Humanism vs. Renaissance

Anne Sullivan Mary once said, “Every renaissance comes to the world with a cry, the cry of the human spirit to be free.” Prior to the Renaissance that dramatically changed Europe, the Black Plague that stroke most of Northern, Central, and Western Europe destroyed the hopes and opportunities for people to excel in life. During the 15th century, the Italian Renaissance altered Europe and led to a huge impact in the humanist movement and the Renaissance art. The humanist movement and the Renaissance art reflected the political and social development of this era. The humanist movement used a secular perspective and education and the Renaissance art brought a reform to the churches and art back to life.  
            The Humanist movement revealed the social and political improvement in the 15th century by using worldly perception and education to make individuals aware of what they view around them. The Renaissance Humanism was a rational progress based on the revision of traditional literary works of Greece and Rome. This movement assumed that individuals could be spectacularly altered by education, which will allow them to gain an accurate perspective and knowledge of the world that surrounds them. Instead of having illiterates roaming around, the humanist movement assured learning for children by establishing schools, books, and liberal studies. Liberal arts symbolized the meaning of true liberty which permitted human beings to achieve their goals completely, with the practice of perception and virtue. Therefore, children and even lower class children garnered free education, and were able to learn the skills of dance, run, wrestle, hunt, and swim. These skills enabled them to become fearless and strong individuals who would advance in many places in their lives. Even though female received a limited amount of education, women in Italy were successfully able to pursue their careers in the literary fields due to this movement. For example, Isotta Nogarola... [continues]

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