Week 13

A. The theme of this reading is coming from Hitler about how the german people had lost everything in the last 14 years especially their political place. In this proclamation it seems to me that Hitler is trying to make it seem like he cares for tGermany than for his own benefit. B. "It is impressed with the importance of its duty to use this nation of equal rights as an instrument for the securing and maintenance of that peace which the world requires today more than ever before." Hitler here is talking about the foregin policy of the National Government to secure freedom and how there is a duty of equal rights for peace in the world. This stands out to me because I think it's ironic to read the words of which Hitler Spoke. This makes me understand how people were minipulated by his words. B. What I came into mind as I read this reading was, how easily it can be to minipulated by lies or dishonesty that from a good speaker. It seems to me that Hitler was verry good at doing so and therefore succeeded to be a dictator. C I think even in todays world this continues to happen especially with politics. Some may say that President Obama is a verry good speaker and therefore wins people over, whether he is speaking the truth or not can only be known by the actions he speaks to take. D. Hitler spoke of restoring damage of 14 years for Germany and not himself and the cabinet yet we know now that what he promised and spoke of really wasn't as plesant as many thought his power would turnn out to be. His talent of speech won people over for what they wish he hadn't.

The War Prayer

A. I believe that the theme of this story is about everyone preparing for the war, mainly spirutualy. The reading talks about one Sunday when many filled the church and a chapter of the Old Testament was read and prayer was said at the service for everyone. Soldiers volunteers, families, and friends. That Sunday service a stranger came up to the main aisle and had the preacher step aside because he had a prayer to say. B. "God's servant and yours has prayed his prayer. Has he paused and taken thought? Is it one prayer? No, it is two -- one uttered, the other not." This part really stood out to me because I think that it is something that we should all remember when we pray. Sometimes when we pray about something we only think about our/their benefit of the prayer, when really like this man said, prayer has to sides of it. In this case in the reading those who were praying were only thinking about themselves and not the harm that they would be doing to others, that is why when the man speaks his prayer they did not understand that his prayer was mocking what they were truely praying for.C. This helped me to really keep in mind that in every prayer we must not only think about our selves but also about who our prayer might be hurting. C.For example when we pray for our soldiers in Iraq, we shouldn't just pray for their  victory in war but for the people of Iraq who are beeing just as effected by it as our men and women of our country. D. This exactly to the reading because the theme of this readying is speaking about the prayer in war. Sometimes we get so caught up in what is only hurting us and not others that we don't take the time to pray for those who really need it, like some of the inncoent people in Iraq.

Friederich Engels: Industrial Manchester, 1844

A. The theme of this story is about how and why Manchester became the head manufacturer of cotton in England. B. "The town itself is peculiarly built, so that a person may live in it for years, and go in and out daily without coming into contact with a working-people's quarter or even with workers, that is, so long as he confines himself to his business or to pleasure walks." This stood out to me because I think it's a horrible that the working people are being avoided as if they were some kind of animal or disease. C. If the weather had not been the main factor of the cotton manufacturing being in Manchester where else would have been? And why not in the first place?C. In some are in our country and world today some benefit more than others because of natural resources that are not found everywhere. For example the energy we get from windmills only is productive in parts of geopgraphy were it's windier than other parts. D. This relates to the text because the story states how the damp climate was better for the cotton manufacturing than in the other dry climate cotton manufacturing areas.

Women Miners in the English Coal Pits

A. The theme of this story is about the horrible degrading working conditions of the children and women working in coal pits. B. "Their sex was recognizable only by their breasts, and some little difficulty occasionally arose in pointing out to me which were girls and which were boys, and which caused a good deal of laughing and joking." This part of the reading stood out the most to me because I pictured myself what it would have been like to be one of those girls who was being look pointed out at. I can't imagine how horrible it must have been for them. C. The thought that came into my mind after I finished reading this was the little money that they earned really worth everything that they had to go through while working? It made me think about how people even today work at jobs were they are being degrated but that it's their "only" choice to make the money that they need. C. Today there are still many sweat shops like this where women and children are working in horrible conditions and paid verry little, we do not hear much of it but I am sure that there are many similarities with the coal pits. D. This relates to the story because the issue of workers still being under paid and degrated is not only in histroy but still occuring.

James I on the Divine Right of Kings (1609)

(A.) In this story King James is explaining the meaning of a monarchy government and what is means to be king. He defines the high power that there is and compares it to gods, fathers of families, and to the head of a microcosm. (B.) "Kings are also compared to fathers of families; for a king is truly parens patriae, the politic father of his people" This stood out the most to me because I think it's interesting how a king is compared to a family father. I can somewhat see some similarities that there is between both of them but what makes it interesting is that I think a father is more loving and compassionate than a king. The king may take the role as a father does as in supporting his family but I don't think the comparison is quite equal. (C) This story brought the idea into my head about what European history would be like if it didn't involve a monarchy but a different form of government. A lot would be different even possibly today's outcome of government. (C) If we change the wording of kings to presidents, some may say that there are similarities to today's modern world. (D) The president in our country has the highest power out of the whole government just like a king does in a monarchy. As a country we rely and look up to our president to make good decisions for the people.

Week 7 Reading

(A.) The theme of the story is that The Act of Supremacy is being defined about how the King Henry VIII has the power to do whatever he'd like and a speech given by Anne Boylen before she is beheaded. (B) "And thus I take my leave of the world and of you all, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me." This was said in the speech given by Anne Boylen and it stuck out to me the most because I find in interesting that in her final munites of life she cared enough about her salvation and asks others to pray to pray that God would have mercy on her. I think it's great that she came down to the point of asking God to take her soul, which is better than not asking for his grace at all. (C) This really makes me think of how many people use their last few minutes of life to ask God for forgiveness and mercy. (C) I see the reading connecting to a story a couple of years ago of a criminal who was put to death by assisted suicide. His finals hours of life we're being broad casted on television and he kept asking God for forgiveness and was repenting of the crime that he had committed in his past. (D) Just like Anne Boylen he didn't blame authority for his death and knew that God was the only one to judge the wrongs of his life. It really strikes me that they don't act angry about authority taking their lives but act humble and leave it all to God to handle.  

Petrarch writing to Boccaccio (1366)

A. The theme of the reading was that Petrarch is writing about how he had looked up to those of the Latin language and had written at this level the foundations. He soon realizes that those he had looked up to around him are lieing ignorants who rely on indolence and chance. Realizing this he then is aware of what not to do and that is not to let those around him influence his beliefs for he had lost his works to the vulgar language.B. "Although the short things I once wrote in the vulgar tongue are, as I have said, so scattered that they now belong to the public rather than to me, I shall take precautions against having my more important works torn to pieces in the same way." From the whole reading this stuck out to me the most because this is the point of change that he decides to make. He become wiser about the people that surrounded him. The written work that he once had was no longer meaningful to him.Therefore is he is aware of not making the same mistake and chooses to be more careful about his future written works. B. An idea that came into my head was I wonder what those who Petrarch is talking about would have to say about him, because from this writing Petrarch thinks of them as ignorant and prideful. But if we got to know what they said about him than maybe our thoughts and opinions would change. C. I see this paralleling to modern life in the sense that many of us do let ourselves be influenced by those around us and those who we look up to. Sometimes someone when we have someone we look up to we end up finding out that they are not the person we thought they were. Silly example but in the movie The Incredibles the little boy who looks up to Mr. Incredible is let down by him when he asks Mr. Incredible for help and he tells the little boy that he doesn't need anyone else's help. That then makes the little boy hate the hero that he had looked up to. D. This relates to the text into how Petrarch felt about the those of the Latin language. After finding out that what he had thought about them was all lies his thoughts and opinions changed and made him wiser about what to believe and to not be so vulnerable about being affected by others.