Abstract This paper examines the subject of Renaissance women, making use of the literary works of Christine de Pizan and St Teresa de Avila. In this article, the writer discusses that the notion of the fashioning of a feminine self in keeping with the Renaissance ways of thought, may be found in the wroks of de Pizan and de Avila.
From the Paper "The thesis that the Renaissance developed a new sense of history, resulting in significant changes in writing about past and present lives, assumes particular meaning in application to the roles of biography and autobiography in the works of Christine de Pizan and St. Teresa de Avila. This essay will argue, with respect to the celebratory presentation of female identity in the past and present in the works of de Pizan and de Avila, that their works share a Renaissance preoccupation with the fashioning of a feminine self that may be distinguished from the sexist construction of femininity by other writers of the late medieval and early modern periods."
Abstract In this religious study of 'The Interior Castle' by Teresa of Avila, one can realize the seven "mansions" of prayer that the Carmelite Prioress of the 16th century depicts in prayer. By analyzing the architectural symbolism that Teresa implies within the seven rooms within her Christian castle, the basis for prayer can be elucidated in stages or levels. In essence, the objective of this study is to define these seven mansions of prayer that arise with 'The Interior Castle' by Teresa of Avila.
From the Paper "... the soul is the messenger for the body, the spirit becomes the new identity in Heaven that becomes truly one with Christ in Teresa's Interior Castle. As a result of this marriage death is no longer an issue of fear and the spirit can rest within Heaven. This is the ultimate unity of prayer and meditation that allows the soul to leave the Earth and unite with the soul in God inner sanctum."
Abstract This paper is a historical song review that compares the lyrics of Joan Osborne song, "St. Teresa", to the actual events in the life of St. Teresa, the 16th century Spanish nun. The author looks at the lyrics, the historical context, the artist, and the works of the saint herself.
From the Paper "The song St. Teresa by Joan Osborne on her 1995 album, Relish, is rather vague at a glance. The song begins in a street corner describing a woman and her child and moves into a mystical theme involving Saint Teresa. Osborne sings begins in first person, but shifts between what seems to be several characters in the song. St. Teresa, according to the songwriter herself, is actually about the women she saw from her window selling drugs on the corner through the night, their young children in tow. This scene was marked by a striking contrast between the innocence and purity of the children and the little crime, Osborne 17. Osborne's vision of the absolute beauty and devastating abomination of mankind was liken to that of the saints? visions from God, especially that of Saint Teresa of Avila . Osborne takes on the voice of the saint, the sinner, and the omnipotent observer in the lyrics of St. Teresa."
Abstract The paper explores several texts including "The Confessions" by Augustine, "The Life of Saint Teresa of Avila" by Herself, Petrarch's poetry, and Shakespeare's drama ?King Lear" and shows that all of these are products of societies in which the dominant religious ethos was Christian rather than pagan. The paper shows that although all the texts share this similar historical feature, fundamentally opposing views of the self (the distinction between outer and inner life) are articulated through the theological texts in contrast with the works of lyric and dramatic poetry.
From the Paper "This Christian point of view, of the importance of the interior over the exterior, seems to at first be born out in Shakespeare's ?King Lear.? In the first scene, the king of the title is witnessed undervaluing the contribution of his youngest daughter Cordelia, whom honestly tells him how much she loves him, unlike his superficial and cruel daughters Gonoril and Reagan. "King Lear" is set in pre-Christian times yet was written in a Christian era. This might seem to validate the idea that pagan times valued the exterior, while Christianity values the interior. Yet everyone around and outside of Lear sees through his daughters, except the man himself, even at the very beginning. The king of France marries Cordelia without a dowry. Similarly, in the subplot of Gloucester, the man is unable to understand the treachery of his bastard son until he has rejected his true son. "
Tags: selfhood, Pico, della, Mirandola, Cordelia, Laura
A paper which examines the philosophical question "Who is Man" and the viewpoints held by several classical writers and theologians as seen through their writings.
Abstract The paper examines the works of several classicists to determine their viewpoints on the philosophical issues of "Who is Man?" and "What is Man's highest calling?". The paper shows the theories of Giovanni Pico della Mirandola in his "Oration on the Dignity of Man", of Petrarch through his poetry, of Saint Augustine in his "Confessions", of Teresa of Avila through her works, and of Shakespeare's "King Lear", who, although a fictional character, expresses the idea of royal power.
From the Paper "Saint Augustine in his Confessions asks if being in the world a man can obtain a higher plane of spiritual existence. He uses his own life as an example of his journey to God. Certainly Saint Augustine would agree with the writings of Giovanni Pico della Mirandola. Augustine lived a baser life for a long time until he came to his own version of spiritual truth. He explored various philosophical thought including skepticism before he embraced the faith of his mother Monica. He didn't come into Catholicism easily but only after the deep internal thought and meditation that Giovanni Pico della Mirandola offers as the way to the higher spiritual plane."
Abstract This paper provides a short summary of four different sources of religious thinking: "The Book of Common Prayer"; Martin Luther's "Christian Liberty"; "The Life of Saint Teresa of Avila by Herself"; and the Protestant Reformation book, "Schleitheim Confession". The paper also compares these texts.
From the Paper "He believed in the universal priesthood of man in that every man should have equal access to the Christian religion. Luther believed that man was free from sin through his devotion to God and bound to serve his neighbor through the fact that every man is the son of God and must be loved. This differs significantly from "The Book of Common Prayer" in that sin is treated as something that can be completely absolved from man through faith in God."
Abstract Evelyn Underhill was a prolific writer of some thirty-nine published books and more than three hundred and fifty articles and reviews, who wrote about mysticism in her early years and about the spiritual life of ordinary people in her latter years. This paper discusses her 1925 book, "Mystics of the Church", in which she reveals the spiritual history of those mystical saints whom she considered of great importance and influence, especially John of the Cross.
From the Paper "It is said that Underhill did not like the growing practice of many devout Christians who shortened their prayer time in order to give more time and energy to do social services, declaring that such work was indeed prayer (Durkin pp). Just as the mystics and saints of the past, Underhill insisted that prayer must precede work, that one must take time for communion with God, first: by withdrawing from activity, "seek solitude, be silent, rest in his presence, listen to God speaking to you, and then praise him for his goodnes" (Durkin pp). All mystics have followed this path to God, through prayer and meditation."
Tags: Divine, Goodness, Juan, de, Yepes, Saint, Teresa, of, Avila
Abstract The paper summarizes three articles on the topic of the human papilloma virus (HPV): "Quadrivalent HPV Recombinant Vaccine (Gardasil) for the Prevention of Cervical Cancer" by Angie L. Goeser, "The Effect of Prophylactic Human Papillomavirus L1 Virus-Like-Particle Vaccine on Risk of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia Grade 2, Grade 3, and Adenocarcinoma in Situ: A Combined Analysis of four Randomized Clinical Trials" by S. Kjaer M. Lehtinen G. Perez and L. Villa and "Efficacy of a Quadrivalent Prophylactic Human Papillomavirus L1 Virus-Like-Particle Vaccine Against High-Grade Vulval and Vaginal Lesions: A Combined Analysis of Three Randomised Clinical Trials" by Mauricio Hernandez-Avila and Elmar A. Joura, Sepp Leodolter and Cosette M. Wheeler. The paper
discusses the articles' tremendous implications for health care and community health education. The paper then explains that cervical cancer is the second most common cause of cancer and resulting cancer death in women worldwide. The paper explains further that since the yearly Pap smear given to women cannot detect certain types of cancerous cells or lesions, the need for this type of vaccine to prevent HPV-related diseases is sorely needed.
Outline:
Three Literature Reviews:
Article One
Article Two
Article Three
Implications for Health Care and Community Health Education Based on the Studies' Conclusions
From the Paper "Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) has been "identified at a higher rate in the tissue of women diagnosed with cervical cancer than among nonaffected controls (citing Salmeron et al, 2003; Balmes, Ritz, & Tager, 2005, p. 245). The disease can cause pathologies including, but not limited to, pain during intercourse, chronic pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy, genital warts, and penile, anal, cervical, and vulvar carcinoma (Immerman & Mackey, 1997, p. 443; Lytwyn & Sellors, 1997, p. 113). The disease is believed to be sexually transmitted and is the "second most common cause of cancer and cancer death in women worldwide, with 80% of cases occurring in the developing world...95% of cancers of the uterine cervix are caused by certain types of human papillomaviruses" (citing Franco 1994; Lytwyn & Sellors, 1997, p. 113). Although Papanicolaou (Pap) tests have led to the decrease in mortality rates caused by cervical cancer, approximately 230,000 women per year die from the disease worldwide (Kjaer, Lehtinen, Perez, & Villa, et al, 2007, p. 1861)"
