The Benedict's Rule, Monastaries, and more fun stuff!

Monasteries that kept Benedict's Rule could be useful in many way. Firstof all, people were very obedient in those monasteries. They kept strict, acetic lifestyles, and basically deprived of fun. One of the rules clearly state that laughing is frowned upon. So although all these people are basically lifeless, they have a sense of fear that keeps them from rebelling,or going against the Christ. Obedience is a major rule of the monastaries. They have to obey the will of god, and they also have to obey their elders. Having this feeling of being lower than someone makes you scared of them, which again, in turn makes you follow them, and not rebel. The Rule tells us that people back then were really afraid of going to he'll. People were so much more religious. Theybhad faith in God, but the ultimately believed that they were bad people. Theynfelt the need to repent, and live aceiticly in order to please god. Rule number 12 states not to seek after delicate living.this pretty much justbsays to have a plain, simple life, and god will love you. People were not very joyous at that time. They were encouraged to talk. At a minimal level, and laughing was basically forbidden.

Hindi poems

I actually enjoyed these poems. I liked the structure of each poem, and I feel like they flowed really well. I like the topics of each poem. I really liked the last one where they compared everything to God, symbolizing that God is everywhere. I think these poems represent India quite well. These contents of each poem, such as the curds, the Gods, and the plums. All these different things are very prevalent in India.

Poetry of the Tang and Song Dynasties

I'm a huge fan of poetry and I actually sort of liked the poems. At first I thought the poems would be so obscure that I wouldn't underhand anything. But, the common themes of the poems were alchohol and love. They pretty easy to follow, and the topics were quite universal. The poems of the Tang dynasty were much more formal, and followed a much stricter format. The poems of the Song dynasty, on the other hand, flowed much better,and they had a certain rhythm to them. I don't think the poems reflect the dynasties well. First off, they wrote about love and alcohol, and even though liquer was common to all societies, it wasn't the most importan aspect. They never wrote about agriculture of war, or anything like that. They focused on what other people would find interesting, not what they're society was for. But, I do think poetry can reflect a society. It is very possible for poets to write about their surroundings, and their daily life. They are fully able to write about war and even agriculture.

The expansion of Islam

Here's my link!

http://www.showme.com/sh/?i=92118

Watch it, it's great!

Vladimir and Constantines conversion to Christianity

Prince Vladimir was a drunk. He had over eight hundred concubines, and he was also a pagan. You can say that it was a huge shock when he converted to Christianity. With his conversion, came the conversion of his people. That was the power he had. Many Russians followed his lead and converted. In this way, Constantine was similar. But the way he found Christianity was different. It was said that he saw a flaming cross in the night sky, and that made him convert. Others say that his, shall we say aggressive, wife forced him into converting. Whatever the case was, he made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire, and it spread very quickly. Those who were forced to practice in secret were allowed to be open with their spirituality.

Byzintine architecture

A common theme among the different photographs I saw were, arcs, domes, and pointed tops. Most of the monasteries contained all three or two of the three. These were used mainly for decoration, because they made the buildings looks much better. These different shapes added dimensions and angles to the buildings, making them more interesting. I also saw a lot of large rectanguar buildings, and I think those affected Americans the most. Most sky scrapers are just large rectangular boxes, because they are the simplest and allow the most room. They are very apparent in big cities, where room is limited, and they need to fit a lot. So you cam say that these shapes are used primarily for function instead of design.

So much gold!!

If these documents had anything in common, it would be the mention of gold, and a lot of it at that. Documents one, two and three all talk of the magnificence of Constantinople and how it was such a wealthy city. Document two, written by Robert of Clari, states that it had two thirds of the wealth of the world. I doubt that Constantinople was that rich, but I do believe it was wealthy. It had to have enough to make a huge impact on all these people. The first three documents also talk of the games of Constantinople. Document one, written by Benjamin of Tudela, goes into detail. He talks of the different animals how they go into combat with one another. Again, I agree that the games were probably very lage, but I do not think that the animals were as grand as they say they were or fought in the manner that was stated. I do not thi that document four was very credible. It was a map of Constantinople. It showed water flowing in between the cities, and in vast amounts. It also showed buildings going straight up. It was very unrealistic and was probably drawn to catch the eyes of outsiders. On the other hand, I believe document five was very credible. It was a picture of the interior of Saint Sophia. I was sort of confused, because it showed pillars, and had a very Arabic style to it. There were also signs that said Muhammad and Allah in Arabic hanging on the walls. I thought it was a mosque. Document six is written by George Acropolites. He narrates the arrival of the emperor and talsk of how grand and magnificent it was. He tells of golden gates. He recalls how people shouted out prayers. I think this is pretty reliable, because people would make a huge deal if an emperor came home. They would give him a very warm welcome and give him the best. The last document was about the extraordinary privileges of the venetian. It describes their wealth and power. I would think that this would be accurate, because the venetians probably were very wealthy.