The Effect of the Russian Orthodox Religion Essay Example for Free

The Effect of the Russian Orthodox Religion Essay Orthodox Christianity has had an immense effect on the culture of Russia. The adoption of the Orthodox faith from Constantinople by Prince Vladimir in 988 introduced cultural influences that profoundly affected the Russian consciousness. As the people embraced Orthodoxy it developed a uniquely Russian flavor and rooted deep in the fertile Russian soul. Orthodoxy had a major impact on politics, art, and nearly every other aspect of Russias culture. Orthodoxy helped forge Russias world view and defined her place in the world. The church affected the thought patterns and motivations of a whole culture and changed the way Russians thought about themselves and the ways that they lived their lives. The church acted as a unifying factor for the Russian nation. Church holidays and fasts enriched and brought meaning to the cycle of seasons and sowing in the subsistence society. Russians possessed a deep religious faith and from it they derived a sense of purpose in the universe and the promise of salvation. The church nourished and preserved the culture of Russia during centuries of internal strife and foreign intervention. Orthodox people feel a strong sense of community and brotherhood towards one another through a shared bond of faith. As a result of this emphasis on community, the rights of the group tend to take precedence over the rights of the individual in Russian culture. The Orthodox and Catholic faiths had an adversarial relationship for years. As this rift deepened and grew increasingly antagonistic, the rift between the East and the West also grew. The difference in religion between Russia and Europe can largely explain the vast differences that developed in their cul tures. The Tsar of All Russia derived his power and right to rule from his status as Gods chosen representative on earth. As it is God alone who bestowed power on the tsar, it was in the best interest of the monarchy to protect and promote the church. This conception of the tsar possessing a divine right to rule contributed to the political passivity of the Russian people. In the Byzantium tradition the concept of symphonia defined the relationship between the church and the state and acted as a balance on the unlimited power of the tsar. As the head of the church and the head of the state, the metropolitan and the tsar were equals and the metropolitan had the right to  censure the tsar. The dispute between the Possessors and the Non-Possessors challenged the idea of symphonia, or harmony and cooperation between the pillars of society. The Possessors and the Non-Possessors held vastly different ideas about the role the church should play in society and politics. When the philosophy of the Possessors triumphed, the church gained the right to wealth and serfs at the expense of political influence. The tsar became superior to the metropolitan, and the regime could now interfere in secular matters of the church. The release of the tsar from any source of accountability left the tsar with absolute, unlimited power. The abuses of Ivan the Terrible typify the danger of absolute rule left unchecked. The Russian people actually believed that God had sent Ivan to rule Russia as a punishment for her sins. The split between the two factions caused the losers, the Non-Possessors, to be reviled as heretics. This had a negative effect because the church came to be represented by a faction instead of through a consensus. This led to only one set of ideas being developed in the church and the culture and as a result it lost some of its vitality. The Possessors made ritual sacrosanct. Every gesture, word, and movement was significant and to deviate from the service in any way would be heresy. This emphasis in the exterior form of religion over inner exultation paved the way for another conflict that was to seriously undermine the power of the church. The third Rome theory was formulated by the monk Philotheus in the fifteenth century. He asserted that Russia was the heir and protector of the only true faith. Rome and Constantinople had both fallen and Moscow was the third and final seat of Orthodoxy. This theory legitimized the Russian Orthodoxys power and affirmed that she was no longer dependent on Constantinople. A church schism occurred in the seventeenth century due to changes in ritual implemented by the Patriarch Nikon. His attempts to rectify inconsistencies in the rituals of the Greeks and the Russians were merely to establish greater solidarity and continuity between the two faiths. Russia was trying to help the Greeks who were living under Turkish rule since 1439. Russia had a sense of manifest destiny and she felt that she had been chosen to defend the Eastern Orthodox peoples. The belief that ritual must be sacrosanct caused the alteration of ritual to be considered heretical. Those who  refused to change their rhythms of worship were called Old Believers and they were executed and silenced by the authorities. The Old Believers insisted on following the old forms because they feared committing heresy. The way they saw the situation was that Rome had fallen because of heresy. Moscow was the last seat of Orthodoxy and if Russia fell from the grace of God, it would mean the end of the world. The basic issue in the schism was the relationship between the Russian and Orthodox churches. Some felt that since Russia had adopted Orthodoxy from Byzantium she should remain a junior partner. Others felt that it was Russias destiny to be a leader and to free her Eastern brethren. The Orthodox relegion has been essential to the people to bring them a sense of hope and destiny and a glimpse of heaven on earth. The choice of Orthodoxy was as influential as the Mongul Yoke on the formation of the Russian character. Orthodoxy brought the people a lot of joy, created a sense of community, intensified the countries isolation, created beautiful art, started wars, complicated politics, and best of all, reminded the people to love each other.

Reality and Illusion in Shakespeares Hamlet - Appearance vs. Truth :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

Hamlet: Appearance vs. Reality One of the most famous and popular authors and script writers is William Shakespeare. Shakespeare has always been able to create interesting characters and one of the reasons they are so interesting might be that they are complex people with their inner selves differing from their outer selves. Are the characters in Hamlet the same on the inside as they appear to be on the outside? The characters in William Shakespeare's Hamlet can be studied in a manner relating to appearance versus reality. Some of these characters are Claudius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Hamlet. One character who enables us to examine the theme of appearance versus reality is Claudius, the new King of Denmark. In Act One, Scene Two Claudius acts as though he really cares for his brother and grieves over the elder Hamlet's death. This is shown in his first speech addressed to his court, "and that it us befitted/To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom/To be contracted in one brow of woe" (Shakespeare I22-4). It is shown further on in the same speech when he says, "our late dear brother's death" (Shakespeare I219). However, this is not how Claudius truly feels about his brothers death, for Claudius is the one who murders elder Hamlet. We see the proof of this in Claudius' soliloquy when he appears to be praying; "O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven./It hath the primal eldest curse upon't/A brother's murder" (Shakespeare III336-38). Another love which Claudius fakes is the love he has towards his nephew and stepson, Hamlet. In his first speech to his court Claudius tells Hamlet not to leave for school but to remain in Denmark; "It is most retrograde to our desire/And we do beseech you, bend you to remain/Here in the cheer and comfort of our eye" (Shakespeare I2114-117). However, later in the play Claudius develops a plan to send Hamlet away from Denmark with the aid of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern; "And he [Hamlet] to England shall along with you [R & G]" (Shakespeare III34). Claudius also refers to himself as "Thy loving father, Hamlet" (Shakespeare IV350) but when Hamlet is out of the room a few moments later Claudius has a complete change of face in which he reveals his plan to have Hamlet executed; "Our sovereign process, which imports at full/By letters congruing to that effect/The present death of Hamlet" (Shakespeare IV363-65). Even the love Claudius showed for Gertrude can be questioned in its validity. Claudius, near the beginning of the play, appears to be happy about

La Grande Odalisque and Olympia: Comparison/Contrast

Two exquisite paintings with a female reclining nude as the focal point are La Grande Odalisque by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres and Olympia by Édouard Manet. The female nude has been a crucial subject for art throughout history.   The angular curves and the sensuality that can be created with just a form has intrigued artist in the past, present, and future.   While the similarities of these two painting are more evident, there are still contrast between the pieces. Ingres was from France and he painted during the Neoclassical Period, while Manet, who was also from France, painted during the Realism and Impressionistic Periods.   Their live overlapped each other for only thirty years, but their styles belonged to different periods.   Ingres lived through the French Revolution and was very much affected by it although Manet was born after it was over. Seeing such a drastic change in the world in which he lived caused Ingres to pay very close attention to the details of the past.   He wanted to preserve it perfectly and he also looked to the techniques of the masters before him.   Manet was not so much concerned for the past, but his eyes were on the present.   His subjects represent the French societal and cultural setting of the time period in which he lived. La Grande Odalisque by Ingres is an oil painting of a lone nude female reclining on her bed.   Her body faces away from the viewer, while the woman looks back over her shoulder.   There is only a glimpse of her breast under one of her arms and the rounded sides of her buttocks are visible. Olympia by Manet has two females in the oil painting.   One is a black servant woman and the reclining female nude.   Manet depicted his nude facing the viewer.   Her breasts are completely exposed and her genitals are covered by her hand. There is a tropical feel in Manet’s painting  Ã‚   Even though she has covered part of herself, this female seems more open with her nudity and the female in Ingres’ painting is more subtle and alluring with her body. Ingres uses muted shades of green jewel tones to create an elegant effect.   Manet also incorporates the color green, but he emphasizes the stark white which allows the female to stand out.   The white also gives a harshness to the painting.   It is as if someone turned on a bright overhead light in the middle of a sensual moment.   The model in Ingres’ painting tends to blend with her surroundings. Both females hold something with her hand, but Ingres’ female’s fan is one of peacock feathers which blends in with the rich tones of the background.   At the barefoot of Ingres’ nude, there is a pipe and green stool, while there is a black cat at the high healed feet of Manet’s.   Manet’s figure wears an orchid in her hair as well as the shoes.   She finds no modesty with the observation of her servant’s stare and is completely open with her sexuality. The female nude is the predominate subject of both paintings but the differences reflect their artist and there artistic periods.   While they are both alluring, they are also starkly contrasted.   Manet and Ingres were definitely masters of their times, and the La Grande Odalisque and Olympia are examples of both of their best work.   Both of these works are alluring and sensual paintings that will mystify viewers as long as the two works exist.

Power Elite - 1379 Words

The Power Elite In the modern world, most of the countries have democratic government, which means that decisions are made by the people, who rule and govern the state. However, there is not a single state that practices perfect democracy due to different reasons. Governments are too big, which makes it very complex for every citizen to have a voice in decisions. Or, governments are claimed to be democratic, but in practice they can be close to authoritarian or even totalitarian regimes where one person has a power to make and enforce laws. Political power is not allocated evenly among all members of society, so, in this or that way, governments tend to fall in the hands of the few, whom we can call the elite or the power elite.†¦show more content†¦The elite do respond to the people, when it chooses to do so, or when its position is threatened. The chief executives, i.e. the big corporations play a significant role in decision making as they make the power elite and have a vast influence in the economy. Corporations can affect the taxes by raising the prices for the products, hence affecting the quality of life by production of products and wages of workers; change the environment by chemical wastes and other environmentally unfriendly chemicals. And the third group – the warlords or the high military leaders gained their power during the times of the Cold War. The danger of potential enemies, the demands of foreign affairs and the development of the means of mass destruction have given the military the power to be in the dominant power elite. Even though the power elite make a small circle of few ruling the rest, they do not manipulate events in their own self interest. The elite, for the most part, respects liberties and follows the constitutional principles, it is not a dictatorship and usually acts in peaceful ways and openly to the public.[7] On the contrary the pluralist view claims that government is ruled not by single elite, but there are a number of eliteShow MoreRelatedpower elite vs. pluralist model1965 Words   |  8 Pages Abstract Both the Elite and the Pluralist models are a means by which public policy is created. Both do not conform to the democracy created by our fore-fathers; a government for the people and by the people. The Elite model is one in which a small group of wealthy white males hold the power and control the policy making for our country. In contrast, the Pluralist model suggest that the power is distributed among interest groups that compete to control public policy. BothRead MoreState Is Not A Unified Entity Essay2323 Words   |  10 Pagesdirections. 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Many of these means for policing the body can be expensive, making the â€Å"elite† form of beauty easier to achieve for women of a higher economic standing. The removal of body hair is particularly important as â€Å"body hair removal and traditional femininity have long been intertwined - recent studies suggest that 91.5 percent of