The Kings Great Matter...

The Tudors: Henry VIII

Ann Boleyn---------------Catherine of Aragon -------------Jane Seymour

Henry VIII was the great king of England during the sixteenth century. The man was so powerful he was able to behead anyone he pleased. He controlled Britain as if it was his playground and did as he pleased with his subjects. He had six wives had two daughters and one sickly son. His first wife Catherine of Aragon was a strict catholic, and only had a daughter called Mary (bloody Mary). Catherine was not capable of having a son, so Henry decided to divorce her and marry Ann Boleyn. The Catholic church did not agree to the divorce and after several tries Henry grew frustrated. He decided to separate from the Roman Catholic Church.

England had now its own church called the Anglican Church which ran much like the Roman Catholic church. Anne and Henry married and Anne later had a daughter, but she never had a son which she had promised to give to Henry. Henry was now tired of Anne and because of rumors of adultery decided to behead her. His third wife was Jane Seymour which finally gave him a son, Prince Edward, but she died during childbirth. Henry had three more wives (he executed two of the last three) which did not have any children.

Basically Henry VIII reign was mostly focused on his personal life, yet he was a great king in England. He helped England in several ways, most of which used the money from Catholic land that had been sold, which included monasteries, and churches.

Blame them too....

World War two was one of the most significant wars of the modern era. Hitler’s Germany and his plans for an ideal race were radical and inhumane. But still some blame for the war has to go to the United States and England for allowing Germany to expand. During the first few years of the war Germany was unopposed in Europe, the allies fearing a second great war did not want any trouble, but through their actions they actually allowed the war to occur.

The Germans began by annexing Austria to their country and then began to move through Europe defiant of the threats of other countries. Germany took more than half of Europe before England and the United States began to notice they were in trouble. England finally entered the war in 1939, but France had already been captured, and the small island was being bombed by the German air force called the Luftwaffe. Then for the United States to notice that they had to go to war they had to be attacked in their homeland, and that is exactly what the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor did, it awoke the “sleeping giant.” With more than Two thousand deaths and the almost completely destroyed pacific fleet in Pearl Harbor the United States entered the war.

If both countries had entered the war before Hitler had gotten to France, the war would have had ended before, and with fewer casualties. The two countries must also be blamed for the war, because of their unwillingness to fight Hitler before he became too strong.

Neo-Expressionism

Neo-Expressionism is an art form which began in the 1970s in response to the new abstract movements like Minimalism. The art form allows the artist to express what he is feeling at the moment, and also it shows spontaneous feelings rather than formal concepts. It displays aggressiveness and distortion through colors and incomprehensible forms.

My favorite art piece of the movement is Kiefer's Nuremberg. It shows the pain the Nazi period left on the Germans. It is my favorite, because I find the World War II era quite interesting, and the painting is clear in demonstrating the scar through its deep contrasting colors.

History

History is the past that was once our future. We must not forget the past for the oblivion of our ancestors is regrettable. We as human beings tend to have a need for attention. Throughout life we seek ways to try to never be forgotten, and the study of history achieves this. If we study the past we learn about our interesting ancestors and the ways in which they lived. The sadness of forgetting is increasing in modern day society through new generations of uninterested and thoughtless kids.

Kids in the twenty first century are more interested in the new hip stuff, and gradually care less for the past, and how hard their ancestors worked to allow them to have what they have. The other day during PSAT I heard two kids talking about their futures. One of them said that he was not going to college, because he did not care. Then the two kids began talking about their ipods, and cell phones. I felt anger. How could these ungrateful children expect to have the new technologies of the future, and maintain the economic status their parents had, if they did not work hard and prepare for their futures. I see a dark future for humanity, if children like these are the parents or even the leaders of tomorrow.

But i still have hope. There are still several kids out there who care. There are many children who worry about their grades, and their futures. They work hard so they can get into good colleges, and surpass their ancestors who worked so hard for the advancement of their families, and of society. I hope that these caring children will be the dominant force of humanity in the future, and that once the future becomes the past we will view the past generations with as much appreciation as I view my ancestors today.