In the Medieval Era, there were different levels of status, such as the peasants, tradesmen, clergy, knights, and the nobles that were at the very top of the social ladder. A large majority of the people in society were tradesmen who had specialized jobs that they were ‘good’ at. Over time, these tradesmen slowly began to get rich, and also essentially contributed to society the most. Before this time, many people in society believed that once you were born into a social level, you will always be in that social level. The only way to become a noble was to be born into a noble family. The tradesmen, who were the working force in society, ranged from people who crafted shoes to blacksmiths. As time progressed and the tradesmen got wealthier and wealthier, the Medieval Era began to change dramatically due to the tradesmen being a huge majority of the overall social ladder. One piece of art that depicts the transition into this time is “The Village Festival” by Brueghel the Younger. In this piece of art, it shows how the peasants and tradesmen are having a joyful time together by singing, playing music, and dancing in the streets. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, and there are a lot of food and drinks everywhere. This painting clearly shows how wealthy the tradesmen have become over time, and it also shows the amount of tradesmen there were during that era.
Wylie. Period 5. Team 7
Steven Li, Samudra Thio, Dan Qi, Kevyn Fox
Dibs
ReplyDeleteTeam 7,
ReplyDeleteYour synthesis response shows great insight into the economic and social system of the time. There is a lot of detail regarding the budding role of tradesmen in the Middle Ages, and this really helps to add legitimacy to your answers. But the part you did the best on was the incorporation of a work of art into your paragraph. The painting you chose embodies the spirit of the Medieval upper-middle class. It demonstrates the newly found affluence of the tradesmen, and foreshadows a change in the strict socioeconomic levels of the feudal system. It might have been better if you had connected the rise of specialized and skilled workers to the shift from the Medieval to the Renaissance. That would have been really super awesome. But overall your synthesis was very insightful and showed a mastery of the time period. It demonstrates knowledge of both the humanities and the history of the Middle Ages, and this is exceptional.
XOXO,
James, Adrian, Max, and Seth