Friday, 3 June 2016
Experiential blog: #9
I think the information that is most meaningful to me is the new understanding of the different culture of the UK and of Central Europe. Before we went on this trip I really wasn't sure what to expect, but I had this pre-disposition that Europeans didn't like Americans, and while I did encounter some people that did seem to live up to this expectations, for the majority of people I met they were all very nice. Being American too we think that everyone cares what we're doing and who we are, but I think truthfully the reason everyone I met seemed nice was because people in Central Europe just don't care as much about Americans as we think they do. Anyways, this better understanding of cultures different from my own will be useful in the future as I plan to continue traveling internationally I hope to build upon the knowledge I have gained from this month abroad. I think studying abroad and seeing all of these different people from different cultures and backgrounds all together in one place, it makes Cincinnati seem extremely small and while it makes myself and my life seem very insignificant, it puts my part in the world into perspective.
Wednesday, 1 June 2016
Experiential blog: #8
Studying abroad is very different from just taking the same class at UC because when you're studying abroad you are visiting all these different places that pertain to the curriculum; for me since I'm a visual learner it's easier for me to comprehend and really understand the Habsburg empire and the effects of empire when I'm able to visit the places that I'm reading about. The class has given me a greater understanding of what empire really was and to what lengths the empire went to to keep control over the people. It taught me the complicated relationship between the church and the empire, and how the empire was able to use this relationship to control the common people. It also taught me how the people responded to oppression by the empire through gothic literature.
Not only has studying abroad taught me about empire, its influence on the people, and how they kept control, it has also taught me about the people and the different cultures of Austria, the Czech Republic and the U.K. It was interesting to visit each place and see how the empire effected each differently. For example in Austria, since it was centered around Hofburg, the people of Austria still act and present themselves as if the empire was still around. In contrast, in Prague, since it was a branch of the empire it was much more relaxed and became a place where people who felt oppressed by the empire could express themselves.
Not only has studying abroad taught me about empire, its influence on the people, and how they kept control, it has also taught me about the people and the different cultures of Austria, the Czech Republic and the U.K. It was interesting to visit each place and see how the empire effected each differently. For example in Austria, since it was centered around Hofburg, the people of Austria still act and present themselves as if the empire was still around. In contrast, in Prague, since it was a branch of the empire it was much more relaxed and became a place where people who felt oppressed by the empire could express themselves.
Experiential blog: #7
The attitudes that I noticed in Austria and even the Czech seemed a lot for negative than what I observed in England and in Scotland. This isn't to say anyone was openly rude to me personally but I did notice how if anyone in our group accidentally ran into another person they would apologize and the majority of the time the person would scoff at them, not say anything, and continue walking. Personal space is almost not existent in Europe I felt. In the United States we have one of the furthest 'personal spaces' while Europe has one of the lowest, so for people that I didn't know to get really close to me when we had a conversation was very uncomfortable to me. However overall Vienna was a lot more strict than Prague, I still noticed some of the same behaviors in Prague.
The attitudes I noticed in Europe were pretty close to my assumptions before we came, I knew that the majority of Europe was generally more rude than the United States. But I did find that in the United Kingdom I didn't notice any of the same 'rude' behaviors that I witnessed in Europe, everyone I met in the UK were always very nice to me.
I think because of these insights it definitely gives me a better understanding of the culture of Europe and how one should act and present themselves.
Friday, 27 May 2016
Content blog: #2
Compare and contrast the cathedrals of Vienna and Prague.
St. Pitus and St. George are located among the royal palace in Prague. St. George is the perfect example of gothic with it's dark brick, steeples, and gargoyles. While St. Pitus is made of plain stone and probably 1/10th the size of St. George, St. Pitus is what I imagine when I think of an old European church. St. Pitus has a few statues dedicated to saints while St. George is floor to ceiling statues of different saints, with stained glass windows that seemed bigger than the walls of St. Pitus, and complete with each corner of the building fenced off showing different private alters that belonged to only wealthy families.
While St. George and St. Pitus are mixed among a mess of buildings that together make up the palace of Prague, in contrast, St. Stephen's in Vienna was it's own attraction. St. Stephen's is so big you could probably fit both St. George and St. Pitus inside it, and unlike St. Pitus all modesty was thrown out the window when building and decorating St. Stephens (after all the church was a reflection of the power of the Empire instead of religion). While St. Stephens was not the preferred church of the Austrian Emperors, that didn't stop them from investing time and money into the church. When Rudolf wanted the church to reflect the power of the Empire, he had them build one of the tallest steeples of the time. And when Frederick the Third wanted a heavier influence of the church on the people of Vienna, and simply built the church bigger so St. Stephens qualified for it's own bishop.
Overall, while all three of these churches are very different from each other, they all show the same thing. The power and influence of the Empire.
St. Pitus and St. George are located among the royal palace in Prague. St. George is the perfect example of gothic with it's dark brick, steeples, and gargoyles. While St. Pitus is made of plain stone and probably 1/10th the size of St. George, St. Pitus is what I imagine when I think of an old European church. St. Pitus has a few statues dedicated to saints while St. George is floor to ceiling statues of different saints, with stained glass windows that seemed bigger than the walls of St. Pitus, and complete with each corner of the building fenced off showing different private alters that belonged to only wealthy families.
While St. George and St. Pitus are mixed among a mess of buildings that together make up the palace of Prague, in contrast, St. Stephen's in Vienna was it's own attraction. St. Stephen's is so big you could probably fit both St. George and St. Pitus inside it, and unlike St. Pitus all modesty was thrown out the window when building and decorating St. Stephens (after all the church was a reflection of the power of the Empire instead of religion). While St. Stephens was not the preferred church of the Austrian Emperors, that didn't stop them from investing time and money into the church. When Rudolf wanted the church to reflect the power of the Empire, he had them build one of the tallest steeples of the time. And when Frederick the Third wanted a heavier influence of the church on the people of Vienna, and simply built the church bigger so St. Stephens qualified for it's own bishop.
Overall, while all three of these churches are very different from each other, they all show the same thing. The power and influence of the Empire.
Content blog: #7
Explain how Kafka's writing contributes to your understanding of the Empire.
Kafka's writing perfectly embodies the frustration many people had with the Empire as well as pointing out everything that was wrong with the Empire in short stories dripping with satire. Kafka actually worked closely within the Empire, nicknaming himself a double agent, working for Bureaucrats by day and an oppressed German-Jew-Writer by night. Kafka's works, such as The Castle and The Trial, were a way for him to express him frustration with the Empire in a city where he felt constantly oppressed, saying that his writing was his 'terrain for liberation'. However, Kafka realizing that even the literary machine was influenced by the Empire, he begged his closest friend to not publish his works after his death and burned most of his works after he finished them during his life. Kafka contributes to my understanding of Empire because he describes the flaws of the Empire from both a commoners perspective, but also as someone who worked within the Empire. Kafka shows the difficulty of trying to get anything done in the Empire through The Castle, and shows how everyone is seemingly on trial by the Empire through The Trial. Kafka is also the perfect example of how people turned to the Gothic in response to Empire.
Kafka's writing perfectly embodies the frustration many people had with the Empire as well as pointing out everything that was wrong with the Empire in short stories dripping with satire. Kafka actually worked closely within the Empire, nicknaming himself a double agent, working for Bureaucrats by day and an oppressed German-Jew-Writer by night. Kafka's works, such as The Castle and The Trial, were a way for him to express him frustration with the Empire in a city where he felt constantly oppressed, saying that his writing was his 'terrain for liberation'. However, Kafka realizing that even the literary machine was influenced by the Empire, he begged his closest friend to not publish his works after his death and burned most of his works after he finished them during his life. Kafka contributes to my understanding of Empire because he describes the flaws of the Empire from both a commoners perspective, but also as someone who worked within the Empire. Kafka shows the difficulty of trying to get anything done in the Empire through The Castle, and shows how everyone is seemingly on trial by the Empire through The Trial. Kafka is also the perfect example of how people turned to the Gothic in response to Empire.
Content blog: #6
Describe the Ossuary of Kunta Hora, explain why it was creepy/sublime.
The Ossuary of Kunta Hora is a small Roman Catholic church located beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints in the Czech Republic. The story of the Ossuary is as follows, after the Black Death in the 14th century and the Hussite Wars in the 15th century many thousands of people had been burried in mass graves in Abbey cemetery, when the church was built the lower level was to be used as an Ossuary for the mass graves unearthed in construction, this task was given to a monk who stored the bones in the lower level of the church. Until a carpenter came along and decided to use the bones to make extremely creepy decorations because why not?
Today the Ossuary is a breeding ground for tourists for selfie sticks. The upper floor remains a chapel, but the lower floor is covered floor to ceiling with decorations made of human skulls, and nearly every other bone. While the Ossuary is labeled as a momentary, reminding us of our humanity, I see it as creepy and unneeded. The way I see it, all of the people who now are being used as Femur garlands already have suffered through the black death or the Hussite Wars. To me it seems incredibly disrespectful to dig up mass graves to turn once living breathing humans beings into a tourist trap. Sure we're all going to die, but when I die I don't want some crazy monk digging me up and putting my bones on display.
The Ossuary of Kunta Hora is a small Roman Catholic church located beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints in the Czech Republic. The story of the Ossuary is as follows, after the Black Death in the 14th century and the Hussite Wars in the 15th century many thousands of people had been burried in mass graves in Abbey cemetery, when the church was built the lower level was to be used as an Ossuary for the mass graves unearthed in construction, this task was given to a monk who stored the bones in the lower level of the church. Until a carpenter came along and decided to use the bones to make extremely creepy decorations because why not?
Today the Ossuary is a breeding ground for tourists for selfie sticks. The upper floor remains a chapel, but the lower floor is covered floor to ceiling with decorations made of human skulls, and nearly every other bone. While the Ossuary is labeled as a momentary, reminding us of our humanity, I see it as creepy and unneeded. The way I see it, all of the people who now are being used as Femur garlands already have suffered through the black death or the Hussite Wars. To me it seems incredibly disrespectful to dig up mass graves to turn once living breathing humans beings into a tourist trap. Sure we're all going to die, but when I die I don't want some crazy monk digging me up and putting my bones on display.
Content blog: #5
Describe Konopiste as a classic Empire location, explain why it was important.
Konopiste belonged to Franz Ferdinand, the nephew of Franz Joseph who would take the throne of the Austrian Empire after Franz Josephs death in 1916. Franz Ferdinand was the richest Habsburg during his time, and this definitely reflected on the interior of his hunting lodge with the exquisite, lavish, and over the top decorations and furnishings of Konopiste (also reflecting the almost never ending wealth of the Empire).
Konopiste was important for the thousand of trophy's that Franz Ferdinand displayed along the walls, showing a glimpse into his severe mental instability. It is also important because Franz Ferdinand would become the last Empire of Austrian, ending his reign at the start of World War One in 1918.
Konopiste belonged to Franz Ferdinand, the nephew of Franz Joseph who would take the throne of the Austrian Empire after Franz Josephs death in 1916. Franz Ferdinand was the richest Habsburg during his time, and this definitely reflected on the interior of his hunting lodge with the exquisite, lavish, and over the top decorations and furnishings of Konopiste (also reflecting the almost never ending wealth of the Empire).
Konopiste was important for the thousand of trophy's that Franz Ferdinand displayed along the walls, showing a glimpse into his severe mental instability. It is also important because Franz Ferdinand would become the last Empire of Austrian, ending his reign at the start of World War One in 1918.
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