Victorian Currency

In my very non-professional opinion, one of the more interesting topics addressed during our class presentations was Victorian currency. I found the intricacies and details of the money of the 19th century very intriguing. The money of the time simply looked cool where it lacked in functionality, which was a concern of the era. England's currency of the 19th century followed a rather unorthodox system, made up of shillings, pennies, and pounds. The penny was the smallest unit, other than half and quarter pennies (also called farthings), and 12 pennies made up a shilling. 20 shillings made up a pound, therefore 240 pennies made up a pound. The numbers seem very random, without much rhyme or reason, and were somewhat ridiculed until England finally changed to a decimal system in 1971.

William Blake

William Blake was an English poet and artist during the early Victorian era, or the late 18th and into the 19th century. Blake was not necessarily highly regarded during his lifetime, but after his death in 1827, Blake began to receive more and more praise for his accomplishments. Blake was born into a middle class family in London, and it is said that during his childhood, Blake began to have "visions" during which Blake saw what he believed to be God or other figures such as angels. Blake was a religious man, but denounced many of the common religious principles of his day. He had his own religious and social beliefs, many of which were controversial during his time. For instance, Blake was a strong believer in racial and sexual equality. Also, Blake believed that orthodoxy of his time suppressed natural desires and discouraged people having a good time. He believed that religion had gotten out of hand in the way that no earthly being could possibly meet the demands of church leaders of the day. Despite holding ideals of rejecting external authority, Blake opposed the enlightenment movement, however is still considered an enlightenment poet. Strange situation for a strange man, what else is there to say?

Madeleine de Scudéry

Madeleine de Scudéry was born in 1607 in Le Havre, Normandy in northern France. Born into a wealthy family, her family was very well educated, and her older brother also became a writer. Madeleine is known for her lengthy romance novels, most centered around long conversation. Her longest work, Artamène, is 2.1 million words long and is the longest French novel ever written. There remains debate about the several self- published or unpublished works that are longer than Artamène, however, these novels have been widely discarded. Nonetheless, Madeleine's writings were largely commended by other novelists of her day, and largely enjoyed by many european readers throughout the 17th century. Madeleine died in 1701, at the age of 83, a very long life for a person in the 17th century.

Motivation

I learned something this week. I learned it without anyone telling me anything about it or hearing a lecture about it or seeing it happen. I learned it on my own, sitting in front of my computer with bad midterm grades, my future, and eighty six other problems on my mind. I learned it from experience, and I learned it from inexperience. I learned it from effort, as well as lack thereof. I didn't learn it in class, which might conflict with the purpose of this blog, and if so, stop reading and let me know, I will be more than happy to write another one on a more appropriate topic. But this is far more important than anything I learned behind a desk this week. I learned the difference between mediocre and great. I discovered the key behind success. I found the ultimate secret to getting that dream job. This week, I learned about motivation.
I have always had academics come easily for me, whereas socially and athletically, I was behind most in high school. I played golf, sure, but who cares? Earning a four year letter award in golf was about as cool as getting notes in your lunchbag from mom in my high school, a 2,500 student powerhouse football school where nobody cared unless it was played on Friday nights. So, my natural though process was to get better in the fields where I was lacking, and spend less time on school. My grades were fine, I put enough time in to graduate with a cumulative GPA of 3.85, and my social and athletic skills got better. Well, this isn't high school anymore, and the fact remains that my high school career was focused around my social life, and now the tables need to be turned. My academics have to be my priority now, a big change for a kid who would rather clean toilets than study math. The key is simple: motivation. Motivation is the driving force behind all successful people. Look at anyone in the world of business and they all have a common driving force behind what they do. They want something, and they get it, one way or another. Now, I am in no way condoning the harm of others to get a position, but there has to be that mentality not only in the workplace, but in the classroom. Who knows, one day life's journey may find you interviewing for the same job as an old classmate, with the interviewing done by a friend of that teacher. This seems unlikely, and it is, but being a motivated individual can propel a simple college student to his/her dream job one day.
Maybe learned isn't the right word. I realized something this week. I realized that, you know what, maybe I can. And forget the maybe, I know it's possible. All I have to do is try, because motivation is simply trying to be the best, not so hard is it? I've been trying to be the best quarterback for years, and at 5' 10", 150lbs, I think being the best student will be a little more realistic, and maybe even easier.

The Age of Reason

The 18th century was a time of major change in Europe. With the start of the scientific revolution in the 17th century, a time of drastic change began in western Europe. During this time period, people became more concerned with experimentation and concrete evidence than they did religion. During this time, the glorious revolution happened in England and in France, absolutism was being strongly challenged. Also being challenged were the widely accepted principles of inequality and justice. During the 17th and into the 18th century, the common belief was of inequality- one was born into a certain class and remained there for the rest of their lives. However, philosophes of the time began to challenge this, and the movement for equality gained support. Also, the justice system (if you can call it that) began to be challenged. The justice system was a very corrupt one, proven by France's justice system, where these positions were bought, not earned. Therefore, officials would take bribes from criminals, and let the criminals off to roam the streets. As you can imagine, this did not bode well for crime rates of the time, and the philosophes were right in thinking the system needed reform. Jumping forward a few years, these rights that people of the 17th century thought up are still held as the basis of American and European society today. I guess i can relate to the 1600's in a way.

Versailles

The palace of Versailles is undoubtedly considered one of the most beautiful buildings ever constructed. When Louis XIV decided to begin construction in 1664, he wanted to build a palace more elegant and grand than any other before it. 20 years later, with help from architects Louis Le Vau and Andre Le Notre, he accomplished just that. The palace boasts some of the most beautiful gardens anywhere as well as some of the first modern fountains. Even today, when all the fountains are turned on, getting enough water pressure is a chore. The palace grounds even boast thier own "Grand Canal" as in Venice. However, the palace was more than just a beautiful place to live, it was a symbol of absolutism for the next 100 years. From the day Louis XIV moved to Versailles in 1682, until the royal family was forced back to Paris in 1789, the palace represented autocracy. In some ways, the palace is an elegant landmark, but in others it represents the many hardships the French people had to endure during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Other fun facts about Versailles

Roof area- 27.2 acres
Floor Space- 51,210 sq. M or 551, 000 sq ft.
Windows- 2,153
Rooms-700
Staircases-67

The Marriage of Figaro

Upon first glance, many 18th century "satires" may seem less exciting than watching the Detroit Lions' offense on Sundays, but I have come to realize that this is not always true. Recently I read one such 18th century satire titled The Marriage of Figaro by Pierre-Augustin Caron De Beaumarchais. In this satirical play, there are many examples of humor, especially at the expense of the nobility. Countless times throughout the play, the noble of the land, dubbed "The Count" is teased and poked fun at, and countless times, he fails to realize it. Beaumarchais goes on to make fun of various other things such as the court system and the peasants, all in very creative and clever ways. I really enjoyed reading the play and it opened my mind to 18th century literature that is typically labeled "boring" and left for dead. Beaumarchais opened my eyes and taught me that even 200+ year old literature can still draw a few laughs and keep the pages turning.