Science in the medieval islamic world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Science in the medieval islamic world - Essay Example Knowledge occupies â€Å"a dominant position in Islamic doctrine†.1 Farudi discusses individuals who excelled in both scholarly as well as pious fields. These individuals include Al-Khwarizmi, Ibn Sina, and Al-Biruni who despite having great knowledge in religious texts also excelled in medicine, mathematics, astronomy, geography, chemistry, and physics. 2 Science made great strides in the Golden Age of Islam compared to the Dark Ages in Europe when scientific knowledge languished. The contribution of Muslim science was the one that made renaissance occur in Europe in the preceding period. The Umayyad Dynasty is the one that set the stage for what came to be labeled as the Islamic Golden Age. The Umayyad Dynasty was in power in the period 661 to 750. Mu’awiya took over power after the death of Ali.3 Mu’awiya was an Umayyad, who used both force and persuasion to expand the empire. This set a pattern for the years that followed. During this period, many non-Arabs were converted to Arabs and brought into the Islamic faith. The 14 Umayyad rulers were the ones who played the greatest role in the expansion of the Islamic state. Under the Umayyad’s rule, the Islamic state expanded to the lands across Northern Africa, the Indus Valley (Pakistan), Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. These happenings/events are the ones that laid the foundation for Islamic Golden Age. The Abbasid Dynasty took over power from the Umayyad Dynasty and the years of Abbasid Dynasty (750 to 1258) are considered to be golden in many ways.4 These years were characterized by great discoveries and advancements in arts and sciences. There was also a great expansion in trade and the Islamic community expanded. Nevertheless, the period was characterized by plenty of unrest originating from Shi’a people in North Africa who were revolting against the Abbasid rule. In ninth century, the Abbasids faced a lot of

Theatre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Theatre - Essay Example He had what was described as a rough childhood as he was often described as being effeminate which his father, an alcoholic did not approve of, and his mother was described as being bipolar. Tennessee had a close relationship with his sister ‘Rose’ who later in life was discovered to be schizophrenic and spent much of her life in mental institutions. It was the case that Tennessee’s fear of falling into madness would plague him in later life and ultimately lead him into alcoholism and drug abuse. Rose ultimately had a lobotomy performed on her which left her more or less docile for the rest of her life. When Tennessee was young, his family moved to St. Louis where he attended Soldan High School . It became clear at an early age that Tennessee was a gifted writer and won a number of small awards for his short stories and plays. Tennessee attended the University of Misouri, Washington University, and the University of Iowa where he completed his undergraduate studies but by the late 1930’s he was studying and living in New York City. Probably what proved to be most influential on the writings of Tennessee Williams was living in New Orleans where in the late 1940’s he began writing a Streetcar named Desire arguably one of his most famous works. It was during this time that Tennessee began a homosexual relationship wit a man named Frank Merlo. As one recognizes from the works of Tennessee Williams it is the case that he often used alcoholism, mental health issues, and homosexuality as cornerstones of his works. However it was during the time that Tennessee was living with Merlo that he arguably completed his most notable works, arguably this is owing to the relative stability that this relationship brought to his life. According to the library at thinkquest (2010) it is the case that Williams had published thirty eight plays, nine works of fiction, and