Wednesday, January 30, 2013
ULT #16 - History in the Present
Find a current news story that relates to a topic that we've discussed (or will discuss) in Western Civilization. In a comment to this post, identify the historic period under examination, a citation for the news story, and a summary of the story that includes a thesis, supporting details, and an explanation of how history impacts the present.
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Period: Greece
ReplyDeleteCitation: "Athens' Parthenon scaffold-free for first time in years." 2010. Reuters. 30 Jan. 2013.
Summary: Restoration work on the Parthenon started in 1983 and only in 2010 were visitors and citizens once again able to enjoy its beauty without scaffolding. "Over the years, the Parthenon has suffered from fire, war, revolution, looting, misguided restoration and pollution," and now they work tirelessly to retain the history etched into its stones since 447 B.C. Great care is needed as every stone must be preserved. Titanium and new marble are used to rebuild and tighten infrastructure. Although new, modern materials are being used, it is all to preserve the history and culture of the world's first democracy and one of history's greatest civilizations in order to allow future generations to enjoy the same pleasure which the great Greeks experienced.
Period: Italian Renaissance
ReplyDeleteCitation: Winfield, Nicole. “Rome’s Trevi Fountain Gets $2.9 Million Restoration Thanks to Fendi.” The Huffington Post. 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 29 Jan. 2013.
Summary: The fashion company, Fendi, donated $2.9 million dollars to support a twenty month restoration on Rome’s eighteenth century Trevi fountain. According to Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi “project combines a love of Rome's past with a need to preserve its future.” The fountain was built between 1732 and 1762 features Oceanus being carried on his chariots and many other references to water; as Fendi says “For Romans, water is an inspiration.” This document shows the everlasting Roman love of art and architecture, extending from ancient Rome, to the Italian Renaissance, and to present day. It is amazing to see the appreciation for this statue and for art and architecture in general the continues throughout their entire culture.
Period: Middle Ages
ReplyDeleteCitation: Fraser, Christian. "Paris Notre Dame Cathedral Turns 850 Years Old." BBC News: Europe. 24 Dec. 2012. Web. 3 Feb. 2013.
Summary: As the famed Notre Dame Cathedral reached its 850th birthday in late 2012, thousands of Parisians and others from around the world gathered to celebrate the history and culture of the iconic structure. The festivities included celebrations of the cathedral's superb Gothic architecture and its beautiful choir music, as well as the unveiling of plans for a new set of bells. Many of the smaller bells in the North Tower were melted down by revolutionaries during the French Revolution in the late 1700s and replaced with shoddier, "discordant" versions. The bells will be recast at a foundry in Normandy, France, using ancient crafting techniques for their construction as well as modern computerized spectral analysis for tuning. The largest bell of all, Emmanuel, will be at the center of the tuning efforts; installed in the South Tower in 1685, it still tolls every day on the hour and all the new bells will be tuned to it. These celebrations and restoration efforts highlight the pride and respect that the French and countless others across Europe have for their history, and the labor of love that they put towards maintaining such a beautiful and historic structure as Notre Dame.
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ReplyDeletePeriod under examination: Protestant Reformation
ReplyDeleteCitation: "Cathedral Renovation Reveals Rare 15th Century Carvings." BBC. N.p., 3 May 2012. Web. 3 Feb. 2013.
Summary:
15th Century wood carvings were at St. Marie’s Roman Catholic Cathedral on Norfolk Street in a sacristy cupboard. They were carved in the middle ages, but were destroyed during the Protestant Reformation. These carvings depict scenes from the life of Jesus Christ including Christ’s arrest, St. Peter running away, three soldiers, and the man whose ear was cut off. No one knew of their existence. Once cleaned, they will be displayed in the cathedral cloister. If Martin Luther did not begin the Protestant Reformation, these works of art would not have been lost and would still be hanging at their original location.
Period Under Examination: Contemporary Europe
ReplyDeleteCitation:
McDonald, Henry. "EU peace fund to target young Northern Ireland loyalists."
The Guardian. Guardian News, 31 Jan. 2012. Web. 4 Feb. 2013.
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Summary: This articles is about a fund that will be used "to train working class youth who feel they lost out in" a "power sharing deal." The working class youth feel like they missed out on an opportunity to gain extra, needed money. "Johannes Hahn, the EU commissioner for regional policy" said that a proposed peace fund in Norther Ireland will be used to "train and educate young working-class loyalists who are politically and socially alienated from the peace process." This article ties into what we are learning in Western Civ because it shows the struggles of the working class, and that these struggles are still continuing today.
Period Under Examination: Middle Ages
ReplyDeleteCitation: Burns, John F. "Bones Under Parking Lot Belonged to Richard III." New York Times. 4 Feb. 2013, A4: n. pag. Web. 4 Feb. 2013.
Summary: This article relays that King Richard III's body has been confirmed as being the body found buried under a parking lot found last year. King Richard III died at the Battle of Bosworth Field which many historians consider to be the end of the Middle Ages. Many believe that finding King Richard III's body will help clear up his terrible reputation that has been developed since his death. Many are optimistic that this finding will help show King Richard III's sympathy for the rights of the common man instead of the evil tyrant portrayed in Shakespeare's Richard III. This finding impacts the past and the present. His body being found could possibly change his legacy in history and the way he is portrayed in the present and future.