Humanism Reading & Questions

Humanism Reading & Questions Directions: First you must make a copy of this assignment, click “File” and then go down to “Make a Copy”. Then read through the information and answer the questions found below. Submit to Canvas when completed. Humanism was a philosophy followed by writers, and eventually artists, starting in Italy in the 14th century. It was part of the Italian Renaissance. Humanists believed in the following ideas… ❏ Writing about everyday life. During the Middle Ages writers wrote about religious topics. Humanist writers and artists were more interested in the world they lived in. ❏ Studying about and copying ideas from the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. They were very interested in the Greek and Roman ideas that each person has DIGNITY and that life had more meaning than just preparing for HEAVEN. ❏ Getting a good education. Humanists also used common, everyday language when writing. This is called vernacular. During the Middle Ages most books and educational materials were in Latin. Actually, educational lessons were even presented in Latin. Humanist writers wrote in languages such as French, Italian, and German….the languages of the common people. Eventually, universities began to teach in these languages, too. This made it easier for people to understand. As a result, the Church, which used Latin in its services and used a Latin Bible, lost some of its power to control education. ❏ Celebration of human achievement and potential. Let’s meet some humanist writers and read what they have to say about their works: “My name is Petrarch. I was a 14th century Italian writer who chose to write in Italian rather than in Latin. Some of my poems were about love and beauty. I wrote about life, not death. I wrote about beauty, love, and nature. I did not write about Heaven and Hell or religion, at all. In my opinion, man should care about his life on Earth before he thinks about life after death.” “My name is Erasmus. I lived in Holland in the early 16th century and I agree with everything Petrarch said. I wrote a famous book called, In Praise of Folly. In this book I attacked the superstitions people believe in. I also attacked the power of the Church in my writings. It was because of my work that the Bible was translated into common languages so that common people could read it.” “My name is Sir Thomas More. I was an Englishman who lived during the same time as Erasmus. My most famous work was called Utopia. It was about a wonderful country where people were not poor, where there were no wars, and where everyone was free. In reality, there was no such country. By making one up, I was able to write about what was wrong with the world I lived in.” Answer the following questions: 1. In your own words, describe humanism. A movement followed by writers and artists. 2. Explain what makes each of the writers a humanist; AND using different colors for each person, highlight the piece of evidence that validates (proves) it. 3. a. Petrarch - He was an 14th century writer and he wrote about life. b. Erasmus - He was an early 16th century writer and wrote about beliefs. The book was converted to different languages so people could read it. c. Sir Thomas More - He was an Englishman, who wrote about life. Evaluate the importance of writing in the vernacular of the common people. It’s important because if you write in vernacular, everyone can read it. But if it’s another language you won’t be able to so no one would read it. 4. If you could create a Utopia of your own, what would it look like? Describe at least two characteristics in your Utopia, then compare it to what Sir Thomas More wrote about in his perfect world. If I could create a utopia, I would make it based on everyone being equal and no racism. Also, where everyone gets along. It’s nothing like today’s life. It’s similar to Sir Thomas More’s because this is what’s wrong with the world today.