Monday, May 23, 2011

The Dirtiest Job of the Middle Ages

The video on the worst jobs has some pretty disgusting jobs that I definitely would never attempt in my lifetime. The job that I thought was the worst was the fuller who worked with the cloths. That job was overall disgusting and I could not believe people in the Middle Ages even did that. I could not believe the guy would even do it with the one woman! First of all, the process involved taking people's urine and placing it into a big tub so you could fix the cloth. The people even went around town asking for people's urine so this task could be completed.  Second of all, the people who had to work with this gross job had to be barefoot and had to step over the cloth while it was soaked in urine to make it softer. So essentially, the workers had to walk over urine and even run over it so there feet must have stunk. They even had to sniff the fumes of the urine while completing this job and the smell must have made them vomit frequently. To make matters worse, they had to do this job for up to 8 hours! That must have been so boring just walking on a cloth for such an extended period of time and having to walk over urine from other people. This job was disgusting just looking at it and I cannot imagine doing that for even one hour. I know that this process was very important back then, but I do not think that all the work that goes into it is worth it. They could have tried to find an alternative, which could have promoted good hygiene. Such a nasty job just to make cloth a little softer! I mean, come on! I did learn that the cloth had to be soft so it could be used for clothing unless military leaders would be naked, but the job is downright nasty to begin with.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Andrew's Freshman Year

Andrew's freshman year was pretty good and he learned a lot about himself. He learned how to manage all the schoolwork he was assigned from all the teachers and he learned that high school is much harder than middle school. He learned that you must have a way to cope with all the stress from school and manage your time evenly. He also learned that some people cannot tell him part from his twin brother, which is really annoying! Andrew made new friends at John Carroll and is getting used to a new life at the school. He understands now that he has to do volunteer hours so he can graduate so he should probably do those soon. He knows that there are a lot more tests in high school so you always have to be prepared for them, which means more study time. With all of this work, Andrew feels that John Carroll is preparing him for college and for the future.

Andrew had a lot of fun during his freshman year and he has got to know a wide variety of people. He had some good moments but other times he had some bad moments, too. He has learned a lot from all the classes he took his freshman year and he has been taught very well by his teachers. He understands that you should always keep up with all your work and if you get behind, it will be extremely difficult to keep up with all the work. Andrew likes most of his classes for different reasons and he likes what he learns in those classes. He thought his freshman year would be tough going in, but he now knows that it was not as bad as he thought and was actually fun. He hopes that his sophomore year will be even better. Overall, Andrew really enjoyed his year and he is now looking forward to the summer. 

Friday, May 6, 2011

Weekly 9 - Final Draft

Charlemagne was a very important figure during the Middle Ages and did a lot to influence the culture of this time period. He was the first leader of the Carolingian dynasty and he was considered one of the best leaders of Europe by many historians. He conquered land for his Frankish Empire and expanded his rule in Europe so everyone could be included during his reign. His accomplishments helped Europe for the better and got Europe off to a good start so they could prosper later during the peak of the Middle Ages. If it was not for Charlemagne Europe would never have achieved its goals it set out for when the Middle Ages began. Charlemagne was so important for the history of Europe for all of his impressive accomplishments and he gave way to a long period of cultural change, most of which was positive. Charlemagne established a strong foundation for Europe to build off of and his achievements put Europe in a good position to prosper, including being the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
            One important thing that Charlemagne did to help Europe as a whole was he expanded his empire and even helped the spread and increase of Christianity in his empire. “When he died in 814, Charlemagne’s empire encompassed much of Western Europe, and he had also ensured the survival of Christianity in the West” (History.com, 2011). Charlemagne changed the culture of Europe for the better by conquering more countries so Europe could function as a whole. He understood that Europe would be more prosperous in the long run if they could work together and this was a new change for Europe that set them off in the right direction. He had the right intent to help Europe in the long term and his the way he formed his empire would be good for Europe. He also influenced the rise of Christianity in his empire and he wanted it to help Europe and change them for the better. He wanted Christianity to be a religion that could prosper in Europe and he established the religion early so it could become an important religion in the years to come.
            Another event during Charlemagne’s life that helps people understand how he was important to the Middle Ages was his coronation by Pope Leo III. “In 800, Pope Leo III (750-816) crowned Charlemagne emperor of the Romans (History.com, 2011). This was a major event that would affect the Middle Ages in the future and it changed Europe forever. This event marked the start of a new empire called the Holy Roman Empire and it would bring a lot of change to Europe, especially the culture. New emperors would lead and architecture changed during this time, so overall life changed drastically. Charlemagne was the first holy roman emperor and he did his best to put Europe in a good position to do great things and serve as an example for future emperors to follow. Change would be imminent for Europe as a whole as the whole empire would see complete change that was intended to help Europe.
            The main proof that people understand that Charlemagne was crucial to the culture of the Middle Ages was that he tried to revive culture during his time. “He and his government patronized a variety of activities that together produced a cultural renovatio (Latin: “renewal” or “restoration”), later called the Carolingian Renaissance” (Biography.com, 2011). This was a very important cultural revival that Charlemagne implemented and many changes came along with it. This movement helped the people of the empire become more literate and the main goal was to better educate the people. It also helped the people better understand the Christian faith so they could deepen their faith and it also taught people of religious power what their responsibilities were in the Church. Carolingian architecture became heavily influenced in society with many famous churches serving as the main examples of the architecture. This was a very big cultural revolution that would affect the culture during the Middle Ages and was another important accomplishment of Charlemagne that Europe could build off of.
            It is easy to see how Charlemagne’s famous accomplishments played a huge role in the development of the Middle Ages. His main role was to prepare Europe and make positive changes to Europe so they could prosper in the future. He was one of the main leaders who changed the culture of Europe through the Carolingian Renaissance and it is important to understand his accomplishments because they changed Europe forever. He definitely had the right intentions for Europe and he wanted to see Europe flourish through his major changes. He served as an example of a great emperor during his time and he laid the groundwork for Europe so they could be prosperous. Charlemagne made great strides as a major leader and he was up to the task of being the first holy roman emperor. The culture of the Middle Ages was influenced by Charlemagne and that is why it is important to understand his life.
Bibliography
BBC, Initials. (2011). Charlemagne (c. 747 - c. 814). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/charlemagne.shtml 
Charlemagne. (2011). The History Channel website. Retrieved 8:59, May 3, 2011,   from http://www.history.com/topics/charlemagne.
Charlemagne. (2011). Biography.com. Retrieved 09:07, May 3 2011 from http://www.biography.com/articles/Charlemagne-37817
Holy Roman Empire. (2011). The History Channel website. Retrieved 8:59, May 3, 2011, from http://www.history.com/topics/holy-roman-empire.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Weekly 9- Rough Draft

Charlemagne was a very important figure during the Middle Ages and did a lot to influence the culture of this time period. He was the first leader of the Carolingian dynasty and he was considered one of the best leaders of Europe by many historians. He conquered land for his Frankish Empire and expanded his rule in Europe so everyone could be included during his reign. His accomplishments helped Europe for the better and got Europe off to a good start so they could prosper later during the peak of the Middle Ages. If it was not for Charlemagne Europe would never have achieved its goals it set out for when the Middle Ages began. Charlemagne was so important for the history of Europe for all of his impressive accomplishments and he gave way to a long period of cultural change, most of which was positive. Charlemagne established a strong foundation for Europe to build off of and his achievements put Europe in a good position to prosper, including being the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Charlemagne did not play a role in the development of the Middle Ages and his achievements were virtually worthless by not helping Europe at all.
            One important thing that Charlemagne did to help Europe as a whole was he expanded his empire and even helped the spread and increase of Christianity in his empire. “When he died in 814, Charlemagne’s empire encompassed much of Western Europe, and he had also ensured the survival of Christianity in the West” (History.com, 2011). Charlemagne changed the culture of Europe for the better by conquering more countries so Europe could function as a whole. He understood that Europe would be more prosperous in the long run if they could work together and this was a new change for Europe that set them off in the right direction. He had the right intent to help Europe in the long term and his the way he formed his empire would be good for Europe. He also influenced the rise of Christianity in his empire and he wanted it to help Europe and change them for the better. He wanted Christianity to be a religion that could prosper in Europe and he established the religion early so it could become an important religion in the years to come.
            Another event during Charlemagne’s life that helps people understand how he was important to the Middle Ages was his coronation by Pope Leo III. “In 800, Pope Leo III (750-816) crowned Charlemagne emperor of the Romans (History.com, 2011). This was a major event that would affect the Middle Ages in the future and it changed Europe forever. This event marked the start of a new empire called the Holy Roman Empire and it would bring a lot of change to Europe, especially the culture. New emperors would lead and architecture changed during this time, so overall life changed drastically. Charlemagne was the first holy roman emperor and he did his best to put Europe in a good position to do great things and serve as an example for future emperors to follow. Change would be imminent for Europe as a whole as the whole empire would see complete change that was intended to help Europe.
            The main proof that people understand that Charlemagne was crucial to the culture of the Middle Ages was that he tried to revive culture during his time. “He and his government patronized a variety of activities that together produced a cultural renovatio (Latin: “renewal” or “restoration”), later called the Carolingian Renaissance” (Biography.com, 2011). This was a very important cultural revival that Charlemagne implemented and many changes came along with it. This movement helped the people of the empire become more literate and the main goal was to better educate the people. It also helped the people better understand the Christian faith so they could deepen their faith and it also taught people of religious power what their responsibilities were in the Church. Carolingian architecture became heavily influenced in society with many famous churches serving as the main examples of the architecture. This was a very big cultural revolution that would affect the culture during the Middle Ages and was another important accomplishment of Charlemagne that Europe could build off of.
            It is easy to see how Charlemagne’s famous accomplishments played a huge role in the development of the Middle Ages. His main role was to prepare Europe and make positive changes to Europe so they could prosper in the future. He was one of the main leaders who changed the culture of Europe through the Carolingian Renaissance and it is important to understand his accomplishments because they changed Europe forever. He definitely had the right intentions for Europe and he wanted to see Europe flourish through his major changes. He served as an example of a great emperor during his time and he laid the groundwork for Europe so they could be prosperous. Charlemagne made great strides as a major leader and he was up to the task of being the first holy roman emperor. The culture of the Middle Ages was influenced by Charlemagne and that is why it is important to understand his life.
Bibliography

BBC, Initials. (2011). Charlemagne (c. 747 - c. 814). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/charlemagne.shtml 

Charlemagne. (2011). The History Channel website. Retrieved 8:59, May 3, 2011,   from http://www.history.com/topics/charlemagne
Charlemagne. (2011). Biography.com. Retrieved 09:07, May 3 2011 from http://www.biography.com/articles/Charlemagne-37817
Holy Roman Empire. (2011). The History Channel website. Retrieved 8:59, May 3, 2011, from http://www.history.com/topics/holy-roman-empire.