Denise - Final (Autosaved)
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Nov 24, 2024
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Uploaded by DoctorIron8456
Denise Hernandez
History 103 Final Exam
Day 1 – Christendom (Summer Circa 1200)
I am Farraj and I am a proud Christian seafood merchant who cherishes the
Mediterranean Sea and everything it has to offer. I mainly sell oysters, clams, and carp
but I’ll settle for anything else as long as the payout is high enough. Today marks my
first day of travels in which I have just arrived at a small Christian town north of Rome.
Throughout all of my time and travels nothing pleases me more than the quaint and
friendly resemblance these towns have of my childhood village. Raised from a family of
serfs, the Manor system is nothing new to someone like me. Although the Lord here
must not be very powerful due to the lack of size of his estate, the peasants here sure
do look proud to work under him. The Church here seems rather insignificant compared
to the rest of the property, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the lord’s manor was on the
smaller side, too. Like most manor systems in Christendom, this one has the typical
three-field system I am used to. When one field is done being scavenged, the next will
have its produce collected in order to ensure that the previous field is allocated enough
time to regain nutrients for the next crop season. This staggered crop rotation allows the
time needed in order for a successful harvest to commence and take place. Back in my
home town the cathedrals and houses on the estate were simply magnificent. Stain
glass windows and tall Church buildings are the most memorable details when
describing a cathedral. Seeing the sunlight pass through the beautiful stain glass
windows is reminiscent of the heavens staring down at us. My old lord must have had all
of the riches in the world because of the size of his castle. I never stepped foot inside
but my serf parents used to tell me of its marvels. The castle had its own ten foot walls
with defensive machinery scattered throughout the property. With that being said, I
enjoyed spending time with all the other serfs at church service together at one of the
largest cathedrals in my land. It really upsets me sometimes thinking about the large tax
placed upon the townspeople. The Church must feel so proud of their taxpayer
expenditures.
Day 4 – Christendom (Town north of Rome)
Some say money is the root of happiness. Others say it is the root of all evil.
Either way you look at it astronomical changes have been made because of the past two
century’s crusades. I spoke with a wool merchant in the town today and he said that
business has been tough since the Third Crusade. This is due to the fact that higher
quality goods and substitutes have arisen directly as a result of the Crusades. Although
we couldn’t take back the Holy Land, crusaders and merchants alike brought back
various highly valuable goods. Jewels, sugar, fruits, and more have been imported as a
result for years now. After talking to the wool merchant, it is clear that although superior
goods such as cotton have become made available, numerous people will suffer trying
to adapt to a different life. In fact, I was just using my bank note this past year when
traveling across the Mediterranean region. Banking is a newer concept introduced as a
result of the Crusades. Merchant towns throughout the Mediterranean Sea have been
overpopulated as a result of increased trade. I practically live in merchant towns
because of how frequently I am traveling and around them. Although my trade routes
were greatly interrupted because of war and conflict, I still prospered through those
difficult times. Lastly, I’ve spent my past few days mulling about the manorial estate, and
have confirmed that my beloved Christian culture is deeply entrenched and still the main
focus of the people’s lives.
Day 50 – Islamdom (town in Egypt)
After spending weeks sailing from port to port and traveling from town to town, I
have finally reached my destination. In order to find better and higher quality seafood, I
have traveled to the South in order to fulfill this need. I have spent a little over three days
here now in a medium-sized Islamic town and have been enjoying myself in this foreign
land. Although there are noticeable differences, I can tell how deeply passionate these
people are about their culture and religion. Apparently, there is even this event called
Ramadan in which Muslims refuse to eat in reverence of their God and religion. I can’t
imagine fasting from sunrise to sunset, I don’t think I could ever do that. I saw so many
copies of this book called the Quran. It’s even more popular here than the Bible. I never
thought I would have seen a book rival the Bible but that must be the power of the
Quran to the Islamic people. Evidently, this book holds the utmost of value to the Islamic
people here. I asked a fellow merchant of its significance and he said that it is like the
Bible. He spoked of a man revered by all Muslims named the prophet Muhammad. This
prophet even had the angel Gabriel sent to him in order to convey the will of God. The
merchant also added that I should join him and his brothers and sisters in their religion.
Unbeknownst to me, the merchant told of stories in which Islamic mosques and towns
were being built throughout Northern Africa and even into Spain. Additionally, I think it is
better if I addressed the misinterpretation of the word Jihad and how it has been thrown
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around blatantly and negatively in recent years. I spent the last day or so visiting this
mosque in order to better understand the religious ideals of Islam. To Muslims, the
emphasis in Jihad is more defensive than offensive, apparently. I never would have
imagined that the religion of Islam had the power to spread to Europe and Africa so
strong and quickly. I have so much to learn about this religion and how it compares to
that of my own.
Day 64 – Islamdom (town in Egypt)
I have learned a plethora of new information about the Islamic religion and culture
within the past two weeks. Apparently almost half of all marriages in Islam are arranged.
I don’t think I could ever live a life where I marry someone I’ve never met before. I’ve
learned that there’s no clergy or hierarchy set for the religion of Islam. Comparatively,
Muslims and Christians alike participate in frequent prayer. Prayer is one of the most
important things in my life. I don’t know where I would be today if I didn’t pray as much
as I do on a daily basis. Although there is much that I respect about Islam and the
Quran, there is also a lot that I disagree with. Ever since I’ve been visiting the same
merchant stall every day and learning more from my fellow friend, my perspective of the
religion has changed. After a thorough review of the Quran and reading about the four
pillars of Islam, I now have a better understanding of the Islamic religion and their
respective goals and ideologies. The first pillar, Ibadat, describes the dedication and
effort involved when living a life in the name of God. Subsequently, the second pillar
entails the realm of prayer. Muslims are required to perform formal prayer five times a
day. Muhammad emphasized that alms and charity were the rights of the poor. This
philosophy is descriptive of the third pillar, Zakat. The pillar of Sawm tells of the
importance of the holy month of Ramadan and its entailing details. Last but not least is
the pillar of Hajj, in which every Muslim who can afford it is required to make a
pilgrimage to the holy land of Mecca. Although moral equals in the eyes of Muhammed
and their God stated in the Quran, men and women have different rights and privileges
in their religion. I’ve learned of multiple inequalities and discrepancies when it comes to
the right of men and women alike in Islam. There is a plethora of information available
when describing the differences. However, in order to list a few, the following statements
are significant differences between men and women. A man can have up to four wives
while a woman is allowed only a single husband. Men are the leaders and manage the
affairs of women. These ideas are so extreme, that if a woman disobeys a Muslim man,
that man has the right to beat her in certain situations. Men can also divorce much
easier and inherit twice that of a woman. Apparently, there aren’t any women involved in
leadership roles when it comes to their religion, either. The people of Islam don’t even
grant women the right to female infanticide. A lack of respect for women’s rights and
privileges deters me from ever converting to this religion. In fact, I am starting to strongly
dislike the religious constrictions placed upon women in Islamic society. Unfortunately,
my time in Egypt is coming to an end soon and I will be returning to my merchant roots
near the Mediterranean soon. Before then though, I would like to address the similarities
and differences involved when discussing the cultures of Islamdom and Christendom.
More specifically from a manor perspective, I could tell you that the life of a Christian
serf or peasant is much more difficult and troublesome than that of the Muslim
counterpart. Most peasants in Christendom lived a short, brutish life. While on the other
hand, the members of the Islamdom manors often had better access to bathing and
medical attention. In Christendom, the common townspeople would often visit the
barber in order to be cured from illness. Medical practices of Islamdom were more
reliable and frequently involved the use of herbs and diet in order to cure illness. While
there are certainly many pros and cons involved in both Christendom and Islamdom, a
proud member of either religion would most likely tell you that they would never once
think about converting in their life. I think this speaks to the volume and sheer power that
these two religions have built up and will continue to show off.
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