¶ … Middle Ages

While the Middle Ages are often regarded with angst and often ridiculed, it is worth noting that good things did emerge from these so-called "dark ages." Like many times in the past, the Middle Ages might seem ancient now but were progressing at a rate that seemed normal to them. Technology improved, making life in general better. Literature also heard fresh voices that reflect the times. Many advancements prove the Middle Ages were a far cry from dark.

Many changes occurred in the Middle Ages that changed the way the world works. For example, ways of production were changed, which had an enormous effect on the economy. Gunpowder, the canon, and the compass were all invented in the Middle Ages. The eleventh century was filled with "men of prayer, men of war, and men of work" (Noble 352). Other advancements lead to easier farming and "labor-saving devices" (Duiker 263), including hammers, scythes, axes, hammers, and saws. Chivalry and knighthood were also important during the Middle Ages. From this group of men, we learned that people from this era had a tremendous amount of respect for honor and military duty. Other characteristics we associate with knights are generosity and loyalty. The Middle Ages also offered up wonderful literary achievements including Geoffrey Chaucer, who authored The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer said the fourteenth century included a "wealth if romances, lives of saints, contes, fabliaux, drama, history, biography, all of great interest and importance" (Chaucer qtd. In Barzun 232). Another great writer during this era was Dante Alighieri. While there are many reason to think the Middle Ages were dark, history proves that they were not as backwards as some might think.

Works Cited

Barzun, Jacques. From Dawn to Decadence. New York: Harper Collins Publications. 2000.

Duiker, William, et al. The Essential World History. Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth. 2008.

Noble, Thomas, et al. Western Civilization: The Continuing Experiment. Vol. I. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1994.