An Summary and Analysis of A Spiritually Healthy Divorce

My first real paper of Senior year! This is basically a book review of A Spiritually Healthy Divorce by Carolyn Call. I had to read it to do research for my thesis at the end of this school year. 

A Summary and Analysis of A Spiritually Healthy Divorce 

In A Spiritually Healthy Divorce, Carolyne Call explains the different aspects of a person’s life that are affected by divorce. Drawing from her own experience as a divorcee, her knowledge of  psychology and bringing in anonymous examples from other divorcees, Call explains how to “navigate through the journey of separation to arrive on the other shore as a better integrated and more connected person” (Call. 2). Placing a focus on spirituality, Call shows how a person going through divorce can go through it and come out in one piece. A Spiritually Healthy Divorce does acknowledge that when a person goes through divorce, they are undoubtedly changed, but it shows them that they can change for the better and come closer to God in the process.  

In the first chapter of A Spiritually Healthy Divorce, Carolyne Call outlines what she calls “The Dynamic Triad” (Call. 14). Call says, “My understanding of the spiritual nature of humanity is graphically illustrated in what I call the dynamic triad of Self-God-Others... What this complex rendering reflects if that you are constantly in relationship- with God, with yourself, and with others” (14). Call frequently refers back to this Triad throughout the book and uses it to show how when one part of your life is affected, it then affects the other parts of your life as well. This is especially true with divorce because divorce does not just affect one part, it affects all three. “It touches the very deepest parts of your self-perception; it can radically alter your connection with others; and it affects how you look at or relate to God” (15). Call also brings up the idea of a “spiritual map” (15). What this basically means is that once divorce happens, a person has to move forward with their life and with their spiritual life (17). In the process of moving forward, there are also certain “spiritual cul-de-sacs” (18). that a person can fall into. Call outlines in the following chapters just what some of these can be why they happen and how to get out of them and back on the path to spiritual recovery (19). A Spiritually Healthy Divorce does not provide a quick fix to getting over divorce, but rather presents a healthy way to move forward with life and also shows how a person can become closer to God through that process. 

Each chapter discusses different aspects that are affected by divorce and how to deal with each of them. Each chapter will deal with one aspect, then break down and explain the smaller parts that make up that one aspect. Call then shows the different “cul-de-sacs” (18) that can occur and the other pitfalls that can happen along the way and how to move past them. At the end of each chapter there are “questions for reflection” (19) to help you see where you are at the end of each chapter and to help you discuss with your trustworthy friend, or your “compassionate mirror” (18). In each chapter, Call frequently brings in stories from people who dealt with similar issues related to the topic of the chapter. Though A Spiritually Healthy Divorce does not deal with the reasons for divorce or deal much with the actual divorce process, it does bring up the main spiritual and emotional issues that can come up after the decision to separate has been finalized. 

One of the main spiritual and emotional issues that Carolyne Call brings up is the importance of humility (Call. 55) and how divorce affects a person’s self-esteem (45). Call breaks down the issue of self-esteem into two ways it can affect a person: people who regain their self-esteem and people who need to build up their self-esteem (48-49). People can regain their self-esteem after divorce because of “feelings of renewal and rebirth that can emerge from this experience” (48). There are also people whose self-esteem is weakened because of their divorce and “they need to remake or reconstruct their sense of self-esteem, often with very different components than those present during their marriage” (49). One of the ways that self-esteem can be reconstructed is by “cultivating humility” (55). Call says that “Humility is nothing more than radical self-honesty” (55). She goes on to say that when you lose your self-esteem you  cannot make an honest assessment about yourself and that by pursuing humility you are heading towards being able to be honest about yourself, discover the truth about yourself and move forward from divorce a stronger person (56). Call also addresses some of the unhealthy behaviors that can appear as a result of divorce (68). Some of those are anger and depression (69), thoughts of suicide (71) and substance abuse (73). Call explains how to overcome these urges and how to take responsibility for your actions and reaction (74). A Spiritually Healthy Divorce also places an emphasis on relationships with others as well as God. “Your spiritual life is nurtured through your relationships when you spend time with others in prayer or worship, or when you experience intimacy and passion” (95). This book also places a strong amount of focus on God and how a person can become closer to God through divorce. Call acknowledges that divorce can disrupt a person’s relationship with God (148) but she also says, “Not only can you stand strong in the face of challenge, but trauma can actually spur growth within your spiritual life” (148). She also brings up the fact that when you trying to come closer to God after divorce, you may find that your relationship with God will be different and your understanding of Him can be different (148). 

Call’s basic argument is that even though divorce is difficult to say the least, a person can come closer to God through the process of divorce and that their spiritual life can become stronger (Call. 1). The overall organization of A Spiritually Healthy Divorce is well thought out. The first half of each chapter outlines the main issue and breaks it down into smaller sub-issues while the second half of the chapter deals with how to overcome the problems presented and then ends with questions for discussion.  Call does a good job of using consistent terms (Weston. 6), such as her idea of a “spiritual map” (Call. 15) and a “compassionate mirror” (18), throughout the entire book. Another thing that Call does very well is her use of multiple examples. She draws not only from her own experience of divorce but also takes the stories of others who have also gone through divorce. In A Rulebook for Arguments rule seven says “Generalizations about larger sets of things require picking out a sample... Large sets usually require more examples” (Weston. 11). Since the topic of divorce and what happens afterwards is a fairly broad topic, Call brings in multiple examples supporting the point being made in that chapter, reinforcing her argument. Call also brings in examples that do not always show the better side of divorce. She brings in examples of people who are struggling with relationships, religion or other things. Rule 32 says to “Consider objections” (54) and Call does this by bringing in examples of people having serious problems with their divorce and who do not always exemplify her original argument of people coming closer to God. Call says, “As it turns out, people who go through divorce are the most likely to fall away from religion altogether or, at the very least, change denominations” (Call. 39). By acknowledging the other side but then going on to show that people can make it through divorce while coming closer to God helps solidify her argument. While she does bring in many examples that she has found, she does not bring in many other resources. She quoted and mentioned other people and their books only a couple of times in the entire book. Carolyne Call herself is an ordained minister, has dealt with people considering divorce and those already going through it and has personal experience with divorce (Call. 2). She is also a “social scientist, [who has] conducted research on how divorce and spirituality intertwine and affect each each another” (2). 

As a whole, A Spiritually Healthy Divorce is a helpful resource, including many examples both proving and going against Call’s main argument. Even though she does not bring in enough outside sources, Call seems to be a credible author and has a significant amount of experience in the field of divorce. The book also is well organized and gives the reader a comprehensive look at not only what to expect after divorce, but how to move forward with their life and come closer to God through the process. 

Works Cited

1. Call, Carolyne. Spiritually Healthy Divorce: Navigating Disruption with Insight & Hope. Woodstock, VT: SkyLight Paths Pub., 2011. Print.

2. Weston, Anthony. A Rulebook for Arguments. 4th ed. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub., 2009. Print.

Never Trust a Man with a Mustache

So here is my theme on the Great Depression in Germany and Hitler's seizure of power (with my Works Cited page). YAY! I just turned it in this morning and I spent a couple of long nights on this (still don't think it's my best :P) but despite my current state of exhaustion, I had a lot of fun researching this stuff. 

Hitler is the ultimate “bad guy” of history. He persecuted millions, manipulated situations for his own good, censored art and the press and did it all in a way that made people want, and choose, to follow him. Not to mention he had the mustache that all “evil villains” require. What people tend to avoid, however, are the conditions in Germany when Hitler became Chancellor.  In 1933, most of the world was in the middle of The Great Depression and Germany was the country that was hit the hardest (Wright). Hitler was able to turn Germany around, back to her former glory and strength, but at what cost? Though Adolf Hitler did restore the German economy and bring back her former power and strength, ultimately Hitler pulled Germany farther down than it was before he seized power.

Going into the Great Depression, Germany was already starting on the wrong foot. After the Great War “Germany,. . . faced the additional burden of paying reparations to the victors” (The Great Depression (Overview)). This resulted in the massive inflation of the mark, an increase in unemployment and the overall devastation of the German economy (Evans, 103). In September of 1922, Ernest Hemingway recounts his experience in Germany and the inflation of the mark; “There were no marks to be had in Strasburg, the mounting exchange had cleaned the bankers out days ago, so we changed some French money in the railway station at Kehl. For 10 francs I received 670 marks. Ten francs amounted to about 90 cents in Canadian money. That 90 cents lasted Mrs. Hemingway and me for a day of heavy spending and at the end of the day we had 120 marks left!” (Hemingway). As the roaring twenties carried on, normally marked as a time of prosperity in most countries, the value of the mark began to hyper-inflate and the German economy sunk lower and lower. “The most dramatic and serious effects were on the price of food. A woman sitting down in a café might order a cup of coffee for 5,000 marks and be asked to give the waiter 8,000 for it when she got up to pay an hour later” (Evans, 106). The value of the mark was literally dropping by the minute at the height of the great inflation. This hourly drop of the mark caused riots and violence in grocery stores and people resorted to selling their possessions in order to buy food. “Malnutrition caused an immediate rise in deaths from tuberculosis” (Evans, 106). The inflation of the mark was not the only thing devastating the German economy. “Industrial production was only 42 per cent in 1919 of what it had been in 1913, and the country was producing less than half the grain it had produced before the war” (Evans, 104). The entire country of Germany was “grinding to a halt” (Evans, 108). Their economy was failing. Businesses could not afford to keep workers on, and workers could not afford enough food even with a job since their salary would become practically useless in mere hours. The first signs of relief were in 1924 in The Dawes Plan. It essentially “provided for U.S. loans to Germany so that Germany could pay reparations to France and others. Those nations, in turn, could repay U.S. loans they owed” (The Great Depression (Overview)). The new Weimar Republic also introduced a new currency that eventually adopted the name Reichsmark whose value was dependent on the price of gold (Evans, 109). This ended the hyperinflation of the mark, but at a high cost, setting up for Hitler’s rise. By changing the currency, people that invested in war bonds lost all of their money and anyone who borrowed money instantly gained money (Evans, 109-10). “Victor Klemperer was a typical figure in this process.When the stabilization came, the ‘fear of sudden monetary devaluation, the mad rush of having to shop’ were over, but ‘destitution’ came in their place, for in the new currency Klemperer had virtually nothing of any value and hardly any money at all” (Evans, 110). With the  Dawes Plan, Germany was now dependent on the stability of the American economy. Though the Weimar Republic was enjoying a period of restoration, there was tension under the surface. The people were not completely satisfied with the Weimar Republic and out of the chaos of  1929, Adolf Hitler would rise up to rescue Germany. 

In 1928, signs of a recession were becoming increasingly obvious, but they were still just foreshadowing of a depression to come. “All leading industrial countries began to impose monetary restrictions in the face of a looming recession. . . . Such measures were necessary to preserve gold reserves, the basis of financial stability in the era of the Gold Standard, when currency values everywhere were tied to the value of gold” (Evans, 234). Since Germany had changed to the Reichsmark, which was dependent on the value of gold, they were now affected by these “monetary restrictions” (Evans, 234). This then caused major industries to suffer and “there was virtually no growth in industrial production in Germany in 1928-9” and because of this, many people who had worked in these factories now had already lost or were threatened with losing their job, making the number of the unemployed skyrocket (Evans, 236). On the 24th of October, rumblings of a stock market failure resulted in too many people selling their shares on the New York Stock Exchange, which consequently led to the dramatic drop in value of the stock shares (Evans, 234). But the worst was yet to come. Just a few days later, on October 29, 1929, dubbed ‘Black Tuesday’, the stock market crashed, along with the “giddy confidence that the expansion would continue forever” (The Great Depression (Overview)). Millions of people desperately scrambled to sell their stock before its value dropped even further (Evans, 234). “Company after company went bust. American demand for imports collapsed” (Evans, 235). This then led to American banks backing out of their short-term loans; “American banks began withdrawing their funds from Germany at the worst possible moment, precisely when the already flagging German economy needed a sharp stimulus to revive it” (Evans, 235). The Dawes Plan from the Weimar Republic that had pulled Germany up and out of the Great Inflation was the very thing that pulled them back down into the Great Depression. The Weimar Republic’s Chancellor Brüning did try and pull Germany from the depression, but all of his methods were now out of date and not enough to combat the Great Depression (Mitchell, 175). “All of this was conventional economic wisdom, but it did not work in stemming the Depression. . . . Brüning and his advisors continued to react as they had to the inflation of 1923” (Mitchell, 175). Meanwhile, this depression was spreading rapidly into Europe. 1930 plunged Germany even deeper into the depression with the Smoot-Hawley tariff, “which effectively closed U.S. market to European imports” (The Great Depression (Overview)). With the demand for products rapidly decreasing, the production all but stopped. There was no money to pay for produce anymore, and no money to keep on paying employees to make produce that no one was buying, causing unemployment. “By 1932, roughly one worker in three in Germany was registered as unemployed, with rates even higher in some heavy industrial areas such as Silesia or the Rhur” (Evans, 236). 

The National Socialists, also known as Nazis, came up with an effective solution to keep the unemployed off the streets, fed and busy. “The National Socialists established their “storm centers” all over the country. These were the back rooms of beer halls, unused warehouses, or similar buildings, which now sat unused because of the Depression” (Mitchell, 178). This kept them fed and gave them a place to stay off of the streets and clothes on their back. But the clothes they wore were the Nazi uniforms, and with all of the unemployed together, wearing the Nazi uniform essentially labeled and made them into National Socialist party members (Mitchell, 178).“The high unemployment of the Depression era--estimated at a rate approaching 50% in Germany--increased misery and made the Nazi claims more believable to Germans” (Neel). The people were so devastated, they were willing to believe anything, as long as they had someone to blame. “The Nazis provided a very real alternative to the people subjected to the effect of government failures” (Mitchell, 177). The German people knew that the Weimar Republic was not working and the Depression was not getting any better. They needed a new leader, a new government even, and they saw that in the Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler. “As a leader of the Nazi Party, Hitler promised the German people relief. To the unemployed workers, he promised jobs and to the farmers, a market for their goods” (The Rise of Fascism in Europe). Charismatic and appealing, Hitler was in the right place at the right time and knew what to say to each group of people to gain their support (The Rise of Fascism in Europe). In his speech from July of 1932, he says; “Our opponents. . . say that we don’t want to work with other parties. . . . I have given myself one goal- to sweep these thirty political parties out of Germany” (Hitler, 1932). Hitler did not deny it; he wanted to eliminate the competition and reduce Germany to one ruling political party. He took advantage of the broken economic state of Germany and the growing hatred of the current government and set the foundation of his regime upon it. Hitler focused on fueling the hatred of the Jews, communists and corrupt politicians, using the distaste for them that was already there (The Rise of Fascism in Europe). Hitler’s Nazism placed a strong emphasis on the nation and took “nationalism” to a new extreme. He also placed importance upon “Idealism, patriotism and national unity” and said that it “would create the basis for economic revival” (Evans, 245). But first, the old government had to be done away with. The Weimar democracy slowly started to fall apart. The Grand Coalition was eliminated in 1930 and the reformed government was now headed by a Reich Chancellor, a position that Hitler would shortly hold (Evans, 247).

Hitler’s timing and tactful rhetoric eventually paid off with him becoming the Chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933 (Mitchell, 194). From there, the Nazi Party gained political power and status with no one daring to challenge them. “All over Germany, the old political foes of Nazism were beaten and murdered” effectively “eliminating all political parties but his own” (Mitchell, 211, 221). Then, in August of 1934, Hitler and the Nazi Party seized Germany with the death of Germany’s president, Paul von Hindenburg and Hitler taking over as a right-wing dictator (The Rise of Fascism in Europe (Overview)).  Once he seized power, Hitler immediately began to focus on the military and its expansion, going directly against the Treaty of Versailles. Even though it did go against the treaty, it was what ultimately revived the German economy and brought them out of the Great Depression (The Rise of Fascism in Europe (Overview)). At the root of the Nazis’s emphasis on the military was their twisted violence. In one of their songs, they explicitly talk about using violence to take over. “That such an open celebration of brutal physical force could become the battle hymn of the Nazi Party speaks volumes for the central role that violence played in its quest for power” (Evans, 268). Hitler also wove his obsession with violence into the revival of German nationalism. Hitler revived the almost-forgotten sense of national unity by convincing the people that “problems come about when there are people within the political unit who are not a part of the ‘nation’” (Neel). The Jews and any other political opponents that threatened the Nazi party became people who were “not a part of the ‘nation’” (Neel). Hitler began to purge Germany from the unwanted, eliminating any musicians, artists or any cultural aspect, as well as political, that did not represent a perfect Germany (Evans, 392). “All this marked the culmination of a widespread action ‘against the un-German spirit’. . .” (Evans, 430). Adolf Hitler also gave the newly united perfect German people a strong leader to rally behind, but his “strength” came from violence and the elimination of all competition. By having his followers go to a church service or go out into the street trying to collect money for a charity Hitler attempted to “right the wrongs” and cover up the violence (Mitchell, 211-12). “They sponsored sporting events like track meets or soccer games, group sings for the whole family, hiking or camping trips into the countryside, and other similar activities” (Mitchell, 181). He appealed to the common man, both rich and poor. And even if he did not appeal to them in the beginning, many ended up won over by Hitler’s charismatic command of rhetoric. However “the greatest tragedy of the European depression was that it struck hardest in Germany, the great power where democracy was weakest. Once democracy had been destroyed in Germany, democracy in the rest of Europe stood at risk” (Wright). 

After the failure of the democratic Weimar Republic, Hitler seized his opportunity and became Chancellor, biding his time until he was able to become dictator. Hitler threw out the old Germany, politically and culturally, under the illusion of reviving the old Germany and with the idea of eliminating the “un-German spirit” (Evans, 430). Hitler did in fact bring about a stronger military which rebuilt the German economy and pulled them out of the Depression, but at too high a price. Any competition or slight threat against Hitler was treated as “un-German”; “not to have gone along with the Nazis would have meant risking one’s livelihood and prospects, to have resisted could mean risking one’s life” (Evans, 390). The violence brought about by Nazi Germany was not worth the economic stability. Even that economic stability was temporary, soon to be destroyed by World War II. 

Works Cited

1. Adolf Hitler 1932 Election Speech. Perf. Adolf Hitler. Adolf Hitler 1932 Election Speech. YouTube, 18 Oct. 2007. Web. 9 Apr. 2013.

2. Carey, John. "Ernest Hemingway September 19, 1922." Eyewitnesses to History. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.

3. Mitchell, Otis C. Hitler over Germany: The Establishment of the Nazi Dictatorship (1918-1934). Philadelphia: Institute for the Study of Human Issues, 1983. Print.

4. Neel, Carolyn. "Nazism." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 9 Apr. 2013.

5. "The Great Depression (Overview)." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 9 Apr. 2013.

6. "The Rise of Fascism in Europe (Overview)." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 9 Apr. 2013.

7. Wright, Esmond, and Christopher M. Andrew. "The Great Depression." An Illustrated History of the Modern World. London: Chancellor, 1992. N. pag. Print.

"Come in with the Rain" Frankenstein theme

Sorry I've been lazy about my posting, but here is my Frankenstein theme. YAY! I got it into the page limit... by 2 lines! 

“Come in with the Rain”

The natural world in Frankenstein is utilized to help express the emotions of the characters or even foreshadow their future. Often bleak, nature, especially the weather, helps reflect character’s mood. For instance, the weather may be stormy while the character is in a despondent mood. The seasons, rather than the weather, may also change from winter to spring as something positive occurs in the character’s life, changing their mood. The natural world is also used to help foreshadow the character’s future, which is often hapless, is shown with dark shadows or bleak weather before something important happens in the characters’ life. Nature plays in influential role in Frankenstein, capable of reflecting or changing the character’s mood and foreshadowing their future. 

In Frankenstein, the natural world is used to reflect the current mood of the characters. An example of this is seen after the monster finds the cottagers. After being forced out of town by the terrified townspeople, the monster stumbles upon the cottage and chooses to stay and live near it. He then starts to learn how to speak by listening to the cottagers through a crack in their wall. At this same time, the cottager’s lives also start improving and the weather begins to change. Before, when life for the monster had been difficult, it had been wintery and cold and the monster was feeling deeply rejected and he said that “dark melancholy clouded every thought” (Shelley. 75). That night it was also “pouring in torrents” (75) and the dark clouds from the literal storm were reflecting the monster’s clouded thoughts. Then after he finds the cottagers, the weather changes to spring: “‘The pleasant showers and genial warmth of spring greatly altered the aspect of the earth” the monster says, narrating this part of his story to Frankenstein, “The birds sang in more cheerful notes, and the leaves began to bud forth on the trees” (89). In the winter the monster had been denied human society and left out in the cold but now that it is spring, he has a warm place to stay near the cottage, reflected by the literal warmth of spring. Earlier in Frankenstein, before the monster narrates his story, Frankenstein’s emotions are mirrored by the natural world around him. On the night of and morning after the monster was created, the weather expresses the emotions of Frankenstein: “I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body.” Frankenstein complains, “For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardor that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (45). The next morning, Frankenstein is still disquieted by the monster that he has created and Shelley emphasizes his mood by, “the rain which poured from a black and comfortless sky” (46).  Another example of the weather reflecting the monster’s disposition is shown in the passing of autumn. After the monster reads Paradise Lost he starts to notice the differences between him and ordinary humans more acutely. The monster realizes again just how monstrous he truly is and things for him start to go back to they way they were in the beginning of the monster’s story, before he finds the cottage. In the beginning for the monster, he had been aware of the rejection given to him by humans but then he had found the cottagers and busied himself with learning about them and their customs. Then after reading Paradise Lost, the monster realizes that he needs human contact. The monster also knows he cannot have it because of his deformity, which is shown by the passing of autumn to winter; going back to the season it was when he first arrived at the cottage: “Autumn passed thus.” the monster tells Frankenstein, “I saw, with surprise and grief, the leaves decay and fall, and nature began to assume the barren and bleak appearance it had worn when I first beheld the woods and the lovely moon” (101).  

Along with mirroring the mood of the character, nature is also used to change a character’s mood. The natural world, and specifically the weather, is able to alter or even enhance the characters’ disposition. An example of this is seen after the monster runs away from the cottage. Having run away from the cottage the night of his rejection by Felix and the other inhabitants, the monster is infuriated: “I, like the arch-fiend, bore a hell within me;” the monster recounts, “and, finding myself unsympathized with, wished to tear up the trees, spread havoc and destruction around me, and then to have sat down and enjoyed the ruin” (105). Despite his mood the previous night, the next morning, he is calmed down by the sunshine. The monster tells Frankenstein of, “The pleasant sunshine, and the pure air of day,” and says that it, “restored me to some degree of tranquility” (105). In this example, the monster’s mood is greatly improved and the sunshine and warm weather calm him down, but nature can also cause the character to fall into a worse mood than before. 

On the opposite side, the weather in Frankenstein also enables the characters to slip into a worse mood than before. While the monster is burning down the cottage, nature morphs his mood into an insanity. The monster tells this part of his story, saying: “‘As the night advanced, a fierce wind arose from the woods, and quickly dispersed the clouds that had loitered in the heavens: the blast tore along like a mighty avalanche, and produced a kind of insanity in my spirits that burst all bounds of reason and reflection” (106). In this example, the wind is used to produce insanity in the monster’s disposition. Frankenstein’s disposition is also changed by nature. After the formation of the creature, Frankenstein is beside himself with worry and temporarily goes insane from terror and sleep deprivation after the many sleepless nights he had spent working on his creation. His friend is able to nurse him back to health, but nature also helps him recover to his former pleasant moods. “When happy, inanimate nature had the power of bestowing on my the most delightful sensations. A serene sky and verdant fields filled me with ecstasy. The present season was indeed divine; the flowers of spring bloomed in the hedges, while those of summer were already in bud” (55). Frankenstein says outright that nature was able to make him feel better and improve his mood and mental stability.

Along with changing the character’s mood, nature is also used as a means of foreshadowing. Frankenstein tells a story about how when he was young he went to one of their family houses and while they were there, a terrible storm occurred. Rather than going inside, Frankenstein stayed outside to watch: “As I stood at the door, on a sudden I beheld a stream of fire issue from an old and beautiful oak which stood about twenty yards from our house;” Frankenstein recalls, “and so soon as the dazzling light vanished the oak had disappeared, and nothing remained but a blasted stump. When we visited it the next morning, we found the tree shattered in a singular manner. It was not splintered by the shock, but entirely reduced to thing ribands of wood. I never beheld anything so utterly destroyed” (33). The tree shattered by the lightning is used as a means of foreshadowing the future in Frankenstein’s life. His life will also become “utterly destroyed” (33). 

This foreshadowing is not always used to hint at destroyed futures, and in this example, the future is not years and years ahead, like the lightning-shattered tree, but the very next morning. Even earlier on in Frankenstein, nature is used as a sign of things to come. One morning, Robert Walton wakes up to find a dense fog surrounding the ship he is on. Prior to finding Frankenstein, this fog is used to create an air of suspense and anticipation of something, or in this case someone, to come. Robert Walton writes to his sister saying: “Our situation was somewhat dangerous, especially as we were compassed round by a very thick fog” (20). The fog is used to foreshadow the coming of Frankenstein. Another example of foreshadowing is when Frankenstein is heading back to his home after the death of William. The mountains are used to foreshadow Frankenstein’s future but this instance of foreshadowing is different from all the others because this time, Frankenstein realizes and acknowledges that the mountains are foreshadowing to something in his future: “The picture appeared a vast and dim scene of evil, and I foresaw obscurely that I was destined to become the most wretched of human beings” (59) Frankenstein recounts, realizing the importance of the mountains ahead of him. He understands that his life is going to become “a vast and dim scene of evil” (59) and that he is heading down the wrong path in life. In all of these examples, nature is used to foreshadow something, or even someone, to come. Whether it be finding Frankenstein or showing the grim future of Frankenstein, nature is manipulated to show the future of the characters. 

In Frankenstein, nature is used in three main ways; to foreshadow the future and to emphasize or change the mood of the character. Nature is often used to reflect the darker moods of the characters, though it is also used to show the happier times in their lives. The weather especially plays an important role in Frankenstein, since it is the main form of nature used. In Frankenstein, nature plays an influential role, used to reflect or change the mood or even foreshadow the future of the character.     

Works Cited

1. Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein, Or, The Modern Prometheus. Ware: Wordsworth Classics, 1993. Print.

Europe Paper 1

So, for our Junior class trip we always go to Europe and this year we have to write three papers on the different places we go and visit. This is the first of three: 

Europe Paper Prompt 1

The National Gallery:

1. Sunflowers by Vincent VanGogh. The National Gallery houses the fourth of VanGogh’s sunflower paintings. This particular sunflower painting was done between August and September of 1888 and contains a bunch of 14 dying sunflowers. Vincent VanGogh was a Post-Impressionist painting who was a master of color but despite this, Vincent was not appreciated as an artist during his lifetime, which may have contributed to his suicide in 1890. VanGogh was a master of the impasto technique, a common Impressionist feature, which he used to paint the sunflower’s. If VanGogh is famous for anything, it would be his sunflower paintings (The National Gallery).   

2. Mars and Venus painted by Sandro Botticelli was painted around 1485. The painting depicts the sleeping Mars with Venus awake looking at him. Botticelli also makes a point of showing that the god of war, Mars, is unarmed. This shows that Venus, the goddess of love, is the one that holds the real power. Probably a piece intended to go in someone’s bedroom, there is a definite romantic theme. Painted during the Italian Renaissance in Florence, the heart of the Renaissance, Mars and Venus also shows the renewed interest in the classics during that time (The National Gallery).  

3.  Painted by Jan van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait painted in 1434 shows the drastic differences between the Italian Renaissance and the Northern Renaissance. Painted much earlier than Mars and Venus, there is not a heavy focus on idealism or the classics, as in Italy. Rather, there is a realism and a heavy focus on detail. Everything is exact and even the mirror in the painting reflects the room. Jan van Eyck choose to paint The Arnolfini Portrait with oil paints so that he could better work with the light in his painting (The National Gallery).   

4. The Madonna of the Pinks by Raphael, from around 1506-1507, shows the Virgin and the Son in an entirely new light. Raphael takes a traditional, not very original idea but makes it more realistic. He shows the familiarity between a mother and child instead of a posed and awkward scene. It is called The Madonna of the Pinks because both the mother and child are holding pink flowers where the pink resembles marriage. This also takes the traditional virgin and son painting to a new level because Raphael not only shows the tenderness of a mother and child but also depicts the virgin as the bride of Christ (The National Gallery).

5. Renoir’s At the Theater is the best example of a painting from the Impressionist movement. Painted around 1876-1877, Renoir’s use of colors and visible brushstrokes are typical of Impressionists and coming from an age where realism prevailed, the Impressionist movement was radical (The National Gallery). This painting shows a girl leaning forward in her seat at the theater and the theater and “modern city entertainments” (The National Gallery) were a common subject for Impressionists. At the Theater takes a common subject for Impressionist, the vivd colors and the visible brushstrokes into one piece, capturing the Impressionist movement (The National Gallery). 

6. The Virgin on the Rocks by Leonardo Da Vinci was commissioned for the oratory in the San Francesco with the central panel for Da Vinci. The painting depicts the Virgin with the son and Saint John meeting. Legends of Saint John and Christ meeting were popular in Florence, where Da Vinci was from. “The Virgin of the Rocks demonstrates Leonardo’s revolutionary technique of using shadows, rather than outlines, to model his figures” (The National Gallery). The flowers in the painting are Star of Bethlehems which are used to remind us of the purity and atonement in the Virgin, Christ and St. John (The National Gallery). 

7. Bacchus and Ariadne, painted around 1520-1523, by Titian depicts Bacchus, the god of wine, seeing Ariadne and immediately falling in love with her. Ariadne had been left on the island and was scared of Bacchus, but he then turned her into a constellation. Bacchus and Ariadne is part of a series by Titian and Bellini and Dosso Dossi. Titian takes inspiration for his painting from the classical myths and specifically Ovid and Catullus. The series of paintings were commissioned by Alfonso d’Este for Camerino d’Alabastro in the Ducal Palace. Titian’s painting was actually a replacement for a painting commissioned to Raphael (The National Gallery). 

The British Museum:

 1. The British Museum is fortunate to have The Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta Stone is dated at 196 BC during the Ptolemaic period. Inscribed on the stone is a decree passed by a council of priests. “The decree is inscribed on the stone three times, in hieroglyphics (suitable for a priestly decree), demotic (the native script used for daily purposes), and Greek (the language of the administration)” (British Museum). The stone is possibly the single most important tool used in learning the Egyptian’s hieroglyphics and history. When the use of hieroglyphics had passed, The Rosetta Stone was immensely helpful in recovering them by using the other languages on the stone. Not only does it help us with Egyptian hieroglyphics, but it also helps us understand the history of the Ptolemaic period (British Museum). 

2. Hoa Hakananai’a is the name of the Easter Island head stored in The British Museum. Originating from Easter Island, Polynesia Hoa Hakananai’a is dated around 1000 AD. These large human statues are called moai and weighs around four tons. The Hoa Hakananai’a, meaning ‘Stolen or Hidden Friend’, was moved with the help of the islanders by the crew of the HMS Topaze in 1886. The moai were carved before the adoption of Christianity, but when it did rise in 1860 on the island, the statues were toppled because they were heretic symbols, honoring ancient ancestors (British Museum).

3. The Suffragette-defaced penny is minted in 1903 and is one of the earliest cries for the right   of women to vote in the UK. It looks like any other ordinary penny but on it are stamped the words “VOTES FOR WOMEN” one one side. By stamping it on a smaller, more commonly used coin, it meant that it was less likely to be taken out of the circulation and it would spread the message to many people. During this time, women’s suffrage was gaining recognition with the foundation of the Nation Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies and in 1903, parliament debated women’s suffrage. Also in 1903 another women’s rights group being formed called the Women’s Social and Political Union that was more radical that the NUWSS and they were even willing to break the law to get their point across. “At the time, defacing a coin was a serious criminal offence, and the perpetrators risked a prison sentence had they been caught” (British Museum). This is one of the examples of the law breaking that they were willing to do in order to fight for women’s suffrage (British Museum).   

4. The Head of Augustus was once part of a larger-than-life-size statue of Augustus. His rule extended from 27 BC to 14 AD and Augustus took over Egypt, resulting in many statues of him being built there. This head of Augustus was found in Meroë and was cut off from the rest of the statue by the Kushites before the Roman Army could save it. The statue would have been perfectly proportioned, in line with the Roman’s ideal man. The statue was made as a reminder that Augustus was the king by divine right and that he had conquered this territory so the Egyptians there were now under his rule as well (British Museum). 

5. In 1833 workmen quarrying for stone cam across a burial place and found the Mold Gold Cape. The Mold Gold Cape was recovered in 1833 but it dates back to the Bronze Age. The entire ceremonial cape was hammered out of one single sheet of gold, showing the ancient skills in sheet-gold. After it was beaten into shape, the crafters then embellished it with ribbing and lined the inside with leather. Though only a small portion of it remains, it has been thought that it was once a chest ornament for a horse (British Museum).  

6. The Reformation Centenary was inspired by the elector Frederick, who was a political protector of Martin Luther. “The broadsheet it, in our terms, a strip cartoon showing a sequence of events within the ‘elector’s dream’, with each element in it a scene a different stage in Luther’s progress” (British Museum). It goes all the way from Luther’s inspiration to de-authorizing the pope. When it shows Luther writing the 95 Theses, Luther is using a very long pen which represents the importance of the written word for Protestants and the end of the pen is knocking off the crown of the pope, which represents Luther’s distaste of the pope and their abusive power (British Museum). 

7. The Lewis Chessmen were made around 1150-1200 AD and were found on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. The chessmen are made of walrus ivory and whales’ teeth and were most likely made in Scandinavia. 82 of the 93 pieces are currently in The British Museum. Some of the pieces were originally stained red and some left white, but the stain is no longer there. The chessmen most likely belonged to merchants carrying them from Norway to Ireland and there were originally somewhere around four sets. Though no one know for sure where they are from, it is apparent that they are heavily influenced by Norse culture. The figures look like they have been influenced by Norse culture with the rooks looking like Berserkers, who were mythical fierce fighters (British Museum). 

Works Cited

"British Museum." British Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2012.

"The National Gallery, London: Western European Painting 1250–1900." The National Gallery, London: Western European Painting 1250–1900. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2012.

Apologetics paper

This is my Apologetics paper talking about infallibility versus inerrancy. It kind of stinks. Sorry. I was lazy when I wrote this paper. 

R.C. Sproul and Donald Bloesch both take on the theological subjects of inerrancy and infallibility, but they stand on different ground. According to Bloesch, Sproul stands on “the shifting sands of scientific and historical research” (Bloesch, 67) by believing that the entire original biblical text is infallible and inerrant. Yet Sproul says that Bloesch’s belief of only regarding the core message of the Bible as infallible and inerrant is limiting. 

R.C. Sproul believes that the entire, original biblical text is inerrant and infallible. Even though the writers were humans, with human nature, the entire text of the Bible is unaffected by this because the authors were inspired by God. But Sproul also makes the distinction between the authors being omniscient and the text being infallible. By “omniscient” Sproul refers to the knowledge of a person and by “infallible” he means the truth in that person’s statement (Sproul, 30). “Thus we say that though the biblical writings are inspired, this does not imply the thereby that the writers knew everything there was to be known or that they were infallible themselves” (Sproul, 30). Sproul then brings up the fact that the authors of the biblical text were inspired for God and “if it is possible for an uninspired person to speak the truth without error, how much more will it be the case for one who is under the influence of inspiration” (Sproul, 31). The authors’ knowledge was limited but not errant. Another point of “weakness” in the biblical text addressed by Sproul are the absence of the original texts. Since we do not have them all, how do we as Christians know that the text we have today matches up with the original text? To this question Sproul simply answers: textual criticism. While he acknowledges that copyists can make small errors, he also trusts textual criticism. “The Old and New Testament Scriptures are probably the texts which have reached us with the most extensive and reliable attestation” (Sproul, 33). He acknowledges that the biblical text we have today may err from the original text, but the original text he believes to be inerrant and infallible. R.C. Sproul places his faith in the inspiration of the authors, believing that the entire, original text of the Bible is inerrant and infallible. 

Donald Bloesch, in contrast, believes that only the core foundation of the Bible is inerrant. “The doctrine or message of Scripture, which alone is infallible and inerrant, is hidden in the historical and cultural witness of the biblical writers. They did not err in what they proclaimed, but this does not mean that they were faultless in their recordings of historical data or in their world view, which is now outdated” (Bloesch, 65). Bloesch believes that the core message of the Bible is inerrant and infallible but the less important, historical details are not. He says that “we have the infallible, perfect Word of the living God enclosed and veiled in the time-bound, imperfect words of sinful men” (Bloesch, 69). The authors that wrote the original biblical texts were bound by their sin and because of their human nature, were liable to make errors. They were also in a different, historical setting. Despite this, Bloesch believes that the core message of the Bible is inerrant and infallible. 

While Sproul believes that the entire, original biblical text is inerrant and infallible, Bloesch says that only the core message of the Bible is without error and infallible. Sproul “explicitly rejects the tendency of some to limit infallibility and inerrancy to specific segments of the biblical message, such as spiritual, religious or redemptive themes, excluding assertions from the fields of history or science” (Sproul, 36). which is exactly what Bloesch believes. Bloesch even says that it is “suicidal” to place inerrancy and infallibility on the ever-changing modern history and science (Bloesch, 67). Both of them bring valid points to the table, but they each take extreme positions. Bloesch is the minimalist, believes that just the core is inerrant and infallible and Sproul taking the other extreme, believing that the entire original text is inerrant and infallible. According to Bloesch you can uphold “biblical infallibility and inerrancy without falling into the delusion that this means that everything that the Bible must be taken at face value” (Bloesch, 66).  Then Sproul says that the Bible is historically accurate and can be taken “at face value.” The problem with Sproul believing that the entire original text is infallible and inerrant  is that if one detail is wrong, his belief would be disproved. If one historical detail could be wrong, then others could be wrong as well. Then, on the other hand, by not believing that the entire Bible is inerrant and infallible, Bloesch is doubting the inspiration of God. God did inspire the authors, so it would seem to follow that what He inspired them to write would be infallible and inerrant. 

Sproul and Bloesch trust the inerrancy and infallibility of the Scripture to different degrees, each taking an opposing extreme. Sproul put confidence in the entire original manuscripts being completely inerrant and infallible. Bloesch concluded that only the central message was infallible and inerrant. Each belief has their stumbling blocks. Relying on the entire Bible being infallible and inerrant is trusting that the every detail is correct. But only trusting the central message is inerrant and infallible is doubting the inspiration of God. Each of the authors defend different positions on inerrancy and infallibility. 

Paradise Lost theme

I was originally going to title this "The Highway to Hell" but I didn't know how my lit teacher would react to me having a cus word in all caps on my title page. 

The Highway from Heaven 

In Paradise Lost, Milton expands the role of Satan and his fallen angels, letting the reader into the conversations in Hell leading up to the fall of man. Unlike the story in the Bible, Milton is able to bring the reader into the minds and reasoning behind Satan and the fallen angels, making them characters that the reader can empathize with. By depicting Satan and his fallen angels with relatable emotions and admirable qualities, Milton makes Satan and the fallen angels  characters that the reader can empathize with and respect. Milton intends to humanize the fallen angels and Satan by letting the reader connect to them on an emotional level. He also wants the reader to admire Satan and his fallen angels by listening to the charisma of their speeches and showing to the leadership qualities of Satan. 

By letting the reader hear the conversations going on in Hell, Milton intends to draw the reader into the minds and world of Satan and his fallen angels. Both Satan and his fallen angels are depicted as charismatic and persuasive speakers. In Hell, Satan and the fallen angels hold a council to determine how they will retaliate against God and Heaven. Milton depicts one of the demons speaking in the council as “Belial, in act more graceful and humane;/ A fairer person lost not Heav’n” (Milton 2.109-110). Milton makes the point of describing the fallen angel, Belial, as “graceful and humane”. The word “humane” in this context is most likely a variant on the word “human”. Milton did not describe Belial as demonic, but instead compares him to a human. By using this description, Milton is able to let the reader connect with Belial. Milton not only related Belial to humans, but calls him graceful and fair, letting the reader relate and admire him and other fallen angels. 

Milton puts an emphasis on the admiration of the fallen angels in Paradise Lost. He goes into great length on how they are even worshiped by humans. 

With these in troop

Came Astoreth, whom the Phoenicians called

Astartè, queen of Heav’n, with crescent horns;

To whose bright image nightly by the moon 

Sidonian virgins paid their vows and songs, (Milton 1.437-441). 

The fallen angels were respected and worshiped among humans as gods. In this example, it is goddess being worshiped as the moon. This would have been appealing to women readers since most people generally associate God with a man. Milton makes a point of  going into a long description of how the different fallen angels are worshiped and revered on earth. The fallen angels are worshiped on a level equal to God. Not only are they greatly admired, but they also display charisma. 

  This charisma of the fallen angels is shown when one of Satan’s fallen angels speaks up in their council. Even though he is only one of Satan’s partners “his tongue/ Dropped manna, and could make the worst appear/The better reason, to perplex and dash/ Maturest councils . . . he pleased the ear” (Milton 2.112-115 117). More often than not, when the reader pictures a demon, they do not think of them as persuasive or charismatic. Milton breaks the typical stereotype and shows the fallen angels in an appealing light, pulling the reader towards admiring them. Milton also gives the fallen angel a “persuasive accent” (Milton 2.118), drawing the reader in to listening to him. Milton even says that the most intelligent mind could be drawn in to the fallen angel. Even the most intelligent mind could respect Satan and the fallen angels’ rhetoric and reason. The fallen angels couple their rhetorical reason with seductive charisma. The fallen angels are not the only charismatic creatures in Hell. 

Satan’s speeches that he gives to his fallen angels are also shown as very charismatic and inspiring. Often despite his own discouragement, Satan is able to inspire his band of fallen angels. Satan rallies his army, saying: 

“Powers and Dominions, deities of Heaven, 

For since no deep within her gulf can hold

Immortal vigor, though oppressed and fall’n, 

I give not Heav’n for lost (Milton 2.11-14). 

Satan inspires them by saying that even though they are in the pits of Hell, there was still hope of regaining Heaven. The ability to rally troops is an important and admirable quality that a leader must have. Milton shows Satan’s ability to encourage and rally his troops through his charismatic speeches. The readers of Paradise Lost will gravitate toward the character of Satan because of his leadership qualities.  

Satan also proves himself to be a sacrificial leader. Satan even mirrors the Son of God, also offering himself up as a sacrifice for the fallen angels’ cause. In Book II at the close of the council they call for someone to offer them self to go into the Middle Darkness and go to Earth. Satan takes the opportunity and volunteers himself, proving himself as a sacrificial leader. As the Son of God is offered up, Satan volunteers himself to avenge his fallen angels. By volunteering himself as a tribute, Satan is shown to be a selfless leader of the fallen angels. Satan is willing to risk his life for their cause, giving him a heroic quality. Milton knows that, as readers, people tend to relate and sympathize with the hero more than the antagonist. By making Satan have the self-sacrificing, heroic quality, Milton is making Satan a character that the reader can admire in Paradise Lost. 

Satan and the fallen angels’ are not only admirable, but characters that the reader can relate to on an emotional level. Satan and his fallen angels experience emotions that only themselves and humans can experience. God and his perfect, heavenly angels cannot feel the same emotions that Satan feels when he is jealous of the Son of God. 

fraught 

With envy against the Son of God, that day

Honored by his great Father, and proclaimed 

Messiah King anointed, could not bear

Through pride that sight, and thought himself impaired (Milton 5.661-665). 

Unlike the heavenly angels and God, Satan and the fallen angels feel emotions that humans can feel. God and the heavenly angels cannot feel envy the same way that humans and Satan can. Envy is a fallen emotion that the readers can relate to and have experienced. Satan also feels pride in such a strong way that it makes “himself impaired” (Milton 5.665). This is another emotion that the readers, as fallen creatures, can understand. It is easier for humans to relate with a fallen creature, like Satan and the fallen angels, than it is for a human to relate to God and the heavenly angels. Since humans also have experienced fallen emotion, the reader can relate to the fallen emotions that Satan experiences. God and His angels are perfect, and perfection is unattainable for humans, making it difficult for the reader to relate to them. This makes the reader naturally gravitate towards Satan and the fallen angels, relating to their fallen emotions. 

Milton also uses earthly renderings to help him describe Hell. Since both Hell and Earth are fallen places, Milton is able to use earthly places and things to hep enhance his portrayal of Hell. Since Heaven is  perfect place, this makes it much more  difficult for Milton to describe. This allows for Hell to be the more relatable place for the reader. At the beginning of Book II, Milton describes the extravagance of Hell as 

far

[Outshining] the wealth of Ormus of Ind,

Or where the gorgeous East with richest hand 

Show’rs on her kings barbaric pearls and gold, 

Satan exalted [sits] (Milton 2.1-5)

Milton uses vivid, luxurious and earthly comparisons to let the reader picture Hell. When Milton describes Heaven, he asks the Muse to help him “see and tell/ Of things invisible to mortal sight” (Milton 3.54-55). Heaven is impossible to accurately depict since it is perfect and fallen humans cannot picture perfection. Hell is easier to picture, since it is also a fallen place. This allows the reader to picture it more vividly than Heaven. Hell then becomes a more attainable place for the reader. The reader can connect with Milton’s use of earthly comparisons for Hell more than the perfection displayed in Heaven. 

In Paradise Lost Milton makes Satan and the fallen angels characters that the reader can identify with on an emotional level and admire. Not only can the reader empathize with them, but the reader can understand Satan and the fallen angles more than God and his heavenly angels. The reader can connect with the fallen angels and Satan on an emotional level and admire their charisma and Satan’s leadership qualities. By using earthly comparisons, Milton made Hell a place that the readers could picture and attain. Also, Milton put emphasis on the fallen emotions that Satan and his angels experienced. These were emotions that, as fallen creatures, the readers could empathize with. In Paradise Lost Milton makes Satan and his angels characters that the readers will relate to.    

The Temporal Train

So this is my first history theme (that I turned in about a month ago) of junior year!!! YAY! Sorry this is so late but I have had a concussion for the past 3 weeks. Oh and guess what? I edited this theme with a concussion and still got an A. 

The Temporal Train

During the time leading up to the Protestant Reformation, the Renaissance popes’ influence in politics fluctuated as the Italian Renaissance movement secularized Europe. Embracing the secular attitude of the Renaissance, politics turned away from focusing on religion. In order to regain their wealth and power after the Babylonian Captivity, the papacy became secular and involved in politics. The popes during the Babylonian Captivity had lost their good reputation, wealth and omnipotent authority, falling from their height during the Great Schism. Then, with the influence of the Italian Renaissance, the Renaissance popes increased their secular influence in politics, neglecting their papal duties but regaining their wealth and power. 

During the time leading up to the Italian Renaissance the papacy was at its height of unrivaled political influence and wealth. Then the states of England and France, under the rule of Edward the I and Philip the Fair, attempted to tax land belonging to the church. This resulted in pope Boniface VIII issuing the papal bull, the Unum Sanctum, declaring that the church held the most power. Boniface attacked the state, clarifying that the church held power over the state, in an attempt to assert papal authority. Instead of showing the omnipotent power of the church, Boniface’s plan backfired. He was captured and shortly afterwards, killed. Then a new French pope was elected that remained under the state’s power and abide in Avignon. Under the heavy influence of the French state, papal authority diminished and their respect was lost. This led to a seventy year span of the popes remaining at Avignon, referred to as the Babylonian Captivity (Papacy in the Renaissance, 4), which is the cause of The Great Schism and the deterioration of the church’s prestige. 

Despite the oncoming “Great Schism”, the papacy’s wealth had never been greater. “The papal court at Avignon surpassed the courts of kings in splendor... Papal revenues mounted, and new papal taxes were devised” (Palmer, Colton, Kramer, 53). Despite the appearance of wealth and security, there were whispers of disapproval. Many people refused to acknowledge the pope in Avignon as the secularization of the church became unmistakable. Many lower class citizens were appalled by the church’s outward presentation of wealth when countless were left poor and destitute. The College of Cardinals met in hopes of remedying the distrust that resulted from the Babylonian Captivity, but instead worsened the situation. This left the Catholic church with two separate papacies, which split the church and its followers. In 1409 the Council of Pisa met and worsened the Schism even further by electing a third pope. Eventually in 1414 the Council of Constance met and ended of The Great Schism by forcing the three popes to step down, replacing them with Martin V and devising ways to rebuild papal trust. Attempts at reforming the church and the formation of  regular general councils were made to help balance out the popes authority. Despite the councils, the pope’s power prevailed, and the papacy’s authority started to rise again under the era the Renaissance popes. 

The attempts made by the Council of Constance to eliminate the corruption and secularization of the church were forgotten with the Renaissance popes because of the Italian Renaissance. “This multi-faceted project coincided with what is known as the Renaissance papacy and led to a series of abuses that eventually resulted in an even greater schism in the church- the Reformation” (Papacy in the Renaissance, 5). Often characterized by their secular and corrupt nature, the Renaissance popes were the reason the church’s authority did not completely disappear. Rarely attending to their papal duties, the Renaissance Popes’s concern with the secular world were what helped secure the church’s authoritative position and wealth. Their overt concern with worldly affairs were brought about by the new Italian Renaissance worldview. Europe was picking itself back up and a new way of life appeared. Machiavelli’s book The Prince was the first completely secular, political book, reshaping politics. The focus had shifted from the heavenly realm to the tangible world. This shift became apparent everywhere in Europe, especially in the papacy and the state. Before, the church was considered above the state, ruling over everything with Petrine Supremacy, but then the church had taken a different approach. “Religion was closely interwoven with politics during most of the Renaissance, making popes - as well as other church leaders, such as cardinals and bishops - key players in both religion and politics” (Papacy in the Renaissance,1-2). Instead of controlling the state’s affairs by ruling over it, the church, headed by the Renaissance Popes, became interwoven with the worldly affairs of politics in hopes of gaining power and wealth. The papacy had once considered themselves above being involved closely with the state affairs. This changed during the Italian Renaissance and the church gained authority, influence and wealth by mixing with political and other secular affairs. The first of these Renaissance Popes was Pope Nicholas V, who began construction on the Vatican. He also sponsored other architectural endeavors and was a patron of the arts, starting the rebuilding of St. Peter’s Basilica. He expanded the papacy’s authority, “removing mercenaries from the Papal States, renewing allegiance of other Italian cities to the Papal States, and restoring order to Rome” (Pope Nicholas V, 1). He also passes the Concordat of Vienna, which pulled Germany under papal authority (Pope Nicholas V, 1). The first of the Renaissance Popes, Nicholas V greatly expanded the power of the papacy and as the Renaissance Popes continued, they became further interlocked with the state’s politics and secularization. 

Alexander VI further drove the church into the Italian Renaissance’s secularization. He was the first pope to acknowledge his children, and was involved in simony and nepotism (Alexander VI, 1-2). “He disregarded celibacy and preferred political machinations to spiritual leadership” (Alexander VI, 1). He had his daughter married three times, all for political reasons (Alexander VI, 2). Alexander VI created political alliances for the benefit of his own family and “ one of Alexander’s political acts was issuing a papal bull, or decree, titles Inter caetera in 1493, dividing possessions of the recently discovered Western Hemisphere between Portugal and Spain, that greatly favored Spain” (Papacy in the Renaissance, 6). 

With the popes of the Renaissance becoming increasingly involved in temporal politics, they also had an interest in war. Julius II, after being elected pope, immediately focused on the expansion of territory: “His immediate goal was to restore to papal control the regions of Romagna, Perugia, and Bologna in central Italy after they had been seized by Venice, one of the wealthiest city-states” (Papacy in the Renaissance, 6). He also organized other alliances and leagues for the express purpose of expanding his territory. What once were political duties fulfilled by kings and princes were being taken over and adopted by the church. The Renaissance Popes had become a major political influence, controlling and participating in the political sphere. They were now forming alliances, creating political marriages, leading wars, expanding territories, becoming patrons of the arts and altogether dismissing their spiritual duties. Spiritual obligations had been traded out for political and Renaissance pleasures. Though the papacy was at the height of its wealth and influence, they were setting themselves up for the downfall of the Catholic church and the loss of their political influence. 

Pope Leo X, was the second son of Lorenzo di Medici, became pope in 1513. (Papacy in the Renaissance, 7). Leo X was notorious for his selling of indulgences in an attempt to raise money for the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica. He was, first and foremost, a Renaissance man, worldly and focused on pleasure and politics. Yet compared to what many of the other popes during the Renaissance had done, Leo X would not have stood out as being one of the terrible Renaissance Popes. Had it not been for Tetzel, who decided to exploit the use of indulgence and take advantage of uneducated laymen by telling them they could essentially “buy God’s grace and forgiveness”, Pope Leo X would not have stood out. (Papacy in the Renaissance, 7). Other than the selling of indulgences to raise money to build St. Peter’s, Leo X was “normal”. Thanks to Martin Luther, Pope Leo would go down in history. Many people started to notice the secularization of the church and the abuse of its authority, but until Martin Luther, no one had spoken out and gotten such an explosive reaction. (PCK 82-83). After the nailing of the 95 Theses, the papal prestige fell from its comfortable place of power. Leo X excommunicated Martin Luther in 1521 but the damage had already been done. (Papacy in the Renaissance, 7). Luther had set off a chain reaction that eventually caused the Reformation and the church’s loss of it’s political leverage. 

The papacy in the Renaissance lived a life of luxury, power and unrivaled authority. Deeply involved in politics, they had grown accustomed to having control. Before the Renaissance, the papacy’s prestige was slipping and they had lost their trust because of the Babylonian Captivity. Then the Italian Renaissance happened, changing how the world was viewed. The Renaissance popes took advantage of this opportunity and involved themselves in politics, secularizing the papacy but regaining control and authority. The papacy fell from the height of their power during The Great Schism, but used the Italian Renaissance to their advantage, regaining their position of power. Up until the 95 Theses, the Renaissance Popes had been living a life of luxury, without worrying about losing anything. They had set themselves up for the Reformation, peaking just before the ultimate division of the church.