Troy University Medieval Europe Sunny or Dark Discussion

I’m working on a history discussion question and need the explanation and answer to help me learn.

The Middle Ages between 750 and 1500 are often seen as a backward period, a “Dark Age,” especially when compared to the ancient world of Greece and Rome, while others often see the Middle Ages as an era of vibrancy and growth. What does the evidence from the Backman text and Jones’s lectures suggest to you? Focusing on Europe, the Mediterranean and the Near East, were the Middle Ages a stagnant period or a period of growth and vibrancy? Explain.