The New York House Of Refuge - 1403 Words

The New York House of Refuge was the first juvenile reformatory in the nation. It began as a product of a humanitarian association. Organized in 1815, it was originally called the Society for the Prevention of Pauperism. The Reverend John Stanford founded this Society. During the year 1820 and continuing through the middle of 1821, the Society completed a survey of the United States prisons. Upon completion, the Society then appointed a committee to study the findings. The report the committee put out criticized the treatment and the handling of prisoners. It also showed great remorse for the imprisonment of individuals regardless of age or the severity of crime. After the report was adopted in 1824, reorganization was called for by the Society, for the purpose of establishing a reformatory. After the Society for the Prevention of Pauperism ceased to exist as an organization in 1823, the Society for the Reformation for Juvenile Delinquents took its place.(Pickett, 1969) Even though the New York House of Refuge was managed privately, the State of New York was involved form the beginning. It participated in establishing inmate commitment procedures, developing treatment programs, funding and in the organization process for the program. Members of the Society appointed a thirty-member Board of Managers. Meeting weekly as the policy making section, an Acting Committee, consisting initially of five and later seven Board members was also implemented. Appointed by the ActingShow MoreRelatedThe First Of The Five Periods976 Words   |  4 PagesJuvenile Delinquents in the city of New York which main goal was to establish a reformatory. The Refuge Period is the second and lasted from 1824-1899. In the Refuge Period reformers created separate institutions such as houses of refuge, reform schools, and foster homes. In this period the institutions housed both juvenile delinquents, dependent children, and abused children. In 1824 The New York House of Reguge, the first U.S. reformatory, opened to house juvenile delinquents for youthsRead MoreThe Juvenile Justice System For Juveniles1397 Words   |  6 Pagesfacilities for juveniles. In New York City, the Society for Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency created the New York House of Refuge. This was the first U.S. reformatory opened to house juvenile delinquents, defined as youth’s convicted of criminal offences or found in vagrancy (Class Textbook, Chap 2. Pg. 35). Within a couple years there were locations in Boston and Philadelphia. The average number of youth in a house of refuge is 200, but the New York House of Refuge houses over 1,000. For the firstRead MoreThe United States Juvenile Justice Court Was Based On The1325 Words   |  6 PagesStates juvenile justice court was based on the English parens patriae adopted in the United States as part of the legal tradition of England. But the efforts of the state to rehabilitate juvenile offenders with institutional treatment with the houses of refuge and reformatories failed. Today, the United States has 51 different juvenile court systems; the laws and statutes vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Thus, each state’s approach to handle the youth offenders is responsible for how the youthRead MoreTheodore Roosevelt : The President Of The United States Under The Republican Party932 Words   |  4 PagesTheodore Roosevelt â€Å"Teddy† became the 26th president of the United States under the Republican Party. At age 42, he was the youngest president in the Nation s history. He brought new excitement to the Presidency. For example, Roosevelt was a lover of animals and wildlife and had more than 40 pets while in the White House. His daughter had a snake and his sons rode their pony on the elevators. Roosevelt was the first president to speak out on conservation. The conservation legacy of Roosevelt is foundRead MoreThe Origins Of Juvenile Justice1385 Words   |  6 Pages1. Describe the origins of juvenile justice, from the house of refuge to the juvenile programs of today. Ans: In the early nineteenth century, the idea of reforming youth offenders took root in the United States. The House of Refuge in New York, which opened in 1824, was the first juvenile house of reform in the United States. This was the first attempt to house juvenile offenders in a separate facility and other States, like Maryland, would soon follow suit. The idea was not to punish juvenilesRead MoreThe Debate Over the Idea of Drilling for Oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge1480 Words   |  6 PagesIdea of Drilling for Oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Throughout American history, there have been a number of conflicts and disagreements among the populace over various issues. These conflicts of interest help to define political parties and allow people to distinguish themselves through party allegiance. One such item that is currently being debated is over the idea of drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. For years, environmentalist groups and oil industryRead More3 Colonies Essay1053 Words   |  5 Pagescolonization of America were religion, economics, and government. The most important reasons for colonization were to seek refuge, religious freedom, and economic opportunity. To a lesser degree, the colonists sought to establish a stable and progressive government. Many colonies were founded for religious purposes. While religion was involved with all of the colonies, Massachusetts, New Haven, Maryland, and Pennsylvania were established exclusively for religious purposes. The people in the CarolinasRead More Juvenile Justice Essay881 Words   |  4 Pagesalmost the beginning children have been treated differently from adults who commit the same acts. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The origin of juvenile corrections in the United States goes, back at least to the opening of the New York House of Refuge in 1825. This house of refuge was established to meet the same kinds of needs the JJS of today tries to meet, including avoidance of harsh criminal penalties for unfortunate children, segregating quot;predeliquentquot; children from hardened delinquentsRead MoreCriminal Justice And The Juvenile Justice System1689 Words   |  7 Pageshistorical aspect the idea; of having a different legal structure for youth offenders is rather new. In the past, children as young as 7 years old who were detained for crimes were incarcerated right along with adults. In the United States in the earl nineteenth century, the concept of amending juveniles was fundamental in this country. The first juvenile facility called â€Å"The House of Refuge† in New York was opened in 1824 by the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency. This was the first pursuit to separateRead MoreJuvenile Justice System As A Form Of Crime Control882 Words   |  4 Pagespunitive over time (Caldwell, 1961). In order to understand the fundamental changes that have occurred over time, it is important to have a brief understanding of the history of the juvenile justice system. Although the juvenile court is relatively new in that it is just a little over a century old (Mack, 1909), it is among one of the more important American inventions to emerge from the Industrial Revolution era (Sutton, 1985). The philosophy of separating children from adults in regard to deviant

Testing For Reducing Prison Rights - 2121 Words

The United States government has a high mandatory minimum for first time nonviolent drug charges. Therefore, offenders stay in the prison system longer and facilities are not able to properly provide the necessary accommodations to catch up due to the increase of non-violent prisoners that fill the system. According to the article â€Å"Tests for Reducing Prison Populations† by Erik Eckholm, one of the problems is that the United States government is trying to come up with better mandatory sentencing and strengthen the crumbling rehabilitation system for nonviolent prisoners (1). The Overcrowding of prisons within the United States is an issue that needs to be addressed because there are too many tax dollars being spent, prison sentences change or do not necessarily fit the crime, and drug offenders and nonviolent criminals, who need services other than prison time, are draining the system. The system sees many of the same habitual drug offenders daily due to some cities not providing enough resources or programs to keep these habitual offenders out. According to the article â€Å"The Prison Problem† by David Brooks, politicians are wanting to crack down on criminals to show that they are tough when it comes to handling our justice system (1). Eckholm supports this in his article stating that for almost 40 years the U.S. has locked up more people than we ever have in the history of the United States. This has become the main cause in prison overcrowding (1).The United States hasShow MoreRelatedRehabilitation Will Reduce Crime1246 Words   |  5 PagesAmerica, crime is on the rise. Every day, every minute, and even every second someone will commit a crime. Now, I invite you to consider that a crime is taking place as you read this paper. The fraction of the population in the State and Federal prison has increased in every single year for the last 34 years and the rate for imprisonment today is now five times higher than in 1972(Russell, 2009). Considering that rate along crime is a serious act. These crimes range from robbery, rape, kidnappingRead MoreThe United Nations Universal Human Rights Essay1657 Words   |  7 PagesUniversal Declaration of Human Rights stands as the current gold standard for every individual’s rights. Focusing on culture, one may see that cultural rights are not clearly defined and are oftentimes in conflict with other types of rights. In this paper, I will first discuss the United Nations’ use of ‘cultural’ in its universal human rights in relation to the concept of cultural relativism. Then, using South African and American practices, such as virginity testing and discriminatory criminal justiceRead MoreThe Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison Essay example1238 Words   |  5 PagesJeffrey Reiman, author of The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison, first published his book in 19 79; it is now in its sixth edition, and he has continued to revise it as he keeps up on criminal justice statistics and other trends in the system. Reiman originally wrote his book after teaching for seven years at the School of Justice (formerly the Center for the Administration of Justice), which is a multidisciplinary, criminal justice education program at American University in Washington, DRead MoreThe Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison by Jeffrey Reiman1268 Words   |  6 PagesThe Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison by Jeffrey Reiman Jeffrey Reiman, author of The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison, first published his book in 1979; it is now in its sixth edition, and he has continued to revise it as he keeps up on criminal justice statistics and other trends in the system. Reiman originally wrote his book after teaching for seven years at the School of Justice (formerly the Center for the Administration of Justice), which is a multidisciplinary, criminal justiceRead MoreReduced Time from Prison1440 Words   |  6 PagesTime from Prison Prisons are correctional facilities where offenders are incarcerated as punishment and deterrent from engaging in other criminal activities. It serves justice for victims of criminal offenses and provides a chance for the offender to reflect, and with prison time; they will become better citizens of society. This however, may not always be the case. If an inmate exhibits understanding of good behavior and structure, a prisoner may not serve his or her full sentence in prison. They mayRead MoreCriminal Laws Should Be Organized1513 Words   |  7 Pagesactions (â€Å"Panopticon,† 2015). Video surveillance systems are essential in providing effective security in prisons and correctional facilities. The purpose of CCTV is to prevent crime and disorder. Specifically, CCTV is used for detection, improving safety, gathering evidence, and acting as a general site management tool. Such behaviors that can be detected with CCTV would be contraband entering prison, self-harm or suicide, assault on officers or other inmates and escape. With CCTV, it facilitates quickerRead MoreThe Incarceration Of The Prison Policy Institute1369 Words   |  6 Pages Attention TIA Credibility Thesis/ Topic statement INTRODUCTION I. According to the prison policy Institute there are currently 2.4 million Americans incarcerated in the United States with nearly 40% of that number being drug related offenses. Further the United states only makes up five percent of the worlds population, but we make up 25% of the worlds prison population and if you factor in the 40% of that 25% being drug offenders you can see that nearly a tenth of the worlds incarcerated areRead MorePrisoners Rights, Alternative Forms Of Correction And Strategies1552 Words   |  7 Pages Prisoners’ Rights, Alternative Forms of Correction and Strategies. Tamika Henley CRJ 303 Corrections Instructor: Kirsten Pickering Date January 26, 2015 Correctional Agency is an organization that is in charge of supervision and administration of already sentenced criminal. Corrections permit’s solid protection communities by working operating sheltered secure offices that keep criminals under firm, reasonable practices. With that being said, there is an extensive variety of treatmentRead MoreEvaluation Of A Probation Supervision1737 Words   |  7 Pagesand is designed to achieve control in a community setting over offenders who would otherwise go to prison. Some states have extended intensive supervision to paroles, allowing the early release of some who would otherwise serve longer prison terms. The book also mentions that this type of probation can be effective by saying, a study published in 2000 shows that IPS programs can be effective at reducing recidivism, especially if the programs are well planned and fully implemented (Schmalleger 400)Read MoreCapital Punishment is Barbaric Essay815 Words   |  4 PagesThe firs t significant movement to the abolishment of the death penalty occurred during an era known as the Age of Enlightenment. Critics of capitol punishment protest that it is brutal and degrading. They also contend that it is a violation of human rights and goes beyond the limits of governmental power. Early critics of the death penalty objected to its brutality. The executions were publicized and were done using cruel methods. In the past, people were often executed by way of decapitation. Others

Nickel and Dimed Free Essays

Nickel Dimed In the novel Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich, we see the true story of what is going on in most of America. Better yet, we see the every-day realities of the 35% of the people in our country who are struggling financially. Today, many people deal with homelessness, unemployment, and low paying jobs just the way Ehrenreich did for this experiment. We will write a custom essay sample on Nickel and Dimed or any similar topic only for you Order Now The goal was to see if the money she made monthly would be enough to get her by with the next months rent. Although she was educated with a Ph. D in Biology, she set her real life aside to take a step into the lives of those in poverty. She opens the readers eyes to the fact that many Americans are making far less money than they deserve: â€Å"No one ever said that you could work hard—harder even than you ever thought possible—and still find yourself sinking ever deeper into poverty and debt. † Ehrenreich’s novel proves the point that despite ones hard work, our not-so-fast economy can still lead to countless amounts of struggles. Ehrenreich’s experiment begins in Key West, Florida. She is under the identity of a newly divorced housewife fresh into the work industry. She first learns her way about the application process of low wage jobs. She discovers that they entail a survey of questions, along with a urine test. After three days of not hearing back from the jobs she had applied for, she begins to feel desperate and applies for a waitressing job at very low pay. She earned $2. 43 an hour, with grueling hours beginning at 2 P. M. and ending at 10 P. M. daily. She soon realizes this one job will not get her by, and applies for a second waitressing job. At this time she is living in a hotel room, and takes a job as a hotel housekeeper as well. Ehrenreich leaves the second waitressing job due to unbearable work conditions, and continues her journey in Portland, Maine hoping for better luck. Soon enough, though, she is forced with the reality that decent paying jobs are not so easy to take hold of. Eventually, she moves into a cottage for $120 dollars a week. Throughout this time, Ehrenreich serves as an employee of the typical low wage American jobs: as a waitress, a store clerk, and a housekeeper. Towards the end of the novel, she decides to finally open up to her most trusted coworkers about the experiment. Unfortunately, though, she received not one reaction of interest. Throughout the novel, Ehrenreich displays how not only can poverty effect your way of living, but it can also effect your psychological status. She went into her new life in Maine believing things would be far easier, as though her $6/7 dollar pay in Florida was so out of the ordinary. She felt as though if the supply in labor was as low as demand, the prices would rise. Unfortunately, our economy did not work in her favor. Supply and demand is used as an economic model for Americans. It serves as a price determination of a market, and ultimately results in an economic equilibrium for price and quantity. There are four common rules of Supply and Demand, which are as follows: 1) If demand increases and supply remains unchanged, a shortage occurs, leading to a higher equilibrium price. 2) If demand decreases and supply remains unchanged, a surplus occurs, leading to a lower equilibrium price. 3) If demand remains unchanged and supply increases, a surplus occurs, leading to a lower equilibrium price 4) If demand remains unchanged and supply decreases, a shortage occurs, leading to a higher equilibrium price. Overall, Ehrenreich’s confidence before joining the work force led her to failure. She did not expect the difficulties she was forced to face, and in turn, was only capable of landing uncomfortable, unfair, and grueling jobs. The places Ehrenreich chose to conduct this experiment had plenty to do with the outcome of her results. Job growth typically occurs in suburban cities. Consequently, where rents are high, which leaves the last bits of affordable housing to the inner city people. For some less fortunate people, it forces them to travel long distances to work, which in turn costs them more money. For Ehrenreich, though, the answer to her financial issues throughout the novel would be to pick up her things and try out a new place to live. She believed it was not the housing crisis that made one poor, but the need for food and health care to stay alive. She continues on to say that food is â€Å"relatively inflation-proof†, although the poverty rate is mainly based on this. The value, need, and price of food will always rise, although the money one makes to support themselves is no guaranteed. How to cite Nickel and Dimed, Essay examples Nickel and Dimed Free Essays Nickel and Dimed, written by Barbara Ehrenreich has been published in 2001 for the first time. This book explains and describes the condition of the working poor in United States in the 21st century. To write this book the author who is a well-known journalist at the New York Times decides to experience being a low-wage worker for a few months. We will write a custom essay sample on Nickel and Dimed or any similar topic only for you Order Now She gives up her middle class life to become and live as a working poor. The author establishes a few rules at the beginning of her challenge such as not to go hungry or always having a car. But, except for those few exceptions she decides to go through the same life as her new coworkers. She starts her experience in Florida then she goes to Maine and finally to Minnesota. Therefore, Nickel and Dimed describes the experiment and the troubles Ehrenreich had to go through while she was a working poor. She particularly accentuates on how humiliated and how ashamed people are of being poor. Shame and humiliation are essential themes of this book are explained and described through different ways such as the fact that poor people are invisible or not respected in their jobs or not able to talk freely, or mistreated by their manager even if they are sick. First of all, the author explains that the poor are invisible and how they feel about it. â€Å"Maids as an occupational group, are not visible, and when we are seen we are often sorry for it† (99). The feeling of invisibility is normally one of the worst feelings that a human being should feel. But according to Ehrenreich, the maids feel relieved when they are not seen. Other people are looking at them as stupid people. They do not fit in the society. In fact, nowadays a person who does not use their brain in their work is not respected by others or by the upper classes. Holly, Ehrenreich’s coworker and friend, describes in chapter two the mean and negative remarks people did to her when they know that she is a maid. She said, â€Å" We’re nothing to these people† (100). Therefore, the poor are invisible in this society where the intellectual skills are valuable. They feel better when they are not noticed because they prefer to avoid the mean remarks from other. But, feeling invisible in their everyday life is a shame. They are human beings who need to be considered by others and integrated in a group to socialize as everyone else. Second of all, readers understand that low-wage workers are not respected in their job and this starts at the hiring process. While Ehrenreich tries to be hired at Wal-Mart in chapter three she explains that she has to go through psychological and drug tests. The first test is not supposed to affect the decision of the managers but in fact it does. Roberta, her coworker â€Å"takes it off to another room where, she says a computer will ‘score it’. After about ten minutes, she’s back with alarming news: I’ve gotten three answers wrong† (240). Corporations start to lie to their employees before hiring them. Low wage people as B. Ehrenreich are not hired because of their quality or personality. The relation between the employees and them is a computer. The corporation does not consider them. Working poor could be compared as animals that pass or fail a test before being bought. Those workers lose their self-esteem because of the lack of consideration they receive in their jobs. It is a perpetual humiliation to feel ignore by everyone. Third of all, Ehrenreich describes how employees are not allowed to talk to the customers. For example, when the author works at Hearthside her manager tells her, â€Å"No chatting for you, girl. No fancy service ethic allowed for the serfs. Chatting with customers is for the good-looking young college-educated servers in the downtown capriccio and ceviche joints, the kids who can make $70-$100 a night† (35). And Ehrenreich explains that she was not also allowed to talk to her coworkers while she was at Wal-Mart of certain subjects. And if she did, she could be fired. But, forbidding people to talk about certain subjects or to discuss with some of their coworkers is a violation of the fundamental rights. In the author’s experiences, readers understand that she has lost her humanity because freedom of speech is one of the fundamental rights that is expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that was established in 1945 by the United Nations. Speaking is an advantage of men because we are the only species who can communicate. Losing this advantage makes the person feel like she is not even human anymore. He loses all his self-esteem and feels humiliated. Finally, Ehrenreich shows how the health of people is not respected in the low wage class. While the author works at The Maids we have the perfect description of this kind of humiliation because her manager â€Å" Ted doesn’t have much sympathy for illness, though; one of our morning meeting was on the subject of ‘ working through it’ †(87). He mistreats the author’s friend and coworker, Holly who is pregnant and has to work to survive because she does not have any money. But Ted forces her to work in terrible conditions. Holly cannot take a real lunch break or a few days of vacation to rest even if she is extremely sick and tired because of her pregnancy. And if she takes her break without her manager’s approval she could be fired. She appears like a slave who is forced to do every task her manager assigns her even if Ted does not pay attention to the fact that she is sick. Therefore, Ehrenreich has to stand up and fight for her friend to have the permission to take a day off. But Ted would let a woman works even if he knows that she is about to be taken to the ER. I believe that a person who is sick cannot be forced to fight against her body. Unhealthy people should be helped and not used as slaves. Therefore, this episode underlines how humiliating it is for a sick person to be forced to work. Holly in this episode becomes an animal who has to work even if she is physically unable to. Working poor are not only having money problems they also have to go through humiliation and shame in their everyday life. Trying to modify their social status is almost impossible when we understand how they are treated. They lose their self-esteem and do not trust themselves anymore. Therefore, they will not even try to change jobs. They are stuck in their own conditions. They are not considered as humans in their job. The low-wage workers are unsocialized because of their wages and are mentally destroyed by their managers. Barbara Ehrenreich describes their situation in this book through her own experience to inform the world of their situation. In the 21st century in a country like United States, which is supposed to be the most powerful nation in the world, citizens cannot accept that others are treated like that. Low-wage workers need to be respected. How to cite Nickel and Dimed, Papers Nickel and Dimed Free Essays As the main objective of this experiment was to determine that it is practically impossible for a low skilled and low-wage female worker and a single mother to earn enough money in order to get proper lodging, fulfill necessary needs and support her children, the outcome of her experiment in her own perspective was quite positive and satisfactory. Ehrenreich spend one month in three different cities of the United States to determine the workplace conditions, wages, behavior of the employers regarding the low-wage and low skilled employees and she was successful in finding out with a nearly real life experience that’s why she was satisfied with her experience and find herself as an above average low skilled worker. The experiment undertaken by Ehrenreich was extremely successful in her own perspective because she eventually found out what she intended to. We will write a custom essay sample on Nickel and Dimed or any similar topic only for you Order Now As she has discussed in her last chapter â€Å"The Evaluation† that all the three case studies explicitly reveal that it is extremely difficult for a low-wage worker to find proper lodgings with the current level of wages in the country. She also found out that a single job is never enough for a low skilled worker to earn enough money in order to meet his/her end meets. Moreover the employers behavior is also highly disparaging. The employers use wicked techniques to keep the wages as low as possible and keep the employees in constant pressure so that they never get organized against their unfair treatment. (Ehrenreich) All these things make the life of a low-wage worker extremely difficult and demanding. According to her evaluation in all the three cities the rate of housing surpassed the wages of the low-income employees making it virtually impossible to get proper lodgings. (Ehrenreich) So by keeping in mind that her objective was to finding out that it is impossible for a low-income wageworker to get proper lodgings and meet end meets, her experiment was extremely successful in her own perspective also. She can certainly said that she has met the objectives of her experiment as she has found out that lowest 20% of the workforce of the U.S. economy is in extremely difficult condition and their problems are so severe, so complex that it is also extremely difficult for them to overcome these problems or find better jobs even if they exist in their surroundings. (Ehrenreich) Her main objective was to determine the difference between the lives of the high paid and low-wage workers, and that most of the needs of the high paid labor is met by the low paid and unskilled labor. In my own perspective the experiment carried out by Ehrenreich was highly successful. She presented us the true picture of the low-income Americans’ lives and helps us realize the severity of the problems the low-income labor force faces during their jobs and in their workplace. She gives the living proof of the reality that it is virtually impossible for a low-wage worker to survive in these conditions and find a shelter for himself, especially if the worker is a single mother and she has to provide food and support to her siblings also. Thus the outcome of this experiment clearly indicates of its success. She proved that the employers’ exploit is so extreme in nature that even the shortage of the labor does not compel them to raise the wage, i.e. universal economic rules do not apply for these low-income labor. (Ehrenreich) As a learned member of society I can use the knowledge of this book by making people realize that the so-called claim of a prosper and welfare America is just a bluff and a slogan which only depicts the external shine and wealth of the corporate America. While in the deep there are certain levels of the American economy and workforce, which suffers as much as any other workforce in a third world and developing country. We can use this book and the outcome of this research in order to find the solution, which will help us to eradicate the deprivation of the low-income workforce at the bottom of the U.S. economy. We can use this book to increase the awareness of the people about the sufferings of the low-income workers. We can use this knowledge to disclose the persecution of the corporate sector of their low-income employees and to persuade the employers to behave more humane with their low-income employees and make the workplace a better place for them and raise their wages to a level which would practically make it possible for them to meet their end needs, but also to go ahead. The overall output of the experiment of Ehrenreich and the tone of the language of last chapter evaluation clearly indicates that the experiment was a complete success in the view of the author and she thinks that she has finally determined what she has sought through out her 3-month expedition. She finally came with the living proof of what she initially claimed that it is virtually impossible for a low-skilled and low-income wageworker to earn enough money, by which they can get proper housing and meet their end meets and support their dependants like siblings or get medical treatment even when their lives and health is at stake. The book is a complete success in a reader’s perspective become it creates awareness of this unfair practice of the employers of the corporate America, who continue to insist on exploiting the low-wage workers and deprive them not only of their end needs but also from any prospect of getting ahead. Thus this book and the research in it is an important and helpful knowledge regarding the unfair class structure in the American Society. Works Cited Ehrenreich, Barbara. â€Å"Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America.† Holt Paperbacks. May 1, 2002.                                                                      How to cite Nickel and Dimed, Essay examples

Renaissance Art of Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti Essay Example For Students

Renaissance Art of Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti Essay Leonardo was most of all an excellent observer. He concerned himself with what the eye could see, rather than with purely abstract concepts (Summers, D. 2013). â€Å"Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, in Vinci, Italy. Da Vinci was born out of wedlock. Da Vinci was raised by his father, Ser Piero, and his stepmother. At the age of 14, Da Vinci began apprenticing with the artist Verrocchio. For six years, he learned a wide breadth of technical skills, including metalworking, leather arts, carpentry, drawing and sculpting. By the age of 20, he had qualified as a master artist in the Guild of Saint Luke and established his own workshop†. â€Å"Leonardo trains in Florence as a painter, almost certainly with Verrocchio, and he becomes a member of the painters guild in 1472. But in about 1482 he sends a letter to Ludovico Sforza, the duke of Milan. In it he offers the duke his skills, which he lists under ten headings. The first nine are all to do with war. The 30-year-old genius declares that he can provide the duke with original designs for portable bridges, siege engines, mining and explosive equipment, mortars to spray the enemy with small stones, and even a cannon-proof vehicle to transport troops safely into the midst of the enemy in other words a tank†( Gascoigne, Bamber.2001) Michelangelo was one of the most famous artists in history. He was mostly fascinated in forming large marble statues, but his endless artistic energy also led him to become a great painter and architect as well as a poet. He was also one of the most famous people of his time and a great leader of the Italian Renaissance, a period marked by a rebirth of interest in the art and learning of ancient Greece and Rome. (Summers, D. 2013) Michelangelo is best known for his treatment of the human body in painting and sculpture. His figures express a sense of grandeur and power, and arouse strong emotions in many spectators. In size, strength, and emotional intensity, these figures go beyond real people. Michelangelos figures are both animated and restrained, and seem to have great spiritual energy. His work presses toward the extremes of heroism and tragedy but is never false or artificial. (Summers, D. 2013) Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475. His full name was Michelangelo Buonarroti. He came from a respectable Florence family and was born in the village of Caprese, where his father was a government agent. Michelangelo had a brief classical education that dealt with the literature, art, and life of ancient Greece and Rome. When he was 12 years old, Michelangelo became an apprentice to the most popular painter in Florence, Domenico Ghirlandaio. â€Å"Before his apprenticeship was completed, Michelangelo stopped painting and began working as a sculptor under the guidance of a pupil of the sculptor Donatello. Michelangelo attracted the support of the ruler of Florence, Lorenzo de Medici, who invited the young artist to stay at his   palace. Michelangelos earliest surviving sculpture is a small unfinished relief of a battle, done when he was about 16. This work shows the obvious influence of ancient Roman marble sculpture belonging to Lorenzo. But the relief also shows the force and movement that became typical of Michelangelos style. During these years, he began the study of anatomy† (Summers, D. 2013). He is one of the greatest artists of all time, a man whose name has become synonymous with the word masterpiece: Michelangelo Buonarroti. As an artist he was supreme, the maker of works of sublime beauty that display the full breadth of the human condition. Yet in a world where art prospered only with patronage, Michelangelo was caught between the conflicting powers and whims of the Medici family in Florence, and the Papacy in Rome. Unlike many artists of his time, his genius was acknowledged (New Renaissance Art 2001) Three of Leonardo da Vinci most famous works are Mona Lisa, Last Supper, and Virgin of the Rock. â€Å"Let’s first examine the most recognizable and renowned of Da Vinci’s works, the Mona Lisa. This painting like many of Leonardo’s works took a long time to finish. He was famous for his putting off doing anything but when he did finish it was a masterpiece. It took Da Vinci sixteen years to complete the Mona Lisa quite a chunk of Da Vinci’s 67 years alive. However, while taking his time with the Mona Lisa Da Vinci continued to create. Some of the main reasons that this painting is so famous are its ambiguity, her smile, and of course its theft. The ambiguity is that there has always been a debate on whether the subject was Lisa Del Giocondo   or someone else. Among the thought subjects are Da Vinci’s mother and more shockingly Da Vinci himself. Although the most popular idea once again dominates and the generally accepted subject is Lisa Del Giocondo. Her smile is another point of interest because many say if you cover one side she appears to be frowning and if you cover the other she appears to be smiling. Whether or not you believe this you do notice that she is not smiling brilliantly nor is she straight-faced she has a faint smile almost a smirk. Da Vinci employed techniques to accent her face and almost make you gaze at it. Da Vinci also pioneered the technique of putting the subject against a landscape background. It was rare to see this normally one would include a curtained window or some similar object in which the subject was actually sitting in front of† (Walker, J.A 2011). â€Å"The Last Supper i s remarkable in that the original started to fade and become deteriorated only a few years after it was finished painting. Passion For Art History EssayThe Sistine Chapel, Painted from 1508 to 1512, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel contains nine scenes from the Book of Genesis. The most famous is Michelangelos Creation of Man scene, with the finger of God reaching out to give life to Adam (Walker. A.2011) Michelangelo was just 24 years old when he finished the Pieta, the only piece of work the artist signed. The depiction of Jesus lying across the lap of his mother Mary after the Crucifixion currently resides at St. Peters Basilica in Vatican City. (Walker. A.2011) â€Å"Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti also shared many things in their work. Some of the elements that can be found in the work of both artists are theme, reflection of current cultural trends, political and social influence, and above all, a destiny of greatness. The Madonna of the Rocks, The Last supper, The Mona Lisa, David, The Last Judgment, and Pietà   are just a few pieces of their timeless legacy. Theirs were the accomplishments that others would strive to achieve and the world would appreciate for ages to come† (Grecinger, M. 2013) Artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti often illustrated Christian or mythological themes in their artwork, yet, keeping with the times and often setting the example for the times, they succeeded to express secular or humanist ideas through these same pieces. Two great examples of this are The Madonna of the rocks by Leonardo and the Pieta by Michelangelo. In both cases a biblical theme is present, and in both cases the figures are shown in worldly form, with the existence of spiritual elements. Math and Science that focused on solid things that people could touch were an essential part of renaissance art and were embraced by artists such as Michelangelo and Buonarroti. Leonardo Da Vinci created magnificent works of art which focused on these areas. Both Da Vinci and Michelangelo are believed to have created some of their most famous works of their mother’s features. Michelangelo, for example his mother’s young, pure face on the Virgin Mary, Leonardo’s used his mother’s smile on the Mona Lisa. Both artists were influenced in their work religiously. Michelangelo created The Last Judgment for the church and David for the government. Leonardo created The Last Supper for the church and The Mona Lisa for an aristocrat. Both men battled with their greatest works repainting them time and time again in hopes of perfection, and most importantly, both men have left lasting imprints upon the world of art. Michelangelo and da Vinci have many points of similarity and differences. The one greatest similarity was they are both artists of the Renaissance, thus meaning they both wished to return the art to its original glory in Rome. However, the biggest difference was the way they chose to do so. Michelangelo decide to turn to both drawing and sculpture (we all know his David and Sistine Chapel for example). He decides to return the world of art back to the worshiping of a human body. He was very precise about the human form and took it to perfection. He found that the human body is a mesmerizing piece of art and wished to create his own gods of beauty. Leonardo da Vinci decides to take art to a science point of view. He would draw figures as research in the beginning, and only once he understood both the inside and outside of the body did he start to create masterpieces. He was very big on details of every sort, starting from bodies and ending with cloth and landscape Michelangelo Buonarroti and Leonardo Da Vinci have both certainly left their marks on society, perhaps some of the most precise representatives of the renaissance era were formed by their hands. Their representation of the renaissance way of seeing things has forever molded our world. Though they may both have seen things somewhat differently and desired to interpret things in their own way, though they may have had their own styles and approaches, they shared so many things that it is often difficult to talk about one without mentioning the other, and even more difficult still to speak of them without mentioning their influence on the renaissance and its obvious effect on them. Whatever their differences and similarities, one thing remains Undisputable, their timeless legacy will live on in the preserved pieces to be admired and studied as they have for generations and will for generations to come.