The Dome of St. Peter's Basilica Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Dome of St. Peter's Basilica - Essay Example Peter’s towers 445 feet in the air from the floor to the very tip of the cross on that famous dome above and it was a tall building even by sixteenth century standards. â€Å"That dome is a revered part of the Roman skyline and it is an amazing architectural design all by itself. None other than Michelangelo himself designed the great dome and that famous Renaissance artist employed a double-shell design technique that was created by San Gallo. Even though Michelangelo was made the architect in charge of St. Peter’s in 1546, the completion of the masterpiece came long after his death.† (When In Rome, Visit St. Peters Basilica - A Vatican City Delight) Thus, it was Giacomo della Porta, one of his students, who went on to complete the work in 1590, following the death of the great master and the design plans of the brilliant architects have been modeled in other famous buildings of the world. â€Å"From distance one can clearly see the dome of St. Peter’s r ising above the nave and wide faà §ade, although Michelangelo’s dome, designed for a naveless church gradually recedes from view as one comes closer to the building.† (Moffett, 357) Therefore, the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica is a magnificent construction which has great historical and architectural value and this paper makes an analysis of the work of architecture to comprehend the historical facts as well as the factors that influenced its design, etc. The dome of St. Peter’s Basilica has been so well designed that the first two centuries since its construction found no cracks or other issues. In a reflective analysis of the architectural value of the dome, it becomes lucid that St. Peter’s Basilica served as a model for churches as well as government buildings and the dome of the church is its most magnificent construction. Significantly, the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica illustrates the relationship between politics and power and it is important to realize the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica as

Honor, Virtue, and the Paradox of the Old South (Antebellum period and Essay

Honor, Virtue, and the Paradox of the Old South (Antebellum period and most specifically 1800 to 1864) - Essay Example re expected to wear beautiful gowns rich in cloth and engage in gentile activities that didn’t stress them too much or place them in the harsh sun for excessive periods of time. Black people were barely considered at all and were, at best, seen in the background the scenes in one’s head, with a serving tray or assisting a woman with her dressing rituals. Even when daily life did not match up with these ideals, the belief was that they were working toward them and that the Southerner was the final champion of the highest ethical standards known to man. However, very few of these ideals were actually true. While there were numerous planters that may have fallen within these parameters, they were only able to do so by exploiting the people around them. The South survived on the backs of its women and slaves in a way that it rarely acknowledged openly, introducing a tremendous paradox between how they saw themselves as compared to how they really lived. This is most easily understood in the stories of the ‘servant’ members of this society, the women and slaves/former slaves. Following the end of the Civil War, the United States went into a period of rebuilding and redefinition in many respects. One of the ideas that developed during this period among the middle class of the country was the idea of women as the center of the home. Scholarship on this issue brings into focus some of the issues of class and reproduction women faced during the antebellum period. Through the virtues of piety, purity and submissiveness, the woman was defined first as a pious and pure daughter and sister and then as a submissive wife within the confines of the male protector, making her suitable only for a domestic role. Her prime motive following marriage was to provide for the hearth, meaning food, clothing, children and all that was necessary for the continuance of the family line. When it came to marriage and having children, it was said â€Å"Let no caprice or