Monday, October 22, 2012

Colonial Culture: What Life Used To Be Like

How about some lighter fare this week? We could all use a breather after the Middle Passage blog last week.

Check out the following sites on colonial culture.  In the comments section, write about life now versus then.  Which do you prefer?

Rules Of Being A Gentlemen

Colonial Music-Be sure to click on the links.  Take some time to explore this site.

Colonial Art-Notice not only the style but also the clothes portrayed in the portraits.  Be sure to read the article as well as looking at the pictures.

Colonial Games-After you view the games page, check out at least two of the other links on the left side of the page.

Enjoy!

25 comments:

  1. Colonial life was very different than ours today. For one example, we have electricity (computers and TV) and running water, other than creeks, they don’t. Second of all, their music was specified by 1 or 2 songs, our music would be many different songs. Plus, they don’t have nearly as many instruments as we do; we have electric guitars when they have fiddles. Our art is also much different than theirs, all of their art is paint. No cartoons. Also, a majority of their art was mainly portraits. Their games also were a lot different than ours today. We have computer games and they obviously don’t. (106)

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  2. When I looked at the list of being a gentleman, I saw that most of these things are still done by people today. Unlike back then, you are not FORCED to do all of them, but its a good idea to do most of them. For art, each house had almost everything imported from England. This made sense since all of the colonies were English. Some of the game back then also are played today, like tag and blind man's bluff. "London Bridge is Falling Down" was also sung by children. (Could they forsee the future of America?) They even played brain games like Nine Man Morris which basicaly was tic-tac-toe but whenever you lined up 3 peices, you took one of your oponents peices. I would rather have the culture be the one we already have because it gives us more freedoms, more unique things made by our country, and a wide selection of games. While some things were better than back then, culture is not one of those things. (173)
    PS: Can we play Nine Man Morris sometime Mr. Haston?

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    1. Funny how only Johnathan and me were the only ones until Saterday of Sunday. :)

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  3. This was definitely harder for me because my computer didn't work for the colonial games. I am definitely thankful that I live in this time period. I say this because the music now in my preference is much better. There are some things though that were better long ago. For example the paintings of the old days are much prettier and we (in the current time )display them in museums as true beautiful works of art. The rules of a gentlemen written by George Washington were really good rules that could apply to any time period. I will try to follow those rules myself. (106)

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  4. These links are very interesting. They have so many different things to look at. I think it is cool how the people in the pictures are wearing very ruffled looking outfits. The music is very different than what I listen to. It repeats the same tune the whole song and maybe hits one or two high notes. The rules for civility written by George Washington are very proper. The one rule that stood out to me was the one about drumming with your feet. I do that all the time. These links show that the culture, government, clothing, and music have come a long way.(105)

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    1. Sorry, this is Henry Ford. five UGA fans is my home account.

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  5. Haha, well I think it's funny how George Washington wanted to be proper. Guys today could care less about how their nails looked or chewing with their mouth closed. There were only like 9 rules listed. Think about what else they could talk about to be "a fine gentleman". I wonder what changed from then to now, because back then they were all about manners, and now no one cares. I think the music is interesting too. The titles of the songs I thought were kinda funny like "Black Is The Color of My True Love’s Hair". I noticed in the portraits that they never smile and their clothes are elegant and ruffledy. When I clicked on the colonial games link, it said that the page was not found so I didn't get to read it. I don't know if it was just my computer or what. I would definitley prefer today's culture. Well of course technology is a big reason, but also like the clothes (I would hate to wear dresses all the time). The colonial life and today's life are like two different worlds. (186)

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  6. First of all I could never be a "gentlemen" if those were the rules I had to follow. They are controlling the boys not setting guidelines. That would be absolutely awful! I could never always make eye contact and be like basically perfect all the time. Next I can't even listen to classical music for five minutes! I wouldn't have survived back then. It would have been terrible to have that all the times. The clothes they wore are also not the best. Having to dress proper all the times pretty much, and only having one or two pairs of clothes would be plain and boring. They also did't look to be the most comfortable either.
    The colonial games didn't work for me either. I wish I could have seen it but it said it couldn't find it.
    Haha Abigail you weren't the only one.(145)

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  7. Looking back on it, all of their culture seems a bit absurd. However; it seemed perfectly normal to them. The rules to being a gentleman were very different from the way guys behave in the culture today. The music is also VERY different! It seems all very boring to me, and I personally couldn't listen to that music all of my life. Their clothes were also very proper, and I thought it was kind of weird that they never smiled in pictures. In my opinion, I wouldn't like to live in their time period because I could not wear a huge ruffled dress for three hours, much less my whole life. Also, technology is a huge part of my everyday life, and their literature is quite boring.
    [127]
    Oh, and the colonial games link didn't work for me either. ):

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  8. Culture has changed alot from back then to today. How the men are suppose to act was the most surprising thing of all. The men back then were very proper and always made sure they looked persentable in public. Looking at today men have really slacked off on being a gentlemen. The music they listened to was very slow, and not my taste at all in music. Most pictures they painted were portraits. They never smiled in them and always wore clothes that made them look rich. I also saw in most pictures it showed beautiful views from their house, or things that are worth alot in the background. I thought it was interesting that they made sure things like that were put into their portrait to make them look better. Overall I wouldn't want to live in this time period (even if the men were more gentlemen like). Looking at their culture makes me appreciate what I have today.(160)
    It wouldn't let me on the colonial games website.

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  9. Obviously, a lot of things have changed over the years in American culture. To start things off, the “Rules to be a Gentleman” thingy was kind of genius. I wish people nowadays would still follow those procedures!! There is a huge difference in how people act now and back then. Anyway, there was a pretty significant difference in the art. As you can see in the pictures from that page, all of the paintings were of real things that had a meaning. The people basically only painted what was true and visible and people that actually had an effect on history in some way. Sometimes, art from this era isn’t understandable at all. Also, back then, you can tell how much time it took for them to get all the exact shading and such right. Some modern art can be thrown together in under an hour. The art nowadays is often figures and shapes that no one knows. Overall, I think I would much rather live in the world as it is today. We have much more technology and useful inventions that just make everyday life more enjoyable. As for the music, back then a lot of their music sounded ok, but I’d much rather prefer One Direction, thank you. :)

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  10. Wow, our lifestyle is a lot different then in colonial times. The way that men were supposed to act is really different; guys these days are not worried about those kinds of things. Some of the rules are tried to be followed now, but others really are not. Their art and everything they had in their homes was really interesting. It was nothing like we have today. All of the things they had were certainly beautiful, though. The children not always going to school is something completely different. Their music is nothing like what we listen to now, and is pretty slow. Their culture looks kind of strange to us now, but was what they were used to. (118)
    The colonial games didn't work for me either.

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  11. Back in colonial times, people wore different clothing and had different activities to past the time with. While we wear Nike and t-shirts and spend our free time with sports or watching tv, the colonials had a different lifestyle. The men wore powdered wigs and the women wore long dresses even in the summer time. When it comes to passing time some people think of music. Music in the colonial period is WAY different than todays pop, rock or rap. Back then the common music was more subtle and relaxing with violins, flutes and also songs to perk up spirit for the colonists.
    -Jared Palmgren

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  12. Colonial life is way different from life now. Life back then was a struggle for survival. You had to deal with Indians and lack of food . The clothes they wore were pretty ugly. The guys’ hair looks Mount Everest landed on his head. It seems that the richer you were the fatter you are. I prefer the life we have now were there are not life and death situations everyday. The 110 rules for being a gentleman were interesting. I would not be a gentleman because of my constant foot tapping. Life now is a hundred times better than it was back then.
    (101)

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  13. If I tried to be a gentleman at that period of time; I would give up in about one minute. The music was mostly played by about two instruments. The art that they had on the pottery was better than I expected. The portraits they had seemed to always have serious face. I would prefer to live in this time period. I say this because we have a little more freedom than they did, we have technology, we also have more genres of music than they had, and guys don’t have to follow the rules that I think is outrageous. (100)
    The colonial games doesn't work for me either

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  14. Colonial times are so much different than now. I especially thought the whole gentlemen thing was hilarious:) I love how everything was so sophisticated and how the people would talk in a snobby accent. The most surprising thing was how the men would try to look nice and rich. Now, men are like wearing their pants so that their underwear shows and a hoodie. I also was surprised about the art.The art was detailed and a very different style than our art now. The music was classical but yes, i do prefer One Direction! I think that overall, i like our time period better, because of all the technology and i would have like a heat stroke without air conditioning.(122)
    oh and by the way emma, i am the real mrs. styles!
    -Beeez Kneeez

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  15. Okay I had to laugh when I read about the “Rules of Being A Gentleman.” Nowadays, if someone went by these “rules” everyone would just make fun of them and laugh. Now, people just stuff their mouths full of food and don’t think anything about it. Also, we just sneeze, cough, yawn, and sigh whenever we feel like it and certainly not discreetly. I really laughed when I read the last rule listed. We all talk with our mouths full, and don’t say that you haven’t ever snuck a peek at someone while you are “taking a sip of your drink.” (it’s a great strategy btw) I read about “Yankee Doodle” and I thought it was funny that Macaroni was style of dress, not the noodle:) I prefer today’s music personally. As for the art, I guess they saw that as “attractive?” I did like the furniture, the porcelain looking dishes, and the picture of the room was soo pretty. The games didn’t work for me either… Sometimes I wish I could live a day in colonial times, but definitely come back to the 21st century. The dresses would be uncomfortable, but some were really pretty and I would like to try one on. {204}
    ~1DirectionNiall4eve:)~

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  16. Wow! Life back then was so different!I think we take our luxeries for granted. We have so many different varieties of music and art. They really didn't.They were expected to act and like the same as everyone around them. Nowadays, we can just flip the remote, turn on the radio, or read whatever our hearts desire. They were limited to these things. Nor did they have technology, which makes up most of todays world. i would have not been able to survive one day, much less a whole life time, back then. All the rules and regulations. That can be a good thing, but also a terrible one. People now can be so rude and have no guidelines to follow by. They are selfish. The rules were too strict id have to say, but most of them were for the benefit of others. And the paintings were great, but were limited because of their lack of materials. I guess you could say I would rather live in todays world. But then again, there are benefits to back then as well. (180)

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  17. I think is really interesting how George Washington thought that if he would just write down the “Rules of being a gentlemen” that they would somehow affect the kind of gentlemen he would be. If this is how gentlemen were supposed act or be back then, then rules sure have changed because I don’t know many so called gentlemen who go by these rules. There was A LOT of music. I listened to most of it but I really wished there were words. The titles were certainty fascinating considering many of the titles didn’t seem to correspond with the sound of the music. For example, the song Death of Wolfe, now by the title of the song, I thought more of a slow, soft and sad song considering it was about the death of James Wolfe, (I’m guessing) but instead the song seemed to be upbeat and very cheery. I really enjoyed the “the original song: the Anacreon to Heaven” by Ralph Tomlinson. I never knew that Francis Key took the music from another song. I thought he wrote the music and the words. After reading the article on the art in colonial times, it showed that most of the art was furniture and things we use in our everyday home. I guess I never realized something that art isn’t just something you paint or draw its design and architecture. Art can be anything, even colonial dresses. When someone made a dress back then they did it by hand, not by machine. They took the time to decide the color and the form. Although most dresses back then would not be something that I would wear. I would feel like I was playing dress up or something. I suppose going back to the colonial times would a good field trip? I would most definitely not want to live there mostly because I would miss song lyrics. (341)

    I would repeat that the colonial games didn’t work for me but I am sure that Mr. Haston knows that knows that by now.

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  18. Colonial times were totally different now. Okay, well the rules of being a gentlemen, are not even obeyed now. People always talk with their mouths full and yawning and sneezing without covering your mouth. The art back then was really detailed and now art is whatever you want it to be. They also were really proper clothing and never smiled in their portraits. Their music was boring to me. It was long and they all had the same annoying voice. When I clicked the link to go to the colonial games, it said the web page could not be found. So I really do not know what the games were like, but I would like ours better. I am so glad I was not born in their time period!:) (130)

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  19. Well, I have to say, the blog this week was actually pretty interesting. The games link said page not found when I tried to pull it up, so I have no clue what went wrong there. The rules for being a gentleman were really cool, and I think most guys today should probably have a look at those. I thought it was horrible that there wasn't a rule that said guys can't wear their "pants on the ground" ;). There definately should be. I found that the music was sooooooo different from the music today. I'm talkin like, our music is on Earth, and that music is on Pluto different. The way they dressed was kinda strange, especially compared to the clothes today (that's probably why there wasn't a no "pants on the ground" rule). I can't even imagine having to wear those fancy dresses with the all done up hair and stuff. It makes wearing a uniform skirt and a polo seem like sweats! The furniture and dishes must've taken FOREVER to make with all the tiny and intricate details on them. I think it took a lot of patience to live back then. A lot of patience that I, unfortunately, do NOT have. The art was really well done, I thought. Compared to what a painting like that would've looked like if I had done it, those belong in a museum of fine art or something! Mine would've been all lopsided and probably nothin but a stick person. Just thinking about all the stuff that was so much different back then gives me a headache! I like it in this time, thank you very much. (273)

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  20. Colonial times were different, but the rules that George Washington copied SHOULD still be held today but are not. While reading the rules, i could not help but laugh because i could imagine some dude wearing a powdered wig and doing all these things with pinkies raised. The songs that were on the other website looked familiar and the ones i listened to were ones that i didnt know the origin of until i saw them there. I don't understand why you would wear hoops AND a corset, that's like making yourself look fat, just to make yourslef look more skinny. I don't get fashion. Why is the link to colonial games take me to a Jewish school's website? I was soooo excited to play games and then I cant even pronounce the name of the school..... (137)

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  21. I definitely think we have better art then the colonists did because though they had certain rarities a such as porcelian and pottery , we now have more abundant forms of dishes and decorative earthenware. We also have more ideas and though we don't use porcelain and old-fashioned pottery as daily as they did we still use it and can craft them better than the colonists did as we have more advanced methods and more advanced tools. However,I also noticed that the picture of the embroidery was really good, and may be more elaborate than any embroidery I have ever seen. Someone obviously worked hard on it. I think that embroidery is dying out of our culture's most popular artistic activities.(122)

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