Joan of ArcThroughout history, men have made names for themselves through their actions. From Napoleon to Amelia Earhart, individuals have been recognized for their achievements. The faithful Joan of Arc did the same. Joan pushed the boundaries of women of her time and is as a result one of the most famous young women in history. This statement is profoundly accurate because she was such a young girl with an extremely powerful devotion to God. But how did Joan's intense devotion to God influence her brief life? Joan of Arc was born in Domrémy, France, in 1412, 75 years after the outbreak of the Hundred Years' War. At the age of thirteen, Joan began hearing voices. This was just after the Burgundians burned down the church and caused much disorder and chaos in Joan's town. The voices were those of Saint Michael, Saint Catherine and Saint Marguerite. It was the angels and saints who appeared and informed the impressionable young servant girl what to do. Joan believed that God had advised angels and saints to speak to her and guide her. “The voices are dear to her: she speaks of her joy in their presence, of her feeling of mourning when they leave her” (p. 20). When Jeanne referred to the voices, she spoke of “a great light” and a “great pleasure” (p. 15). Later in Joan's life, when she was captured and tried by the English, she was asked about the accuracy of the voices she was supposed to hear. Jeanne was often doubted by the prosecutors investigating her case when she spoke in these divine voices. Many believed that the voices were hallucinations and that the messages she heard were actually ones she had unconsciously imagined herself. Joan didn't like being told she couldn't do something and it made her more adam... middle of paper ... delighted by the fact that she was young, female and, more importantly, a virgin. Joan of Arc was just a young girl when she had to endure large amounts of physical and emotional torture. For Joan, it was a small price to pay since it was God's will that she risk her life. Joan's extreme devotion to God influenced her life to be brief, but Joan experienced events that a person who lived a long life would probably not have experienced. Joan's life may have been short, but it was full in every way. Joan broke the limits imposed on the women of her time for a purpose greater than herself: to serve her beloved God. She is one of the most famous figures in history and her name is widely known throughout the world. Joan of Arc appears in the minds of many as the implacable triumph of one who understood nothing, knew herself and knew her God, absolutely and indubitably..