Essay 1
The Catholic dominance in Latin America began manifesting in the era of the arrival of the colonialist in the region. After their conquest, the institution had much influence on the lives of the locals as the case of the colonial administrations. The church leadership directed the populism on spiritual matters with the intent of popularizing the pope and Trent in Rome. The institution was identifiable by specific features. One of them is that the leadership borrowed heavily from the Roman Catholic tradition in formulating a model for leadership in the church. However, the clergy and the officials directed the program according to the wishes of the monarchs. The organizations remained independent of the administration in Rome. At first, the officials ventured into the territory by establishing dioceses. Their progress was gradual in remote regions until the council of Trent offered support in developing the mission churches in such areas. In most parts of Latin America, the pope played a critical role in the developments of the institution in the initial stages (De Rojas, 1959). He awarded the Spanish colonial rights and privileges of controlling the territories autonomously with the intent of minimizing the possibility of misunderstanding affecting the establishments of the church.
Another discerning feature of the Tridentine Catholicism in the Spanish Empire is that colonialist prioritized spreading the message of Christianity. As noted, most of the dioceses commenced operation as spiritual entities before deviating to non-spiritual undertakings. On some occasions, the church had confrontations with the locals opposing the establishments of the institution. The spread of Catholicism was difficult then since some locals unwilling to desist from agricultural traditions and nomadic life. Nevertheless, the missionaries committed to changing the cultural aspect of the lives of the locals. They introduced languages that altered the mode of communication. They also acted diligently in their quest for control. The approach, in turn, motivated the locals to embrace the culture of the European colonies (Séris, 2002). They introduced art form and practices that reflected the ideals of the Trent in Rome. The Catholicism was also characterized by the issuance of gifts and provision of security to the members of the indigenous communities. After some time, the strategy began influencing the increase in fellowship among locals despite constant opposition from a section of the population. In some territories, the church leaders incorporated the officials from the colonies in church administration to pacify the natives. They worked with the members of the clergy in forging the interest of the colonial powers even though such actions were not directly visible in entire Latin America.
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The subsequent important feature of Tridentine Catholicism is that it recognized the liberties of the worshippers in maintaining some aspect of tradition. The decision of allowing the practice of mysticism by the Spanish was encouraging the expansion of the territories under the control of the institution (Homza, 2006). After gaining control of some lands, the Tridentine Catholicism used the influence to enhance the popularity of the pope in the region. At the commencement of occupations in South America, the church sought to educate the people on ways of life. The institution set up schools and training centers for the sensitization of the masses on means of addressing the economic challenges that affected the community. The charitable causes promoted by the church in the long-term contributed to the establishments of the Catholicism Empire in the Americas. The colonies friendly approach to establishing influence the religion eased Tridentine Catholicism.
Essay 2
The censorship that was predominant in the early modern Hispanic territory sought to curtail some of the liberties of the natives to ensure the realization of the objectives of the Spanish monarch. The religious institution and colonial powers attempted to assert influence over the people by guiding the political, economic and cultural aspects of people lives through religiosity principles. Despite succeeding in averting conservative practices, the censorship proved retrogressive in the advancement of the society. According to the account in the Spanish Inquisition documents, the church restricted the freedoms of persons in pursuits of unconventional ideas. The development, in turn, halted intellectualism in arts, and literature. The people with the prowess to criticize religious institution were curtailed from questioning the authorities. The women and the children were exposed to abuses and other forms of mistreatments at the height of Spanish conquest since the public was made to live in fear of the clergy. The religious leaders could halt the social and economic liberties of the vulnerable on the pretext of advancing religious principles. According to Séris, É. (2002), the religious leaders exploited the powers in disenfranchising the women and those belonging to denominations like Judaism.
The censorship commenced as an idea aimed at inculcating in people religious values that could promote societal progress. The church leaders together with the colonialist established the framework for initiating the agenda. After some time, the rebellion of the masses in the quest for liberties forced a rethought of the strategy for exploitation of the insinuations. They opposed any liberal ideas that could subvert the influence of the institution in the territories. The Protestants were not free to practice beliefs that contradicted Catholicism. The leadership resorted to monitoring the activities at the communal level. They censored texts that they considered contrary to the doctrines of Catholicism. The continuation in the activities instilled fear in the masses making it difficult for people to pursue causes that might lead to persecutions.
The increased censorship led to the persecution that deteriorated the traditions of the masses. Some of the people were exposed to inhumane conditions due to their quest for liberties to embrace nomadic lifestyle or engage in acts that opposed Christianity ideals. As a result, traditional practices of the nomads declined since the people only engaged in practices regarded as acceptable by the Spanish institution. Women willing to pursue ventures that could empower the communities relocated to other sections of South America. They preferred regions where the felt free from censorship (Séris, 2002). The decision led to the decline in productivity in agriculture and the commercial sector. Other areas affected by the persecutions were relations between individuals at the communal levels. People desisted from engaging in cultural rituals that united the communities. They began to experiment with the prescribed ideologies and such led to the decline in morals in the regions considered conservative.
The Spanish inquisition documents note that the literary world suffered immensely due to increased censorship (Homza, 2006). Protestants with creativity minimized criticisms leading to cases of tolerance from acts that were regarded as unacceptable in the community. The scholars translating religious texts had to liaise with the administrative authorities before publishing the contents. The decision, in turn, curtailed intellectual progress in the community. The rates of dissemination of information decline drastically at the height of censorship. The era witnessed a rise in the spread of misleading information and undocumented persecution of nonbelievers. A section of the population also believed ideas without questioning the authority of the source and such halted scientific progress.
Essay 3
Question 2
Francisco Núñez Muley used memorandum in communicating with the Audiencia royalty about the developments in the Spanish territory after the conquest of Alhama by Christians. He explored the interaction between the leadership and Granada Moriscos with the intent of persuading the royalty to rethink the stance on the perception of the Muslims locals. The relationship between the royalty and Granada Moriscos was deteriorating since the latter group felt that the decision to convert to Christianity was involuntary (Bilinkoff, 2007). They royalty used force in converting the groups leading to the suffering of the Moriscos. The experiences forced Francisco Núñez Muley to explore the subject in his memorandum. According to Núñez & Barletta (2007), the convert composed the piece that exploited rhetorical techniques in communicating a message that could reconcile the factions. He began the process by acknowledging the contribution of the royalty in the conquest of the South America region before proceeding to mention the cause of misunderstanding. Francisco Núñez Muley highlighted that the variation was attributable to cultural misunderstanding but affirmed Granada Moriscos willingness to forge interest similar to those of the royalty. He mentioned the possibility of Granada Moriscos collaborating with the authorities despite the difference in religious affiliation.
Francisco Núñez Muley proceeded with the persuasion by citing the intellect of the Granada Moriscos in maintaining their tradition and comprehending the cultural aspect of the Christian life that corroborated with Islam thus being in a position to coexists. He cited his background in Islam as having the experience of both religions. He sought to exploit the influence to help the royalty to administer a just rule in the territory. The memorandum incorporated suggestions on the strategies for addressing the cultural misunderstanding of dieting, dressing and many other issues that deteriorated the relationship of the royalty with the Muslims. Francisco Núñez Muley expressed the ability of Granada Moriscos leadership persuading the local community into a cause that will harmonize the efforts of the administrative authorities and the communities in the quest for control of the territories without interfering with religious beliefs. Francisco cited the similarities in the perception of Granada Muslims with the view of the royalty albeit the disagreements on the strategy for exploitation in solving the religious misunderstanding.
The persuasion in the documents also highlighted the danger of ignoring Granada Moriscos in pursuit of social and economic ventures in the territory. Francisco mentioned the possibility of the Granada Muslim rebelling throughout the era of the royalty (Núñez & Barletta, 2007). The writer of the memorandum instead supported tolerance through the inclusion of the ideas of the Muslims in leadership as a strategy for resolving the misunderstanding between the conquerors and the local communities. Francisco Núñez Muley also exploited the strategy of appealing to the emotion of the official of the Audiencia authorities in the composition of the memorandum. He wrote the documented using a simple language while exploiting literary devices in accentuating the meaning of the text. He exploited words that resonate with the religion of the royalty. He recognized Christian values in the composition with the intent to persuade the leadership to continue with their endeavors. The momo noted the liberties of the locals as an essential consideration in the formulation of a strategy for strengthening the growth of Christianity. The mode of communication suggested that Francisco Núñez Muley’s despised the persecution of the local Muslims. He argued that persuasive tactics were instrumental in the realization of the agenda of the royalty in converting the Moriscos to Christianity after the conquest of the area in 1492.
Essay 4
Question 2
The play life is a dream dramatizes the developments in the Hispanic societies in the seventeenth century using poetic language, allegory, satire and many other literary techniques in criticism. In most of the composition, Pedro Calderón de la Barca relied on the literary tools to communicate about the issues and the concerns of the people in the society in the era. According to pundits, the production served as a vehicle for projecting the reality in the community. In some ways, it enlightened the society leading to a discourse of various sorts. The developments suggest that play s produced in the era were instrumental in criticism. Barca’s Life is a Dream, for the most part, satirizes the role of the royalties in the Spanish territories in the era characterized by conquest by armies. The composer utilized allegory in communicating a message that can evoke the masses to rethink solution to administrative challenges of the past. Just like many other plays of the era, the selection of the character, theme and the setting played an instrumental role in facilitating the criticism as manifest in the composition.
Similar to Pedro Calderón de la Barca in Life is a Dream, the composers of the seventeenth century succeeded in their mission by selecting characters capable of depicting the reality in the society without evoking the anger of the authority. The directors empowered the fictitious characters to represent real-life figures then assigned the individual roles that satirized similar occupation in real life. The approach in the long-term criticized the leaders of the era indirectly ( De La Barca, 2012) . The composers of the play also exploited the literary devices such as the use of poetic language and in communicating a message that laments about the situation in the Hispanic society in the 17th century. The typical example entails describing the primitive actions of the leadership such as the imprisonments of Segismundo, using humor. The approach made it difficult for the masses or the kings of the era to consider the play as critical. The few who discovered the trick exploited by the artists in composition could not directly implicate the producers of deploring satire in the presentation.
The theme of most of the composition produced in the era related to the experiences of the people in the day-to-day lives. The Life is a Dream, for instance, analyzed the role of religion and cultural beliefs in a dream as well as family conflicts. After watching the play, the audiences could begin relating the contents to personal experiences. The reaction in the long-term resulted in criticism of the society. In the beginning chapters of Life is a Dream, the director of the play realized the objective by formulating plays with a moral story behind every production. The intention of communicating the message was persuading the people to rethink their traditions. On some occasions, the approach of using characters in places as Poland to convey a message in a different realm ensured that viewers comprehend the moral lesson without attaching the morals to personalities. They could pursue a specific objective in the society that aligns to the morals reiterated in the plays.
In Life is a Dream, Pedro Calderón de la Barca succeeded to criticize the society since the play unraveled the misgiving of the authorities in the era of its reign. The narration on the cultural issue that dictated relationship amid characters in the society facilitated an understanding of the challenges that masses confronted. Through the exploration of the same, the audiences got the opportunity to analyze the society. Those serving in the leadership position watching the play got an insight into the concerns of the people and such qualified as indirect criticism. The directors used fictitious characters in communicating a message to the royalty indirectly. Another approach exploited by the composers of the play entailed relying on symbolism in making the composition vehicles of criticism. The producers of the play identified the prevailing issues in the society then centered the story on the subject. The mode resulted in the sensitization of the people on the religious issue and the cultural concerns in the era. The identification of the underlying challenges in the society encouraged a discourse on the subject after watching a play on a similar theme.
References
Bilinkoff, J. (2007). The Spanish Inquisition, 1478-1614: An Anthology of Sources. The Catholic Historical Review , 93 (4), 949.
De La Barca, P. C. (2012). Life is a Dream, trans. Gregory Racz (Penguin) ISBN 0143104829
De Rojas, F. (1959). The Celestina: a Fifteenth-Century Spanish Novel in Dialogue; Translated by Lesley Byrd Simpson. (University of California Press) ISBN 0520250117
Homza, L. A. (Ed.). (2006). The Spanish Inquisition 1478-1614, An Anthology of Sources , ed. and trans. Lu Ann Homza (Hackett Publishing Co.) ISBN 0872207943
Núñez, M. F., & Barletta, V. (2007). A memorandum for the president of the royal audiencia and chancery court of the city and Kingdom of Granada . Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press.
Séris, É. (2002). Juan Luis Vives. The Education of a Christian Woman. A Sixteenth-Century Manual. Charles Fantazzi (University of Chicago Press) ISBN 0226858154
