As we dive into American time periods with distinct paradigms and paradoxes, we are noting motifs that reveal themes.Choose one time period we've studied so far: Puritans, Rationalism/Enlightenment, or Romanticism and write a paragraph that starts with a focused topic sentence arguing how this time period is the most influential on modern time and WHY. Then, using the Rule of 3 (but without quotes), discuss why you think this is true. You can discuss literature we read: play, poems, short stories, essays...to help you formulate your ideas as well as give proof for why you feel the way you do.
You could use the simple topic sentence format....Puritans influence modern society today because of...
--OR--you could use a dependent clause with an independent clause....Despite------, Puritans do not influence modern society as strongly as _____ because of____.
This is due on Friday for Mrs. Davis' class. Please start your paragraph with: Davis--Amanda H.
Davis--Amanda H.
ReplyDeleteRomantics have greatly influenced the world today because of their inspiration of imagination, in their paintings they have inspired us to think about what or why the subjects of the painting are doing the things they do. We wonder what it would be like to be in that painting with them, or to do what they are doing. This has caused to think bigger and to create better things for society. By causing the older sci-fi movie watchers to think bigger, it allowed us to make it science. They tried to influence society, but they didn't realize the extent that influence would reach.
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ReplyDeleteBecause history tends to repeat itself, the Puritan Era is the most relevant to today's society because the motif conformity is involved in both today's time and the Puritan Era. In today's day and age, people tend to conform to the latest trends, ideas, pop-culture, or belief. As a true historian would know, conformity was a major factor in the decline of the Puritan Era; as seen in the village, no matter how long one may try to maintain it, a certain type of conformity will not last an eternity. Although today's society seems extremely diverse and different when reading in between the lines today's society is a much broader version of the conformity seen in the Puritan Era. People may try to deny or avoid it but conformity envelopes all of society. As said before, a certain type of conformity cannot last for a new idea, belief etc. will trap society like a Venus Fly Trap captures innocent little bugs and unknowingly control society as it did during the Puritan Era.
ReplyDeleteDavis--Nicole S.
ReplyDeleteSince the 18th century, when the era of Enlightenment emerged, strong rationalistic roots have taken their place in the United States; thus proving to all citizens that this time period was truly the most influential in directing modern society. I believe that one of these reasons is that the separation of church and state is heavily prevalent in society due to to several factors. Thomas Jefferson was the chief author of the Declaration of Independence and one of the most influential Founding Fathers of this country. Rationalists like Jefferson did not reject God entirely, but thought that no belief should be completely based on faith alone. Individuals in our society today can choose to believe in what they want to believe, with most of it being supported with scientific analysis. Additionally, Rationalists believed that living in an industrialized and high society was the best way to exist and to obtain the highest form of education. American society puts a great amount of emphasis on children going to school, and completing as much as possible. There is a lot of competition to get into colleges and to obtain jobs that will supply a person with an adequate amount of money to support themselves in life. Much of America exists in an urban format complete with great forms of education. Furthermore, the 21st century is heavily influenced by scientific, medical and technological research that helps to advance and develop our society even more. These examples help to explain why Rationalism is most definitely the time period of American history that influences this country today.
Modern society is most influenced by the age of the Romantics because of the imagination, independence, and intuition which is found in it. Today, we see paintings, writings, and more that express people’s emotions and imagination. Expressing one’s self is greatly encouraged while it was not always. Also, we have an independence of which we have not always had. We have a freedom to speak freely, to express freely, and to live differently while this liberty was not always welcomed. Most people today have an intuition of which was not always noticed or appreciated. We are able to feed off of our mind. We can dissect things whether this is in science, English, or history and tell the meaning of it. This insight on things has grown throughout the years and will continue to develop into new and more difficult concepts. The world has changed much since the age of the Romantics, but this age has significantly influenced the way the world is today.
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ReplyDeleteDavis – Stella B
ReplyDeleteDue to the rational beliefs of the eighteenth century, the era of enlightenment has since been most influential in American society today. This period came around soon after the Puritans and people soon enough realized the need for separation of church and state. Although religion played a key role in the time period for most - it was part of the cause of change - it was believed that a belief should be followed by fact and/or truth. This was stated in Thomas Jefferson's "Document 40". Benjamin Franklin also believed that America was to become a place for more individual virtues than community virtues created by God and the Church. For everyone to be free and independent by choice, virtues and morals were needed to be self-inflicted ideas. Enlightenment began introducing more science than faith which is used today as well to determine factors in life, boosting America up on the charts as far as development of counties goes. With this, the enlightenment era in America has so far been the most influential period for present times.
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ReplyDeleteDavis: Lauren
ReplyDeleteIn a world where individuality and free thinking are rooted in today's principles and perspective, Romanticism appears to be the largest influence. In the later half of the 18th century, Romanticism was the direct result of the rigid and rationalistic beliefs of the Enlightenment Era. In the perfect sense of balance, one extreme movement has an equal and opposite reaction. The explosion of modern thinking in the 50s and 60s propelled the world into unknown territory and forced the world to accept the city life and structured classes. When society moves closer to urban life the result is the push outward to seek solace in nature. As more people set up their lives in the urban system, 50 years later there is a greater push to strip away this city life. In this postmodernism world ingenuity and innovation are cherished ideals. New developments in technology and art have widened and become broader as individuals look to these to escape the every day. Now there are greater opportunities in art and creative design than ever before. The strongest shared trait however, is the powerful concept of the lone individual. Never has the world focused so solely on the rights of the individual and their unparalleled uniqueness. As in previous periods of history the individual has been viewed as a mere piece to the all important whole. Today the individual is at its greatest significance as minorital rights are at the fore front. Though today's ideals and paradigms are a melting pot of perspectives and philosophies it's difficult to exclude the great influence the Romantic Era has taken in modern society.
The Puritan’s romanticism era has most affected the development of modern society. This is shown through our way of life today. The importance of nature highly valued and is shown through the debate on global warming. Another way that romanticism has influenced modern society is shown in art from the 20th and 21st century. The art is focused on nature and human emotions. Many personal beliefs that are shown are examples of romanticism influence. Many people are not extremely afraid of dying and are sure of an after-life of some sort. Another point of influence is shown through our value in education as it was in the romanticism era which was a view that evolved from the rationalist era. The last influence from the romanticism era is shown with the value of romance shown in modern day entertainment. In almost every movie there is at least one piece of romance tied into the story.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what the people are saying about rationalists being the most influential in America. A lot of our routines, goals and expectations are based on learning. Like Nicole said there is a lot of importance placed in education and in getting into a good coledge. Getting into a good coledge is generally based on grades which is how society today measures what we learn. Most schools focus on learning the sort of things rationalists studied. Rationalist created our constitution and many of the ideas and laws in their are still used today.The belief in religios tolerance and seperation of church and state are examples of some of the rationalists ideals. Rationalists look for answers to things we can't explain and expand what we know about the world, allowing us to invent more things and understand the world better. Therefore I think that Rationalist culture had a greater influence on American society today.
ReplyDeletein the modern we live in, i beleive we are most iinflunced by the rationalist way of thinking. just like nicole mentioned, our seperation of church and state is a great examlpe. jefferson praised these ideal in the part of the his autobiography we read. he wanted to be a moral politician but not let that get in the way of governing. another reason how we have been influenced by the rationalist way of thinkingis our advances in science and technology. we have the internet, cell phones, ipods-all sorts of carzy advanced things that seemed all together unimaginable meerly 30 years ago!
ReplyDeleteone other reason that we have been influnced greatly by ratinonalism is our drive. America is not a nation that will quit. we always want to keep up and not just fall into a stupper. we are always testing the unknown and looking for answers that will push us forward. we are not like the puritans in the crucible or the village because we won't just settle and thats a big part of rationalism-not just being advanced, but to keep advancing.
our society is full of technologhy and things that are challenging us to beyond the unblevable. we are so influced by the rationalist thinkings because we've yet to stop.
Rationalism has most affected our way of thinking. These days most people think the same general way that the rationalist did. For instance we still follow a constitution that was formed 200 years ago by a group of rationalists. We believe everything our fore fathers did. Some things have been changed to keep up with modern issues and such but rationalism is still alive and well in America or at least the effects of a rationalist way of thinking is still alive in here.
ReplyDeleteDavis—Caroline B
ReplyDeleteThe rationalists influence society most today because the system of government that we use today was created by mainly rationalists. The cool-headedness of rationalism is apparent in Benjamin Franklin’s piece on achieving moral perfection, as well as the constitution which he helped to write. Both of these make references to the rights of the individual, focus on people being able to better themselves without outside interference, and that a country is only as strong as the people that make it up. Because of the strong influence of the rationalists on the government that still runs America today, they have had the strongest influence on today’s society as well.
Davis - Courtney A.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Rationalists and Puritans have influenced the modern world, Romantics have made society what it is today through innocence, independence, and intuition. Romantics see the simplicity and yet the complexity of nature in everyday life. People today with their busy lives still find the time to go back to innocence. Many people find innocence in nature. People go on vacations to refresh and revive. They go back to nature to find peace and comfort. Naturally we want our independence. We were all given the gift of free will and we as humans unsurprisingly want to share our ideas and feelings with others. It’s the way we are made and to do that we need to independence and ability to do that. Independence is one of the main basis’s for our country. It sustains our way of life and the lives of others since so many other countries have based their country’s principles on our Declaration of Independence. Intuition controls our daily life, because intuition is natural to us. We have strong feelings about certain things and even without proof we pass it on as fact to ourselves. Intuition influences feelings, thoughts and actions. And all three of those qualities run the lives of everyone. The Romantics may be viewed as simple and not very complex compared to Realists and Puritans but in reality their views have influenced the modern world than the other two groups.
Regardless of the fact that today’s society encompasses little to none of the morals and beliefs that the Puritans had in the 16th and 17th centuries, they have influenced modern time the most because of the assurance of the separation of church and state, the right to a fair trial, as well as the ability to test and prove occurrences using DNA and witnesses. The government learned from the Salem Witch Trials that there must be some sort of separation of church and state in order to keep trials fair, politicians honest, and the country stable against any kind of undermining attack. Also now in modern times, heresy can no longer be a charge in the United States court system and cannot be used as evidence in a case. Along with the Salem Witch Trials, those charged were not given a fair trial, words were construed and lies were created, now there is an official court system with both criminal and civil courts as well as the Supreme Court. The ability now of being able to prove a crime using DNA, chemical traces, and other forensic sciences also helps with the government not being able to convict someone on false beliefs. These three things that have helped modern society can be traced back to the Puritan period.
ReplyDeleteDavis—Alex J
ReplyDeleteAlthough the Puritans and Rationalists have had undeniable influence on today’s culture, the Romantics have impacted modern society the greatest because of thier appeal to the human imagination and pleasure. In today’s self-indulgent society, religion is dismissed and personal enjoyment worshipped. The Puritans and Rationalists were very God centered cultures, one through blind faith and the other with reason. The Romanics were largely individualists. While the Romantics could have had a religious facet, they probably did not worship traditionally as the Puritans and Rationalists did, instead praying in a more comfortable environment such as the wilderness, as seen in the Winter Landscape painting by Casper David Friedrich. Another reason for Romanticisms prevalence is its appeal to creativity and imagination. Successful films nowadays are science fiction and fiction as opposed to religious videos or historical documentaries. Additionally, Romanticism has influenced society the greatest because of the United States’ history and paradigm. The Romantics believed defying the norms and lack of authority. In America, rebellion is glorified as well as prominent in its history.
Davis- Andrea L.
ReplyDeletePuritans influenced society today because of the First Amendment. The First Amendment states two major ideas presented in our way of life; the freedom of religion and the freedom of speech. If it were not for the Puritans this amendment might not have been created or at least not as early as it did. Although the amendment was not created right after the Puritans, they still had a big imfluence on the idea. During the time of Puritans, they were restricted to one religion and had barely or no voice of opinion. They were to follow what they were told and they only knew one way of life. Now we are allowed to believe in anything we want and can speak of our ideas freely as long as we do not act on them violently. The Puritans helped Americans realize how ridiculous it was to kill people for thinking or being different. If the US had not gone in this direction the country would not have been as successful as it was because there would have been no progression towards the bettering of this country.
Davis – Ashley S
ReplyDeletePuritans influenced modern society the most over Rationalism/Enlightenment or Romanticism because they laid the base foundation for today’s society. Without the original attempts and teachings of the Puritans, society would not be remotely close to what it is today. The Puritans sparked the curiosity and willingness to learn that carries over into society’s morals today. The Puritans laid out a society that allowed generations after them to critique and modify it which created society functions today. Without the Puritan’s starting foundation of society, I would question whether society today would even exist.
Davis-- Alex K
ReplyDeleteThe Rationalists are most influential to modern society because of their fact based observations as well as their balanced with an unproved element of religion. The stone work for modern medical, journalistic, and law practices was laid by the enlightenments because it was they who brought the reality element into reality. As viewed in a painting where men in a room are inspecting and handling a cadaver as opposed to reading by the book, one can derive the fact that the rationalists were the first to get their hands dirty, and go by what is there. They were the first to employ a strategy of affective investigation. Like citizens of modern society, the rationalists also find some belief or faith in religion or the unknown. In another painting, there was a photo of the last supper, or something else pertaining to religion, but it was in the dim background where it was only seen by the close eye. This shows that religion is still very important, but it only make a predominate appearance when the time is right. These two qualities are important, but only in proportion to each other. In the same painting, there is a balance that can be seen in the mid ground, in between the religious elements of the background, and the physical fact of string able pearls. This reveals a perfect balance that created the most effective society. The Rationalists are the most important to modern society because their lifestyle most closely resembles ours.
When looking at the stages of America it seems as if the movement in this country that most affects the modern way of life is the Rationalism/Enlightenment movement. This is because that was the idealism of the country's founding fathers and was the philosophy on which the country is based. It is detailed in the Declaration of Independence of America's core values are deeply rooted in rationalism. Those ideas are still prevalent today and play a very influential role in our society. Secondly the basis for the freedoms in America as according to Bill of Rights in America is inspired by rational beliefs. This is exemplified in the first bill of right which establishes a freedom of speech and freedom of press. Free thought and action are essential to rationalism. Also in the first bill of right the freedom of religion is granted making America a country that allows all different beliefs and people. Finally the United States constitution and all laws enforced are a product of rationalism. This is shown in the first three amendments where the Framers set up a system of checks and balances ensuring that no one person has too much power. In addition to that each state was allowed to have its own freedoms and constitution so while the country was united it would still allow each state to make their own laws in accordance with their position if the country. Probably the most influential thing the Framers did with the constitution is they allowed for there to be changes and amendments to it as time moved on. These reasons are why rationalism is the most influential time period on modern times.
ReplyDeleteDavis: nickb
ReplyDeleteSorry this is late, I forgot
Although many people here have argued for puritan influence, as well as romantic influence, the era that most influenced our society is the Rationalists. This is most easily seen by looking at the system of government that we use today. It’s comparable to Benjamin Franklin’s writing about what true morals and values in life should be. Both the constitution and his personal writing reflect the same ideas. These include the focus of people bettering themselves to their own benefit, the right of the individual, and that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Rationalists weren’t the only ones to influence our own era, but they did give great contributions that wouldn’t be the same in our society; however, I think each person looks upon this question and can really only answer it from what they believe...
Davis: annas
ReplyDeleteRationalists have most influenced our society today because of their large roles in founding our government. Both Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson are founding fathers of this country, two people who built the base of the society we live in today, both rationalists. In many rationalist paintings the people are found experimenting and discovering. It was thought that if society never asked questions then it would not progress. Through technology and new discoveries our modern society is following the key ideals connected to rationalism. If one were to look back on our successes through history, one would notice the incredible accomplishments we have made since the Puritan era. Also, we see a more defined gap between religion and true facts. The constitution provides a separation between church and state. Many rationalists thought that we should move toward reasoning and away from looking to religion for answers. Although, we have more of a balance in society today, Rationalists influenced many of our beliefs through our government, way of thinking, and even our progression as a country.
Davis- KatieH
ReplyDeleteDespite the fact that the Rationalism and Romanticism movements have occurred more recently in history, Puritanism has had the most influential impact on modern society because the history of modern society is deeply rooted in the Puritan beliefs. The United States was founded by the Puritans, basing the nation’s entire existence around the movement. The Puritan’s society was fed by a constant fear of the unknown and the danger associated with the mysteries of the world. Today’s society is controlled by laws and regulations, all of which were created out of the public’s fear. For example, when people felt endangered by citizens who owned firearms, a law restricting the possession of such objects was created. In addition, modern society is reliant on gossip and drama, a dependency that developed from Puritanism. The society progressed around the development of new drama, such as the presence of witchcraft in the town in The Crucible. Today’s generation is starving for such drama, a fact that is well demonstrated by the presence of tabloids at every grocery store check-out. The Puritan movement has had the most influence on the development of modern society, acting as a basis for both rationalism and romanticism, as well as a foundation for the creation of the United States.
Davis--SophiaA
ReplyDeleteAlthough romanticism and the Puritan culture both play distinct roles in forming the society we have today, rationalism has had the greatest influence on today's modern society because of its belief in moral perfection, bettering oneself in society through small goals, and developing one's own personal freedom and knowledge. Through the belief that moral perfection is attainable, rationalists were able to create a society where people were always aiming for high goals and not settling for second best. In today's society this is especially important in numerous occupations, school, and social situations. People are able to better understand the reason for their actions and the causes of them when they believe in moral perfection. Rationalists also believed that people could better themselves in society by first setting small goals to achieve an overall accomplishment. In modern society small accomplishments frequently lead to a greater accomplishment when the person has drive, dedication, and the desire to make a positive impact on society. Finally, rationalists believed in personal freedom and knowledge. The Bill of Rights, written by rationalists, enabled people to have freedom of speech, press, religion, etc. This set the basis of our society today. If these rationalists did not enable us with such freedoms, our modern society would definitely cease to succeed. By enabling people to have freedom of knowledge, they have the right to express opinions and attain selectable knowledge that corresponds with their beliefs. This ties back to the Bill of Rights. Without the rationalists belief in moral perfection, bettering oneself in society through small goals, and the right of personal freedom and knowledge our modern society would not be as it is.
Davis--Kylee
ReplyDeleteRationalism definitely has a stronger influence in our society today than Romanticism and Puritanism. Rationalism is the idea that everything can be explained through knowledge and reason. Religion is still important, yet it cannot be used to explain everything. It must be kept separately. This is very true in our society today. Church and state are kept very separate. Religion cannot cross into government or public education. And government cannot interfere with people's religions; everyone is entitled to whatever beliefs they may choose. Freedom of religion is a huge part of our country. Also, science and technology are a huge factor of rationalism. Our world today is all about technological and scientific advances. It's almost scary how relient we have all become on new technologies. And finally, there is the main idea of knowledge and education in Rationalism. Schools today are pushing students harder than ever to stay in school and advance their education beyond those of competing countries. Those three components of Rationalism are huge factors in our society today, making Rationalism the greatest effect over Romanticism and Puritanism.
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ReplyDeleteDavis - Connor S.
ReplyDeleteRationalists have left their mark in almost all facets of modern society, defining the governments of the world's super powers and creating the scientific community that has evolved and bettered the entire human race, outshining both the Puritans and Romantics. Rationalist's are responsible for molding our entire government system, installing a clear, concise conscious in the heart of the American government, that has then spread throughout the world. The founding fathers of our country were almost entirely Rationalists, seeing life scientifically and rationally first, religiously and emotionally second.The government they created uplifts this lifestyle and has supported some of the largest scientific breakthroughs in history. They embraced science and the full potential of the individual. When Albert Einstein's scientific mind was repressed by the totalitarian Nazi Germany, he fled to the United States and developed the atomic bomb, that was then responsible for their downfall. Finally the rationalists preached that religion should be chosen by each individual, and not provided for them by their government. Even in religion the rationalists were intellectuals in how they approached it. Rationalists contributions to modern society are modern society itself, and without the Rationalists there would be no today as we know it.
Davis- Evan Schaller
ReplyDeleteRomantics have greatly influenced the world today because they believe in freedom in all aspects and that there are no boundaries, which is an encouragement to many people. Romanticism can be applied to any person's life in whatever form they see fit because romanticism allows for that freedom. Along with rationalism, romanticism was on the base aspects that this country was founded upon because freedom is the most essential part of this country. Unlike rationalism, romantics can express their emotions in either a visual form such as a painting, or written in books and there is hidden meaning in these things that reveal emotion. Finally, romanticism also supports the idea of individualism in which one can do what is needed for their own survival and that one is entitled to their own feelings.
Thanks for this article very helpful. thanks.
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