Part One: Research (200 words) The Renaissance time period was full of many creative people and sights. Most of us know the most common career that everybody knows about from the Renaissance: The artists. From Leonardo da Vinci, to Michelangelo to Galileo Galilei, there were so many great artists of the time (which now that I think of it, a lot of them resided in Florence-). But there was so much more than that. There were writers, scientists, mathmeticians, astronomers, inventors, everything that made the Renaissance what it is today was not just the artists. But the great minds of all sorts of people. The Renaissance movement started in Europe during the fourteenth century to the seventeenth century and was created as a rebirth for the people as new creators of the time started turning their world into something beautiful. It is seen as one of the most intellectual, creative times that our world, or at least the middle ages has ever seen. It evolved us into something completely new after the hardships of before. The people in the middle ages have set us up for success with their amazing sights on philosophy, their excellent work in the fine arts field, and everything science related. Part Two: Setting (409 words) The setting of the Renaissance was a really exciting time when the world started to change after the Middle Ages. It began in northern Italy, in cities like Florence, Venice, and Milan. These cities were powerful and independent, and they were full of rich merchants, bankers, and traders. Because they had so much money, they could support artists, scientists, and inventors. This time was called a rebirth because people started looking back at the ideas and beauty of ancient Greece and Rome and trying to bring those things back to life. One of the coolest things about the Renaissance was how much people cared about art and learning. Rich families and rulers became patrons, which means they paid artists and thinkers to make amazing new things. (Florence was one of the most famous cities for this. Cough, I think the great minds of the world huddled together here.) It’s where some of the greatest minds, like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, lived and worked. Thanks to them and many others, art, science, and even math started to grow and change in ways no one had ever seen before. The cities themselves were beautiful, too. Renaissance cities were built to look organized and balanced, often with a big square in the middle where people gathered. The buildings were very different from the tall, pointy Gothic churches from before. Instead, architects started using domes, arches, columns, and other designs from ancient Rome. Everything was meant to look more elegant and harmonious. But the Renaissance wasn’t just about art and buildings; it was also about ideas. People started focusing on humanism, which meant studying humans, their achievements, and the world around them. Artists began to make their paintings look more realistic, and scientists made new discoveries, like the idea that the Earth moves around the Sun. Overall, the setting of the Renaissance was full of creativity, learning, and the belief that humans could turn small ideas into something bigger, and way more impactful than they could ever know. When you look into the setting of the Renaissance you'll see old timey ancient Greek & Rome structures, mixed with a little gothic architecture here and there. It kind of shows how the people wanted to recreate the way things were back then, but wanted to give it their own kind of edge, you know? The Renaissance movement was probably one of the most beautiful things you could ever want to be apart of. Part Three: Character Creation (424 words) Arabella Crawn is kind of an Elizabeth Bennet when you think about it. She knows women deserve so much more than what they're given, but nobody else seems to have the same mindset she does. She's an unconditional feminist and believes she can do just about anything a man can, and refuses to settle down just because it would make a man or her family happy. She wants to live a life without settling down early and having to take care of everything just because of her gender. She wants to live (truly live, and doesn't care what anyone else thinks about her outlook on life. She's treated like an oddball, but in a time period where women have little to no rights, why wouldn't she be?
While other girls are obeying every little thing their fathers and husbands are telling them, she hides away in her room writing in her notebook, creating lives of women who stand up for what they believe in and end up the crown jewels of society for what they can do and not for who they're standing behind. She always has the urge to write up a new character whenever a man infuriates her enough by acting as though the patriarchy is the best thing to ever happen to society, or to hold himself at a higher standard (because he thinks he's more high-class or is just that arrogant) than she does. When she's not hidden away, she's having fun. Not going to ballrooms looking for a husband, or slaving away at home doing the chores, but doing something she knows someone else wouldn't want her doing. She'd go horseback riding, or go to poorer villages dances, or even shopping at old markets. It made her happy to be happy. Living for her was her biggest priority, and living for someone else would never happen as long as she had the choice. She dislikes most people because of their simple-mindedness, but her sisters were her closest allies and she couldn't bare it if something were to happen to them. They were of course very different from her, but being related by blood made her feel protective over them. She corrected them whenever they said anything about men being superior, or about them being less than. She knew better than to share her entire outlook with her family, but wanted to convince them that they were way more than a man ever could be, and refused to change anything about the way she thought. Feminist of the century, y'all. Part Four: The Story (547 words) I heard my name not once, not twice but three times. I ignored the shouts and kept my eyes glued to my book. Jane Isabella. Austen Quinn. Two girls with beautiful names. Jane is a princess with high expectations to marry once she turns fifteen. Why should she marry so young? She believes she deserves to have more time, if not able to choose her own suitor. She refuses to follow her father's wishes and stays single, and stays satisfied. Austen is denied a spot in a scholarly program because of her gender even though her smarts are impeccable, and her talent is unable to be fought. Taking a stand is her only option. These two fictional girls are the only friends I have, and the only ones I could ever want. To fight for what one believes in is the most admirable trait one could have. How I wish I was able to do that too. "Arabella Crawn, there you are." I heard my father's irritated tone. I turned to look at his face, stern and serious. His usual expression. Smiling is a luxury my father could not afford. I must have inherited that from him; smiling feels pointless when no one ever smiles back. At least not when he is around me. "Why did you not answer me? Are your ears forgetting to listen out for my voice?" I felt the urge to remind him that my ears were not made for the sole purpose of waiting at his beck and call. But I swallowed it, along with many explicits for the patriarchy loving mindset he has screwed inside his brain. Making my father angry is not a burden I feel I'd like to carry in this moment. He was hard enough to deal with as it was. No need to throw salt on the wound. "I apologize, Father. I must have zoned you out." I nodded once and closed my book, "Did you need something?" "Yes. Could you go out to the market and buy some new fabric for your mother?" With that he walked away, most likely off to see what my eldest sister and his favorite daughter is up to. No please and no thank you. Not even a small sign of gratitude. Not to mention did he not wait for my answer. He just expects me to do it because he asked and that's that. Not that I could say no. What right did I have to disobey my father's wishes? None. I have none. Is it fair? Why of course not. It might seem okay to have my father tell me what to do. But when it's not just him shall it remain normal? How many times have I been whisked off to do favors for a stranger, a male stranger I have never met? Why? Because my father thinks as obedient as I can get, the more likable I will be. The easier it will be to marry me off. In this time period where artists roam free, where inventors can think, and great minds are rewarded you wonder where all the women are. When in reality they are right behind the male great minds, unable to speak out. That, I'm afraid, is life. Cruel cruel life.
