The Worst Jobs in History Blog

Konnor Drewen

5/23/011

Stone Mason

            I think the job that I would least like to do is the stone mason. He would have had the hardest job in my opinion. The stone mason had to find the stones he wanted then cut it. He had to somehow get the stone from the quarry, the take it to the building site. He then had to carve the stone to the size and shape that he wanted. Besides all of the backbreaking manual labor, the stone mason then had to make lime. Making the lime could be a deadly process. It could produce carbon monoxide, a deadly odorless gas. There was also a risk of falling into the kiln and burning to death. There was even a chance of scaffolding falling and plunging you to your death. If you did not die from that you would be so broken up that you would not be able to work anymore.  If you were a stone mason you were not expected to live very long. I the end the Cathedral that you are building may not even be strait. Over time since so many people have worked on the building someone could have messed up somewhere. There were not many upsides to being a stone mason in the middle ages.    

From Konnor to Doctor: the Konnor Drewen story

Konnor started this year with no good intentions. He just wanted to get through High School and not look back on it. This is how he has lived his High School life so far; a shadow in the lives of others. Konnor shed his old self and built himself a new persona. That new persona became The Doctor; the man who sits in his classes everyday quietly, but learning every second. Konnor just wanted to get to college, he wanted to "fast-forward" his life if you would.

But Konnor learned something this year. That if you do not slow down and take a look once in a while, you will miss the important things. A missed friendship, a lost love, a forgotten collogue. These things are essential to survival, and he thought he could pass them by. Konnor has been doing this his whole life. He did not let anyone in. He did not want anyone to know him. He wanted to, in the words of Kansas, just be dust in the wind.

Konnor continues to do this to this very day. He most likely will never stop. But there is one thing that people need to know about him. Something that people need to understand..... The Doctor likes it that way.

Storybird link

http://storybird.com/books/power-punch-richard-vs-super-stunned-saladin/

Weekly 9 Final Draft

Konnor Drewen

5/3/011

Why is it so important to understand manuscripts if one is to really understand the culture of the Middle Ages?

            Manuscripts are highly important when understanding the Middle Ages. They were the new form of document that allowed knowledge to be passed throughout time. Knowing this, it does not surprise that some of the ancient manuscripts were of massive size (Fig. 1).  The manuscripts were created to replace the old form of using papyrus as paper. The texts were just as important then as they are now to historians that study the Middle Ages.  Throughout time, people have learned that knowledge is the key to enlightenment; manuscripts are the keepers of knowledge and therefore, enlightenment.

            ''The world is bad enough with the bible; what would it be without it” (Franklin). Benjamin Franklin said this quote when asked to read the manuscript The Age of Reason. This quote asks what would the world be without a bible but it also asks the question, what the world would be like without any important manuscripts. The bible and other religious manuscripts can cause such controversy in society, but that controversy shaped the world we live in today. The manuscripts in the Middle Ages must have had the same effect as other texts throughout time.  In the Middle Ages, these helped people through the darkness of ignorance and into enlightenment.

            “Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts / the book of their deeds, the book of their words and the book of their art” (Ruskin). This quote demonstrates the power in manuscripts. They can tell a list of the actions of a civilization. They can also show their art history through the documents. In the Middle Ages they had great art and it was passed not only though paintings but through these documents.

            “As a writer, you have control of the words you put on the page. But once that manuscript leaves your hand, you give control to the reader” (Meyer). This validates the thesis because the knowledge is in the hands of the reader. The reader can chose enlightenment if it is wanted. The reason this is important in understanding the Middle Ages is that the people of that time had many great ideas, but people did not chose enlightenment. The people of today do not listen to the knowledge of that time as much as they use to.

            Manuscripts are the keepers of knowledge consequently they can lead to enlightenment. Manuscripts can be used to increase our knowledge in things we never understood. There are texts that teach some of the oldest sciences created (Fig. 2). The manuscripts can be used to pass not only words, but pictures also. Enlightenment is not just given to a person, it must be earned.

Appendix

Figure 1

Figure 2

Bibliography

Franklin, B. (n.d.). ''the world is bad enough with the bible; what would it be without it?''. Retrieved from http://www.tentmaker.org/Quotes/religionquotes.htm (Franklin)

Ruskin, J. (n.d.). “great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts / the book of their deeds, the book of their words and the book of their art.” . Retrieved from http://www.famouslifemottos.org/Nations.html (Ruskin)

Meyer, N. (n.d.). “as a writer, you have control of the words you put on the page. but once that manuscript leaves your hand, you give control to the reader.” . Retrieved from http://www.great-quotes.com/quote/1019055 (Meyer)

Unknown, (Photographer). (2007). Timbuktu-manuscripts-astronomy-tables.jpg. [Web]. Retrieved from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Timbuktu-manuscripts-astronomy-tables.jpg

Maňas, M. (Photographer). (2007). Codex gigas facsimile.jpg. [Web]. Retrieved from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Codex_Gigas_facsimile.jpg

Weekly 9 Rough Draft

Konnor Drewen

5/3/011

Why is it so important to understand manuscripts if one is to really understand the culture of the Middle Ages?

            Manuscripts are highly important when understanding the Middle Ages. They were the new form of document that allowed knowledge to be passed throughout time. Knowing this, it does not surprise that some of the ancient manuscripts were of massive size (Fig. 1).  The manuscripts were created to replace the old form of using papyrus as paper. The texts were just as important then as they are now to historians that study the Middle Ages.  Throughout time, people have learned that knowledge is the key to enlightenment; manuscripts are the keepers of knowledge and therefore, enlightenment. Manuscripts have no importance.

            ''The world is bad enough with the bible; what would it be without it” (Franklin). Benjamin Franklin said this quote when asked to read the manuscript The Age of Reason. This quote asks what would the world be without a bible but it also asks the question, what the world would be like without any important manuscripts. The bible and other religious manuscripts can cause such controversy in society, but that controversy shaped the world we live in today. The manuscripts in the Middle Ages must have had the same effect as other texts throughout time.  In the Middle Ages, these helped people through the darkness of ignorance and into enlightenment.

            “Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts / the book of their deeds, the book of their words and the book of their art” (Ruskin). This quote demonstrates the power in manuscripts. They can tell a list of the actions of a civilization. They can also show their art history through the documents. In the Middle Ages they had great art and it was passed not only though paintings but through these documents.

            “As a writer, you have control of the words you put on the page. But once that manuscript leaves your hand, you give control to the reader” (Meyer). This validates my thesis because the knowledge is in the hands of the reader. The reader can chose enlightenment if it is wanted. The reason this is important in understanding the Middle Ages is that the people of that time had many great ideas, but people did not chose enlightenment. The people of today do not listen to the knowledge of that time as much as they use to.

            Manuscripts are the keepers of knowledge consequently they can lead to enlightenment. Manuscripts can be used to increase our knowledge in things we never understood. There are texts that teach some of the oldest sciences created (Fig. 2). The manuscripts can be used to pass not only words, but pictures also. Enlightenment is not just given to a person, it must be earned.

Appendix

Figure 1

Figure 2

Bibliography

Franklin, B. (n.d.). ''the world is bad enough with the bible; what would it be without it?''. Retrieved from http://www.tentmaker.org/Quotes/religionquotes.htm (Franklin)

Ruskin, J. (n.d.). “great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts / the book of their deeds, the book of their words and the book of their art.” . Retrieved from http://www.famouslifemottos.org/Nations.html (Ruskin)

Meyer, N. (n.d.). “as a writer, you have control of the words you put on the page. but once that manuscript leaves your hand, you give control to the reader.” . Retrieved from http://www.great-quotes.com/quote/1019055 (Meyer)

Unknown, (Photographer). (2007). Timbuktu-manuscripts-astronomy-tables.jpg. [Web]. Retrieved from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Timbuktu-manuscripts-astronomy-tables.jpg

Maňas, M. (Photographer). (2007). Codex gigas facsimile.jpg. [Web]. Retrieved from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Codex_Gigas_facsimile.jpg