Enlightenment Age to Post-Modernism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Enlightenment Age to Post-Modernism - Essay Example The paper "Enlightenment Age to Post-Modernism" discusses various historical and cultural eras in the world’s history. This study analyzes Enlightenment, Romanticism, Modernism and post modernism. The enlightenment era is a period in world’s history that stretches between seventeenth century and early eighteenth century. This age is sometimes referred to as the age of reason. It was a period considered to be the maturity of reason after its rebirth in the renaissance period. It was marked by new discoveries in science for example Galileo Galilei invention of a telescope that he used to discover and accept that indeed Copernican was right in saying that the sun was at the centre and that all planet revolve round it. Rational or intellectual capabilities and a rise in technology were among the many characteristics of this age. It was dramatized with revolutions. Industrial revolution for instance marked a total change in lifestyle whereby we see a movement from manual lab or to mechanical labor. People’s life standard improved since they could be employed to work in these industries and earn income. It is during this time that we see the rise in thinking; a change in societal, cultural and political attitudes. It is during this time that we see the society producing intellectuals who emphasize on reason alone. Scientific philosophies like the empiricism and rationalism became the focal point of departure. Philosophers like Rene Descartes, Leibniz, David Hume and Emmanuel Kant among others emerge. Their main focus was to move the society from centralized church governance to a level where every individual’s life counts; that the church’s authority needed to be decentralized. It is during this time that we see the ant Christian movements: a claim that God having created the Universe left it alone to be controlled by natural laws. In relation to the above point, the book, Discourse on Method, written by Rene Descartes, establishes a clear methodology of thinking which he calls deductive reasoning whereby one begins by doubting everything until he can no more doubt his own existence â€Å"Cogito Ergo Sum,† meaning â€Å"I think, therefore I am.† The fact that I doubt everything, I cannot doubt my own existence. However, as the great period of enlightenment continued, it faced a lot of rebellion from the emerging group of people who were against the principles of strict adherence to logic and clarity This deviation from restraint, clarity, and reason resulted in the beginning of the Romantic Age in English literature. From the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century, Romanticism came into play as the major form of literary expression of the time. The Romantic view emphasized emotion, nature, mysteriousness, and self discovery, among others. The idea is that every one needed to learn and interpret reality according to his or her own experience; rather avoid thinking with our own heads high, everyth ing is not about ideas. Jane Eyre clearly demonstrates this romanticism in her own experiences, first, mystery in the red room which later helps her to realize herself discovery a thing that unfolds the truth in order for her to find a better place in this world. She clearly portrays a kind of woman who breaks and gets out of women slavery and conformity of the society and indeed moves to take up bigger roles and responsibilities out of her own independence and separation from the traditions of the society. She is a great figure of the romantic age since she shows how

WGST400 Assignment 4 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

WGST400 Assignment 4 - Research Paper Example In France and England, women have played vital roles during the First World War, and such roles have helped secure victories for the Allied Forces. The thesis statement for this paper is: The participation of French and British women during the First World War laid out the foundation for improved rights for these women following WWI. Empowered women in France and England helped initiate and advance the cause for the First World War and for contemporary feminism. This paper shall first discuss the role of women in France and England during the First World War. It shall then move on to discuss how these women helped advance the cause of the feminism and then of the First World War. A final discussion on how these women have contributed to the causes of contemporary feminism shall also be presented. This study is being carried out in order to help understand feminism within the context of the First World War in France and England. It also seeks to develop a better understanding of the c urrent state of feminism and its development throughout the years. During the First World War, women in France and England played various roles. In France, the women assisted in the war efforts and activities, but mostly as individuals or as members of private organizations1. The French government did not want to mobilize and militarize their women because the French government did not recognize these women as citizens who also had their roles to play in the well-being of the country2. The government believed that if the French women would be militarized, then they were also full-fledged citizens of the country. This would imply that there was a need for the French government to also recognize the civic and suffrage rights of the women3. Allowing women to participate in the war efforts was also seen by the French government as a major threat to the gender construct in their country. Wars and the military