T&R on The Book of the Courtier

Thoughts and Reflections on: The Book of the Courtier

A courtier is a man in the Renaissance who is considered noble. He is most likely a prince or a lord and serves in the kings court. He is also highly educated and literate, which stands out because a lot of people in that time period were illiterate. In addition he must also be able to shred gnarly solos on any instrument he is given.He must dress well and adapt to the local cultures he is in. He is always well mannered and has a clean and funny sense of humor. He makes trustworthy friends and a good first impression. When serving as an advisor to the king his group is allowed to speak freely in the interest that will best suit them all. His group is loyal and wise. The perfect lady of the Renaissance is one who is modest and manages her home life cleanly and well. She is well mannered and well spoken and does not listen to gossip. She knows how to sing and dance and like the Courtier, shred gnarly on any instrument. These characteristics are very "Renaissance" in the fact that the whole movement was about starting to rise up out of the dark ages and establish a higher culture. The book also pushes for more literacy and a higher aptitude towards poetry and music. Education and art are some of the defining products of the Renaissance.  

For reference here is a photo of William Carey a courtier:

 Holbein the Younger, Hans. William Carey. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 12 Dec. 2009. Web. 28 Oct. 2016. <https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/William_Cary.jpg>.

The Return of Martin Guerre

Matt Fike
10/14/16
Mr. Angus
World History 2

Return Of Martin Guerre - Thoughts on Identity

In the 1500s identity was found by using alternative methods like the cobblers records of molds, but also small markings such as birth-marks or scars. In earlier days it was much easier to be able to move into an area where no one new you and you could start your new life. Nowadays you could do that but it requires a lot of legal shenanigans because our identity is so hardwired. We have most of our lives online and in big corporations that completely severing us from that tie would be hard. Identity is everything that makes us up. If people called our body our identity all of our cells are replaced every seven years. Identity was much simpler in the 1500s because they did not have the Internet which adds a whole new angle to our lives. However it is easier to steal our digital persona now, with the rise of "catfishing" which is where you steal someones online identity and date someone else with it. With the rise of digital finance technologies it is also easier to steal someones financial identity. A lot of time the way I recognize family or old friends that I haven't seen in a while is I use their voice, or those subtle things that only they do, however even then I sometimes wave to a random person in the grocery store.