A World Lit Only By Fire, By William Manchester

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In the book, A World Lit Only By Fire, by William Manchester his thesis was how the Medieval mind needed events or people to help bring the people in the dark ages to the light. It portrays how humanism, Leonardo Da Vinci, Literacy, and the Renaissance all contributed to ending the generations of suffering in the Medieval Age. Humanism was a new way of thinking that allowed people to break free from the church and think for themselves like true individuals. The Renaissance was a new age that manifested into the teachings of science, literature, politics, technology, art, and the drive and determination to innovate. Ferdinand Melligan also brought a new light to Europe. Ferdinand had a determination for glory, fame, and wealth. The people of …show more content…

When the spread of humanism reached the people they could finally think independently and become literate through something else besides the church's teachings. “Shackled in ignorance, disciplined by fear and sheathed in superstition, they trudged into the sixteenth century in the clumsy, hunched, pigeon-toed gait of rickets victims, their pale faces pocked by smallpox” (Manchester 27). This quote displays how before humanism the people of the Medieval Ages people we stricken with fear to think for themselves and think about something other than the godly figures that ruled their lives. “Humanism led to the …show more content…

He journeyed to Spain with five ships in search for new trade routes. “They would push on, he said; no doubt there would be hardships, but even if they had to eat the leather on the ships’ yards, he would keep his promise to King Carlos, trusting to God to help them and provide them with good fortune” (234). Magellan pushed on for fame and fortune something the people in Europe hadn’t seen in awhile. His personal gain allowed others to be influenced by him. “Shortly after they had landed on the new island Magellan heard a great cheering and, moving toward the noise, found his servant surrounded by merry natives” (238). Ferdinand Magellan finally succeeded, landing on an island with welcoming natives, where he would collect spices, spread religion, and gain wealth and fame. "Crowning triumph of the age, the final decisive blow to the past" (294). Magellan’s voyage lead Europe to advance and proceed into a new generation with education, wealth, and new trade

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