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.