The school of Athens

School of Athens is a piece of fresco done by Raphael within the period of 1509 and 1511 at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City (Munn 67). This is one of the most philosophical frescoes done during this era. Raphael was known as a philosopher. During his era, the society was heavily influenced by the works of such philosophers as Plato and Aristotle. He was known to be a follower of the principles that were brought forth by these great philosophers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The school of Athens specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More He was known to be one of the greatest painters in Italy, and most of his paintings would reflect a given message. Being an artist, he used his art to pass messages that he considered the society should know whenever he embarked on his work. The School of Athens, otherwise known as Scuola di Atene was done with a lot of accuracy and a concerted effort was put to ensure that the imag es were as clear as they could possibly be. The background of this fresco clearly demonstrates the Renaissance period in Italy. Raphael was reflecting on an era that characterized emergence of modernism in Italy. The background of this picture depicts the cultural change that was taking shape very rapidly in Italy during the period between 14th and 16th centuries. That was a transitional period between Medieval and the Modern Europe. Italy, and Europe at large, was experiencing a rebirth, and new systems were being put in place to which reflected this transition (Raffaele 98). The society was first learning towards the renaissance that was propelled by the Greek’s philosophers. This is clearly demonstrated in this fresco done by this particular artist. The setting of the School of Athens may bring a lot of debate given the shape that Raphael has given it. One may argue that the setting of this fresco has a setting of a church. This was as a typical shape of a church. However, there are a number of factors that rules out the possibility of this being a church (Hall 78). This therefore, leaves the possibility of this being a palace. The ornaments on the floor, the decorations of the walls and the general atmosphere of the place leave no doubt of this setting being in a palace. The royalty of this place and the people in this place is convincing that this is a palace. The setting of this place can also be considered in the context of the time in which this painting could have been made. This painting gives the context of the time of renaissance when several philosophers and scientists would come together in royal palace or conferences to discuss issues that concerned nature and the society in general. The painting gives the impression that this is a conference where the king would meet with his top advisers and other intellectuals trying to define the future of the kingdom.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The characters used in this fresco are symbolic of how most kingdoms were run. Most kingdoms during this era heavily depended on advisors who could help them define the leadership of their nations. This is because most of the characters are some of the renowned philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. In the painting are also some of the best solders of a lifetime like Alexander the Great. Scientists like Pythagoras and Archimedes can also be seen. References Hall, Marcia. Raphael’s â€Å"school of Athens†. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Print. Munn, Mark. The School of History: Athens in the Age of Socrates. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002. Print. Raffaele, Top of FormFlorio. The School of Athens: How the Humanities Can Help Revive the Great Conversation. New York: Cengage, 2006. Print. This essay on The school of Athens was written and submitted by user Puck to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

To Conquer Fear an Essay on the Short Story First Confession Essay Example

To Conquer Fear an Essay on the Short Story First Confession Essay Example To Conquer Fear an Essay on the Short Story First Confession Paper To Conquer Fear an Essay on the Short Story First Confession Paper To Conquer Fear In the short story, â€Å"First Confession,† by Frank O’Connor, a young boy named Jackie finds himself having to conquer his fear of giving his first confession. He realizes by the end that he really had nothing to be afraid of and it was a silly fear. Jackie, scared to death of confession, tries to fake an illness to avoid it, ends up surprising the priest when he does go, and learns that ultimately, perception is scarier than reality. Although it doesn’t seem like it at first, the reader and Jackie learn that in order to conquer fear, one must face it. Jackie, a young seven year old has been told stories by a woman named Mrs. Ryan that really worry him. One story is about a man who gives a bad confession and essentially eternally burns in hell. Mrs. Ryan also tries to give Jackie and the others a sense of what hell is like: â€Å"She lit a candle, took out a new half-crown, and offered it to the first boy who would hold one finger in the flame for five minutes Then she asked were we afraid of holding one finger in a little flame for five minutes and not afraid of burning all over in roasting hot furnaces for all eternity† (O’Connor 26). When Mrs. Ryan tells stories and plays mind games like this, she’s basically scaring the children into giving a good, complete. However, with Jackie, this is too much, and he is frightened even more that he’ll mess up accidentally and go to hell. Instead of conquering his fear, he runs from it. The day confession comes around doesn’t go. He says, â€Å"I was scared to death of confession. The day the whole class went I let on to have a toothache, hoping my absence wouldn’t be noticed† (27). Mrs. Ryan has done her job well, to the point where Jackie is worried beyond belief. He decides to fake sick so as not to go, but as readers later find, this idea comes back to haunt him. If he had originally gone and faced his fear, the ordeal would already be over. Like many children, Jackie finds it easier to avoid the fears in life rather than confront them. This, however, is not a successful way to live. Since Jackie doesn’t go to confession with his classmates, he receives an order to go alone with his sister. As Jackie enters his church, it’s as if all his worst nightmares are becoming a reality and he’s leaving anything he ever loved: â€Å"The door hut behind me, the sunlight went out and gave place to deep shadow, and the wind whistled outside so that the silence within seemed to crackle like ice under my feet† (28). This imagery shows how even though Jackie is finally beginning to conquer his fear of confession, it’s like a descent into hell. As he walks into the church everything becomes gloomy, creepy, and ominous. This shows how the process of overcoming his trepidation is difficult even though in the long run it will be worthwhile. Once Jackie is in the confessional, he talks too quietly for the priest to hear and everything continues to get worse: â€Å"It was matter between God and me, and He had all the odds† (29). Jackie is facing his fears and so far he’s failing miserably. Of course, if he had not avoided confession in the first place, he would not be struggling. It’s not until the very end of the story that Jackie realizes how beneficial it is to face your fear. Once Jackie and the priest are settled, Jackie slowly begins to open up to the priest and feels more comfortable. The priest makes Jackie feel welcome: â€Å"Feeling I might as well get it over while I had him [priest] in good humour, ‘I had it all arranged to kill my grandmother†¦ I tried to kill Nora too’† (32). Readers finally understand why Jackie is so afraid of confession. Firstly, he didn’t know what would happen if he told and secondly, he was worried if he didn’t tell about his plan to kill his grandmother he’d go to hell. However, the priest only gives Jackie three Hail Mary’s, a small consequence, and it makes him feel like he did the right thing; suddenly it’s all worth it. By the time Jackie leaves he has a complete change of heart. Jackie says, â€Å"He had me there for a full 10 minutes talking†¦ I was genuinely sorry to part with him, because he was the most entertaining character I’d ever met in the religious line. Outside†¦ the sunlight was like the roaring of waves on a beach; it dazzled me† (33). Jackie realizes that there really was nothing to be worried about. The priest knows how to take care of him. When he walks outside again, the imagery changes from gloomy to overjoyed. Jackie is relieved because his burden of the idea of killing his grandma has been lifted and his fears have been subdued. Readers now see that this trepidation that was haunting Jackie has been lifted because he faced it; he didn’t hide from it. In â€Å"First Confession† by Frank O’Connor, readers are shown that facing fears can only help, not hurt. Jackie is excellent proof of this because although he was terrified at first of confession, he ends up finding it enjoyable and relieving. Readers learn that fear itself can be worse than the actual event.