\" height=\"265\" />http://theunexplainedmysteries.com/Images/bookdead2.jpg</p>\r\nAs a compilation of spells, charms, passwords, hints, and magical formulas, the Book of the Dead was a guide for the deceased of Ancient Egypt on their journey to the next life.  For years, the Book of the Dead was gathered, reedited, and completed by many authors and compilers, producing what they initially called The Chapters of Coming Forth by Day (“Ancient”).  This collection was found on tomb walls, coffins, scarabs, and other objects, but is primarily known because of its illustrations on papyrus.  Although not given an exact date, the Book of the Dead was discovered in tombs as early as the Renaissance, leading to the misconception that it was the Bible equivalence for the Egyptian culture (Goelet).  This magnificent piece of history, however, provides a contradicting picture of the belief of life after death.  Composed and considered the standard afterlife text for the Egyptian elite in the 16<sup>th</sup> century, the Egyptian Book of the Dead became one of the most important artifacts in history that has assisted modern experts in understanding the culture and civilization of the ancient Egyptians.  Because humans, even today, naturally question the thought of what happens after death, I believe the Book of the Dead effectively gives insight to just one of the many views that people, throughout history, have established to comfort their uncertainties about life— providing its importance in its preservation for future generations to acknowledge.\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\nThe Book of the Dead prepared the souls for the passage toward their heavenly domain with the sun god, Amon, “or flourish in a realm where wheat grows high and the living souls of the dead enjoy feasting and singing” (Fiero).  The book was illustrated with ancient traditions and scenes that continued after death on this journey and included the depiction of the last judgment. Associated with the Nile River, Osiris, the god of the underworld, Lord of the Dead, oversees the ceremony of weighing the heart of the deceased Princess Entiu-ny with his wife, Isis.  During this ceremony, the deceased would first ritualistically deny a list of forty-two misdeeds as the confession (Goelet).  The heart, upon judgment of the princess, is then weighed against the figure of Truth on the Great Balance prepared by Anubis, the jackal-headed god of death (Fiero).  It was said that, “one’s heart had to be as light as a feather in relation to sin” to be worthy of an external existence rather than a “final death” (Goelet).  The Egyptians highly valued happiness in the afterlife and essentially devoted a lot of their time and energy for their journey, as seen in the illustrations on the papyrus.\r\n\r\nThe text incorporated more early Egyptian religious literature.  Among these, the Pyramid Texts-- “the oldest extant funerary literature in the world,” was included.  Because of such a great compilation, the text was divided into four main divisions: Heliopolitan version, Theban version, a hieroglyphic and hieratic character version, and finally the Saite version (Budge).  Aside from the belief of an afterlife, the references of multiple gods and the metaphorical reference of the Great Balance, provides the viewer a look into the religious culture of the Ancient Egyptians as they constituted a polytheistic conception of a greater being.\r\n\r\nThe Ancient Egyptians revolved their life around religion, specifically polytheism.  Like all of the ancient people, the Egyptians’ worship of many gods is associated with the geography, climate, and the natural environment that shaped their belief (Fiero).   According to Fiero, the sun made it possible to cultivate crops while the Nile left them fertile soil and a basis for their solar calendar, in which their civilization benefitted in wealth and order.  “In the regularity of the sun’s daily cycle and Nile’s annual deluge, ancient Egyptians found security” (Fiero).  From these gifts, the Egyptians were able to construct their theory of origin, describing the earth as a “flat platter floating on the waters of the underworld” in which a mound of silt was brought forth by the Nile (Fiero).  The self-generating Amon was then believed to be born.\r\n\r\nFiero goes on to state the symbolic importance of the sun’s daily ascent as “rebirth”, signifying “victory of the forces of day, light, purity, goodness, and life over those of night, darkness ignorance, evil, and death.”  Coincidentally, the recurring idea of “rebirth” can be seen in the story of Osiris.  According to the myth, after being slain, chopped, and thrown into the Nile by his evil brother, Set, Osiris was restored to life by his wife, Isis, Queen of Heaven.  Their son, Horus, ultimately became the ruler of Egypt after overthrowing Set (Fiero).  With resurrection as a central idea to the Ancient Egyptians, the Book of the Dead effectively illustrates this view of a continuous life.\r\n\r\nThe Book of the Dead proved to be typical of its era, simply because of its association with religion and the thought of an afterlife.  “There was never an ancient people who insisted upon believing that death was not the final act of a human being” (“Ancient”).  Through the text, historians were able to understand the Egyptian culture and their focus on taking great care of the body “to preserve it as a center of individual spirit manifestation.”  Upon the preservation of a body, all of the organs, with the exception of the heart, were removed, and preservatives were used to fill the body cavity (Fiero).  With the heart refrained from being removed, we can reference the scene of Princess Entiu-ny in the funerary text as her heart is weighed on the Great Scale.  There is no doubt that these two are correlated and thus proves the Book of the Dead’s significance in the preservation of the dead.\r\n\r\nDuring this time it was typical to mummify an Egyptian upon death along with placing in the tomb essential items such as food and weapons, as if preparing for a long journey (“Ancient”).  The Book of the Dead, as a matter of fact, was discovered in a tomb and therefore easily arguable that it was used as a tool or a guide for such a journey, and therefore fitting for the cultural context of this time.\r\n\r\nThe Book was rather unusual for its time, because although it is filled with realistic and graphic scenes for the funerary preparation, it surprisingly lacks illustrations depicting death and dying.  “For a people obsessed with the mortuary and funerary aspects of death, the Egyptians seldom dealt with the actual ways in which people lost their lives” (“Ancient”).  Also, as times were changing, the Book of the Dead was one of the first texts that “decreed that anyone who could afford the rituals would be entitled to follow the god Osiris into the afterlife” (“Ancient”).  This freedom was unfamiliar even to the Egyptians.  Funerary preparation and books were usually only meant for the pharaohs and other royals.  The Book of the Dead was associated with a great social and religious revolution, holding its unique place in Egyptian history.\r\n\r\nBecause the lives of the Ancient Egyptians greatly revolved around religion and the belief of an afterlife, they were optimistic about their souls after death as they would be guided safely in their journey.  “For them death may have been inevitable, but it was survivable” (Goelet).  The Book of the Dead was popular and greatly commissioned by the deceased before their death.  Because the promise of life after death seemingly dominated all of Egyptian culture, many paid to be granted “the help and protection of the gods while proclaiming the deceased’s identity with the gods” (Deurer).  The polytheistic belief enhanced their motivation to be among the greater beings to achieve this heavenly destination.\r\n\r\nToday, many individuals do not believe in life after death.  Many do not believe in multiple gods.  Instead, much of the world follows a monotheistic religion with the belief that the soul may live on to heaven or hell.  Despite these religious and culture disagreements, many agree that the Book is magnificent with its incredible illustrations and text that opens a window into history.  Goelet states, “There is probably no text in the popular imagination more closely associated with the ancient Egyptian beliefs about life after death than the work popularly known as the Egyptian Book of the Dead.”\r\n\r\nPersonally, the Book of the Dead caught my attention because of the illustrations and the scenes they portray both guide the living and the dead.  As the book guides the soul to its next life, it also guides the living to the “heart” of their culture and religious values.  This is one of my favorite pieces of art as it has so much meaning in the context.  The Egyptians seemed very loyal to their beliefs and passionate about their gods as seen in the Book of the Dead.  It’s amazing to see such variety of cultural and religious tradition throughout history, and I believe that the stories, pictures, and text will be able to catch the attention of future viewers as it caught mine.\r\n\r\nThe Egyptian Book of the Dead can be compared to the Tibetan Book of the Dead.  Although, similar in name, both provide different ways of achieving ultimate happiness.  Also called the <em>Bardo Thodol</em>, the Tibetan Book of the Dead was a “guide to spiritual and mental liberation” (Agha 896).  The Tibetan book focused primarily on self-awareness by meditation.  By meditating, the mind will able to control its own passage over the cycle of life, death, and rebirth (Agha 897).  This differs from that of Ancient Egyptians as they mainly focused on the life after death and spent much of their energy preparing for the anticipated journey of their final judgment.  Although a life after death to reach the heavens can be considered a spiritual liberation, the Egyptians incorporate nothing but their gods and cultural values.  The Tibetan book emphasizes the mind’s role as synonymous to the soul that continues on to the next state.  Although the <em>Bardo Thodol, </em>prepares you for the states after death, it can only be read by the living.  Along with the idea that “the book is a guide to liberation across the entire cycle of human existence,” the specification of only being read by the living is one of the main differences between Tibetan and Egyptian funerary scripts.\r\n\r\nWith similar name and similar misconception of bible equivalency, these two books share other similarities concerning life after death.   Just like in Egypt, the Tibetan book was a guide and a preparation for the deceased, although it called for much more effort from the conscious mind.  Tibetan Buddhists also viewed death as a process that took several days.  Because the Egyptians believed that preservation of the body was necessary and essential to your journey to the afterlife, they made sure that bodies were embalmed for ten weeks before internal organs were removed (Fiero).  The processes that were put in effect because of the importance placed on life after death was a similar belief of both cultures.\r\n\r\nSo much effort and precision was done to make sure lives were brought to eternal bliss.  This can be viewed in the Egyptian Book of the Dead as the spells, chants, and hints made sure their people were truly guided on their journey to ultimately appear on their judgment day.  There will always be the inevitable question of what happens next.  This book provides a magnificent insight to the lives of those from ancient history that have centered their cultural and spiritual beliefs around their faith.  I believe the Book of the Dead is essential for future generations, because it sparks interest in historical background of another’s cultures and beliefs of how they comforted their uncertainties through its mysterious text and illustrations.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\nWorks Cited\r\n\r\nAgha, Asif. \"Tibetan Book of the Dead.\" <em>Macmillan Encyclopedia of Death and Dying</em>. Ed. Robert Kastenbaum. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 896-898. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 2 May. 2011.  &lt;http://go.galegroup.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu&gt;.\r\nI used this reference to compare Tibetan Book of  the Dead to the Egyptian Book of the Dead.\r\n\r\n\"Ancient Egypt and the Afterlife.\" <em>The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained</em>. Ed. Brad Steiger and Sherry Hanson Steiger. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 15-22. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 1 May. 2011.  &lt;http://go.galegroup.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu&gt;.\r\nI used this reference to talk about how it was unusual for its time.\r\n\r\nBudge, E.A. Wallis.  “Egyptian Book of the Dead.”  <em>The Nazarean Way of Essenic Studies.</em> Web.  18 April 2011.  &lt;http://www.thenazareneway.com/index_egyptain_book_dead.htm&gt;.\r\nI used this website to help me with description and the historical context of the time.\r\n\r\nDeurer.  “The Egyptian Book of the Dead.”<em> Egypt Art</em>.  2010.  Web.  18 April 2011.  &lt;http://www.egyptartsite.com/book.html&gt;.\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria. “The Gods of Mesopotamia.” The Humanistic Tradition, book 1.  6th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2011.  Print.\r\nI used this book to describe the historical context along with description of the book.\r\n\r\nGoelet, Ogden, Jr. \"Egyptian Book of the Dead.\" <em>Macmillan Encyclopedia of Death and Dying</em>. Ed. Robert Kastenbaum. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 251-253. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 1 May. 2011.  &lt;http://go.galegroup.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu&gt;.\r\nI used this book to explain why it’s important today along with the dates of creation.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The Egyptian Book of the Dead','','inherit','open','open','','1251-revision-6','','','2011-05-04 12:37:11','2011-05-04 18:37:11','',1251,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1258',0,'revision','',0),(1259,29,'2011-05-04 11:34:22','2011-05-04 17:34:22','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51M1M0ZR1NL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"252\" height=\"428\" />http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51M1M0ZR1NL.jpg</p>\r\n\"The Arabian Nights\" also known as \"The Thousand and One Nights\" is a classic assembly of stories whose origins branch from the eighth and tenth centuries from Arabic, Persian and Indian cultures (WHO wrote the actual stories is uncertain). This collection of stories is the most famous piece of Arabic literature in the west. Famous characters such as Ali Baba, Aladdin and Sinbad all stem from these adventurous tales. The collection of prose tales, uses a narrative technique called a \"frame tale,\" where a story is \"composed for the purpose of including a group of shorter stories\" (Fiero, 19).  The specific frame story used in \"The Arabian Nights\" focuses on an Indian fairy tale: \"Shahrasad (in English, Scheherazade) marries a king who fears female infidelity so greatly that he kills each new wife on the morning after the wedding night. <!--more-->In order to forestall her own death, Scheherazade entertains the king by telling stories, each of which she carefully brings to a climax just before dawn, so that, in order to learn the ending, the king must allow her to live.\" (Fiero, 19). The storytelling techniques of Scheherazade has a \"humanizing\" effect on the kind who, after exactly a thousand nights begins to love his witty wife (so he decides not to behead her like the rest!) Within the story lies 250 tales which include fantasy, romance and erotica. \"The Arabian Nights\" has been translated into various languages throughout time. In the 1700s, Jean Antoine Galland executed the first translation in French and in the 1880\'s John Payne and Sir Richard Francis Burton did an English translation. Since then, the stories have been translated into various other languages including Persian and Egyptian. Stories such as Aladdin focus on the lower people in society; rogues, tricksters and vagabonds were all added during the Egyptian translations of the stories. Islam, from the very beginning, has had the status of being a state-sponsored religion. Islam holds ethnic diversity, where theocratic rule brought together an assimilation of many different people. The main languages of the Islamic world include: Arabic, Persian and Turkish (but there are many, many others). Like \"The Arabian Nights,\" Islam \"absorbed\" different styles of art from non-Arab people as it expanded. \"The Arabian Nights\" can be compared with the ever-changing styles of Islam; as the stories of \"The Thousand and One Nights\" expanded, so did its content and art styles. Muhammad had a dictum where people were to \"seek knowledge,\" like the western world in order to understand the happenings of the natural world. A burst of literacy happened during the 1300-1500s and people began to explore literature from all over the world. The availability of paper was an important factor in the burst for knowledge, \"and in the production of new types of literature, such as scientific treatises, cookbooks, poems and tales, paper provided a major advance over parchment and papyrus, expensive materials from whose surfaces ink could easily be erased.\" If paper wasn\'t easily attainable and knowledge wasn\'t sought after, like Muhammad had asked, \"The Arabian Nights\" would have never graced this Earth.\r\n\r\nThe story of the nights circulated in various manuscript forms until they were eventually written down and put into definitive form (its original version). This happened in the second part of the thirteenth century in the Mamluk domain in Syria or Egypt. This version, which is now lost, served as an archetype for copies of the text afterwards. The branches of the stories that came from Syria is now held at the Bibliotheque in Paris in three volumes, this manuscript is the oldest and more similar to the original texts written in the fourteenth century). Copyist that translated the stories added stories, fables and anecdotes from Indian, Persian and Turkish cultures from oral and written traditions. These facts added to the diversity of the stories which lends to the many layers of culture and styles seen in the stories. The mania for competing the unfinished stories led some copyists to forgery: Stories like \"Aladdin and the Magic Lamp\" were not among the basic eleven of the original works and cannot be found in any of the Arabic manuscripts during the early time period the stories were written. Galland who wrote a French translation, was given the story of Aladdin around 1787 and it was added to the stories during this time period. The \"Arabian Nights\" have been translated and exposed in many editions: The Mahdi Edition, English, French, Egyptian, etc.\r\n\r\nThe stories of \"The Thousand and One Nights\" continues to inspire many Western readers about the ideas of the \"romantic\" East. Most stories during this time period focused on tribal wars, heroic deeds and brave warriors. Shortly after the printing press was invented, people began printing cheap books, some with illustrations. \"The Arabian Nights\" was different for its time because it was pure entertainment. The stories are fun and adventurous which is why they became so popular. \"The Arabian Nights\" inspired stories of romance and fairy tales in a time period when mostly poetry, riddles, lullabies and war tales were circulating. \"The Arabian Nights\" were collected over many centuries from Persia, India and Arabia and include a vast assortment of subjects and styles. The stories include: Adventure fantasies, erotica, animal fables and display an accurate descriptions of the daily entertainments of the Islamic world. The stories are compared to the Islamic art in the way that they loop into each other, linking each story to the last. This technique is a principe of the design in Islamic art, where repetition and \"infinite extension\" loop within each other to \"form a meandering overall pattern\" (Fiero, 19).\r\n\r\n\"The Thousand and One Nights\" can be compared to various stories in the United States today. Collections of stories and fairy tales are incredibly important to our society. Stories like \"The Three Little Pigs\" compares to the story of the king and his bride in \"The Arabian Nights\". The new bride of the king has to find a way to keep the king from killing her, she does this by being clever enough to tell him stories that keep him entertained. In \"The Three Little Pigs,\" the pigs have to work to find ways of convincing the wolf not to blow their houses down. Eventually the pigs win, like the bride, and their intelligence leads them to victory (staying alive!) The comparison of the two stories seems strange, since \"The Arabian Nights\" is well written and is a literary masterpiece, but the two stories have similar bones. \"The Arabian Nights\" serves the same purpose in Islamic culture as do our fairy tales about little pigs and magic carpets. The story of \"Aladdin and the Magic Lamp\" was made into a Disney movie and is loved by millions of children every year. This collection of stories made many of its characters household names, what child doesn\'t know who Aladdin, Sinbad or Ali Baba? What kid doesn\'t know the song \"Arabian Nights\" from Aladdin the movie? These stories are still relevant today because they inspired generations of writers and readers to dream and feel free to explore parts of the world they aren\'t familiar with. This collection of stories should be preserved because the themes and literary advancements in the texts were so far before their times. The stories speak and will continue to speak to generations to come. Anyone can pick up a copy of \"The Thousand and One Nights\" and be entertained. The stories are not strictly Islamic in lesson, they speak to every culture. Entertainment is what we live for today- people during the time when these stories were written looked at them like we do movies today. The tales let people escape from their lives and dream about the lives of the characters in the stories they read. \"The Arabian Nights\" is not only a literary classic, but a fine example of pure entertainment.\r\n\r\nWork Cited\r\n\r\n\"ARABIAN Nights.\" Literary Cavalcade 52.8 (2000): 20. Middle Search Plus. EBSCO. Web. 2 May 2011.\r\n\r\n\"Arabian Nights.\" The New Encyclopedia Britannica. Volume 22. 15th Edition. Peter B. Norton, Chicago. Print.\r\n\r\n\"Arabian Nights.\" World Book Encyclopedia. Volume 1-A. Chicago. pgs 582-583.     Print.\r\n\r\nFiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.\r\n\r\nHaddawy, Husain. \"The Arabian Nights.\" Norton &amp; Company, 1995. Print.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','\"The Arabian Nights\": The Thousand and One Nights','','inherit','open','open','','1218-revision-4','','','2011-05-04 11:34:22','2011-05-04 17:34:22','',1218,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1259',0,'revision','',0),(1262,22,'2011-05-05 00:08:33','2011-05-05 06:08:33','<div><em><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\"> </span></em></div>\r\n<em><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\"> </span></em>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>\r\n</em></p>\r\n<em> </em>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Rumi-Meditation_new.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1263\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Rumi-Meditation_new.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"247\" /></a></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">http://sologak1.blogspot.com/2009/03/rumi-on-false-ego.html</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">RUMI\'S DIWAN-E SHAMS</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Rumi’s Diwan-e Shams (Jalaloddin Rumi) born on September 30, 1207 at Balkh in the north-eastern providence of Persia ( presence day Afghanistan ). Rumi’s has been regarded as one of the greatest spiritual masters and poetical intellects, in fact, there are several reasons on why Rumi’s poems were outstanding from his peers, while many other poets have a mystical vision of their poems and then try to express it in a understandable language, Rumi never attempted to bring his visions or poems to the level of the mundane, instead he has always expected, and demanded the reader to reach higher and higher in his or her own spiritual understanding, and then eventually be able to appreciate what he was truly saying. The most remarkable masterpiece created by Rumi’s was the Divan-e Shams a masterpiece of wisdom and eloquence. It is belief that Rumi had attained the level of a \"Perfect Master\" and as such, he dwelled in the spiritual realms that were rarely visited by others of this world, Moreover he attained heights that were attained by only a few before him or since. Based on the importance and mysterious poems from the masterpiece of Rumi’s (Diwan-e Shams) the scriptures should be preserved and past on from generation to generation to demonstrate the importance of god in mans life.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><!--more--></p>\r\nRumi’s life: At the age of 24 Rumi’s had fallowed the footsteps of his father, he distinguished scholar, as a teacher and preacher of religious sciences at the college in Konya, he was living a wealthy and respectful life but he was dissatisfy at that time. At the age of 37 he met a wandering dervish (a Muslim religious order) named Shamsuddin of Tabriz who saw in in rumi’s to much proud by the way of his scholar knowledge and authority. so as a result both rumi’s and Shamsuddin spend 90 days in a private retreat and both emerged themselves in to spiritual transformation, as consequence of this Rumi’s gave up everything that he had at that time and dedicated his life to a prolific outpouring of poetry he later named his collection the <em>Diwan-i Shams-i Tabriz-i</em> (The Works of Shams of Tabriz) in honor of Shamsuddin. In addiction, The <em>Diwan</em> consists of about 40,000 verses, arranged according to rhythm, and was written over a period of 30 years. Furthermore, some of the most remarkable poems he wrote were THE MAN OF GOD , EMPTY THE GLASS OF YOUR DESIRE and THE ONE TRUE LIFE. in almost all his poems he interpreted love in all its forms, rumi’s explores the immortal theme of love as passion. He sees passionate love as a selfless experience that enriches one\'s life. However, almost all of Rumi\'s love poems are ambiguous they can be interpreted as addressing both the earthly love that exists between two people and the higher love that exists between humans and god. in fact, he gave many examples on how a real man should behave. one of the most interesting poems that I personally enjoyed the most was EMPTY THE GLASS OF YOUR DESIRE:\r\n\r\n“Join yourself to friends\r\n\r\nand know the joy of the soul.\r\n\r\nEnter the neighborhood of ruin\r\n\r\nwith those who drink to the dregs.\r\n\r\nEmpty the glass of your desire\r\n\r\nso that you won\'t be disgraced.\r\n\r\nStop looking for something out there\r\n\r\nand begin seeing within.\r\n\r\nOpen your arms if you want an embrace.\r\n\r\nBreak the earthen idols and release the radiance.\r\n\r\nWhy get involved with a hag like this world?\r\n\r\nYou know what it will cost.\r\n\r\nAnd three pitiful meals a day\r\n\r\nis all that weapons and violence can earn.\r\n\r\nAt night when the Beloved comes\r\n\r\nwill you be nodding on opium?\r\n\r\nIf you close your mouth to food,\r\n\r\nyou can know a sweeter taste.\r\n\r\nOur Host is no tyrant. We gather in a circle.\r\n\r\nSit down with us beyond the wheel of time.\r\n\r\nHere is the deal: give one life\r\n\r\nand receive a hundred.\r\n\r\nStop growling like dogs,\r\n\r\nand know the shepherd\'s care.\r\n\r\nYou keep complaining about others\r\n\r\nand all they owe you?\r\n\r\nWell, forget about them;\r\n\r\njust be in His presence.\r\n\r\nWhen the earth is this wide,\r\n\r\nwhy are you asleep in a prison?\r\n\r\nThink of nothing but the source of thought.\r\n\r\nFeed the soul; let the body fast.\r\n\r\nAvoid knotted ideas;\r\n\r\nuntie yourself in a higher world.\r\n\r\nLimit your talk\r\n\r\nfor the sake of timeless communion.\r\n\r\nAbandon life and the world,\r\n\r\nand find the life of the world.”\r\n\r\n(fiero 6 e )\r\n\r\nThese poem seems to aimed the most important values of life, it gives a brief description on how humans should live. in fact, it said that we should abandon life in the world and discover the real world which it means that we should not pay to much attention to materialism and instead we should look for the spirit of god and discover the real world. there many important facts that contribute to the accomplishments of rumi’s, amount the most important are how he created his poems. “To achieve the sublime states described in Rumi\'s verse, the sufist <em>mevlevi</em> (whirling dervishes) developed a mental and physical frenzy during their sacred dance. The ecstatic gyration produced <em>fana</em> (euphorias) that, according to the poet, \"liberate the spirits from the body\'s trap and wipe the records clean\" (Rumi 2007, 41). The whirling generated a mystic release from time and space and a call to \"Behold the power of God in his composure!\" . “The rapid rotation of the trunk and limbs freed the mind of idol worship, rid the soul of guilt, and intoxicated the spirit with an epiphany of self-surrender. Enraptured with thoughts of God and universal love, the dancer became free of formal religious forms and the greed and power-mongering around them.”(Facts On File, Inc., 2009) Yet there is more. While many of the translations of Rumi’s poetry have tried to convey the immense wisdom contained therein, often they overlook the musical and artistic beauty that they contain but especially in Divan-e Shams, Rumi has created such level of beauty through the use and mastery of musical rhythm and rhyme, that the reader not only can appreciate its wisdom, but also reach levels of ecstasy and mystical energy that is seldom found in other poems or any translations of his poetry. Rumi’s poetry should be preserved in addition to the bible books to demonstrate the importance of god in mans life. To sum all up Rumi\'s poetry has influenced not only Islamic literature and civilization but also world literature, philosophy, and culture therefore it should be well preserve as one of the greatest poems and most influential literature of its time.\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: large;\"> </span></div>\r\n<span style=\"font-size: large;\"> </span>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">REFERENCES</p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTHE HUMANISTIC TRADITION . 6 EDITION . GLORIA K FIERO\r\n\r\n<a href=\"mailto:S@ZBNet.com\">Shahriar Shahriari</a> 1998, Vancouver Canada, 1999 - 2005, Los Angeles, CA\r\n\r\nSnodgrass, Mary Ellen. \"Jalal ad-Din ar-Rumi.\" <em>Encyclopedia of the Literature of Empire</em>. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. <em>Bloom\'s Literary Reference Online</em>. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&amp;SID=5&amp;iPin= ELOE212&amp;SingleRecord=True (accessed May 5, 2011).\r\n\r\nMolana Jalal-e-Din Mohammad Molavi Rumi. Shahrzad Rouzrok. http ://www.iranchamber.com/literature/jrumi/molana_rumi.php.<span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">Thursday, May 05, 2011</span>\r\n\r\nShahriar Shahriari. Vancouver, Canada\r\n\r\nJuly 20, 1998\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Rumi-Meditation_new.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1263\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Rumi-Meditation_new.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"247\" /></a></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">RUMI\'S DIWAN-E SHAMS</p>','RUMI\'S DIWAN-E SHAMS ','','publish','open','open','','rumis-diwan-e-shams','','','2011-05-08 14:55:02','2011-05-08 20:55:02','',0,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1262',0,'post','',8),(1263,22,'2011-05-04 23:59:35','2011-05-05 05:59:35','','Rumi-Meditation_new','','inherit','open','open','','rumi-meditation_new','','','2011-05-04 23:59:35','2011-05-05 05:59:35','',1262,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Rumi-Meditation_new.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(1264,22,'2011-05-04 23:56:06','2011-05-05 05:56:06','<em><span style=\"font-size: x-large\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"> </p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"> </p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">RUMI’S DIWAN-E SHAMS</p>\n\n</span></em>\n\nRumi’s Diwan-e Shams (Jalaloddin Rumi) born on September 30, 1207 at Balkh in the north-eastern providence of Persia ( presence day Afghanistan ). Rumi’s has been regarded as one of the greatest spiritual masters and poetical intellects, in fact, there are several reasons on why Rumi’s poems were outstanding from his peers, while many other poets have a mystical vision of their poems and then try to express it in a understandable language, Rumi never attempted to bring his visions or poems to the level of the mundane, instead he has always expected, and demanded the reader to reach higher and higher in his or her own spiritual understanding, and then eventually be able to appreciate what he was truly saying. The most remarkable masterpiece created by Rumi’s was the Divan-e Shams a masterpiece of wisdom and eloquence. It is belief that Rumi had attained the level of a \"Perfect Master\" and as such, he dwelled in the spiritual realms that were rarely visited by others of this world, Moreover he attained heights that were attained by only a few before him or since. Based on the importance and mysterious poems from the masterpiece of Rumi’s (Diwan-e Shams) the scriptures should be preserved and past on from generation to generation to demonstrate the importance of god in mans life.\n\nRumi’s life: At the age of 24 Rumi’s had fallowed the footsteps of his father, he distinguished scholar, as a teacher and preacher of religious sciences at the college in Konya, he was living a wealthy and respectful life but he was dissatisfy at that time. At the age of 37 he met a wandering dervish (a Muslim religious order) named Shamsuddin of Tabriz who saw in in rumi’s to much proud by the way of his scholar knowledge and authority. so as a result both rumi’s and Shamsuddin spend 90 days in a private retreat and both emerged themselves in to spiritual transformation, as consequence of this Rumi’s gave up everything that he had at that time and dedicated his life to a prolific outpouring of poetry he later named his collection the <em>Diwan-i Shams-i Tabriz-i</em> (The Works of Shams of Tabriz) in honor of Shamsuddin. In addiction, The <em>Diwan</em> consists of about 40,000 verses, arranged according to rhythm, and was written over a period of 30 years. Furthermore, some of the most remarkable poems he wrote were THE MAN OF GOD , EMPTY THE GLASS OF YOUR DESIRE and THE ONE TRUE LIFE. in almost all his poems he interpreted love in all its forms, rumi’s explores the immortal theme of love as passion. He sees passionate love as a selfless experience that enriches one\'s life. However, almost all of Rumi\'s love poems are ambiguous they can be interpreted as addressing both the earthly love that exists between two people and the higher love that exists between humans and god. in fact, he gave many examples on how a real man should behave. one of the most interesting poems that I personally enjoyed the most was EMPTY THE GLASS OF YOUR DESIRE:\n\n“Join yourself to friends\n\nand know the joy of the soul.\n\nEnter the neighborhood of ruin\n\nwith those who drink to the dregs.\n\nEmpty the glass of your desire\n\nso that you won\'t be disgraced.\n\nStop looking for something out there\n\nand begin seeing within.\n\nOpen your arms if you want an embrace.\n\nBreak the earthen idols and release the radiance.\n\nWhy get involved with a hag like this world?\n\nYou know what it will cost.\n\nAnd three pitiful meals a day\n\nis all that weapons and violence can earn.\n\nAt night when the Beloved comes\n\nwill you be nodding on opium?\n\nIf you close your mouth to food,\n\nyou can know a sweeter taste.\n\nOur Host is no tyrant. We gather in a circle.\n\nSit down with us beyond the wheel of time.\n\nHere is the deal: give one life\n\nand receive a hundred.\n\nStop growling like dogs,\n\nand know the shepherd\'s care.\n\nYou keep complaining about others\n\nand all they owe you?\n\nWell, forget about them;\n\njust be in His presence.\n\nWhen the earth is this wide,\n\nwhy are you asleep in a prison?\n\nThink of nothing but the source of thought.\n\nFeed the soul; let the body fast.\n\nAvoid knotted ideas;\n\nuntie yourself in a higher world.\n\nLimit your talk\n\nfor the sake of timeless communion.\n\nAbandon life and the world,\n\nand find the life of the world.”\n\n(fiero 6 e )\n\nThese poem seems to aimed the most important values of life, it gives a brief description on how humans should live. in fact, it said that we should abandon life in the world and discover the real world which it means that we should not pay to much attention to materialism and instead we should look for the spirit of god and discover the real world. there many important facts that contribute to the accomplishments of rumi’s, amount the most important are how he created his poems. “To achieve the sublime states described in Rumi\'s verse, the sufist <em>mevlevi</em> (whirling dervishes) developed a mental and physical frenzy during their sacred dance. The ecstatic gyration produced <em>fana</em> (euphorias) that, according to the poet, \"liberate the spirits from the body\'s trap and wipe the records clean\" (Rumi 2007, 41). The whirling generated a mystic release from time and space and a call to \"Behold the power of God in his composure!\" . “The rapid rotation of the trunk and limbs freed the mind of idol worship, rid the soul of guilt, and intoxicated the spirit with an epiphany of self-surrender. Enraptured with thoughts of God and universal love, the dancer became free of formal religious forms and the greed and power-mongering around them.”(Facts On File, Inc., 2009) Yet there is more. While many of the translations of Rumi’s poetry have tried to convey the immense wisdom contained therein, often they overlook the musical and artistic beauty that they contain but especially in Divan-e Shams, Rumi has created such level of beauty through the use and mastery of musical rhythm and rhyme, that the reader not only can appreciate its wisdom, but also reach levels of ecstasy and mystical energy that is seldom found in other poems or any translations of his poetry. Rumi’s poetry should be preserved in addition to the bible books to demonstrate the importance of god in mans life. To sum all up Rumi\'s poetry has influenced not only Islamic literature and civilization but also world literature, philosophy, and culture therefore it should be well preserve as one of the greatest poems and most influential literature of its time.\n\n<span style=\"font-size: large\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">REFERENCES</p>\n\n</span>\n\nTHE HUMANISTIC TRADITION . 6 EDITION . GLORIA K FIERO\n\n<a href=\"mailto:S@ZBNet.com\">Shahriar Shahriari</a> 1998, Vancouver Canada, 1999 - 2005, Los Angeles, CA\n\nSnodgrass, Mary Ellen. \"Jalal ad-Din ar-Rumi.\" <em>Encyclopedia of the Literature of Empire</em>. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. <em>Bloom\'s Literary Reference Online</em>. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&amp;SID=5&amp;iPin= ELOE212&amp;SingleRecord=True (accessed May 5, 2011).\n\nMolana Jalal-e-Din Mohammad Molavi Rumi. Shahrzad Rouzrok. http ://www.iranchamber.com/literature/jrumi/molana_rumi.php.<span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">Thursday, May 05, 2011</span>\n\nShahriar Shahriari. Vancouver, Canada\n\nJuly 20, 1998\n\n　\n\n　\n\n　\n\n　\n\n　','RUMI\'S DIWAN-E SHAMS ','','inherit','open','open','','1262-revision','','','2011-05-04 23:56:06','2011-05-05 05:56:06','',1262,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1264',0,'revision','',0),(1265,22,'2011-05-05 00:05:08','2011-05-05 06:05:08','<em><span style=\"font-size: x-large\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"> </p>\n\n</span></em>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Rumi-Meditation_new.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1263\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Rumi-Meditation_new.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"247\" /></a></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"> </p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">RUMI’S DIWAN-E SHAMS</p>\n\n\nRumi’s Diwan-e Shams (Jalaloddin Rumi) born on September 30, 1207 at Balkh in the north-eastern providence of Persia ( presence day Afghanistan ). Rumi’s has been regarded as one of the greatest spiritual masters and poetical intellects, in fact, there are several reasons on why Rumi’s poems were outstanding from his peers, while many other poets have a mystical vision of their poems and then try to express it in a understandable language, Rumi never attempted to bring his visions or poems to the level of the mundane, instead he has always expected, and demanded the reader to reach higher and higher in his or her own spiritual understanding, and then eventually be able to appreciate what he was truly saying. The most remarkable masterpiece created by Rumi’s was the Divan-e Shams a masterpiece of wisdom and eloquence. It is belief that Rumi had attained the level of a \"Perfect Master\" and as such, he dwelled in the spiritual realms that were rarely visited by others of this world, Moreover he attained heights that were attained by only a few before him or since. Based on the importance and mysterious poems from the masterpiece of Rumi’s (Diwan-e Shams) the scriptures should be preserved and past on from generation to generation to demonstrate the importance of god in mans life.\n\nRumi’s life: At the age of 24 Rumi’s had fallowed the footsteps of his father, he distinguished scholar, as a teacher and preacher of religious sciences at the college in Konya, he was living a wealthy and respectful life but he was dissatisfy at that time. At the age of 37 he met a wandering dervish (a Muslim religious order) named Shamsuddin of Tabriz who saw in in rumi’s to much proud by the way of his scholar knowledge and authority. so as a result both rumi’s and Shamsuddin spend 90 days in a private retreat and both emerged themselves in to spiritual transformation, as consequence of this Rumi’s gave up everything that he had at that time and dedicated his life to a prolific outpouring of poetry he later named his collection the <em>Diwan-i Shams-i Tabriz-i</em> (The Works of Shams of Tabriz) in honor of Shamsuddin. In addiction, The <em>Diwan</em> consists of about 40,000 verses, arranged according to rhythm, and was written over a period of 30 years. Furthermore, some of the most remarkable poems he wrote were THE MAN OF GOD , EMPTY THE GLASS OF YOUR DESIRE and THE ONE TRUE LIFE. in almost all his poems he interpreted love in all its forms, rumi’s explores the immortal theme of love as passion. He sees passionate love as a selfless experience that enriches one\'s life. However, almost all of Rumi\'s love poems are ambiguous they can be interpreted as addressing both the earthly love that exists between two people and the higher love that exists between humans and god. in fact, he gave many examples on how a real man should behave. one of the most interesting poems that I personally enjoyed the most was EMPTY THE GLASS OF YOUR DESIRE:\n\n“Join yourself to friends\n\nand know the joy of the soul.\n\nEnter the neighborhood of ruin\n\nwith those who drink to the dregs.\n\nEmpty the glass of your desire\n\nso that you won\'t be disgraced.\n\nStop looking for something out there\n\nand begin seeing within.\n\nOpen your arms if you want an embrace.\n\nBreak the earthen idols and release the radiance.\n\nWhy get involved with a hag like this world?\n\nYou know what it will cost.\n\nAnd three pitiful meals a day\n\nis all that weapons and violence can earn.\n\nAt night when the Beloved comes\n\nwill you be nodding on opium?\n\nIf you close your mouth to food,\n\nyou can know a sweeter taste.\n\nOur Host is no tyrant. We gather in a circle.\n\nSit down with us beyond the wheel of time.\n\nHere is the deal: give one life\n\nand receive a hundred.\n\nStop growling like dogs,\n\nand know the shepherd\'s care.\n\nYou keep complaining about others\n\nand all they owe you?\n\nWell, forget about them;\n\njust be in His presence.\n\nWhen the earth is this wide,\n\nwhy are you asleep in a prison?\n\nThink of nothing but the source of thought.\n\nFeed the soul; let the body fast.\n\nAvoid knotted ideas;\n\nuntie yourself in a higher world.\n\nLimit your talk\n\nfor the sake of timeless communion.\n\nAbandon life and the world,\n\nand find the life of the world.”\n\n(fiero 6 e )\n\nThese poem seems to aimed the most important values of life, it gives a brief description on how humans should live. in fact, it said that we should abandon life in the world and discover the real world which it means that we should not pay to much attention to materialism and instead we should look for the spirit of god and discover the real world. there many important facts that contribute to the accomplishments of rumi’s, amount the most important are how he created his poems. “To achieve the sublime states described in Rumi\'s verse, the sufist <em>mevlevi</em> (whirling dervishes) developed a mental and physical frenzy during their sacred dance. The ecstatic gyration produced <em>fana</em> (euphorias) that, according to the poet, \"liberate the spirits from the body\'s trap and wipe the records clean\" (Rumi 2007, 41). The whirling generated a mystic release from time and space and a call to \"Behold the power of God in his composure!\" . “The rapid rotation of the trunk and limbs freed the mind of idol worship, rid the soul of guilt, and intoxicated the spirit with an epiphany of self-surrender. Enraptured with thoughts of God and universal love, the dancer became free of formal religious forms and the greed and power-mongering around them.”(Facts On File, Inc., 2009) Yet there is more. While many of the translations of Rumi’s poetry have tried to convey the immense wisdom contained therein, often they overlook the musical and artistic beauty that they contain but especially in Divan-e Shams, Rumi has created such level of beauty through the use and mastery of musical rhythm and rhyme, that the reader not only can appreciate its wisdom, but also reach levels of ecstasy and mystical energy that is seldom found in other poems or any translations of his poetry. Rumi’s poetry should be preserved in addition to the bible books to demonstrate the importance of god in mans life. To sum all up Rumi\'s poetry has influenced not only Islamic literature and civilization but also world literature, philosophy, and culture therefore it should be well preserve as one of the greatest poems and most influential literature of its time.\n\n<span style=\"font-size: large\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">REFERENCES</p>\n\n</span>\n\nTHE HUMANISTIC TRADITION . 6 EDITION . GLORIA K FIERO\n\n<a href=\"mailto:S@ZBNet.com\">Shahriar Shahriari</a> 1998, Vancouver Canada, 1999 - 2005, Los Angeles, CA\n\nSnodgrass, Mary Ellen. \"Jalal ad-Din ar-Rumi.\" <em>Encyclopedia of the Literature of Empire</em>. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. <em>Bloom\'s Literary Reference Online</em>. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&amp;SID=5&amp;iPin= ELOE212&amp;SingleRecord=True (accessed May 5, 2011).\n\nMolana Jalal-e-Din Mohammad Molavi Rumi. Shahrzad Rouzrok. http ://www.iranchamber.com/literature/jrumi/molana_rumi.php.<span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">Thursday, May 05, 2011</span>\n\nShahriar Shahriari. Vancouver, Canada\n\nJuly 20, 1998\n\n　\n\n　\n\n　\n\n　\n\n　','RUMI\'S DIWAN-E SHAMS ','','inherit','open','open','','1262-revision-2','','','2011-05-05 00:05:08','2011-05-05 06:05:08','',1262,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1265',0,'revision','',0),(1266,22,'2011-05-05 00:11:28','2011-05-05 06:11:28','<div><em><span style=\"font-size: x-large\"></span></em></div>\n<em><span style=\"font-size: x-large\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"> </p>\n\n</span></em>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Rumi-Meditation_new.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1263\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Rumi-Meditation_new.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"247\" /></a></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">RUMI\'S DIWAN-E SHAMS</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Rumi’s Diwan-e Shams (Jalaloddin Rumi) born on September 30, 1207 at Balkh in the north-eastern providence of Persia ( presence day Afghanistan ). Rumi’s has been regarded as one of the greatest spiritual masters and poetical intellects, in fact, there are several reasons on why Rumi’s poems were outstanding from his peers, while many other poets have a mystical vision of their poems and then try to express it in a understandable language, Rumi never attempted to bring his visions or poems to the level of the mundane, instead he has always expected, and demanded the reader to reach higher and higher in his or her own spiritual understanding, and then eventually be able to appreciate what he was truly saying. The most remarkable masterpiece created by Rumi’s was the Divan-e Shams a masterpiece of wisdom and eloquence. It is belief that Rumi had attained the level of a \"Perfect Master\" and as such, he dwelled in the spiritual realms that were rarely visited by others of this world, Moreover he attained heights that were attained by only a few before him or since. Based on the importance and mysterious poems from the masterpiece of Rumi’s (Diwan-e Shams) the scriptures should be preserved and past on from generation to generation to demonstrate the importance of god in mans life.</p>\n\n\nRumi’s life: At the age of 24 Rumi’s had fallowed the footsteps of his father, he distinguished scholar, as a teacher and preacher of religious sciences at the college in Konya, he was living a wealthy and respectful life but he was dissatisfy at that time. At the age of 37 he met a wandering dervish (a Muslim religious order) named Shamsuddin of Tabriz who saw in in rumi’s to much proud by the way of his scholar knowledge and authority. so as a result both rumi’s and Shamsuddin spend 90 days in a private retreat and both emerged themselves in to spiritual transformation, as consequence of this Rumi’s gave up everything that he had at that time and dedicated his life to a prolific outpouring of poetry he later named his collection the <em>Diwan-i Shams-i Tabriz-i</em> (The Works of Shams of Tabriz) in honor of Shamsuddin. In addiction, The <em>Diwan</em> consists of about 40,000 verses, arranged according to rhythm, and was written over a period of 30 years. Furthermore, some of the most remarkable poems he wrote were THE MAN OF GOD , EMPTY THE GLASS OF YOUR DESIRE and THE ONE TRUE LIFE. in almost all his poems he interpreted love in all its forms, rumi’s explores the immortal theme of love as passion. He sees passionate love as a selfless experience that enriches one\'s life. However, almost all of Rumi\'s love poems are ambiguous they can be interpreted as addressing both the earthly love that exists between two people and the higher love that exists between humans and god. in fact, he gave many examples on how a real man should behave. one of the most interesting poems that I personally enjoyed the most was EMPTY THE GLASS OF YOUR DESIRE:\n\n“Join yourself to friends\n\nand know the joy of the soul.\n\nEnter the neighborhood of ruin\n\nwith those who drink to the dregs.\n\nEmpty the glass of your desire\n\nso that you won\'t be disgraced.\n\nStop looking for something out there\n\nand begin seeing within.\n\nOpen your arms if you want an embrace.\n\nBreak the earthen idols and release the radiance.\n\nWhy get involved with a hag like this world?\n\nYou know what it will cost.\n\nAnd three pitiful meals a day\n\nis all that weapons and violence can earn.\n\nAt night when the Beloved comes\n\nwill you be nodding on opium?\n\nIf you close your mouth to food,\n\nyou can know a sweeter taste.\n\nOur Host is no tyrant. We gather in a circle.\n\nSit down with us beyond the wheel of time.\n\nHere is the deal: give one life\n\nand receive a hundred.\n\nStop growling like dogs,\n\nand know the shepherd\'s care.\n\nYou keep complaining about others\n\nand all they owe you?\n\nWell, forget about them;\n\njust be in His presence.\n\nWhen the earth is this wide,\n\nwhy are you asleep in a prison?\n\nThink of nothing but the source of thought.\n\nFeed the soul; let the body fast.\n\nAvoid knotted ideas;\n\nuntie yourself in a higher world.\n\nLimit your talk\n\nfor the sake of timeless communion.\n\nAbandon life and the world,\n\nand find the life of the world.”\n\n(fiero 6 e )\n\nThese poem seems to aimed the most important values of life, it gives a brief description on how humans should live. in fact, it said that we should abandon life in the world and discover the real world which it means that we should not pay to much attention to materialism and instead we should look for the spirit of god and discover the real world. there many important facts that contribute to the accomplishments of rumi’s, amount the most important are how he created his poems. “To achieve the sublime states described in Rumi\'s verse, the sufist <em>mevlevi</em> (whirling dervishes) developed a mental and physical frenzy during their sacred dance. The ecstatic gyration produced <em>fana</em> (euphorias) that, according to the poet, \"liberate the spirits from the body\'s trap and wipe the records clean\" (Rumi 2007, 41). The whirling generated a mystic release from time and space and a call to \"Behold the power of God in his composure!\" . “The rapid rotation of the trunk and limbs freed the mind of idol worship, rid the soul of guilt, and intoxicated the spirit with an epiphany of self-surrender. Enraptured with thoughts of God and universal love, the dancer became free of formal religious forms and the greed and power-mongering around them.”(Facts On File, Inc., 2009) Yet there is more. While many of the translations of Rumi’s poetry have tried to convey the immense wisdom contained therein, often they overlook the musical and artistic beauty that they contain but especially in Divan-e Shams, Rumi has created such level of beauty through the use and mastery of musical rhythm and rhyme, that the reader not only can appreciate its wisdom, but also reach levels of ecstasy and mystical energy that is seldom found in other poems or any translations of his poetry. Rumi’s poetry should be preserved in addition to the bible books to demonstrate the importance of god in mans life. To sum all up Rumi\'s poetry has influenced not only Islamic literature and civilization but also world literature, philosophy, and culture therefore it should be well preserve as one of the greatest poems and most influential literature of its time.\n<div><span style=\"font-size: large\"></span></div>\n<span style=\"font-size: large\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">REFERENCES</p>\n \n\n</span>\n\nTHE HUMANISTIC TRADITION . 6 EDITION . GLORIA K FIERO\n\n<a href=\"mailto:S@ZBNet.com\">Shahriar Shahriari</a> 1998, Vancouver Canada, 1999 - 2005, Los Angeles, CA\n\nSnodgrass, Mary Ellen. \"Jalal ad-Din ar-Rumi.\" <em>Encyclopedia of the Literature of Empire</em>. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. <em>Bloom\'s Literary Reference Online</em>. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&amp;SID=5&amp;iPin= ELOE212&amp;SingleRecord=True (accessed May 5, 2011).\n\nMolana Jalal-e-Din Mohammad Molavi Rumi. Shahrzad Rouzrok. http ://www.iranchamber.com/literature/jrumi/molana_rumi.php.<span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">Thursday, May 05, 2011</span>\n\nShahriar Shahriari. Vancouver, Canada\n\nJuly 20, 1998\n\n　\n\n　\n\n　\n\n　\n\n　\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Rumi-Meditation_new.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1263\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Rumi-Meditation_new.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"247\" /></a></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">RUMI\'S DIWAN-E SHAMS</p>','RUMI\'S DIWAN-E SHAMS ','','inherit','open','open','','1262-autosave','','','2011-05-05 00:11:28','2011-05-05 06:11:28','',1262,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1266',0,'revision','',0),(1267,22,'2011-05-05 00:08:33','2011-05-05 06:08:33','<em><span style=\"font-size: x-large\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"> </p>\r\n\r\n</span></em>Rumi’s Diwan-e Shams (Jalaloddin Rumi) born on September 30, 1207 at Balkh in the north-eastern providence of Persia ( presence day Afghanistan ). Rumi’s has been regarded as one of the greatest spiritual masters and poetical intellects, in fact, there are several reasons on why Rumi’s poems were outstanding from his peers, while many other poets have a mystical vision of their poems and then try to express it in a understandable language, Rumi never attempted to bring his visions or poems to the level of the mundane, instead he has always expected, and demanded the reader to reach higher and higher in his or her own spiritual understanding, and then eventually be able to appreciate what he was truly saying. The most remarkable masterpiece created by Rumi’s was the Divan-e Shams a masterpiece of wisdom and eloquence. It is belief that Rumi had attained the level of a \"Perfect Master\" and as such, he dwelled in the spiritual realms that were rarely visited by others of this world, Moreover he attained heights that were attained by only a few before him or since. Based on the importance and mysterious poems from the masterpiece of Rumi’s (Diwan-e Shams) the scriptures should be preserved and past on from generation to generation to demonstrate the importance of god in mans life.\r\n\r\nRumi’s life: At the age of 24 Rumi’s had fallowed the footsteps of his father, he distinguished scholar, as a teacher and preacher of religious sciences at the college in Konya, he was living a wealthy and respectful life but he was dissatisfy at that time. At the age of 37 he met a wandering dervish (a Muslim religious order) named Shamsuddin of Tabriz who saw in in rumi’s to much proud by the way of his scholar knowledge and authority. so as a result both rumi’s and Shamsuddin spend 90 days in a private retreat and both emerged themselves in to spiritual transformation, as consequence of this Rumi’s gave up everything that he had at that time and dedicated his life to a prolific outpouring of poetry he later named his collection the <em>Diwan-i Shams-i Tabriz-i</em> (The Works of Shams of Tabriz) in honor of Shamsuddin. In addiction, The <em>Diwan</em> consists of about 40,000 verses, arranged according to rhythm, and was written over a period of 30 years. Furthermore, some of the most remarkable poems he wrote were THE MAN OF GOD , EMPTY THE GLASS OF YOUR DESIRE and THE ONE TRUE LIFE. in almost all his poems he interpreted love in all its forms, rumi’s explores the immortal theme of love as passion. He sees passionate love as a selfless experience that enriches one\'s life. However, almost all of Rumi\'s love poems are ambiguous they can be interpreted as addressing both the earthly love that exists between two people and the higher love that exists between humans and god. in fact, he gave many examples on how a real man should behave. one of the most interesting poems that I personally enjoyed the most was EMPTY THE GLASS OF YOUR DESIRE:\r\n\r\n“Join yourself to friends\r\n\r\nand know the joy of the soul.\r\n\r\nEnter the neighborhood of ruin\r\n\r\nwith those who drink to the dregs.\r\n\r\nEmpty the glass of your desire\r\n\r\nso that you won\'t be disgraced.\r\n\r\nStop looking for something out there\r\n\r\nand begin seeing within.\r\n\r\nOpen your arms if you want an embrace.\r\n\r\nBreak the earthen idols and release the radiance.\r\n\r\nWhy get involved with a hag like this world?\r\n\r\nYou know what it will cost.\r\n\r\nAnd three pitiful meals a day\r\n\r\nis all that weapons and violence can earn.\r\n\r\nAt night when the Beloved comes\r\n\r\nwill you be nodding on opium?\r\n\r\nIf you close your mouth to food,\r\n\r\nyou can know a sweeter taste.\r\n\r\nOur Host is no tyrant. We gather in a circle.\r\n\r\nSit down with us beyond the wheel of time.\r\n\r\nHere is the deal: give one life\r\n\r\nand receive a hundred.\r\n\r\nStop growling like dogs,\r\n\r\nand know the shepherd\'s care.\r\n\r\nYou keep complaining about others\r\n\r\nand all they owe you?\r\n\r\nWell, forget about them;\r\n\r\njust be in His presence.\r\n\r\nWhen the earth is this wide,\r\n\r\nwhy are you asleep in a prison?\r\n\r\nThink of nothing but the source of thought.\r\n\r\nFeed the soul; let the body fast.\r\n\r\nAvoid knotted ideas;\r\n\r\nuntie yourself in a higher world.\r\n\r\nLimit your talk\r\n\r\nfor the sake of timeless communion.\r\n\r\nAbandon life and the world,\r\n\r\nand find the life of the world.”\r\n\r\n(fiero 6 e )\r\n\r\nThese poem seems to aimed the most important values of life, it gives a brief description on how humans should live. in fact, it said that we should abandon life in the world and discover the real world which it means that we should not pay to much attention to materialism and instead we should look for the spirit of god and discover the real world. there many important facts that contribute to the accomplishments of rumi’s, amount the most important are how he created his poems. “To achieve the sublime states described in Rumi\'s verse, the sufist <em>mevlevi</em> (whirling dervishes) developed a mental and physical frenzy during their sacred dance. The ecstatic gyration produced <em>fana</em> (euphorias) that, according to the poet, \"liberate the spirits from the body\'s trap and wipe the records clean\" (Rumi 2007, 41). The whirling generated a mystic release from time and space and a call to \"Behold the power of God in his composure!\" . “The rapid rotation of the trunk and limbs freed the mind of idol worship, rid the soul of guilt, and intoxicated the spirit with an epiphany of self-surrender. Enraptured with thoughts of God and universal love, the dancer became free of formal religious forms and the greed and power-mongering around them.”(Facts On File, Inc., 2009) Yet there is more. While many of the translations of Rumi’s poetry have tried to convey the immense wisdom contained therein, often they overlook the musical and artistic beauty that they contain but especially in Divan-e Shams, Rumi has created such level of beauty through the use and mastery of musical rhythm and rhyme, that the reader not only can appreciate its wisdom, but also reach levels of ecstasy and mystical energy that is seldom found in other poems or any translations of his poetry. Rumi’s poetry should be preserved in addition to the bible books to demonstrate the importance of god in mans life. To sum all up Rumi\'s poetry has influenced not only Islamic literature and civilization but also world literature, philosophy, and culture therefore it should be well preserve as one of the greatest poems and most influential literature of its time.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: large\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">REFERENCES</p>\r\n\r\n</span>\r\n\r\nTHE HUMANISTIC TRADITION . 6 EDITION . GLORIA K FIERO\r\n\r\n<a href=\"mailto:S@ZBNet.com\">Shahriar Shahriari</a> 1998, Vancouver Canada, 1999 - 2005, Los Angeles, CA\r\n\r\nSnodgrass, Mary Ellen. \"Jalal ad-Din ar-Rumi.\" <em>Encyclopedia of the Literature of Empire</em>. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. <em>Bloom\'s Literary Reference Online</em>. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&amp;SID=5&amp;iPin= ELOE212&amp;SingleRecord=True (accessed May 5, 2011).\r\n\r\nMolana Jalal-e-Din Mohammad Molavi Rumi. Shahrzad Rouzrok. http ://www.iranchamber.com/literature/jrumi/molana_rumi.php.<span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">Thursday, May 05, 2011</span>\r\n\r\nShahriar Shahriari. Vancouver, Canada\r\n\r\nJuly 20, 1998\r\n\r\n　\r\n\r\n　\r\n\r\n　\r\n\r\n　\r\n\r\n　\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Rumi-Meditation_new.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1263\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Rumi-Meditation_new.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"247\" /></a></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">RUMI\'S DIWAN-E SHAMS</p>','RUMI\'S DIWAN-E SHAMS ','','inherit','open','open','','1262-revision-3','','','2011-05-05 00:08:33','2011-05-05 06:08:33','',1262,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1267',0,'revision','',0),(1269,7,'2011-05-05 07:11:08','2011-05-05 13:11:08','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong><em> </em></strong></p>\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_893\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Woodcut from William Caxton&#039;s second edition of the Canterbury Tales printed in 1483\"]<strong><em><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1380px-Canterbury-west-Winter-Highsmith.jpeg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-893\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1380px-Canterbury-west-Winter-Highsmith-300x35.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"35\" /></a></em></strong></dt><dd>Library of Congress North Reading Room mural  <!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt;--> \r\n /* Style Definitions */\r\n table.MsoNormalTable\r\n	{mso-style-name:\"Table Normal\";\r\n	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;\r\n	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;\r\n	mso-style-noshow:yes;\r\n	mso-style-priority:99;\r\n	mso-style-qformat:yes;\r\n	mso-style-parent:\"\";\r\n	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;\r\n	mso-para-margin-top:0in;\r\n	mso-para-margin-right:0in;\r\n	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;\r\n	mso-para-margin-left:0in;\r\n	line-height:115%;\r\n	mso-pagination:widow-orphan;\r\n	font-size:11.0pt;\r\n	font-family:\"Calibri\",\"sans-serif\";\r\n	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;\r\n	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;\r\n	mso-fareast-font-family:\"Times New Roman\";\r\n	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;\r\n	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;\r\n	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;\r\n	mso-bidi-font-family:\"Times New Roman\";\r\n	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}\r\n \r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;line-height: normal\"><a href=\"http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/highsm.03162/\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;color: windowtext\">http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/highsm.03162/</span></a><span style=\"font-size: 8pt\"> </span></p>\r\n\r\n</dd></dl></div>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong><strong> </strong>\r\n\r\nThe debate and speculations surrounding the meaning, content, sequential arrangement, language, and completeness continue to haunt Geoffrey Chaucer’s <em>The Canterbury Tales</em>, written between 1387 and 1400. It is a sophisticated example of rhetorical forms, linguistic styles, diversity, and history. Yet this enduring classic tale reflects the everyday life of the common man, an overview of the political and religious climate of the day, and a cultural equivalent of the advice, “Things are not always as they seem…” (Gāius).<!--more--><!--[if !mso]&gt; &lt;!  v\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0 false    false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;   &lt;![endif]-->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Though no surviving manuscripts in Chaucer’s own hand exist, there are eighty-three originally circulated hand-copied manuscripts that still in existence. Of these, fifty-five are complete manuscripts and twenty-eight are fragments.<span> </span>The first printed copies were produced sometime in the early fifteenth century.</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Written in Middle English by “the first finder of our language,” Geoffrey Chaucer, <em>The Canterbury Tales</em><span> is collections of narratives, portraying twenty-eight pilgrims, strangers all, who agree to engage in a storytelling challenge as they journey to and from the shrine of </span>Thomas à Becket in Canterbury, Kent (Cooper).<span> </span><span>An agreement is struck at the Tabard Inn in Southwark which is located across the Thames from London (Geoffrey Chaucer). <span> </span></span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><dl><dt><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Canterbury_Tales.png\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-894\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Canterbury_Tales-300x256.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"256\" /></a>[/caption]<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] -->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">The host of the Tabard assumes the role of “master of ceremonies” and oversees the competition. There are twenty-four narratives divulged by the pilgrims in succinct, theatrical scenes. Chaucer included characters from various backgrounds: \"</span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">knight, prioress, monk; merchant, man of law, Franklin, scholarly clerk; miller, reeve, pardoner; wife of Bath and many others<span>” (Geoffrey Chaucer). He also chose a broad range of literary genres: allegorical tale, racy fabliau or bawdy comedy told in verse, alchemical account, saint’s life, courtly romance, beast fable, medieval sermon and in some cases a mix of more than one of these styles. Chaucer presents significant and extraordinary short story examples, two expositions in prose, and a religious facet with a distinct secular bent vis-à-vis the worldly pleasure and/or vises against the spiritual aspirations. In each scene, an animated argument or debate act as a “link” and typically to include at least one of the fellow pilgrims and possibly even the master of ceremonies.<span> </span>Though considered incomplete, <em>The Canterbury Tales </em>remains a cohesive work and not simply an assortment of incomplete remnants. The synthesis of these tales in the multifaceted descriptions and stories of the pilgrims is evident in it’s the “structure, the sketches, the links, and the tales” (---GC).</span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_896\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"200\" caption=\"Portrait of Chaucer\"]<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/older-Chaucer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-896\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/older-Chaucer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"252\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] -->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">It was an unstable and chaotic time in English history that served as the backdrop for the period of history when this important work was penned and a time of technological advancements in the literary genre.<span> </span><em>The Canterbury Tales</em> are among the first works of English literature to mention the use of paper as a medium, which was a fairly new development and allowed for distribution on a broad scale.<span> </span>The Western Schism mired down the</span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> Catholic Church in controversy at a time when Christian authority in Europe was already under heavy fire. The Peasant’s Revolt of 1381 and various other conflicts marked the end of King Richard II reign and a desperate time for Chaucer as many of his close friends were executed. These complex and tumultuous political events forced Chaucer to move to Kent; further R. T. Lenaghan stated in his 1970 lecture, “The ‘General Prologue’ is often called a picture of its age and, frequently in the next breath, a satire,”<span> </span>though some scholars caution against “…confusing the distinction between literature and history…”(Lenaghan). <span> </span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">In his 2007 thesis, Michael Erik Bigley argues the quality of a musical expression both in lyrical and narrative text in <em>The Canterbury Tales.</em> Noting Louise Fradenberg argument that <em>The Canterbury Tales</em> taken as a whole exemplifies the limits of ideology and even Chaucer’s consciousness of these ideological limitations” (Fradenburg).<span> </span>Bigley states that, “…instead of a vehicle for the expression of an ideology, the means by which an entire range of ideologies are exposed for ethical critique” (Bigley).</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Contemporary works of note at the time of <em>The Canterbury Tales</em> may be found in works such as Juan Ruiz’ <em>The Book of Good Love</em> or <em>Decameron</em> by Boccaccio and works which acted in many instances as inspiration for some of Chaucer’s work. In <em>Decameron</em>, the main characters are all young, unsullied, affluent and each of the seven women and three men have traditional names very much the literary stereotype. Chaucer’s protagonists, on the other hand, are of differing backgrounds and most were simply middle class; reflecting Chaucer’s own situation. We also note a difference in the subject matter of the tales told in each work, the delivery of the tale, and the personalities. </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">A striking contrast is evident between Chaucer’s “spicy yarn” in the Prologue description of the </span><span>Wife of Bath with the her comically bawdy portrayal and Chaucer’s </span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">suggestion of Alison, the Miller’s wife, in the Millers Tale when compared to a work by Marie de France, </span><em><span>Equitan</span></em><span>, which contains a relatively mildly and tame descriptive, yet racy (for the time) account of the appearance of the heroine of the story, “…passing tender of body sweet of vesture,… with a fragrant mouth, and a dainty nose…”<span> </span>Marie de France, of the Norman English court gave an account that was appropriate and stereotypical of the time. Chaucer, though taking inspiration from his contemporaries, pushed the boundaries of acceptability and catered to a less formal audience (de France).</span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Chaucer makes use of vibrant and colorful descriptions to introduce each pilgrim’s character in the form of a “General Prologue;” thereby, providing his reader detail never before used in literature.</span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] -->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><em><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">The Canterbury Tales</span></em><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> are assumed to have been quite popular during the time it was written and after Chaucer’s death. <span> </span>Eighty-three known manuscripts of this work from the late medieval times to early Renaissance period represents a number far exceeding any other vernacular literary text, surpassed only by the 116 manuscripts of <em>The Prick of Conscience</em> collection of poems. Scholars agree that these numbers are a clear indication of the popularity of the<em> Canterbury Tales.</em></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Countering Tatlock’s essay, George Loomis summarizes his own thoughts as follows, “I have adduced in this paper justify our rejecting any notion of Chaucer as either a sycophantic timeserver, who merely echoed the sentiments of his patrons and associates, or of a cheerful philosopher who looked upon the follies and struggles of mankind with an amused detachment” (Loomis).</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Dolores Warwick Frese discusses in <em>An Ars Legendi for Chaucers’ Canterbury Tales: Re-constructive Reading</em>, Chaucer efforts as having compiled an innovative and intricate relationship within the Canterbury Tales and asserts that this masterwork is Chaucer’s final literary effort (Frese).</span></p>\r\n<!--[if !mso]&gt; &lt;!  v\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0 false    false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;   &lt;![endif]-->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">The authors’ personal reaction to The Canterbury tales after researching and reading only <em>The Knights Tale</em> leaves me eager to read more and study the meanings or morals found within each tale. Reading the original vernacular copy of Chaucer’s creation is not advised; however, it is quite interesting to read a translated version and then reference the original. <span> </span>Chaucer’s use of irony and his inclusion of so many different forms of literature of the day, from <span>bawdy comedy told in verse to alchemical account; from saint’s life to courtly romance</span> as with The Knights Tale is also a very intriguing component of this work and seems to challenge me to read on. The most meaningful aspects of this work, in the authors’ humble opinion, are its enduring appeal and broad-based audience. Throughout the centuries, Chaucer has been studied, applauded, criticized, defended, praised, and finally honored with the designation as “the first finder of our language.” <span> </span><span>(--- GC).<span> </span></span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">Comparing Dante Alighiere’s epic poem <em>The Divine Comedy,</em> written between 1308 and 1321, and Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, written primarily in the poetic form with two tales in prose between </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">1387 and 1400, we find similarities and differences.<span> </span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"><span> </span></span></p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_900\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Manuscript page from The Canterbury Tales\"]<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1226626964.415016.pjpeg.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-900\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1226626964.415016.pjpeg-300x185.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor instance, contempt for the Church is one characteristic exhibited by both Chaucer and Dante in their respective works. Chaucer colored his religious characters as dishonest, shady, and immoral while Dante demonstrates his disdain by simply inserts assorted Popes and Church hierarchy in their appropriate place in Hell. We also see a similarity in the energy of each work. The images expressed in Dante’s <em>Divine Comedy</em> are those of which nightmares and converts are made. Chaucer is more compassionate toward his reader with his engaging, though sometimes provocative work. His use of irony, comedy, <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">and parody, estates satire, and romance provides a rich diverse piece of literature while, demonstrating that there is no “Everyman;” each soul is different and nothing is as it seems. </span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_899\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"198\" caption=\"Detail of manuscript Dante&#039;s Comedy \"]<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/250px-MS_Trivulziano_1080_incipit.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-899\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/250px-MS_Trivulziano_1080_incipit-198x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nDante describes the journey through Hell in stages, providing a <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">substance and importance to the journey itself while Chaucer pays little attention to the pilgrimage itself.</span>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"> Dante casts himself in the role of the narrator in the style of an epic poem with many supporting characters as aids in telling his tale. After metaphorically losing his way from the right path, Dante carries his journey into the depths of Hell, representing mankind or “Everyman” much as Christian in </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">Bunyan’s <em>Pilgrim’s Progress.</em></span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"> <span> </span>Chaucer, on the other hand, makes use of various literary styles, “which range from moral tales and beast fables to <em>fabliaux</em> of the most risqué and bawdy sort,” using various </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">protagonists</span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"> from different walks of life and the unknown “naïve” as the story tellers (</span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">Fiero</span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">). </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">Each of the tales in Chaucer’s work is delivered by a third-person; a person who seemingly has a keen awareness of the goings on within the story and the tale is told from that person’s perspective. In this way, Chaucer allows the reader not only the ability to know the actions of the characters but also to “hear” their thoughts. <span> </span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">In the most ironic twist within <em>The Canterbury Tales </em>is that, after delivering twenty-three stories, Chaucer composes a retraction and begs forgiveness for his sins including having written <em>The Canterbury Tales.</em></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"><em> </em></span></p>\r\n<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] -->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">The absolute necessities for survival are food, water, air to breathe and shelter; therefore, it is understood that these things must already be present for the survival of those we hope will one day discover this time capsule. After these necessities, what is it that we find most valuable for our surviving decedents?<span> </span>Money, jewels, status, and power: none of these things are of importance without knowledge and understanding. <em>The Canterbury Tales</em> re</span><span>presents “a literary cross-section of late medieval society” and is as relevant today and in the future as it was in the 14<sup>th</sup> century. (</span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Fiero</span><span>) The characters type casted from different classes and ranks of late medieval society in these narratives were, nonetheless, individuals with their own shortcoming, strengths, </span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">faults, and assets. Pluck a group of individuals from various professions, classes and/or socio-economic backgrounds from our world today or that world we hope will discover our time capsule, and the stories are dynamically the same as found in <em>The Canterbury Tales</em>. These works are vital for the future of our survivors as a not only a master work of literature but a work that carries with it a sophisticated example of rhetorical forms, linguistic styles, diversity, and history. Perhaps, the single thread weaving through the entire work is a quote from another great storyteller or fabulist, Phaedrus of Rome, offers that single thread weaving through all of The Canterbury Tales: “<span class=\"huge\">Things are not always as they seem; the first appearance deceives many”(---G</span>).<span> </span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"><span> </span></span></p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in;text-align: center\"><!--more--></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in;text-align: center\"><span>Works Cited</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in;text-align: center\"><span> </span></p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_893\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Library of Congress North Reading Room mural\"]<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1380px-Canterbury-west-Winter-Highsmith.jpeg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-893\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1380px-Canterbury-west-Winter-Highsmith-300x35.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"35\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in;line-height: normal\"><span>Gāius Iūlius.<span> </span><em>Phaedrus Biography - (c.15 bc–c.ad50)</em>. <a href=\"http://www.jrank.org/history/pages/5145/G%C4%81ius-I%C5%ABlius-Phaedrus.html\"><span style=\"color: windowtext\">http://www.jrank.org/history/pages/5145/G%C4%81ius-I%C5%ABlius-Phaedrus.html</span></a></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in;line-height: normal\"><span>Cooper, Helen. <a href=\"http://www.gradesaver.com/the-canterbury-tales/\"><em><span style=\"color: windowtext;text-decoration: none\">The Canterbury Tales</span></em></a><em>.</em> Oxford Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-19-871155-7</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"meanings-body\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in\"><span>\"Geoffrey Chaucer.\" 2011. Biography.com. 27 Mar 2011, 10:46 <a href=\"http://www.biography.com/articles/Geoffrey-Chaucer-9245691\"><span style=\"color: windowtext\">http://www.biography.com/articles/Geoffrey-Chaucer-9245691</span></a>. </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"meanings-body\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in\"><span>Lenghan, “R.T. Chaucer’s General Prologue as History and Literature.” <em>Comparative Studies in Society and History.</em> Cambridge University Press, New York. 1970. Vol. 12, No. 1, January 1970. Pages 73-82.</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"meanings-body\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in\"><span>de France, Maria. <em>Equitan. </em>THE TEMPLE PRESS AT LETCHWORTH IN GREAT BRITAIN.<span> </span><span>Translated by Eugene Mason, 1911. </span>Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Bradley Norton and PG Distributed Proofreaders. March 3, 2004. <a href=\"http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11417/11417-h/11417-h.htm\"><span style=\"color: windowtext\">http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11417/11417-h/11417-h.htm</span></a>. </span></p>\r\n<span> Fradenburg, Louise. “The Manciple\'s Servant Tongue: Politics and Poetry in The Canterbury Tales.” </span>\r\n\r\n<span><em> ELH Volume </em>52 No.1 The Johns Hopkins University Press. Spring, 1985. </span>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in;line-height: normal\"><span>Bigley, Michael Erik. <em>MUSICALITY, SUBJECTIVITY, AND THE <span>CANTERBURY TALES. </span></em>The University of Montana. Missoula, MT. May 2007. Pg. 80 </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in;line-height: normal\"><span>Loomis, Roger S.<em> <span>Was Chaucer A Laodicean?</span> </em></span><em><span>Chaucer Criticism- The Canterbury Tales,<strong> </strong></span></em><em><span>An Anthology.</span></em><span> Edited by Richard J. Schoeck and Jerome Taylor. Notre Dame Books. </span><span>Notre Dame (South Bend), IN. <span> </span>1960. Pg 291</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in;line-height: normal\"><span>Frese, Dolores Warwick. <em>An Ars Legendi for Chaucers’ Canterbury Tales: Re-constructive Reading. </em>Gainesville University Press of Florida. 1991</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"meanings-body\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in\"><span>\"Geoffrey Chaucer.\" 2011. Biography.com. 27 Mar 2011, 10:46 <a href=\"http://www.biography.com/articles/Geoffrey-Chaucer-9245691\"><span style=\"color: windowtext\">http://www.biography.com/articles/Geoffrey-Chaucer-9245691</span></a>. </span></p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"mcePaste\" style=\"width: 1px;height: 1px;overflow: hidden\">\r\n\r\n<!--[if !mso]&gt; &lt;!  v\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0 false    false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;   &lt;![endif]-->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Though no surviving manuscripts in Chaucer’s own hand exist, there are eighty-three originally circulated hand-copied manuscripts that still in existence. Of these, fifty-five are complete manuscripts and twenty-eight are fragments.<span> </span>The first printed copies were produced sometime in the early fifteenth century.</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Written in Middle English by “the first finder of our language,” Geoffrey Chaucer, <em>The Canterbury Tales</em><span> is collections of narratives, portraying twenty-eight pilgrims, strangers all, who agree to engage in a storytelling challenge as they journey to and from the shrine of </span>Thomas à Becket in Canterbury, Kent (Cooper).<span> </span><span>An agreement is struck at the Tabard Inn in Southwark which is located across the Thames from London (Geoffrey Chaucer). <span> </span></span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"mcePaste\" style=\"width: 1px;height: 1px;overflow: hidden\"><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] -->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: normal\"><a href=\"http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/highsm.03162/\"><span style=\"font-size: 8.0pt;color: windowtext\">http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/highsm.03162/</span></a><span style=\"font-size: 8.0pt\"> </span></p>\r\n\r\n</div>','The Canterbury Tales','','inherit','open','open','','892-revision-14','','','2011-05-05 07:11:08','2011-05-05 13:11:08','',892,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1269',0,'revision','',0),(1268,7,'2011-04-12 20:47:18','2011-04-13 02:47:18','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong><em> </em></strong></p>\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_893\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Library of Congress North Reading Room mural\"]<strong><em><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1380px-Canterbury-west-Winter-Highsmith.jpeg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-893\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1380px-Canterbury-west-Winter-Highsmith-300x35.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"35\" /></a></em></strong>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong><strong> </strong>\r\n\r\nThe debate and speculations surrounding the meaning, content, sequential arrangement, language, and completeness continue to haunt Geoffrey Chaucer’s <em>The Canterbury Tales</em>, written between 1387 and 1400. It is a sophisticated example of rhetorical forms, linguistic styles, diversity, and history. Yet this enduring classic tale reflects the everyday life of the common man, an overview of the political and religious climate of the day, and a cultural equivalent of the advice, “Things are not always as they seem…” (Gāius).<!--more--><!--[if !mso]&gt; &lt;!  v\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0 false    false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;   &lt;![endif]-->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Though no surviving manuscripts in Chaucer’s own hand exist, there are eighty-three originally circulated hand-copied manuscripts that still in existence. Of these, fifty-five are complete manuscripts and twenty-eight are fragments.<span> </span>The first printed copies were produced sometime in the early fifteenth century.</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Written in Middle English by “the first finder of our language,” Geoffrey Chaucer, <em>The Canterbury Tales</em><span> is collections of narratives, portraying twenty-eight pilgrims, strangers all, who agree to engage in a storytelling challenge as they journey to and from the shrine of </span>Thomas à Becket in Canterbury, Kent (Cooper).<span> </span><span>An agreement is struck at the Tabard Inn in Southwark which is located across the Thames from London (Geoffrey Chaucer). <span> </span></span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_894\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Woodcut from William Caxton&#039;s second edition of the Canterbury Tales printed in 1483\"]<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Canterbury_Tales.png\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-894\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Canterbury_Tales-300x256.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"256\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] -->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">The host of the Tabard assumes the role of “master of ceremonies” and oversees the competition. There are twenty-four narratives divulged by the pilgrims in succinct, theatrical scenes. Chaucer included characters from various backgrounds: \"</span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">knight, prioress, monk; merchant, man of law, Franklin, scholarly clerk; miller, reeve, pardoner; wife of Bath and many others<span>” (Geoffrey Chaucer). He also chose a broad range of literary genres: allegorical tale, racy fabliau or bawdy comedy told in verse, alchemical account, saint’s life, courtly romance, beast fable, medieval sermon and in some cases a mix of more than one of these styles. Chaucer presents significant and extraordinary short story examples, two expositions in prose, and a religious facet with a distinct secular bent vis-à-vis the worldly pleasure and/or vises against the spiritual aspirations. In each scene, an animated argument or debate act as a “link” and typically to include at least one of the fellow pilgrims and possibly even the master of ceremonies.<span> </span>Though considered incomplete, <em>The Canterbury Tales </em>remains a cohesive work and not simply an assortment of incomplete remnants. The synthesis of these tales in the multifaceted descriptions and stories of the pilgrims is evident in it’s the “structure, the sketches, the links, and the tales” (---GC).</span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_896\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"200\" caption=\"Portrait of Chaucer\"]<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/older-Chaucer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-896\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/older-Chaucer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"252\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] -->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">It was an unstable and chaotic time in English history that served as the backdrop for the period of history when this important work was penned and a time of technological advancements in the literary genre.<span> </span><em>The Canterbury Tales</em> are among the first works of English literature to mention the use of paper as a medium, which was a fairly new development and allowed for distribution on a broad scale.<span> </span>The Western Schism mired down the</span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> Catholic Church in controversy at a time when Christian authority in Europe was already under heavy fire. The Peasant’s Revolt of 1381 and various other conflicts marked the end of King Richard II reign and a desperate time for Chaucer as many of his close friends were executed. These complex and tumultuous political events forced Chaucer to move to Kent; further R. T. Lenaghan stated in his 1970 lecture, “The ‘General Prologue’ is often called a picture of its age and, frequently in the next breath, a satire,”<span> </span>though some scholars caution against “…confusing the distinction between literature and history…”(Lenaghan). <span> </span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">In his 2007 thesis, Michael Erik Bigley argues the quality of a musical expression both in lyrical and narrative text in <em>The Canterbury Tales.</em> Noting Louise Fradenberg argument that <em>The Canterbury Tales</em> taken as a whole exemplifies the limits of ideology and even Chaucer’s consciousness of these ideological limitations” (Fradenburg).<span> </span>Bigley states that, “…instead of a vehicle for the expression of an ideology, the means by which an entire range of ideologies are exposed for ethical critique” (Bigley).</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Contemporary works of note at the time of <em>The Canterbury Tales</em> may be found in works such as Juan Ruiz’ <em>The Book of Good Love</em> or <em>Decameron</em> by Boccaccio and works which acted in many instances as inspiration for some of Chaucer’s work. In <em>Decameron</em>, the main characters are all young, unsullied, affluent and each of the seven women and three men have traditional names very much the literary stereotype. Chaucer’s protagonists, on the other hand, are of differing backgrounds and most were simply middle class; reflecting Chaucer’s own situation. We also note a difference in the subject matter of the tales told in each work, the delivery of the tale, and the personalities. </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">A striking contrast is evident between Chaucer’s “spicy yarn” in the Prologue description of the </span><span>Wife of Bath with the her comically bawdy portrayal and Chaucer’s </span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">suggestion of Alison, the Miller’s wife, in the Millers Tale when compared to a work by Marie de France, </span><em><span>Equitan</span></em><span>, which contains a relatively mildly and tame descriptive, yet racy (for the time) account of the appearance of the heroine of the story, “…passing tender of body sweet of vesture,… with a fragrant mouth, and a dainty nose…”<span> </span>Marie de France, of the Norman English court gave an account that was appropriate and stereotypical of the time. Chaucer, though taking inspiration from his contemporaries, pushed the boundaries of acceptability and catered to a less formal audience (de France).</span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Chaucer makes use of vibrant and colorful descriptions to introduce each pilgrim’s character in the form of a “General Prologue;” thereby, providing his reader detail never before used in literature.</span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] -->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><em><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">The Canterbury Tales</span></em><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> are assumed to have been quite popular during the time it was written and after Chaucer’s death. <span> </span>Eighty-three known manuscripts of this work from the late medieval times to early Renaissance period represents a number far exceeding any other vernacular literary text, surpassed only by the 116 manuscripts of <em>The Prick of Conscience</em> collection of poems. Scholars agree that these numbers are a clear indication of the popularity of the<em> Canterbury Tales.</em></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Countering Tatlock’s essay, George Loomis summarizes his own thoughts as follows, “I have adduced in this paper justify our rejecting any notion of Chaucer as either a sycophantic timeserver, who merely echoed the sentiments of his patrons and associates, or of a cheerful philosopher who looked upon the follies and struggles of mankind with an amused detachment” (Loomis).</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Dolores Warwick Frese discusses in <em>An Ars Legendi for Chaucers’ Canterbury Tales: Re-constructive Reading</em>, Chaucer efforts as having compiled an innovative and intricate relationship within the Canterbury Tales and asserts that this masterwork is Chaucer’s final literary effort (Frese).</span></p>\r\n<!--[if !mso]&gt; &lt;!  v\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0 false    false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;   &lt;![endif]-->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">The authors’ personal reaction to The Canterbury tales after researching and reading only <em>The Knights Tale</em> leaves me eager to read more and study the meanings or morals found within each tale. Reading the original vernacular copy of Chaucer’s creation is not advised; however, it is quite interesting to read a translated version and then reference the original. <span> </span>Chaucer’s use of irony and his inclusion of so many different forms of literature of the day, from <span>bawdy comedy told in verse to alchemical account; from saint’s life to courtly romance</span> as with The Knights Tale is also a very intriguing component of this work and seems to challenge me to read on. The most meaningful aspects of this work, in the authors’ humble opinion, are its enduring appeal and broad-based audience. Throughout the centuries, Chaucer has been studied, applauded, criticized, defended, praised, and finally honored with the designation as “the first finder of our language.” <span> </span><span>(--- GC).<span> </span></span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">Comparing Dante Alighiere’s epic poem <em>The Divine Comedy,</em> written between 1308 and 1321, and Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, written primarily in the poetic form with two tales in prose between </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">1387 and 1400, we find similarities and differences.<span> </span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"><span> </span></span></p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_900\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Manuscript page from The Canterbury Tales\"]<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1226626964.415016.pjpeg.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-900\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1226626964.415016.pjpeg-300x185.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor instance, contempt for the Church is one characteristic exhibited by both Chaucer and Dante in their respective works. Chaucer colored his religious characters as dishonest, shady, and immoral while Dante demonstrates his disdain by simply inserts assorted Popes and Church hierarchy in their appropriate place in Hell. We also see a similarity in the energy of each work. The images expressed in Dante’s <em>Divine Comedy</em> are those of which nightmares and converts are made. Chaucer is more compassionate toward his reader with his engaging, though sometimes provocative work. His use of irony, comedy, <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">and parody, estates satire, and romance provides a rich diverse piece of literature while, demonstrating that there is no “Everyman;” each soul is different and nothing is as it seems. </span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_899\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"198\" caption=\"Detail of manuscript Dante&#039;s Comedy \"]<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/250px-MS_Trivulziano_1080_incipit.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-899\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/250px-MS_Trivulziano_1080_incipit-198x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nDante describes the journey through Hell in stages, providing a <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">substance and importance to the journey itself while Chaucer pays little attention to the pilgrimage itself.</span>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"> Dante casts himself in the role of the narrator in the style of an epic poem with many supporting characters as aids in telling his tale. After metaphorically losing his way from the right path, Dante carries his journey into the depths of Hell, representing mankind or “Everyman” much as Christian in </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">Bunyan’s <em>Pilgrim’s Progress.</em></span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"> <span> </span>Chaucer, on the other hand, makes use of various literary styles, “which range from moral tales and beast fables to <em>fabliaux</em> of the most risqué and bawdy sort,” using various </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">protagonists</span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"> from different walks of life and the unknown “naïve” as the story tellers (</span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">Fiero</span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">). </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">Each of the tales in Chaucer’s work is delivered by a third-person; a person who seemingly has a keen awareness of the goings on within the story and the tale is told from that person’s perspective. In this way, Chaucer allows the reader not only the ability to know the actions of the characters but also to “hear” their thoughts. <span> </span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">In the most ironic twist within <em>The Canterbury Tales </em>is that, after delivering twenty-three stories, Chaucer composes a retraction and begs forgiveness for his sins including having written <em>The Canterbury Tales.</em></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"><em> </em></span></p>\r\n<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] -->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">The absolute necessities for survival are food, water, air to breathe and shelter; therefore, it is understood that these things must already be present for the survival of those we hope will one day discover this time capsule. After these necessities, what is it that we find most valuable for our surviving decedents?<span> </span>Money, jewels, status, and power: none of these things are of importance without knowledge and understanding. <em>The Canterbury Tales</em> re</span><span>presents “a literary cross-section of late medieval society” and is as relevant today and in the future as it was in the 14<sup>th</sup> century. (</span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Fiero</span><span>) The characters type casted from different classes and ranks of late medieval society in these narratives were, nonetheless, individuals with their own shortcoming, strengths, </span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">faults, and assets. Pluck a group of individuals from various professions, classes and/or socio-economic backgrounds from our world today or that world we hope will discover our time capsule, and the stories are dynamically the same as found in <em>The Canterbury Tales</em>. These works are vital for the future of our survivors as a not only a master work of literature but a work that carries with it a sophisticated example of rhetorical forms, linguistic styles, diversity, and history. Perhaps, the single thread weaving through the entire work is a quote from another great storyteller or fabulist, Phaedrus of Rome, offers that single thread weaving through all of The Canterbury Tales: “<span class=\"huge\">Things are not always as they seem; the first appearance deceives many”(---G</span>).<span> </span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"><span> </span></span></p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in;text-align: center\"><!--more--></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in;text-align: center\"><span>Works Cited</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in;text-align: center\"><span> </span></p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_893\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Library of Congress North Reading Room mural\"]<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1380px-Canterbury-west-Winter-Highsmith.jpeg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-893\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1380px-Canterbury-west-Winter-Highsmith-300x35.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"35\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in;line-height: normal\"><span>Gāius Iūlius.<span> </span><em>Phaedrus Biography - (c.15 bc–c.ad50)</em>. <a href=\"http://www.jrank.org/history/pages/5145/G%C4%81ius-I%C5%ABlius-Phaedrus.html\"><span style=\"color: windowtext\">http://www.jrank.org/history/pages/5145/G%C4%81ius-I%C5%ABlius-Phaedrus.html</span></a></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in;line-height: normal\"><span>Cooper, Helen. <a href=\"http://www.gradesaver.com/the-canterbury-tales/\"><em><span style=\"color: windowtext;text-decoration: none\">The Canterbury Tales</span></em></a><em>.</em> Oxford Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-19-871155-7</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"meanings-body\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in\"><span>\"Geoffrey Chaucer.\" 2011. Biography.com. 27 Mar 2011, 10:46 <a href=\"http://www.biography.com/articles/Geoffrey-Chaucer-9245691\"><span style=\"color: windowtext\">http://www.biography.com/articles/Geoffrey-Chaucer-9245691</span></a>. </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"meanings-body\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in\"><span>Lenghan, “R.T. Chaucer’s General Prologue as History and Literature.” <em>Comparative Studies in Society and History.</em> Cambridge University Press, New York. 1970. Vol. 12, No. 1, January 1970. Pages 73-82.</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"meanings-body\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in\"><span>de France, Maria. <em>Equitan. </em>THE TEMPLE PRESS AT LETCHWORTH IN GREAT BRITAIN.<span> </span><span>Translated by Eugene Mason, 1911. </span>Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Bradley Norton and PG Distributed Proofreaders. March 3, 2004. <a href=\"http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11417/11417-h/11417-h.htm\"><span style=\"color: windowtext\">http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11417/11417-h/11417-h.htm</span></a>. </span></p>\r\n<span> Fradenburg, Louise. “The Manciple\'s Servant Tongue: Politics and Poetry in The Canterbury Tales.” </span>\r\n\r\n<span><em> ELH Volume </em>52 No.1 The Johns Hopkins University Press. Spring, 1985. </span>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in;line-height: normal\"><span>Bigley, Michael Erik. <em>MUSICALITY, SUBJECTIVITY, AND THE <span>CANTERBURY TALES. </span></em>The University of Montana. Missoula, MT. May 2007. Pg. 80 </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in;line-height: normal\"><span>Loomis, Roger S.<em> <span>Was Chaucer A Laodicean?</span> </em></span><em><span>Chaucer Criticism- The Canterbury Tales,<strong> </strong></span></em><em><span>An Anthology.</span></em><span> Edited by Richard J. Schoeck and Jerome Taylor. Notre Dame Books. </span><span>Notre Dame (South Bend), IN. <span> </span>1960. Pg 291</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in;line-height: normal\"><span>Frese, Dolores Warwick. <em>An Ars Legendi for Chaucers’ Canterbury Tales: Re-constructive Reading. </em>Gainesville University Press of Florida. 1991</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"meanings-body\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in\"><span>\"Geoffrey Chaucer.\" 2011. Biography.com. 27 Mar 2011, 10:46 <a href=\"http://www.biography.com/articles/Geoffrey-Chaucer-9245691\"><span style=\"color: windowtext\">http://www.biography.com/articles/Geoffrey-Chaucer-9245691</span></a>. </span></p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"mcePaste\" style=\"width: 1px;height: 1px;overflow: hidden\">\r\n\r\n<!--[if !mso]&gt; &lt;!  v\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0 false    false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;   &lt;![endif]-->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Though no surviving manuscripts in Chaucer’s own hand exist, there are eighty-three originally circulated hand-copied manuscripts that still in existence. Of these, fifty-five are complete manuscripts and twenty-eight are fragments.<span> </span>The first printed copies were produced sometime in the early fifteenth century.</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Written in Middle English by “the first finder of our language,” Geoffrey Chaucer, <em>The Canterbury Tales</em><span> is collections of narratives, portraying twenty-eight pilgrims, strangers all, who agree to engage in a storytelling challenge as they journey to and from the shrine of </span>Thomas à Becket in Canterbury, Kent (Cooper).<span> </span><span>An agreement is struck at the Tabard Inn in Southwark which is located across the Thames from London (Geoffrey Chaucer). <span> </span></span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n\r\n</div>','The Canterbury Tales','','inherit','open','open','','892-revision-13','','','2011-04-12 20:47:18','2011-04-13 02:47:18','',892,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1268',0,'revision','',0),(1275,7,'2011-05-05 07:38:43','2011-05-05 13:38:43','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong><em> </em></strong></p>\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_893\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Woodcut from William Caxton&#039;s second edition of the Canterbury Tales printed in 1483   http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Image:Canterbury_Tales.png\"]<strong><em><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1380px-Canterbury-west-Winter-Highsmith.jpeg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-893\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1380px-Canterbury-west-Winter-Highsmith-300x35.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"35\" /></a></em></strong></dt> <dd>Library of Congress North Reading Room mural  <!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt;--><a href=\"http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/highsm.03162/\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;color: windowtext\">http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/highsm.03162/</span></a><span style=\"font-size: 8pt\"> </span> </dd> </dl></div>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong><strong> </strong>\r\n\r\nThe debate and speculations surrounding the meaning, content, sequential arrangement, language, and completeness continue to haunt Geoffrey Chaucer’s <em>The Canterbury Tales</em>, written between 1387 and 1400. It is a sophisticated example of rhetorical forms, linguistic styles, diversity, and history. Yet this enduring classic tale reflects the everyday life of the common man, an overview of the political and religious climate of the day, and a cultural equivalent of the advice, “Things are not always as they seem…” (Gāius).<!--more--><!--[if !mso]&gt; &lt;!  v\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0 false    false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;   &lt;![endif]-->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Though no surviving manuscripts in Chaucer’s own hand exist, there are eighty-three originally circulated hand-copied manuscripts that still in existence. Of these, fifty-five are complete manuscripts and twenty-eight are fragments.<span> </span>The first printed copies were produced sometime in the early fifteenth century.</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Written in Middle English by “the first finder of our language,” Geoffrey Chaucer, <em>The Canterbury Tales</em><span> is collections of narratives, portraying twenty-eight pilgrims, strangers all, who agree to engage in a storytelling challenge as they journey to and from the shrine of </span>Thomas à Becket in Canterbury, Kent (Cooper).<span> </span><span>An agreement is struck at the Tabard Inn in Southwark which is located across the Thames from London (Geoffrey Chaucer). <span> </span></span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><dl> <dt><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Canterbury_Tales.png\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-894\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Canterbury_Tales-300x256.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"256\" /></a>[/caption]<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] -->&nbsp;\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">The host of the Tabard assumes the role of “master of ceremonies” and oversees the competition. There are twenty-four narratives divulged by the pilgrims in succinct, theatrical scenes. Chaucer included characters from various backgrounds: \"</span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">knight, prioress, monk; merchant, man of law, Franklin, scholarly clerk; miller, reeve, pardoner; wife of Bath and many others<span>” (Geoffrey Chaucer). He also chose a broad range of literary genres: allegorical tale, racy fabliau or bawdy comedy told in verse, alchemical account, saint’s life, courtly romance, beast fable, medieval sermon and in some cases a mix of more than one of these styles. Chaucer presents significant and extraordinary short story examples, two expositions in prose, and a religious facet with a distinct secular bent vis-à-vis the worldly pleasure and/or vises against the spiritual aspirations. In each scene, an animated argument or debate act as a “link” and typically to include at least one of the fellow pilgrims and possibly even the master of ceremonies.<span> </span>Though considered incomplete, <em>The Canterbury Tales </em>remains a cohesive work and not simply an assortment of incomplete remnants. The synthesis of these tales in the multifaceted descriptions and stories of the pilgrims is evident in it’s the “structure, the sketches, the links, and the tales” (Geoffrey Chaucer).</span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_896\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"200\" caption=\"Library of Congress North Reading Room mural  http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/highsm.03162/\"]<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/older-Chaucer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-896\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/older-Chaucer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"252\" /></a></dt> <dd>Portrait of Chaucer\r\n<span><a href=\"http://www.qwiki.com/q/#!/English_literature\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;line-height: 115%\">http://www.qwiki.com/q/#!/English_li</span><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;line-height: 115%\">terature</span></a></span></dd> </dl></div>\r\n<span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] -->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">It was an unstable and chaotic time in English history that served as the backdrop for the period of history when this important work was penned and a time of technological advancements in the literary genre.<span> </span><em>The Canterbury Tales</em> are among the first works of English literature to mention the use of paper as a medium, which was a fairly new development and allowed for distribution on a broad scale.<span> </span>The Western Schism mired down the</span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> Catholic Church in controversy at a time when Christian authority in Europe was already under heavy fire. The Peasant’s Revolt of 1381 and various other conflicts marked the end of King Richard II reign and a desperate time for Chaucer as many of his close friends were executed. These complex and tumultuous political events forced Chaucer to move to Kent; further R. T. Lenaghan stated in his 1970 lecture, “The ‘General Prologue’ is often called a picture of its age and, frequently in the next breath, a satire,”<span> </span>though some scholars caution against “…confusing the distinction between literature and history…”(Lenaghan). <span> </span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">In his 2007 thesis, Michael Erik Bigley argues the quality of a musical expression both in lyrical and narrative text in <em>The Canterbury Tales.</em> Noting Louise Fradenberg argument that <em>The Canterbury Tales</em> taken as a whole exemplifies the limits of ideology and even Chaucer’s consciousness of these ideological limitations” (Fradenburg).<span> </span>Bigley states that, “…instead of a vehicle for the expression of an ideology, the means by which an entire range of ideologies are exposed for ethical critique” (Bigley).</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Contemporary works of note at the time of <em>The Canterbury Tales</em> may be found in works such as Juan Ruiz’ <em>The Book of Good Love</em> or <em>Decameron</em> by Boccaccio and works which acted in many instances as inspiration for some of Chaucer’s work. In <em>Decameron</em>, the main characters are all young, unsullied, affluent and each of the seven women and three men have traditional names very much the literary stereotype. Chaucer’s protagonists, on the other hand, are of differing backgrounds and most were simply middle class; reflecting Chaucer’s own situation. We also note a difference in the subject matter of the tales told in each work, the delivery of the tale, and the personalities. </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">A striking contrast is evident between Chaucer’s “spicy yarn” in the Prologue description of the </span><span>Wife of Bath with the her comically bawdy portrayal and Chaucer’s </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">suggestion of Alison, the Miller’s wife, in the Millers Tale when compared to a work by Marie de France, </span><em><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">Equitan</span></em><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">, which contains a relatively mildly and tame descriptive, yet racy (for the time) account of the appearance of the heroine of the story, “…passing tender of body sweet of vesture,… with a fragrant mouth, and a dainty nose…”<span> </span>Marie de France, of the Norman English court gave an account that was appropriate and stereotypical of the time. Chaucer, though taking inspiration from his contemporaries, pushed the boundaries of acceptability and catered to a less formal audience (de France).</span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span> </span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Chaucer makes use of vibrant and colorful descriptions to introduce each pilgrim’s character in the form of a “General Prologue;” thereby, providing his reader detail never before used in literature.</span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] -->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><em><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">The Canterbury Tales</span></em><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> are assumed to have been quite popular during the time it was written and after Chaucer’s death. <span> </span>Eighty-three known manuscripts of this work from the late medieval times to early Renaissance period represents a number far exceeding any other vernacular literary text, surpassed only by the 116 manuscripts of <em>The Prick of Conscience</em> collection of poems. Scholars agree that these numbers are a clear indication of the popularity of the<em> Canterbury Tales.</em></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Countering Tatlock’s essay, George Loomis summarizes his own thoughts as follows, “I have adduced in this paper justify our rejecting any notion of Chaucer as either a sycophantic timeserver, who merely echoed the sentiments of his patrons and associates, or of a cheerful philosopher who looked upon the follies and struggles of mankind with an amused detachment” (Loomis).</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Dolores Warwick Frese discusses in <em>An Ars Legendi for Chaucers’ Canterbury Tales: Re-constructive Reading</em>, Chaucer efforts as having compiled an innovative and intricate relationship within the Canterbury Tales and asserts that this masterwork is Chaucer’s final literary effort (Frese).</span></p>\r\n<!--[if !mso]&gt; &lt;!  v\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0 false    false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;   &lt;![endif]-->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">The authors’ personal reaction to The Canterbury tales after researching and reading only <em>The Knights Tale</em> leaves me eager to read more and study the meanings or morals found within each tale. Reading the original vernacular copy of Chaucer’s creation is not advised; however, it is quite interesting to read a translated version and then reference the original. <span> </span>Chaucer’s use of irony and his inclusion of so many different forms of literature of the day, from <span>bawdy comedy told in verse to alchemical account; from saint’s life to courtly romance</span> as with The Knights Tale is also a very intriguing component of this work and seems to challenge me to read on. The most meaningful aspects of this work, in the authors’ humble opinion, are its enduring appeal and broad-based audience. Throughout the centuries, Chaucer has been studied, applauded, criticized, defended, praised, and finally honored with the designation as “the first finder of our language.” <span> </span><span>(Geoffrey Chaucer).<span> </span></span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">Comparing Dante Alighiere’s epic poem <em>The Divine Comedy,</em> written between 1308 and 1321, and Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, written primarily in the poetic form with two tales in prose between </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">1387 and 1400, we find similarities and differences.<span> </span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"><span> </span></span></p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><dl> <dt><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1226626964.415016.pjpeg.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-900\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1226626964.415016.pjpeg-300x185.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" /></a></dt> <dd>Manuscript page from The Canterbury Tales  <!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt;--><a href=\"http://www.gradesaver.com/the-canterbury-tales/study-guide/section27/\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt\">http://www.gradesaver.com/the-canterbury-tales/study-guide/section27/</span></a><span style=\"font-size: 8pt\"> </span> </dd> </dl></div>\r\nFor instance, contempt for the Church is one characteristic exhibited by both Chaucer and Dante in their respective works. Chaucer colored his religious characters as dishonest, shady, and immoral while Dante demonstrates his disdain by simply inserts assorted Popes and Church hierarchy in their appropriate place in Hell. We also see a similarity in the energy of each work. The images expressed in Dante’s <em>Divine Comedy</em> are those of which nightmares and converts are made. Chaucer is more compassionate toward his reader with his engaging, though sometimes provocative work. His use of irony, comedy, <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">and parody, estates satire, and romance provides a rich diverse piece of literature while, demonstrating that there is no “Everyman;” each soul is different and nothing is as it seems. </span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><dl> <dt><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/250px-MS_Trivulziano_1080_incipit.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-899\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/250px-MS_Trivulziano_1080_incipit-198x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"300\" /></a></dt> <dd>Detail of manuscript Dante\'s Comedy  <!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt;--><a href=\"http://taggedwiki.zubiaga.org/new_content/0688f94ef1b127852a6c67092d43fdfd\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;color: windowtext\">http://taggedwiki.zubiaga.org/new_content/0688f94ef1b127852a6c67092d43fdfd</span></a><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"> </span> </dd> </dl></div>\r\nDante describes the journey through Hell in stages, providing a <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">substance and importance to the journey itself while Chaucer pays little attention to the pilgrimage itself.</span>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"> Dante casts himself in the role of the narrator in the style of an epic poem with many supporting characters as aids in telling his tale. After metaphorically losing his way from the right path, Dante carries his journey into the depths of Hell, representing mankind or “Everyman” much as Christian in </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">Bunyan’s <em>Pilgrim’s Progress.</em></span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"> <span> </span>Chaucer, on the other hand, makes use of various literary styles, “which range from moral tales and beast fables to <em>fabliaux</em> of the most risqué and bawdy sort,” using various </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">protagonists</span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"> from different walks of life and the unknown “naïve” as the story tellers (</span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">Fiero</span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">). </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">Each of the tales in Chaucer’s work is delivered by a third-person; a person who seemingly has a keen awareness of the goings on within the story and the tale is told from that person’s perspective. In this way, Chaucer allows the reader not only the ability to know the actions of the characters but also to “hear” their thoughts. <span> </span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">In the most ironic twist within <em>The Canterbury Tales </em>is that, after delivering twenty-three stories, Chaucer composes a retraction and begs forgiveness for his sins including having written <em>The Canterbury Tales.</em></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"><em> </em></span></p>\r\n<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] -->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">The absolute necessities for survival are food, water, air to breathe and shelter; therefore, it is understood that these things must already be present for the survival of those we hope will one day discover this time capsule. After these necessities, what is it that we find most valuable for our surviving decedents?<span> </span>Money, jewels, status, and power: none of these things are of importance without knowledge and understanding. <em>The Canterbury Tales</em> re</span><span>presents “a literary cross-section of late medieval society” and is as relevant today and in the future as it was in the 14<sup>th</sup> century. (</span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Fiero</span><span>) The characters type casted from different classes and ranks of late medieval society in these narratives were, nonetheless, individuals with their own shortcoming, strengths, </span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">faults, and assets. Pluck a group of individuals from various professions, classes and/or socio-economic backgrounds from our world today or that world we hope will discover our time capsule, and the stories are dynamically the same as found in <em>The Canterbury Tales</em>. These works are vital for the future of our survivors as a not only a master work of literature but a work that carries with it a sophisticated example of rhetorical forms, linguistic styles, diversity, and history. Perhaps, the single thread weaving through the entire work is a quote from another great storyteller or fabulist, Phaedrus of Rome, offers that single thread weaving through all of The Canterbury Tales: “<span class=\"huge\">Things are not always as they seem; the first appearance deceives many”( Gaius</span>).<span> </span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"><span> </span></span></p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in;text-align: center\"><!--more--></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in;text-align: center\"><span>Works Cited</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in;text-align: center\"><span> </span></p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"mceTemp mceIEcenter\"><dl> <dt><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1380px-Canterbury-west-Winter-Highsmith.jpeg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-893\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1380px-Canterbury-west-Winter-Highsmith-300x35.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"35\" /></a>[/caption]&nbsp;\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in;line-height: normal\"><span>Gāius Iūlius.<span> </span><em>Phaedrus Biography - (c.15 bc–c.ad50)</em>. <a href=\"http://www.jrank.org/history/pages/5145/G%C4%81ius-I%C5%ABlius-Phaedrus.html\"><span style=\"color: windowtext\">http://www.jrank.org/history/pages/5145/G%C4%81ius-I%C5%ABlius-Phaedrus.html</span></a></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in;line-height: normal\"><span>Cooper, Helen. <a href=\"http://www.gradesaver.com/the-canterbury-tales/\"><em><span style=\"color: windowtext;text-decoration: none\">The Canterbury Tales</span></em></a><em>.</em> Oxford Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-19-871155-7</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"meanings-body\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in\"><span>\"Geoffrey Chaucer.\" 2011. Biography.com. 27 Mar 2011, 10:46 <a href=\"http://www.biography.com/articles/Geoffrey-Chaucer-9245691\"><span style=\"color: windowtext\">http://www.biography.com/articles/Geoffrey-Chaucer-9245691</span></a>. </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"meanings-body\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in\"><span>Lenghan, “R.T. Chaucer’s General Prologue as History and Literature.” <em>Comparative Studies in Society and History.</em> Cambridge University Press, New York. 1970. Vol. 12, No. 1, January 1970. Pages 73-82.</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"meanings-body\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in\"><span>de France, Maria. <em>Equitan. </em>THE TEMPLE PRESS AT LETCHWORTH IN GREAT BRITAIN.<span> </span><span>Translated by Eugene Mason, 1911. </span>Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Bradley Norton and PG Distributed Proofreaders. March 3, 2004. <a href=\"http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11417/11417-h/11417-h.htm\"><span style=\"color: windowtext\">http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11417/11417-h/11417-h.htm</span></a>. </span></p>\r\n<span> Fradenburg, Louise. “The Manciple\'s Servant Tongue: Politics and Poetry in The Canterbury Tales.” </span>\r\n\r\n<span><em> ELH Volume </em>52 No.1 The Johns Hopkins University Press. Spring, 1985. </span>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in;line-height: normal\"><span>Bigley, Michael Erik. <em>MUSICALITY, SUBJECTIVITY, AND THE <span>CANTERBURY TALES. </span></em>The University of Montana. Missoula, MT. May 2007. Pg. 80 </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in;line-height: normal\"><span>Loomis, Roger S.<em> <span>Was Chaucer A Laodicean?</span> </em></span><em><span>Chaucer Criticism- The Canterbury Tales,<strong> </strong></span></em><em><span>An Anthology.</span></em><span> Edited by Richard J. Schoeck and Jerome Taylor. Notre Dame Books. </span><span>Notre Dame (South Bend), IN. <span> </span>1960. Pg 291</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in;line-height: normal\"><span>Frese, Dolores Warwick. <em>An Ars Legendi for Chaucers’ Canterbury Tales: Re-constructive Reading. </em>Gainesville University Press of Florida. 1991</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"meanings-body\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in\"><span>\"Geoffrey Chaucer.\" 2011. Biography.com. 27 Mar 2011, 10:46 <a href=\"http://www.biography.com/articles/Geoffrey-Chaucer-9245691\"><span style=\"color: windowtext\">http://www.biography.com/articles/Geoffrey-Chaucer-9245691</span></a>. </span></p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"mcePaste\" style=\"width: 1px;height: 1px;overflow: hidden\"><!--[if !mso]&gt; &lt;!  v\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0 false    false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;   &lt;![endif]-->&nbsp;\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Though no surviving manuscripts in Chaucer’s own hand exist, there are eighty-three originally circulated hand-copied manuscripts that still in existence. Of these, fifty-five are complete manuscripts and twenty-eight are fragments.<span> </span>The first printed copies were produced sometime in the early fifteenth century.</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Written in Middle English by “the first finder of our language,” Geoffrey Chaucer, <em>The Canterbury Tales</em><span> is collections of narratives, portraying twenty-eight pilgrims, strangers all, who agree to engage in a storytelling challenge as they journey to and from the shrine of </span>Thomas à Becket in Canterbury, Kent (Cooper).<span> </span><span>An agreement is struck at the Tabard Inn in Southwark which is located across the Thames from London (Geoffrey Chaucer). <span> </span></span></span></p>\r\n\r\n</div>','The Canterbury Tales','','inherit','open','open','','892-revision-20','','','2011-05-05 07:38:43','2011-05-05 13:38:43','',892,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1275',0,'revision','',0),(1270,7,'2011-05-05 07:12:10','2011-05-05 13:12:10','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong><em> </em></strong></p>\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_893\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Woodcut from William Caxton&#039;s second edition of the Canterbury Tales printed in 1483\"]<strong><em><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1380px-Canterbury-west-Winter-Highsmith.jpeg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-893\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1380px-Canterbury-west-Winter-Highsmith-300x35.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"35\" /></a></em></strong></dt> <dd>Library of Congress North Reading Room mural  <!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt;--><a href=\"http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/highsm.03162/\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;color: windowtext\">http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/highsm.03162/</span></a><span style=\"font-size: 8pt\"> </span> </dd> </dl></div>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em> </em></strong><strong> </strong>\r\n\r\nThe debate and speculations surrounding the meaning, content, sequential arrangement, language, and completeness continue to haunt Geoffrey Chaucer’s <em>The Canterbury Tales</em>, written between 1387 and 1400. It is a sophisticated example of rhetorical forms, linguistic styles, diversity, and history. Yet this enduring classic tale reflects the everyday life of the common man, an overview of the political and religious climate of the day, and a cultural equivalent of the advice, “Things are not always as they seem…” (Gāius).<!--more--><!--[if !mso]&gt; &lt;!  v\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0 false    false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;   &lt;![endif]-->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Though no surviving manuscripts in Chaucer’s own hand exist, there are eighty-three originally circulated hand-copied manuscripts that still in existence. Of these, fifty-five are complete manuscripts and twenty-eight are fragments.<span> </span>The first printed copies were produced sometime in the early fifteenth century.</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Written in Middle English by “the first finder of our language,” Geoffrey Chaucer, <em>The Canterbury Tales</em><span> is collections of narratives, portraying twenty-eight pilgrims, strangers all, who agree to engage in a storytelling challenge as they journey to and from the shrine of </span>Thomas à Becket in Canterbury, Kent (Cooper).<span> </span><span>An agreement is struck at the Tabard Inn in Southwark which is located across the Thames from London (Geoffrey Chaucer). <span> </span></span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><dl> <dt><a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Canterbury_Tales.png\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-894\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Canterbury_Tales-300x256.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"256\" /></a>[/caption]<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] -->&nbsp;\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">The host of the Tabard assumes the role of “master of ceremonies” and oversees the competition. There are twenty-four narratives divulged by the pilgrims in succinct, theatrical scenes. Chaucer included characters from various backgrounds: \"</span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">knight, prioress, monk; merchant, man of law, Franklin, scholarly clerk; miller, reeve, pardoner; wife of Bath and many others<span>” (Geoffrey Chaucer). He also chose a broad range of literary genres: allegorical tale, racy fabliau or bawdy comedy told in verse, alchemical account, saint’s life, courtly romance, beast fable, medieval sermon and in some cases a mix of more than one of these styles. Chaucer presents significant and extraordinary short story examples, two expositions in prose, and a religious facet with a distinct secular bent vis-à-vis the worldly pleasure and/or vises against the spiritual aspirations. In each scene, an animated argument or debate act as a “link” and typically to include at least one of the fellow pilgrims and possibly even the master of ceremonies.<span> </span>Though considered incomplete, <em>The Canterbury Tales </em>remains a cohesive work and not simply an assortment of incomplete remnants. The synthesis of these tales in the multifaceted descriptions and stories of the pilgrims is evident in it’s the “structure, the sketches, the links, and the tales” (---GC).</span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_896\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"200\" caption=\"Portrait of Chaucer\"]<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/older-Chaucer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-896\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/older-Chaucer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"252\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] -->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">It was an unstable and chaotic time in English history that served as the backdrop for the period of history when this important work was penned and a time of technological advancements in the literary genre.<span> </span><em>The Canterbury Tales</em> are among the first works of English literature to mention the use of paper as a medium, which was a fairly new development and allowed for distribution on a broad scale.<span> </span>The Western Schism mired down the</span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> Catholic Church in controversy at a time when Christian authority in Europe was already under heavy fire. The Peasant’s Revolt of 1381 and various other conflicts marked the end of King Richard II reign and a desperate time for Chaucer as many of his close friends were executed. These complex and tumultuous political events forced Chaucer to move to Kent; further R. T. Lenaghan stated in his 1970 lecture, “The ‘General Prologue’ is often called a picture of its age and, frequently in the next breath, a satire,”<span> </span>though some scholars caution against “…confusing the distinction between literature and history…”(Lenaghan). <span> </span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">In his 2007 thesis, Michael Erik Bigley argues the quality of a musical expression both in lyrical and narrative text in <em>The Canterbury Tales.</em> Noting Louise Fradenberg argument that <em>The Canterbury Tales</em> taken as a whole exemplifies the limits of ideology and even Chaucer’s consciousness of these ideological limitations” (Fradenburg).<span> </span>Bigley states that, “…instead of a vehicle for the expression of an ideology, the means by which an entire range of ideologies are exposed for ethical critique” (Bigley).</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Contemporary works of note at the time of <em>The Canterbury Tales</em> may be found in works such as Juan Ruiz’ <em>The Book of Good Love</em> or <em>Decameron</em> by Boccaccio and works which acted in many instances as inspiration for some of Chaucer’s work. In <em>Decameron</em>, the main characters are all young, unsullied, affluent and each of the seven women and three men have traditional names very much the literary stereotype. Chaucer’s protagonists, on the other hand, are of differing backgrounds and most were simply middle class; reflecting Chaucer’s own situation. We also note a difference in the subject matter of the tales told in each work, the delivery of the tale, and the personalities. </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">A striking contrast is evident between Chaucer’s “spicy yarn” in the Prologue description of the </span><span>Wife of Bath with the her comically bawdy portrayal and Chaucer’s </span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">suggestion of Alison, the Miller’s wife, in the Millers Tale when compared to a work by Marie de France, </span><em><span>Equitan</span></em><span>, which contains a relatively mildly and tame descriptive, yet racy (for the time) account of the appearance of the heroine of the story, “…passing tender of body sweet of vesture,… with a fragrant mouth, and a dainty nose…”<span> </span>Marie de France, of the Norman English court gave an account that was appropriate and stereotypical of the time. Chaucer, though taking inspiration from his contemporaries, pushed the boundaries of acceptability and catered to a less formal audience (de France).</span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Chaucer makes use of vibrant and colorful descriptions to introduce each pilgrim’s character in the form of a “General Prologue;” thereby, providing his reader detail never before used in literature.</span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] -->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><em><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">The Canterbury Tales</span></em><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> are assumed to have been quite popular during the time it was written and after Chaucer’s death. <span> </span>Eighty-three known manuscripts of this work from the late medieval times to early Renaissance period represents a number far exceeding any other vernacular literary text, surpassed only by the 116 manuscripts of <em>The Prick of Conscience</em> collection of poems. Scholars agree that these numbers are a clear indication of the popularity of the<em> Canterbury Tales.</em></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Countering Tatlock’s essay, George Loomis summarizes his own thoughts as follows, “I have adduced in this paper justify our rejecting any notion of Chaucer as either a sycophantic timeserver, who merely echoed the sentiments of his patrons and associates, or of a cheerful philosopher who looked upon the follies and struggles of mankind with an amused detachment” (Loomis).</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Dolores Warwick Frese discusses in <em>An Ars Legendi for Chaucers’ Canterbury Tales: Re-constructive Reading</em>, Chaucer efforts as having compiled an innovative and intricate relationship within the Canterbury Tales and asserts that this masterwork is Chaucer’s final literary effort (Frese).</span></p>\r\n<!--[if !mso]&gt; &lt;!  v\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0 false    false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;   &lt;![endif]-->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">The authors’ personal reaction to The Canterbury tales after researching and reading only <em>The Knights Tale</em> leaves me eager to read more and study the meanings or morals found within each tale. Reading the original vernacular copy of Chaucer’s creation is not advised; however, it is quite interesting to read a translated version and then reference the original. <span> </span>Chaucer’s use of irony and his inclusion of so many different forms of literature of the day, from <span>bawdy comedy told in verse to alchemical account; from saint’s life to courtly romance</span> as with The Knights Tale is also a very intriguing component of this work and seems to challenge me to read on. The most meaningful aspects of this work, in the authors’ humble opinion, are its enduring appeal and broad-based audience. Throughout the centuries, Chaucer has been studied, applauded, criticized, defended, praised, and finally honored with the designation as “the first finder of our language.” <span> </span><span>(--- GC).<span> </span></span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">Comparing Dante Alighiere’s epic poem <em>The Divine Comedy,</em> written between 1308 and 1321, and Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, written primarily in the poetic form with two tales in prose between </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">1387 and 1400, we find similarities and differences.<span> </span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"><span> </span></span></p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_900\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Manuscript page from The Canterbury Tales\"]<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1226626964.415016.pjpeg.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-900\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1226626964.415016.pjpeg-300x185.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor instance, contempt for the Church is one characteristic exhibited by both Chaucer and Dante in their respective works. Chaucer colored his religious characters as dishonest, shady, and immoral while Dante demonstrates his disdain by simply inserts assorted Popes and Church hierarchy in their appropriate place in Hell. We also see a similarity in the energy of each work. The images expressed in Dante’s <em>Divine Comedy</em> are those of which nightmares and converts are made. Chaucer is more compassionate toward his reader with his engaging, though sometimes provocative work. His use of irony, comedy, <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">and parody, estates satire, and romance provides a rich diverse piece of literature while, demonstrating that there is no “Everyman;” each soul is different and nothing is as it seems. </span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_899\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"198\" caption=\"Detail of manuscript Dante&#039;s Comedy \"]<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/250px-MS_Trivulziano_1080_incipit.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-899\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/250px-MS_Trivulziano_1080_incipit-198x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nDante describes the journey through Hell in stages, providing a <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">substance and importance to the journey itself while Chaucer pays little attention to the pilgrimage itself.</span>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"> Dante casts himself in the role of the narrator in the style of an epic poem with many supporting characters as aids in telling his tale. After metaphorically losing his way from the right path, Dante carries his journey into the depths of Hell, representing mankind or “Everyman” much as Christian in </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">Bunyan’s <em>Pilgrim’s Progress.</em></span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"> <span> </span>Chaucer, on the other hand, makes use of various literary styles, “which range from moral tales and beast fables to <em>fabliaux</em> of the most risqué and bawdy sort,” using various </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">protagonists</span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\"> from different walks of life and the unknown “naïve” as the story tellers (</span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">Fiero</span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">). </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;line-height: 200%\">Each of the tales in Chaucer’s work is delivered by a third-person; a person who seemingly has a keen awareness of the goings on within the story and the tale is told from that person’s perspective. In this way, Chaucer allows the reader not only the ability to know the actions of the characters but also to “hear” their thoughts. <span> </span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">In the most ironic twist within <em>The Canterbury Tales </em>is that, after delivering twenty-three stories, Chaucer composes a retraction and begs forgiveness for his sins including having written <em>The Canterbury Tales.</em></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"><em> </em></span></p>\r\n<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] -->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">The absolute necessities for survival are food, water, air to breathe and shelter; therefore, it is understood that these things must already be present for the survival of those we hope will one day discover this time capsule. After these necessities, what is it that we find most valuable for our surviving decedents?<span> </span>Money, jewels, status, and power: none of these things are of importance without knowledge and understanding. <em>The Canterbury Tales</em> re</span><span>presents “a literary cross-section of late medieval society” and is as relevant today and in the future as it was in the 14<sup>th</sup> century. (</span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Fiero</span><span>) The characters type casted from different classes and ranks of late medieval society in these narratives were, nonetheless, individuals with their own shortcoming, strengths, </span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">faults, and assets. Pluck a group of individuals from various professions, classes and/or socio-economic backgrounds from our world today or that world we hope will discover our time capsule, and the stories are dynamically the same as found in <em>The Canterbury Tales</em>. These works are vital for the future of our survivors as a not only a master work of literature but a work that carries with it a sophisticated example of rhetorical forms, linguistic styles, diversity, and history. Perhaps, the single thread weaving through the entire work is a quote from another great storyteller or fabulist, Phaedrus of Rome, offers that single thread weaving through all of The Canterbury Tales: “<span class=\"huge\">Things are not always as they seem; the first appearance deceives many”(---G</span>).<span> </span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"><span> </span></span></p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in;text-align: center\"><!--more--></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in;text-align: center\"><span>Works Cited</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in;text-align: center\"><span> </span></p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_893\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Library of Congress North Reading Room mural\"]<a href=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1380px-Canterbury-west-Winter-Highsmith.jpeg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-893\" src=\"http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1380px-Canterbury-west-Winter-Highsmith-300x35.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"35\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in;line-height: normal\"><span>Gāius Iūlius.<span> </span><em>Phaedrus Biography - (c.15 bc–c.ad50)</em>. <a href=\"http://www.jrank.org/history/pages/5145/G%C4%81ius-I%C5%ABlius-Phaedrus.html\"><span style=\"color: windowtext\">http://www.jrank.org/history/pages/5145/G%C4%81ius-I%C5%ABlius-Phaedrus.html</span></a></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in;line-height: normal\"><span>Cooper, Helen. <a href=\"http://www.gradesaver.com/the-canterbury-tales/\"><em><span style=\"color: windowtext;text-decoration: none\">The Canterbury Tales</span></em></a><em>.</em> Oxford Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-19-871155-7</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"meanings-body\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in\"><span>\"Geoffrey Chaucer.\" 2011. Biography.com. 27 Mar 2011, 10:46 <a href=\"http://www.biography.com/articles/Geoffrey-Chaucer-9245691\"><span style=\"color: windowtext\">http://www.biography.com/articles/Geoffrey-Chaucer-9245691</span></a>. </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"meanings-body\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in\"><span>Lenghan, “R.T. Chaucer’s General Prologue as History and Literature.” <em>Comparative Studies in Society and History.</em> Cambridge University Press, New York. 1970. Vol. 12, No. 1, January 1970. Pages 73-82.</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"meanings-body\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in\"><span>de France, Maria. <em>Equitan. </em>THE TEMPLE PRESS AT LETCHWORTH IN GREAT BRITAIN.<span> </span><span>Translated by Eugene Mason, 1911. </span>Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Bradley Norton and PG Distributed Proofreaders. March 3, 2004. <a href=\"http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11417/11417-h/11417-h.htm\"><span style=\"color: windowtext\">http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11417/11417-h/11417-h.htm</span></a>. </span></p>\r\n<span> Fradenburg, Louise. “The Manciple\'s Servant Tongue: Politics and Poetry in The Canterbury Tales.” </span>\r\n\r\n<span><em> ELH Volume </em>52 No.1 The Johns Hopkins University Press. Spring, 1985. </span>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in;line-height: normal\"><span>Bigley, Michael Erik. <em>MUSICALITY, SUBJECTIVITY, AND THE <span>CANTERBURY TALES. </span></em>The University of Montana. Missoula, MT. May 2007. Pg. 80 </span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in;line-height: normal\"><span>Loomis, Roger S.<em> <span>Was Chaucer A Laodicean?</span> </em></span><em><span>Chaucer Criticism- The Canterbury Tales,<strong> </strong></span></em><em><span>An Anthology.</span></em><span> Edited by Richard J. Schoeck and Jerome Taylor. Notre Dame Books. </span><span>Notre Dame (South Bend), IN. <span> </span>1960. Pg 291</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in;line-height: normal\"><span>Frese, Dolores Warwick. <em>An Ars Legendi for Chaucers’ Canterbury Tales: Re-constructive Reading. </em>Gainesville University Press of Florida. 1991</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"meanings-body\" style=\"margin-left: 0.25in\"><span>\"Geoffrey Chaucer.\" 2011. Biography.com. 27 Mar 2011, 10:46 <a href=\"http://www.biography.com/articles/Geoffrey-Chaucer-9245691\"><span style=\"color: windowtext\">http://www.biography.com/articles/Geoffrey-Chaucer-9245691</span></a>. </span></p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"mcePaste\" style=\"width: 1px;height: 1px;overflow: hidden\">\r\n\r\n<!--[if !mso]&gt; &lt;!  v\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0 false    false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] --><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;   &lt;![endif]-->\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Though no surviving manuscripts in Chaucer’s own hand exist, there are eighty-three originally circulated hand-copied manuscripts that still in existence. Of these, fifty-five are complete manuscripts and twenty-eight are fragments.<span> </span>The first printed copies were produced sometime in the early fifteenth century.</span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\">Written in Middle English by “the first finder of our language,” Geoffrey Chaucer, <em>The Canterbury Tales</em><span> is collections of narratives, portraying twenty-eight pilgrims, strangers all, who agree to engage in a storytelling challenge as they journey to and from the shrine of </span>Thomas à Becket in Canterbury, Kent (Cooper).<span> </span><span>An agreement is struck at the Tabard Inn in Southwark which is located across the Thames from London (Geoffrey Chaucer). <span> </span></span></span></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 200%\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;line-height: 200%\"> </span></p>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"mcePaste\" style=\"width: 1px;height: 1px;overflow: hidden\"><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;  Normal 0     false false false  EN-US X-NONE X-NONE                           &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                            &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;!   /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:&quot;Table Normal&quot;; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:&quot;&quot;; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin-top:0in; 	mso-para-margin-right:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; 	mso-para-margin-left:0in; 	line-height:115%; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --> <!--[endif] -->&nbsp;\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: .0001pt;line-height: normal\"><a href=\"http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/highsm.03162/\"><span style=\"font-size: 8.0pt;color: windowtext\">http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/highsm.03162/</span></a><span style=\"font-size: 8.0pt\"> </span></p>\r\n\r\n</div>','The Canterbury Tales','','inherit','open','open','','892-revision-15','','','2011-05-05 07:12:10','2011-05-05 13:12:10','',892,'http://jeanatacc.com/2011/?p=1270',0,'revision','',0);
