I need ( 150 wordsresponse) to eash to 2 essay below.
Total of 300 words.
1) I NEED 150 WORD RESPONSE/ COMMENTS (positive comments) FROM THE BOTTOM RESPONSE
Prompt 4: The goals of the philosophies were meant to exercise a set of ideals. Which common tenets of enlightened thinking do writers Mary Wollstonecraft and Denis Diderot advance in “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” and the selection from “Encyclopedie.” Contemporary connections: Discuss how you see the tenets you identified in these works as having informed/influenced our contemporary experience.
Although Mary Wollstonecraft speaks about the rights of women specifically, her “A Vindication of the Rights of Women” stresses the value of rationality and reasonable discourse in keeping with Enlightenment principles that were particular to many other Enlightenment thinkers, including Diderot. Wollstonecraft argues one of the defects of male oppression of women is that it limits female education, and makes women more irrational. When men criticize women, men have essentially created a self-fulfilling prophesy. Women have not been allowed full venues to enrich themselves, which is the right of all human beings. Rational thought and education, Enlightenment thinkers such as Wollstonecraft, saw as the true purpose of human life.
In Denis Diderot’s “Encyclopedie,” the values of the Enlightenment over past superstition are advanced for all humanity, both men and women. Diderot saw understanding the world, rather than obeying the tenants of faith as the true purpose of human existence. Like Wollstonecraft saw ideas about female empowerment as rooted in outdated and cruel customs and superstition, Diderot saw Catholic dogma and social institutions that limited people’s ability to express thoughts freely, experiment, and maximize their potential, as damaging to the true purpose of human life. Enlightenment thinking’s embrace of reason, the individual, and a rejection of past tradition are all reflected in Diderot’s distain for accepting authority based upon history, and his belief that the human mind could set us all free.
The debate about nature versus nurture in terms of the socialization of the sexes still continues to this day, as does the value of rationality. In many states in America, the controversy over teaching evolution in schools is still raging, and although women are accepted in most positions of power, the notion of the similarity and equality of the sexes, and whether this is rooted in biology or socialization remains controversial. Through personal empowerment and social engineering, how much can we change human society? Wollstonecraft and Diderot argued that a great deal of change was possible, while conservative advocates of tradition and faith fear the repercussions of such change, and even some scientists argue that such social engineering is limited, ironically, by biology.
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Message: Mary Wollstonecraft and Diderot would feel at home in this century. However, I suspicion that they would probably be a bit more conservative than some of feminists would like to think.
Wollstonecraft’s argument for the education of women is hinged on the belief that a woman’s primary role is that of Mother. Not just biological mother, but a mother who raises Citizens. In other words, motherhood, for Mary Wollstonecraft is a civic duty. In order for women to raise fully contributing citizens, they must be able to both nurture and educate their young.
In Wollstonecraft’s time, women of status (none of this discussion applies to the poor) were not only undereducated, they were also not expected to care for their children in a ‘hands on’ fashion. Rather, wives were to be seen as a husband’s possession–they were to be lovely, fresh, adept at music and polite conversation. They were not to lose their appearance to nursing or caring for the young. Rather, wet-nurses were brought in to suckle the young, nannies were given charge over the children (who were, for all intents and purposes to be ‘seen and not heard’ and were dressed as ‘little adults’). Wollstonecraft attacks head-on these notions, writing that society should view any man as ‘cold’ if he did not perceive the vision of his wife nursing his child as most wonderful. As you note, she advocates also for a full education for women and that women should be valued for their minds rather than as baubles on a husband’s arm.
What is especially interesting about Wollstonecraft’s view is that she says, while motherhood is important for the nurturing of future citizens, if a woman in unable or unwilling to have children, she should be allowed to contribute to the society in strong and positive ways–she should be allowed to pursue being a doctor or any other profession held by men. Thus, Wollstonecraft’s view women’s ability to participate in the society is not limited by her strong views on motherhood.
2) 1) I NEED 150 WORD RESPONSE/ COMMENTS (positive comments)
One example of a Neo-Classical structure is the Gloriette or”temple of fame built in 1768.A more contemporary building that also may be considered Neo-Classical is the U.S. Supreme Court Building. Neo-Classical style was chosen to reflect democratic ideals. Its sculpted pediments tell allegories of justice and mercy.
The central traits of the classical style of music,I believe are identified in Mozart’s music. Clarity, balance, transparency, delicacy and exceptional power.I truly believe that Mozart ‘s growth as a composer closely influenced the development of the classical style. Mozart was a versatile composer and wrote in almost every major genre, including symphony, opera , the solo concerto, string quartet and quintet chamber music, and the piano sonata. He also wrote religious music, including masses; and he composed many dances, two of them are the divertimenti and the serenades. While none of these genres were new,they were almost single-handedly developed and popularized by Mozart especially the piano concerto.Over his lifetime Mozart influenced many composers, in all genres,and his legacy still continues on to present day.
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Have you had the opportunity to see AMADEUS? My one regret teaching this class online is that we cannot view movies together; Milos Foreman’s movie about Mozart offers so many talking points about key cultural phenomenon as well as offering us the opportunity to experience your point that Mozart developed and popularized musical genres–honestly, he made them new.
In the movie, the Court Composer, Saltier, characterizes Mozart’s music as the ‘voice of God.’ Which is a very Classical approach to music–Saltier represents the traditional belief that talent comes from God and that individuals are simply God’s vessel for conveying beauty. This is very much Michelangelo’s view (remember how his poetry speaks of the artist’s hand as being guided by another to release the beautiful figure contained in a block of marble?).
Saltier’s (and the other’s) conflict with Mozart is that Amadeus, the man, is a bit rough around the edges. Hardly the image of human perfectibility worthy of being God’s chosen vessel for such music. Saltier even goes so far to call Mozart ‘a trained monkey.’ The dilemma for those who maintain a traditional faith is, then, how can a flawed man be a conduit for such great beauty?
Mozart also represents other concepts coming to the fore during this period: meritocracy and the free market. The people of Europe are beginning to enjoy the financial freedom that comes to a growing middle class — especially in the Protestant countries where we see the free market developing steadily.
Through out the Catholic regions we see the people more and more questioning the concept of ‘divine right’ or the rights of men to have position simply because of a birth right or by right of station—this soon results in revolutions (France/Spain)as well as the rise of a new kind of ruler “the enlightened ruler” who begins to move away from the idea of absolute authority.
Mozart does not see himself as living under the patronage of a specific person, rather he sees himself much more a ‘free market’ agent–working for whom he wishes rather than at the whim of those stationed above him.
At the beginning of your post you identify the Neoclassical characteristics as: balance, discipline, restraint, unity, order. Notice how the values of the Renaissance “balance, order, harmony, and human perfectibility” have shifted to remove the ‘human perfectibility’ aspect and have replaced it with ‘restraint.’ Hmmmm…As we talk about this era, we also want to note that Neoclassical values are no longer considered the avant garde, they are the ‘traditions.’ Mozart and his enlightened friends are the avant garde, pushing on the ideas of ‘order and balance and restraint’ and replacing them with values much more aligned with human rights to life and liberty.
