The Vinland Voyages Essay Example for Free

The Vinland Voyages Essay The Vikings history refers to sagas, which are the old stories written in the Norwegian language that read more like fairy tales than history books. The Vikings these sagas refer to are larger than life, more caricature or super hero than historical figure. This has left many people wondering if Vikings were real or if the stories are just fictional tales written by authors with wonderful imaginations. Twentieth century historians began to recognize that this saga’s held valuable information about the history of the past and were more than simple stories (Brooks 1986). Americans celebrates Columbus Day and it is well accepted but the general population, that Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492. However, historical and archeological research shows clearly that there were explorers in America long before Columbus. Scholars agree, that the Vikings were the first Europeans to arrive in North America, and did so centuries before Christopher Columbus (Jones 2001). Half a century before Christopher Columbus is said to have discovered America, Viking sea captain and explorer, Leif Erickson and his crew, landed is what is thought to be Newfoundland, Canada. Eriksson called the new land Vinland (Nichol 2003). While there is some debate as to the meaning of the name, a quote form a saga indicates that the name is related to the native grapes. † So is said, that their aft-boat was filled with grapes. Now was hewn a lading for the ship. And when spring came, they made ready and sailed away; and gave Leif name to the land after the lands products and called it Wineland† (The Flatey Book, Translation of the Saga of Eric the Rd). The first written documentation of Vinland was found in a work by historian Adam of Bremen and was written in the year 1075 (Bolls 1986). Another major source of information regarding Vinland comes from two well known sagas; the Saga of Eric the Red and from the Saga of the Greenlanders. These works were not written until the 13th century, hundreds of years after the actual events so there is some question of their reliability or accuracy (Jones 2001). However, they are the main written documentation for this period and historians have relied on the saga’s to paint the picture of the Viking voyage to North America and discovery of Vinland (Jones 2001). Though the Vikings did not make Vinland a permanent home, the Viking influence is clearly documented in North America (Brooks 1986). There has been substantial research into the Viking history and contribution to North America and it is surprising to learn of the discoveries by archeologists now, more than 1000 years later (Jones 2001). Moving from their Scandinavian roots of Norway, Denmark and Sweden was no small feat. The Vikings plodded along that journey to North America over the course of about 200 years (Jones 2001). History of the Vikings Vikings developed into a clearly defined faction of people in approximately the year 780. Vikings can be traced to their roots in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, though it is primarily the Norwegian faction that made the choice to travel west. Their language had Germanic roots. The Viking Age is considered to be the period from approximately 800 – 1050 AD (Fitzhigh 2000)The time period from the earliest recorded raids in the 790s until the Norman Conquest of England d in 1066 is commonly called the Viking Age (Jones 2001). During the Viking Age, Scandinavia expansion was at its height. Historians point to a variety of reasons that he Vikings might have moved from their Scandinavian countries. The expansion in ship construction and the ability to go to sea opened up explorations opportunities. At that time, they were able to go beyond the boundaries of their small countries. With the abilities to build large ships that could hold large numbers of people and plenty of goods to trade with other colonies, came a desire to explore the larger world. The Vikings developed an expertise, now legendary, for navigating the seas (Fitzhugh). The first Vikings ships are dated back to the years between 800-900 AD in Norway and appeared to be much more advanced that those made throughout the rest of Europe. Originally, the ships were powered by rows but later, sails were developed. The Vikings were the first group to utilize sail to power their vessels (Fitzhugh). Vikings developed excellent navigational skills. They relied on the sun, moon and the stars and learned how to note wave patterns in the sea as well as the particular fish or birds in the areas to help find their way across the seas. . Vikings also honed skills as traders and entrepreneurs (Fitzhugh). Vikings lived in Scandinavia for longer than one thousand years. With the increase in population the people had a natural desire to explore and began to develop the skills and means to do so. The Vikings were a vibrant community with a strong culture of myths, and the gods in which they believed. The Viking belief in gods was similar to that of Greeks mythology. The stories of the gods had them appear quite humanlike. Viking culture consisted of the nobles, and the freeman in addition to slaves. The nobles became the leader and kings. The freeman were the tradesman, farmers and craftsmen. They were landowners. The slaves were the people the Vikings captured on their explorations to other areas and then brought home with them. Historically, Viking lived in long wooden structures called longhouses. They often added on to these structures and one longhouse could include several generations of family. Women in the Viking era were free to choose their own husbands and could leave their husbands if they choose to. The women were respected for their ability to care for farms and homes. During this time of seafaring exploration and cultural expansion is when the Vikings earned the reputation of raiders and pirates. They were reported to frequent the unlocked churches that they came across along the costal towns of French, Germany and England and steel from them. Vikings as Seafarers Much of what is now known about Viking ship building was learned as a result of the discovery of ancient burial groups in Norway. This find included ships that were well enough preserved to provide insight to the Viking technology. Additional discoveries have since been made that provide even more detail. As the ships were made of wood, archaeologist are able to use tree rings to date the ships. The Viking ships were manufactured with iron, which allowed the ships to withstand the salt water of the sea and made long ravel possible. The iron was what made the difference from previous boats, to Viking ships. The Vikings were able to build large ships that could haul large numbers of people and livestock as well as other goods to trade. It took the people of the region to new areas where they could explore and trade goods. The men of this region learned ship building as a matter of course, as women learned weaving. With the availability of wood and iron and the skills to build, larger number of people had access to ship building and trade. The Vikings that traveled west were primarily Norwegian and began with settlements in Britain. These Vikings came with farming skills as well as goods to trade. The goods they brought included fur, wool and ivory. The Vikings then landed in Iceland in approximately 870 and they grew in population to over 30,000 in that area during the first 50 years. The Norwegian exploration resulted in an ongoing relationship of trade and communication as emigration between Norway, Britain and Iceland. The exploration to Greenland began around the year 982. The story of the Vikings in Vineland begins with the ongoing desire of the Vikings for more land and the banishment of Eric Thorvaldson or Eric the Red from Norway. Thorvald and his son Eric the Red were forced to leave Norway due to involvement in apparent murders They found themselves in Iceland and Eric the Red married a woman named Thjohild . Eric and Thjohild had a son, the very well known historical figure, Leif Eriksson. Eventually Eric was expelled from Iceland as a result of more violence and in 982 headed west, settling his family in Greenland (Fitzhugh). The Vikings at that time, had control over areas in England, Ireland, Scotland and France before moving on to Iceland and Greenland. Old Viking stories claim that Eric enticed people to Greenland with the name, which implied warmer weather and a positive place to settle. He was able to recruit more than 450 people for the original settlement. According to records of the climate at that time, this was a warmer period for Greenland and the colonies that developed were successful raising livestock, trading walrus tusks as well as farming (Fitzhugh 2000). Another Viking captain, Bjarni Herjolfsson was lost at sea when on a trip to visit his father in Greenland and it is thought that he may have landed in North America for a time. He eventually did find his way to Greenland and told everyone about the land he had discovered while he was off course Leif Eriksson was curious and decided that he would plan an expedition to the new land and was able to recruit a group of men to come with him. When Leif Erikson and his crew found the new land, he named it Vineland, because the land was covered in vines. He enjoyed Vineland and stayed there for a several months. Leif along with his sister Freydis and brother Thorvals, are thought to be perhaps the first Europeans in North America in approximately 1000 A. D. The Vineland Leif Erickson visited, was already establish as a colony by another group. The Vikings called them barbarians. The Vikings left as they were so clearly outnumbered and not prepared to battle The Vikings of the time continued to visit Vinland for goods and resources that were not as plentiful in Greenland. Eric the Red ruled Greenland until his death in 1003, at which time his son Leif Ericsson took over the leadership of Greenland. In approximately 1020 A. D. , Leifs son. Thorgills Leifsson took over as the ruler of Greenland. Leif Erickson, or â€Å"Leif the Lucky â€Å"as he later became know as a result of his successful voyages, is responsible for bringing Christian missionaries to Greenland. While the stories we hear of Vikings lead one to believe that they were violent and aggressive warriors, there is also a history of assimilating with the new lands and of embracing new cultures and ideas. Leif Ericsson Leif Ericsson is the central figure n all stories and histories regarding the Vikings and North America. He was the oldest of four children. Leif was probably thirty years old when he took his crew on the trip west in the year 1001 and found Vinland. Historians today believe that Ericsson probably landed first on Baffin Islands, Markland and Labrador before settling in Vinland for a period of several years. The settlement they established became known as Leifrsbudir. The term Leifsbudir likely refers to Leif’s booths. Leif accepted Christianity during a year long trip to Norway on an earlier voyage where he went to visit the King Olav with the goal of improving his power and reputation. When he returned back to Greenland his father refused Christianity though his mother converted quickly. She was responsible for the building of the first Christian church in Greenland. The exploration led by Leif Ericsson to North America is documented primarily in the Vinland Saga, which include the Saga of Greenland and he Saga of Eric the Red. These stories were written in the 13th centaury as the result of history passed down through the years. In the twentieth century, when the stories were linked with ht e actual archeological discoveries in Newfoundland, Viking history began to take shape and gain acceptance as actual history and not just tales. Leif Ericsson’s interest in exploring further west began with the stories he heard earlier from Bjarni Herjolfsson, who told Leif of the land he saw while going off course during his travel to Greenland. Leif Ericsson purchased the boat from Herjollllfsson and with a crew of 35, set sail to find he land he had heard about (Vesilind 2000). They found the new land to be an easier lifestyle, with easier winters and plentiful timber, lakes to fish and good land to farm. The land he named Vinland was referred to as Vinland the Good. Leif Ericssons brother Thorvald returned to Vinland in 1003 ands was killed during a fight with the native people. Leif’s other brother sailed to Vinland in 1005, but dies in a storms while at sea. His sister, Freydis later went to Vinland with plans to set up a trade arrangement. She was less than honest with her partners and then had them murdered. She returned to Greenland and went unpunished, as her brother Leif was the leader of Greenland at the time (Vesilind 2000). Location The exact location of Vineland has not been established by archaeologists. The Viking stories talked about long days of mild weather and wild grapes. Artifacts from the Vikings have been found in a number of locations including Cape Cod and in Virginia. Newfoundland, in Canada has established the remnants of a Viking community but, Newfoundland does not have the abundance of grapes growing wild. Some historian believe that Vineland was not actually named for grapes, but that â€Å"vin† had a different meaning to the Vikings, possibly referring to grazing lands (Jones 2001). It has also been suggested that what the stories refer to, were not grapes, but possibly berries. However, research on the climate at that time show that though there are not wild grapes growing in New Foundland today, the climate up until the 17th century would have sustained wild grapes, and in fact did (Vesilind 2000). In the search by historians to determine where exactly the land known as Vineland was located, there was some skepticism that Vikings could have crossed the Atlantic Ocean in those days, with their ship technology. It is estimated that the voyage between Greenland and Vineland would have taken up to two weeks. However, findings of he historic ships in Norway give credibility to the idea that the Viking ships could withstand the journey (Vesilind 2000). In the 1950’s, an historian named Munn provided an argument stating that the areas of L’Anse-aux-Meadows in Newfoundland is the actual site of the Vikings Vinland. Fifty years later, archeological digs would confirm his theory with evidence in the way of Viking artifacts that confirm a settlement in that area. Helge Ingstadd was a Norwegian researcher who had dedicated much of his career to Viking explorations (Jones 2001). He completed the most thorough review of the Vinland Voyages available and was meticulous in his research. Before coming to Newfoundland, he researched areas of Rhode Island, Cape Cod, and Nova Scotia. When he determined that Newfoundland held the best possibility of being the actual Viking landing spot, he brought in an exploration party. Ingstadd noted some faint lines on the contours of land in that area that made curious about what might lie below (Fitzhugh 2000). Ingstad found the wall of a longhouse and other remnants during that first dig and then returned again a couple of years later to uncover more evidence. Helge Ingstad found the remnants of a Viking settlement in Newfoundland. He discovered proof that what stood on the ground around the year 1000 AD were sod longhouses. The houses did not have foundations, which led Ingstad to the conclusion hat they were meant as temporary structures rather than permanent housing. One of the houses contained evidence of an iron smith setup. Ingstad’s discovery also included evidence that women had accompanied the Viking men on the voyages to Vinland as there were weaving tools used by women in that day. There have been additional discoveries since the time of Helge Ingstad’s discovery that further support the Viking contact with North America long before Christopher Columbus.

My Educational Goals and Philosophy Statement Essay -- Philosophy Teac

My Educational Goals and Philosophy Statement 'The most important function of education at any level is to develop the personality of the individual and the significance of his life to himself and to others' -Grayson Kirk. The teaching philosophy of progressivism focuses on developing the whole child. This philosophy not only teaches the core subject material, but it also allows the teacher to help develop the person the child is going to be. John Dewey, founder of progressivism, denounced the scholarly and classical school of curriculum. Dewey thought children should not be taught what to think but how to think through a 'continuous reconstruction of experience.' This implies that children learn best when they do hands on activities, therefore, they are learning by doing. These hands on activities will also incorporate several of the multiple intelligences. The kinesthetic learners will be able to actually do the activity, visual learners get to see the activity being performed, and auditory learners get to hear the directions and steps as the teacher explains them. As a teacher, I intend to present many different activities to the classroom. I feel that is so important to incorporate as many learning styles as possible into each lesson. From my observation in my field experiences, a student that favors one learning style will perform better when that learning style is available for an activity. Hands-on activities also allow for the students to learn by relating what they are studying to the knowledge they have previously acquired. This perspective, know as constructivism, was based mostly on research performed by Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget. Children are not just em... ...g else out there that teachers can learn. New technology, for one, is something that develops each and every day. I feel that the addition of a special education classes as a requirement will further educate and prepare future educators who will continually be in contact with the special education students. As for me, I plan to take on any opportunity to excel in my teaching profession. I want to continue on in my Bachelor?s degree with a specialization in Math and move on to get my Master?s in administration. Education is a wonderful gift that is available to everyone who wants to take part. It is not only about the books and the teaching of the basics. Education is about developing the whole child. It will be my job to develop the child as a person, not just as a student. When I begin my teaching career, I will strive to develop every aspect of the child.

Skepticism †the Foundation of Epistemology

How can we know anything for sure? What’s out there? How can we know that what we   know is â€Å"knowledge† and not just â€Å"belief†? Many mystics and metaphysicians have reported experiencing the world directly – utterly bypassing the senses. But barring such drastic transcendental experiences, the truth of which cannot be objectively ascertained, we are totally bound to experience the world via the medium of our senses and the mind. As a consequence of which, the great epistemological question arises — what is really out there, what is there all around us in reality? Can we know the objective ‘world around us’ at all? The simple definition of the ‘world around us’ is the world that may exist independent of our senses, perception, mind, and our very existence. If human beings did not exist, and no living creatures with sensory perception existed, would the world be still the same? How can we ever know? From whose perspective would we ‘see’ such a world? The ‘world around us’ is an intractably complex concept.   But the approach to it is simple enough. Not to automatically believe whatever we see around is at the heart of the quintessential epistemological enquiry of â€Å"Skepticism.† †Since at least the time of Descartes (First Meditation) in the seventeenth century there has been a philosophical problem about our knowledge of the world around us. Put most simply, the problem is to show how we can have any knowledge of the world at all. The conclusion that we cannot, that no one knows anything about the world around us, is what I call â€Å"scepticism about the external world.† (Stroud 1984 : 1) In a way it was Francis Bacon who started modern philosophical thinking, in a way it was Rene Descartes, and yet in another way it was Immanuel Kant. The three of them marked the beginning of modern skepticism, modern epistemological thinking and modern philosophy as well. Their thought signified a profound break with the dogmatic religious, theological and metaphysical thinking that dominated Western approach to the understanding of the world for numerous dark centuries before them. Truth is not a given thing, which should be accepted on the basis of faith, anymore. It has to be searched. Human enquiry is paramount. Nothing can be taken for granted. Bacon, Descartes, Kant, the three of them were into systematic demolition of traditional beliefs, paving the way to a new kind of thinking that would characterize the modern way of understanding the world. Perhaps Socrates can be regarded as the first skeptical philosopher, since he began from the premise that he knew nothing. Though at one period there was a special school of skeptical philosophers called â€Å"skeptikoi† (among whom Pyrrho of Elis, Arcesilaus, Carneades), skepticism influenced in a pervasive way all Greek and Roman philosophies. With the advent of Christianity however, skepticism and openness of enquiry gave way to fundamentalism and dogmatism (Hooker 1996). But during the ages of Renaissance and Enlightenment (16 – 18 centuries), skepticism was once again in full force. It had to be. Without it, there cannot be any true philosophy or even science, not to mention epistemology. Our beliefs about the external world can possess the certainty of knowledge only when they can be justified by irrefutable evidence. As it is, our knowledge of the external world is purely â€Å"inferential,† derived through our senses and mind. All supposed evidence we have about the external world is provided by our perceptual experience: that is to say, by how things look, sounds, smell, taste and feel to us. Our experiential beliefs, however, can never logically entail anything about the external world, because no intrinsic logical necessity exists for there to be an exact correspondence between our perceptions of the external world and the real world around us. There seems to be no feasible logical inference possible, which can bridge the gap between the world around us and ourselves either. As a result, there is no logical way to justify our core beliefs about the external world. We are not even in a position to assert the existence of an external world, as separate from our own minds. Hence skepticism. The crux of skepticism, which is in fact not just some school of thought but a fundamental reflection about human existence in the universe, is well presented by Descartes in his First Meditation.   Descartes starts with exploring the various grounds of skepticism, in order to arrive at some point of certainty, if possible. Descartes says what if we were all living in a dream? We all must have dreamed dreams that we thought were so absolutely real that not even the faintest suspicion of doubt arose in us as to the reality of our dream experiences until we awoke.   This single argument in itself is enough to cast a heavy shadow of doubt on the reality of our existence. Yet Descartes attacks from various angles the seemingly unshakeable certainty we have in our own existence and the existence of the world around us. Dream, hallucination, illusion, delusion – the very possibility of these things undermines the certainty of our individual existence, and the existence of our world as we perceive it. Descartes goes on even further to refute the certainty of mathematical equations such as two plus two equals four. What if, Descartes asks, the whole world is run by an omnipotent evil Deity who could be having fun deliberately misleading our logic? (Descartes) Thus ultimately even mathematical certainty is ruled out. Dreams are everyday experience to us, as are simple mathematical facts. To Descartes, one could be as illusory, a mere product of mind, as other. Nothing is left. Is there anything at all we can be indubitably certain about? Is any thing that the human mind can know reliable in the ultimate sense of the word? A large part of Kant's work too moves around the question â€Å"What can human mind know?† The answer, according to Kant, is that our knowledge is inherently restricted to mathematics and the science of the natural, empirical world. It is not logically possible to extend the scope of our thinking to comprehend supersensible realm, as it used to be done in speculative metaphysics. There are limits to human knowledge, human perception, and the reach of human mind. Yet it is with this mind we have to unrelentingly seek, to know and comprehend about our world. Kant lived in an age when the scientific spirit of man was freshly abloom. It is impossible to understand modern philosophy without considering the scientific revolution. Kant had to evolve a philosophical framework for newly emerging scientific attitudes. He focused attention on the way scientific theories are shaped by man’s creative investigations into nature. The rational reorientation in Western thinking was introduced by Copernicus (the so-called Copernican revolution), and was developed by Galileo, Bacon, Descartes, Kant, and Hume into a systematic and comprehensive framework to the new, scientific, rational and empirical way of thinking. Though skepticism may be most commonly associated with Cartesian Skepticism, or to the thought of this philosopher or that, just like in the ancient Greece the influence of philosophical and scientific skepticism permeates wide and deep into much of modern thought. The skepticism about the external world is an inevitable consequence of human experience, and perhaps is by its very nature insurmountable. Further, it is not only a question of what is out there – it is also a question of what is in here. We cannot be sure of the outside world, but equally, we cannot be sure of who we are ourselves; the nature of our own existence remains in dark. Rene Descartes asserts â€Å"I think therefore I am,† but on second thoughts he may be only thinking he is. References: Descartes, Rene. Meditations on First Philosophy. Retrieved May 3, 2007 from http://www.classicallibrary.org/descartes/meditations/4.htm Hooker, R. (1996). Skepticism. Retrieved May 3, 2007 Stewart, D. ; Blocker, H. G. (2005). Fundamentals of Philosophy (6th Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ : Prentice Hall. Stroud, B. (1984). The Significance of Philosophical Scepticism. New York : Oxford Univesity Press ;

How to Compose a Top Essay

If you need to deal with the essay writing, make sure to begin as early as you can, thus, you won’t have to get through all the stress usually associated with the project. To say more, you, as the author, should always stay honest and be yourself. Take a day or two to find out what is really interesting for you, what makes you to put everything behind and sit in front of TV if it’s mentioned right there. Do not try to write about what the other people wish to hear! When considering the essay topic ideas, make sure to be honest in every sentence. College and university tutors can easily detect any sign of plagiarism, so purchasing an essay from the web may cause a lot of troubles. Keep in Focus When Dealing with the Essay Writing! If you want to know how to write a top-notch essay and to handle this assignment successfully, you must be honest. Let’s say, you’re assigned with the task to compose an admission essay. A lot of students begin to list all the academic records they’re proud of, their athletic successes, their extracurricular activities – EVERY single reason why they should take no one else but you. If you do the same way, don’t be surprised when you find out that your paper looks like to-buy list. Thus, you must be concentrated on what is important, never moving away from the key topic of the essay. If the project has only suggested minimum of 400 words, your tutor won’t be happy to spend an hour on reading over 1000 words generated by the author. Instead, make sure to read the essay requirements from A to Z and then jot down several catchy ideas. Pick the most hooking one and write your project about it. Essay Topic Ideas: Write Rewrite! If you hope to write a real masterpiece on the very first try – don’t. It is not possible and, what is more, the time pressure you should work under, will definitely give you the writing block. When working on the first draft, make sure to write anything that appears in your mind on the essay topic. No need to worry about the punctuation and grammar errors or spelling. When you’re done, put it aside for a day or two. When you get back to the draft, make certain to search for certain ways to polish it up. Do not hesitate to make major corrections. Is there any info that doesn’t really link to the essay topic? Delete it. Do you need to replace it with some other details? Do that. Here are two points to take into consideration at this stage: Get rid of the intro and concluding essay segments, and then make sure your project looks stronger. The point is that these essay parts, as a rule, involve unnecessary details. Re-read the essay and remove all the â€Å"many† and â€Å"very† words. The thing is that these words a pretty blurred and make your writing look weaker. Proofreading is the Right Way to a Top Essay! How to write a top-notch essay? Proofread it! When you feel like you are ready to submit your essay, read it once again and try to find the smallest errors. In case you work on your PC, make use of a spell check. Read your essay out loud to catch every mistake or have someone else read it and proofread for you. One of the most popular strategies in checking the essays for typos – to read the paper backward, from Z to A! Thus, even the minor misspellings will stand out.