My Utopia, Your Utopia (Creative Engagement)

I did not interpret Thomas More's "Utopia" as ironic. Certainly, there was irony in it, but as a whole I think he was genuinely proposing his image of a more perfect society.

Since finishing the reading I've been thinking about what my own personal Utopia would look like. If I had the power to re-design society, what would I do? And while ultimately I'm glad I don't live in a Utopia of any sorts (how boring that would be) there are some things that I would change.

I would shy away from the pure communism without any private property that More seems to advocate. However, I would try to more substantially redistribute wealth than we currently do with higher graduated income taxes and broader (and more efficient) welfare programs. There would also be more diversity in my world: differences in religions, desires, and opinions on morality.

Even if you disagree with my reading of More, I'd love to hear what your vision of a utopic society would look like, or even one aspect of it. Comment below if you care to.

Priests and Politics

The early 17^th century was a period of tremendous political upheaval in England. A Civil War was fought, a King was executed, and a monarchy was restored; all within 18 years. The turmoil is evident in the literature of the time and more explicitly in the non-fiction writing. However, the same time period was also a time of religious uncertainty. The creation of the Church of England by Henry VIII had occurred in the previous century, but its legacy of disunity and confusion continued to pervade England into the 17^th century and can be seen in texts of every genre.

As is to be expected the overthrow of the King occasioned a swell of political theorizing in England. Robert Filmer, John Milton, and Gerrard Winstanley all wrote on the nature of government. Their ideas were radically different; the only constant was the presence of Christianity in their writing. Filmore argued that human’s have no natural liberty; it was Adam’s desire for liberty that “was the first cause of the fall.” He went on to use the biblical history of the patriarchs to prove that man is naturally subordinated to rulers. Milton, by contrast, used biblical history to prove the God does not support the rule of Kings, after all God wasn’t pleased when the Israelites asked for a King. Winstanley also used religion to argue that while God was a righteous King, Parliament was not living up to God’s demands.

While all of these examples of Christianity influencing political argument are significant in that they show the pervasiveness of religion in 17^th century, English society, they are all simply examples of differing interpretations. Even more interesting is the more contentious religious conflict that these texts hint toward, division not only of interpretation but also of practice and structure. When discussing the misplaced logic of human liberty Filmer wrote, “This tenet was first hatched in the schools, and hath been fostered be all succeeding Papists for good divinity.” Clearly there was a division with the community of believers if Filmer could take such a position regarding the beliefs of the clergy. Gerrard Winstanley makes his anti-clerical position clearer in his essay; he explains that the “tithing priests” are part of the problem facing common Englishmen since they horde land and refuse to provide the fair share to public. Of course the essential distinction to be made is between the Church and “true religion.” While the clergy was part of the problem, “Surely the earth was never made by God that the younger brother should live in the earth unless he would work for and pay his elder brother rent for the earth.”

The fractioning that the Protestant Reformation helped to bring about, in which many people lost loyalty to the clergy of any kind (Catholic or Church of England) is also evident in the writings of Lucy Hutchinson. For Hutchinson, part of the King and Queen’s weakness was their close ties to the Episcopal power structure. Although she too, like all the writers examined here, maintained Christian beliefs she disapproved strongly of the organized Church in England.

A professed belief in Christ and the Bible was essentially a given in 17^th century England, but how those beliefs manifested themselves and how they were framed in political arguments varied greatly.

Pedestrian Mall Letter (Wild Card)

Dear Marlies,

I hope everything is well with you since we were last able to speak in person on February. Are you still dating that nice boy from Texas? I'm disappointed I haven't had the chance to meet him yet, but your sister and my mother have told me nothing but great things about him.

The reason I'm writing is to inform you about a proposal that a University official is making regarding Academy Street. He wants to turn part of it into a pedestrian mall, closed to cars. I assume the blocks to be closed would be those nearest the Perkins Student Center. I'm sure you haven't already forgotten the way students cross the street there. I'm particularly interested in what you have to say about this since you moved into the city and live so close to the Times Square pedestrian mall.

To me, the proposal seems entirely unnecessary. The campus is already relatively pedestrian friendly. If anything it's quite difficult to navigate the area by car and blocking off Academy St. won't make it any better. I know you've said you often go and sit on Broadway now that its closed to cars, but I can't imagine that happening in Newark with both the beach and the Green in such close proximity.

Your Cousin,
Steven

Henry Hudson and Robert Juet (Creative Engagement)

This week’s reading included a few excerpts describing some early European discoveries of Virginia. And while Virginia is all well and good I also wanted to look up some early European descriptions of what was to become New York. Since this is a British Literature class I willfully ignored Giovanni Verrazzano and several other explorers and instead researched the 1609 voyage of Henry Hudson. Although he sailed under the Dutch flag, Hudson was an Englishman as was his first mate Robert Juet. Juet kept a detailed account of all his travels with Hudson and I’ve attached a link below to some of it. What is most interesting about Juet’s writing is his scientific specificity and detail. As the Norton mentions, many explorers sought be as precise as possible to avoid being accused of exaggeration. Juet went beyond the others we read in his references to weather, location, navigation, and landmasses. He also described the inconsistent relations the crew had with the natives, who he refers to as savages, sometimes one of mutual assistance and sometimes one of cruelty and murder. For me the most interesting part of the journal was the period after September 2^nd when the ship entered New York harbor and sailed up what today is the Hudson River, trading and interacting with natives. Juet repeatedly praised both the harbor and river and suggested a successful city could be built there.

http://documents.nytimes.com/robert-juet-s-journal-of-hudson-s-1609-voyage

September 2009 was the 400^th anniversary of Hudson’s entrance into New York Harbor and it was celebrated in New York and the Netherlands. Here is a brief video of some of the festivities. As you can see, the oysters, that Juet mentioned the natives giving the crew, were part of the fun.

Praise and Patronage

Writing poetry in the 16^th century was a difficult business for anyone trying to make a living. Without copyrights, manuscripts of poems circulated between readers who freely copied them into their own anthologies and whatever profits were made went to the powerful booksellers. In order to survive serious poets often had to rely on the gifts of wealthy patrons who supported their work. For English explorers and adventurers of the time period the stakes were just as high, if not higher. To create poetry one only needs something to write on and something to write with; to sail across the Atlantic Ocean, or around the tip of Africa, required a ship outfitted with supplies and a crew. It was an expensive enterprise and the captains of the expeditions were forced to rely on the wealth and patronage of others, usually the Queen.

To ensure that future journey’s would be financed the men who chronicled them had to ensure the patrons or supporters were pleased with the results and the pleased with the amount of glory they were receiving. George Best took part in Martin Frobisher’s search for a Northwest Passage and wrote about the voyage in 1578. In his account he includes a passage praising the foremost promoter of the expedition, Lord Ambrose Dudley, “whose noble mind and good countenance in this, as in all other actions, gave great encouragement,” (929). Although Dudley was already dead by the time the report was published, his mention in such glowing terms may have been aimed at attracting new patrons who wanted similar glorification. One person who consistently received this type of veneration was Queen Elizabeth. Sir Walter Ralegh elevated her to nearly divine status when he wrote with regards to Guiana, “I trust…that he which is King of all Kings and Lord of Lords will put it into her heart which is Lady of Ladies to posses it,” (926). Certainly, Ralegh respected the Queen, but this exaltation was meant to elicit more patronage for a potential conquest (one that never happened).

The Queen was also rewarded for her patronage in slightly more tangible ways. When Sir Francis Drake was supposedly offered California by the native inhabitants he accepted “in the name and to the use of Her Majesty…wishing that the riches and treasure thereof might so conveniently be transported to the enriching of her kingdom at home,” (934). Arthur Barlowe did the same thing during his voyage to Virginia, claiming the land in honor of the Queen (936). Once again, while these men may have truly desired to increase the Queen’s glory they also wanted to ensure her continued financial support for their exploits.

Both Drake and Barlowe also further glorified their patron, the Queen, through naming. Drake called his territory Nova Albion, Latin for New England; and Barlowe mentions that the land called Wingandacoa by the natives is “now, by Her Majesty, Virginia,” (937). Even non-royal patrons were honored by naming; the previously mentioned Lord Ambrose Dudley and his wife were immortalized with Mount Warwick and Countess’s Island (929, 931).