Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Religion

Ballads

Ballads are eight-syllable verses, with assonance in pairs and odd verses loose. Stylistic preferences include action over description, a structure of dialogue, a beginning in medias res, a truncated end, archaisms, replacement of verb forms, use of repetition, and use of questions.

Mester de Clerecía

The Mester de Clerecía uses cuaderna vía, four-line verses of 14 syllables, with caesura divided into hemistiches of seven syllables and consonant rhyme. These works were recited in Latin. Anonymous works include:

• Libro de Alexandre: The legend of Alexander the Great.
• Libro de Apolonio: An adventure story in the Byzantine manner, telling the story of King Apollonius.
• Poema de Fernán González: Tells the story of Fernán González (arranged

The Four Noble Truths

1. Life inevitably involves pain and suffering.
2. The origin of suffering is desire, clinging to things and people, causing the suffering of loss or the pain of not having them.
3. Suffering and pain can be extinguished at their root by eliminating desire, the extinction of the self.
4. The **Eightfold Noble Path** leads to the cessation of suffering:

• Right Understanding (of the Four Noble Truths)
• Right Thought (willingness to reject hate and violence)
• Right Speech (to live without lying and without unnecessary words)
• Right Action (moral behavior)
• Right Livelihood (that your work does not hurt others)
• Right Effort (taking all the inner strength to take action and overcome negative instincts)
• Right Mindfulness (taking special care of things

Language Functions

Functions of language are not incompatible if mixed; talk of secondary functions.

1. Predominant and Representative Functions: Context focuses on the objective to convey information. Extralinguistics focuses on reality; its main feature is objectivity.
2. Expressive Function: Issuer-oriented, emphasizes feelings and attitude of the speaker. The message is above the transmission of the facts; the characteristic function is colloquial registration.
3. Appellative Function: Receiver-oriented, the intent is to influence the behavior of the receiver (call someone, ask questions, request, order, prohibit, counsel).
4. Phatic Function: Acts on the channel; the aim is to establish a communication channel or close it.
5. Metalinguistic Function: Focus

Yerma: Character Analysis

Secondary Characters

• Juan

  Yerma's husband. He is a strong man with few fixed ideas, dedicating most of his life to working in the fields. Unlike his wife, Juan does not want children. He desires a peaceful, quiet life and wants Yerma to always be at home, performing domestic duties while he works. He often makes disparaging comments about his wife.

• María

  A young friend of Yerma. She is a mother, which causes Yerma much sorrow as she longs for a child. They often discuss their relationships with their husbands. Initially, María was scared of having a son, but Yerma's support helped her overcome this fear.

• Víctor

  A friend of Juan. He is a cheerful man who always tries to encourage Yerma. On one occasion, Yerma collapsed

Verdaguer's Impact on Catalan Culture

What does it mean from a linguistic point of view? The value of the motherland lies in its dignity and refined poetic language, which affirms Catalan's potential as a cultural language during a time when this was questioned. It's important to remember that the Catalan language had endured centuries of restricted and inconsistent use.

Joaquin Rubio and Catalan Language Activism

What is the work undertaken by Joaquin Rubio and Ors? Ors is an activist for the Catalan language, poetry, and is a proactive figure in favor of what he calls independence.

Verdaguer: Priest and Poet

To what extent do the activities of priest and poet complement each other in Verdaguer? From the perspective of the Catholic sector in the... Continue reading "Verdaguer: Catalan Poetry, Religion, and Renaissance" »

Key Aspects of Feudalism

Characteristics of the Feudal System

Evident from the characteristics of the feudal system:

d) The institution of vassalage and its links.

Main Function in Defense

Its main function in defense was the feudal system.

d) The nobility.

The Investiture Controversy

Pope and the Investiture Dispute

b) Gregory VIII

Linguistically Homogeneous Groups

e) Germans

The Carolingian Empire and Border Marks

b) A border territory which was defended.

Relationship with the Church: Seeking New Realms

d) The evangelization of Germans.

Under Vassalage Relations

a) The feudal lord committed to giving protection.

Elements and Characteristics of Feudal Villages

b) Portion of the land given to their subjects by the lord.

First Germanic Kingdom to Convert to Christianity

c)

The Soul's Pursuit of Happiness and Divine Union

Being the Sushumna body, it is made up by the soul, and the soul is also part of him and constitutes hope, longing, and delight. In regard to pleasure and delight, Augustine came to view them as the greater source of human action. When Saint Augustine seeks God, he seeks happiness and understands that, just as the body lives by the soul, the soul lives by full union with God. God is true happiness, for God is real and adds a softness greater than any pleasure. Sweet happiness is the last resting place, which is why it is understood as the immense good for which we sigh; it is the enjoyment of peace. This happiness was indeed supreme, but it could not be expressed by words; it was inwardly enjoyed... Continue reading "Augustine's Philosophy: Soul, Happiness, and Knowledge" »

Celestina: A Dramatic Analysis

Celestina: A dialogical work (without voice-over), dramatic in character, though probably not intended to be represented, but read out in 25 acts. It is also known as El alta. It is divided first by the other anonymous author, then written by Fernando de Rojas, a Toledan convert.

Structure

Approach: Act 1

Argument: Calisto loves Melibea and is rejected by her. He expresses despair to Sempronius, his servant, who suggests using an old bawd whose name was Celestina. Sempronius and Celestina, who is later joined by Parmeno—another servant of Callisto—are associated for the economic benefit of the young man.

Development: Acts II-XVIII

Argument: Celestina, through a spell and her ability to persuade, awakens love in... Continue reading "Celestina: A Dramatic Analysis of Characters and Structure" »

Vatican City: Baroque Art and Architecture

Key Elements of the Baroque Period

Vatican 1:

• a) Vatican, Rome (IT)
• b) Lorenzo Bernini
• c) Baroque Style
• d) 1656-67
• e) Lintel

2: Historical Context: This period is notable for the interplay between crisis and progress. Many problems arose: social conflict, stagnation in agriculture and industry, pestilence, and war. However, it was also a time when colonial empires emerged, helping to alleviate these crises.

B) Cultural Context: The art center during the 17th century was in Rome. During this period, there was a scientific breakthrough in opera.

C) Religious Context: Religion saw a reaffirmation of the principles of the Catholic Church. The papacy was strengthened, and the Jesuits were created to curb the Counter-... Continue reading "Vatican City: Baroque Art, Architecture, and Religious Influence" »

1. Expository and Argumentative Texts

1.1. The Expository Text

An expository text aims to transmit, orally or in writing, content on a specific topic.

Purpose:

• To inform the receiver about a topic, aiming for comprehensive understanding.
• To inform non-specialized receivers, where the texts have an informative and expository character.

The purpose of expository texts is to explain a topic, transmit knowledge, and inform, not to convince or persuade.

Examples of expository texts include class explanations, conferences, specialized articles, exams, and manuals. Expository texts often blend with argumentative ones.

1.2. Characteristics of Expository Texts:

Objectivity, clarity, and order.

• Objectivity: Presented from an impartial point of view. Uses third-