The French Revolution and the Cultural Renewal of Europe Essay - 1

The French Revolution and the Cultural Renewal of Europe - Essay Example The seminal event in the evolution of political thought also was transformative for the development of Europe’s great cultural tradition. A civilization in which Neo-Classically influenced works of art and literature honored royalty and aristocracy underwent a radical change. The toppling of the ancien regime in France did more than set off a chain of events that would transform Western Europe from monarchy to democracy. It radically changed the very notion of culture. After the revolution, the idea that culture was the exclusive province of the wealthy and powerful changed forever. Culture in a world where noblemen had been patrons of the great artists was now the property of everyone, of rich and poor. The ideas that fired the revolution were equally motivating to the painters, composers and writers of Europe, who had seen nothing comparable to the fervor with which Marat, Robespierre and other firebrands of the Revolution took up the philosophies of Rousseau and Montesquieu. The power of Enlightenment thinking took solid root on both sides of the Atlantic, inspiring political and cultural leaders to adopt the cause of liberty, equality and fraternity as their own. â€Å"The tide of Revolution that swept away much of the old political order in Europe and America in the last quarter of the 18th century had momentous consequences for the arts. Both the American and French revolutions had in fact used art as a means of expressing their spiritual rejection of the aristocratic society against which they were physically rebelling†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Cunningham and Reich, 2006). The art of David typified this spiritual and physical break with the past, using classical imagery to glorify the ideals of the Revolution.

Article Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Article Analysis - Assignment Example He has used metaphors and vivid descriptions to highlight what he sees wrong in the practice of chain ganging. His strong language has made his article very appealing. Staples has used some very strong language to bring out his intended message. He does not beat around the bush when he wants to make a certain point. In his opening statement, he gives an example of how an animal’s survival instincts will make it chew off some part of its body in order to free itself. This alone gets the reader’s attention to what the writer is trying to say. He uses similes to show how brutal the chain gang practice is. For instance, on the first paragraph, he says: â€Å"Beaten and driven like maltreated beasts†¦Ã¢â‚¬  while referring to the way slaves were treated while chained together. He also uses some vivid descriptions to further illustrate the cruelty of the chain gang practice. He says â€Å"†¦prisoners turned to self-mutilation to make themselves useless for work. They slashed their bodies, broke their own legs, and crippled themselves by cutting their tendons.† He gives this description to show that chain gangs were so dehumanizing, the prisoners could go to any lengths to free themselves from this ordeal. One of the obstacles I think the writer faced in critical thinking was his bias and total abhorrence for the practice that he thinks is reminiscent of the slavery years. he does not want to give the prison warders the benefit of doubt, so all he does is attack them as though they are the system that permits such practices in prisons. He has spoken nothing of the legislation bodies that made it legal to have gang chains in prisons. He should not have placed all the blame on Southern prison warders. The author’s bias is obviously with the prisoners who have to be chained when performing their menial work. He also makes it look like the chain gangs are meant for black prisoners only. I do