Joan Of Arc Essays (1410 words) - Joan Of Arc, Charles VII Of France

Joan Of Arc Joan of Arc When Joan of Arc was born the Hundred Years War was over half way over. She was considered a French saint, a national heroine, and was called the Maid of Orleans. She was born to peasant parents in Domremy-la-Pucelle in France in 1412. Joan attended mass daily and visited the church on a regular basis. France was struggling because they were in need of a king who could get the country back together and keep it together. It was under these conditions that Joan of Arc grew up(www.millersv.edu). At a young age Joan of Arc confessed to hearing voices. The voices she heard were of St. Michael, St. Margaret, and St. Catherine (www.catholic.org). She was working on her fathers farm one day when she heard one of the voices say, Great things are expected of you. You must leave your native village and go to aid your king(www.mcs.drexel.edu). After she had heard the voices she said, I was thirteen when I heard a voice from God ask for my help and guidance. The first time I heard this voiced I was a young child, and I was much afraid. It seemed to come to me from lips I should reverence. I believe it was sent to me from God. These voices were advising her to help a Dauphin, later known as Charles VII of France (www.millersv.edu). They wanted her to help him reconquer France because at that time England was after the throne of France (www.catholic.org). The voices also told her to cut her hair and dress like a man (www.netsrq.com). When the voices told Joan to assist the Dauphin of France, Joan approached Robert Baudricourt about her mission to see the Dauphin(www.mcs.drexel.edu). He was captain of the Dauphins forces in Vaucouleur (www.millersv.edu). Baudricourt thought of her mission as silly and unnecessary. She returned home after this trip. The voices became more urgent. She heard them say, It is God who commands it. She then left Domremy and revisited Vaucouleur (www.mcs.drexel.edu). Joan acted as the mascot of Frances army. This boosted the morale of the French soldiers (www.millersv.edu). Because of doing this she got to meet the Dauphin and have an interview with him. She made the journey to meet him with six companions and she was dressed in male attire (www.mcs.drexel.edu). Joan arrived at the Castle of Chinon on March 6 and two days later she saw Charles VII (www.knight.org). Joan tells the Dauphin, Charles VII, that she was sent by God to help France and to take the dauphin to Reims to be crowned king (www.la-pucelle.de). She also says to him, I am Joan the Maid. Give me soldiers and I will raise the siege of Orleans (www.mcs.drexel.edu). He ordered that Joan be examined by the doctors at the University of Poitiers. It was suspected that she was possessed by the devil. She was taken to Tours after her examination to have armor made for her. She was given a banner of fleur-de-lis, French coat of arms, and an army was formed for her in Blois (www.la-pucelle.de). She was also given the rank of Captain of the army (www.netsrq.com). She took the army that she was provided with and marched towards Orleans (www.la-pucelle.de). With over three thousand soldiers and some Dauphins best men, Joan of Arc led the siege of Orleans (www.mcs.drexel.edu). The march to the city began on April 29th of 1429 (www.la-pucelle.de). In May 1429 she led the French to a miraculous victory over the English. Her army fought several battles along the Loire (www.netsrq.com). The French captured many of the English fortresses. The English army suffered much loss. Joan continued to motivate her troops by staying at the front of the fighting line and by displaying her courage. She was injured when she got *censored* with an arrow in the neck (www.la-pucelle.de). As soon as she realized she was hurt she pulled the arrow out of her neck, climbed on a horse, and went back to fighting (www.mcs.drexel.edu). The English army retreated on May 8, 1429. The French had taken Jargeau, Meung, and Beaugency, which are all English cities. The English army finally admitted defeat on June 18th in the Battle of Patay. She

Descartes Essays - Ren Descartes, Epistemology, Thought, Free Essays

Descartes Essays - Ren Descartes, Epistemology, Thought, Free Essays Descartes Descartes Meditations Descartes Cogito Ergo Sum (I am, I exist) argument is a complex one. In many ways, he constructs a convincing argument for the existence of the self, and for the process of the thinking being, the essence of that self. In this meditation on his philosophy, Descartes on numerous attempts tries to convince both the readers, as well as himself, of his theory that we must reject all of our present ideas and beliefs and start from nothing. He believes that the only thing that has any certainty at this point is his own existence as a thinking being. Everything else, which he has learned throughout his entire life and believed in, is to be thrown out because it is not known clearly and distinctly. Descartes method and theory on knowledge was well planned and carefully thought out. It is evident that he spent a great deal of time determining the principles that he would use as determinants for judging whether a specific idea was justified and true. In my opinion, there are some flaws contained in Descartes argument. Among these flaws are Descartes apparent determination to prove his theory on his individual existence in the world and the existence of G-d to backup and prove himself and his theories. At the beginning of meditation two, Descartes is stuck in the middle of nothingness. He has nothing, nothing to believe in and everything around him he regards as false. This is because he cannot believe what he has learned and he is also unable to trust his senses due to the fact that they deceive him. He feels like he is drowning in a whirlpool and cannot reach the top and get out nor can he put his feet on the bottom and stand. Everything in the world at this point he has called into doubt, including himself. Everything that he has ever seen, learned or thought is now external from what he deems to be true and he is beginning his knowledge from non-existence. Descartes although is certain of one thing, nothing (but to be certain of nothing is still to be certain of something?). Descartes is a rational thinker and he rationalizes through his studies that nothing in the world is known. He decided to re-start his belief process and call everything he has ever believed in, into doubt. He is debating complex ideas in his head, changing his mind and objectively making decisions, so his existence in a world has to be a certainty. The fact that he is having these thoughts, whether right or wrong proves mental capacity. Descartes then states with certainty Cogito ergo sum (I am, I exist). This is the first accurate idea that Descartes knows with any conviction, he knows that he is a thinking being. Descartes still does not know what he is, he says but what then am I? A thing that thinks. What is that? A thing that doubts, understands, affirms, denies, wills, refuses, and that also imagines and senses. He is aware of his mental capacity and knows he thinks, deliberates and makes decisions, but he still rejects his body and his senses. O ne major flaw found in Descartes argument is that while critically examining, and then rejecting, mostly everything in the world around him, he maintained that he could prove the existence of G-d, beyond a shadow of a doubt. For thousands of years, people have been trying to prove G-ds existence but he has yet to be successful. It seems to me that Descartes showed a display of arrogance in supposing that he could devise a method of proving the existence of G-d, doing so without a great deal of difficulty. At one point in his discourse on method, Descartes sets out a code of morals, which he plans to abide by. Descartes states that he plans to obey the laws and the customs of my country, constantly holding on to the religion in which, by G-ds grace, I had been instructed from my childhood . It is quite apparent from this passage, that Descartes had accepted and embraced the idea of G-d long before he even began to question it. With this pre-judgement of