Ancient Greek Perception of War, Role of Women and...

In the Iliad, the oldest and greatest of the Greek epics, Homer tells of the wars fought between the Greeks and the Trojans. Much of this books main focus takes place during the Homeric period in which the Trojan War began. In a pre industrial society, Homer describes the way mortals and immortals sought their existence throughout the Trojan War. Homers style of writing in Iliad enables a modern reader to perceive how the Ancient Greeks thought of warfare, of religion, and of the role of women and children. The Helladic Greeks valued fighting as a way to settle disputes. There was a significant degree of religious activity that took place during the Trojan War. Homer also allows a modern reader to grasp an idea of the role†¦show more content†¦It was Menelaus turn now, and as he rose I his bronze he prayed to Zeus. (Homer 61) Around the Homeric period, it was typical for Helladic warriors to fight in a gruesome manner. In the following passage, an atrocious fight bet ween two warriors, Meges and pedaeus, enables a modern reader to grasp a sense the warriors extreme brutality. Now Meges got close enough to him to send his spear through the tendon at the back of his neck and on into his mouth, cutting away the tongue at its root. He fell into the dust, his teeth clenched on cold bronze. (Homer 85) This is the following remark made by Diomedes, after being painfully wounded by an arrow. Son of Capaneus, get down from the car and pull this arrow out of my shoulder. (Homer 86) Not only did the Helladic warriors value fighting as a way to settle disputes, they also valued the intervening of Helladic gods and goddesses. Numerous religious activities takes place in Homers Iliad. For example, when Menelaus comes close to killing Paris in a duel, Aphrodite, a goddess whos in favor of the Trojans, saves Paris by whisking Paris away from the fight. But Aphrodite whisked Paris away with the slight of a goddess, enveloping him in mist, and lofted him into the incensed air of his vaulted bedroom. Then she went for Helen, and found her in a crowd of Trojan women high on the tower. (Homer 62) After Aphrodite whisks Paris away from the duel,Show MoreRelatedGreek Mythology8088 Words   |  33 PagesGreek  Mythology   I   INTRODUCTION   Temple  of  Apollo  at  Didyma   The  Greeks  built  the  Temple  of  Apollo  at  Didyma,  Turkey  (about  300  bc).  The  temple  supposedly  housed  an  oracle   who  foretold  the  future  to  those  seeking  knowledge.  The  predictions  of  the  oracles,  delivered  in  the  form  of  riddles,   often  brought  unexpected  results  to  the  seeker.  With  Ionic  columns  reaching  19.5  m  (64  ft)  high,  these  ruins   suggest  the  former  grandeur  of  the  ancient  temple.   Bernard  Cox/Bridgeman  Art  Library,  London/New  York   Read More Destiny, Fate and Free Will in Homers Odyssey Essay2299 Words   |  10 Pagesof his or her destiny, every step of the way.   Who is to say which viewpoint is false?   Every culture has a unique perception of the role of fate in our lives, and no group has the right answer, simply a d ifferent answer.   Taking into consideration the views of other cultures can help an individual refine his personal viewpoint on this inconceivable subject.   The ancient Greeks were mainly concerned with the relationship between fate and free will.   This concern weaves in and out of the culturesRead MoreCleopatr The Ruler Behind The Myth3455 Words   |  14 PagesJones claims Cleopatra was a chameleon in the skin of an Egyptian Pharaoh. 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NotRead MoreHomosexuality and God6017 Words   |  25 Pagesindividuals. TERMS AND CONCEPTS RELATED TO SEXUAL ORIENTATION amp; LGBT It is important to recognize the difference between sexual orientation and sexual behavior as well as the differences among sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender role. Sexual orientation is the affectional or loving attraction to another person. It can be considered as ranging along a continuum from same-sex attraction only at one end of the continuum to opposite-sex attraction only at the other end. HeterosexualityRead More The Republic by Plato Essay5378 Words   |  22 Pagessharp contrast to Socrates, who suggests that the stronger may not always know his own interest; therefore, at times, it is necessary for the weaker to disobey him. Socrates then successfully upsets the definition by demonstrating that, insofar as his role is an art, a ruler acts in the best interest of his subjects, as exemplified by the physician for his patients and the captain for his crew. Still unresolved, the debate moves into a second stage, where tyranny, or perfect injustice, and benevolentRead MoreLanguage and the Destiny of Man12402 Words   |  50 Pagesits rugged topography, with serious consequences in terms the perception of the self and of the other. By being aware of such situations, one may be more able to understand why certain interpretations, while highly debatable, manage to take centre stage and occasionally dominate entire eras. Moreover, one may perceive more easily a kind of â€Å"pathology† of interpretation (in the Kantian understanding of the term, which invokes the Greek pathos), with possible disorders and excesses. 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In her reassessment of the relations of the sexes in the Trobriands she portrayed men as controlling events in historical time and space (the social domain) and women as controlling events in ahistorical time and space (the cosmological domain) (1976, 20). This distinction, she later observed, was an attempt to escape the connotations of two separate spheres constituted by terms like private/public or nature/cultureRead MoreHow Fa Has the Use of English Language Enriched or Disrupted Life and Culture in Mauritius15928 Words   |  64 Pagesstanza begins the subject’s journey of realization and of their immoralities, which they have not paid attention to until death was kindly enough to demonstrate. The third stanza uses positive, beautiful and innocent examples of life. The use of children, fields and the setting sun manifest the beauty of life and how this person paid attention while they were alive. The fifth stanza uses the description of a disintegrating home that has been left alone. The home can represent the subject’s life,

Essay on Michelangelo and Renaissance Religion - 1148 Words

Michelangelo and Renaissance Religion Michelangelo Buonarroti lived in a time when the medieval aspects of Christianity were overwhelmed by the upheaval of the Reformation. His art portrays this change in religious philosophy by discerning the major trends and objectives of the Renaissance. His works show us...the changing world around him (Richmond 4). In addition, Michelangelo seriously impacted generations of artists to come. The Renaissance was a rebirth that led to new ways of thinking in the sciences, philosophy, and architecture, as well as painting and sculpture (Spence 6). This period of European history, beginning in the fourteenth-century, saw a renewed interest in the arts. It has been characterized by†¦show more content†¦A new image of God evolved. He was now seen as a compassionate, forgiving, and father-like figure who cared about His earthly and sinful children. The Renaissance also brought drastic changes to the artistic world. The decisive break with medieval tradition occurred in Florence, Italy in 1420 with the invention of linear perspective. This innovation made it possible to represent three-dimensional space on a flat surface. In previous years, objects had been represented on the canvas as one-dimensional. This paralleled the one-dimensional thinking of the time and served to create rigid and unrealistic portrayals in art. Another ideal that evolved was the culmination of harmony and proportion. The human form was seriously analyzed for the first time. Careful attention was payed to minute details such as the shape of muscles and how they looked as they moved. This led to a more realistic and accurate reproduction of the human body. During the Renaissance ...the medieval aspects of the Christian religion were swept away, especially by the violent surge of the Reformation: No other artist managed, as Michelangelo did, to portray this change in his works... (Heusinger 3). 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Annals of the American Academy Free Essays

When out of work the average member of the working class loses his chief means of support. It is, therefore, a matter of life and death to him. The most immediate and vital effect of unemployment on the worker is a very serious reduction of the wage scale. We will write a custom essay sample on Annals of the American Academy or any similar topic only for you Order Now Enough has been said to show how greatly unemployment reduces the pay received. In debasement of any general information for Philadelphia industries, an investigation made in New Jersey will best serve to indicate, in a general way, the extent to which the wage scale is depressed by unemployment. Figures collected by the New Jersey State Department of Labor from firms employing over 21 ,OHO workers in the machine industry and from firms employing nearly 16,000 persons in the silk industry show that each of these industries worked during the normal industrial year of 1912 at approximately 70 per cent of total capacity. The actual average wage received during the year for the machine industry was $684; for the silk industry, $509. If full time had been made, it follows that an increase of over 40 per cent would have resulted. This would have meant an average annual wage for the machine industry of $977; for the silk industry of $726. If this 27 per cent of time had not been lost, the average annual wage would have been $566. The average annual loss of wage per employee through unemployment was at least $1 53, and was probably much more, if time lost waiting in the mill, and time lost by hose laid off, were included. Stated for individual departments, the actual average annual wage and the lost wage per employee would be as follows: Actual average annual wage Winders -? Threads Setters†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Weavers -? Pickers†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Average annual wage lost through lost time spent outside of mill $334 237 452 $124 173 168 164 These results are shown graphically in fig. 19. In short, the worker loses the opportunity of earning 100 per cent of what his energies and abilities warrant. Permanent or chronic unemployment means a permanent loss of wage. In essence it means that the family of a man with a $1,000 or $1,200 earning ability cannot profit by or live according to the standard of such means, because the man is actually earning only from $500 to $1,000 a year. Not merely does unemployment seriously reduce the income of the worker; it makes his income decidedly irregular. Regular income is interrupted by periods of total or partial stoppage of income. In times characterized by such unusual industrial depression as of the past winter, the loss of income is complete on the part of thousands. To a large degree, the worker is entirely ignorant when such misfortune will befall him. Such a situation almost forces the worker to lead a hand-to-mouth existence. He hesitates to plan ahead, because he never knows whether he will be able to carry through his plans or not, for fear of an interruption of income. A premium is, therefore, placed on the lack of thrift. When the normal income returns after a famine period, it not unnaturally leads a family to spend extravagantly after the strain of pinching through a hard time, Just as human nature always has, from the days we were savages, led us to indulge in an orgy of feasting after a long fasting. Unemployment and irregular employment are the arch enemies of thrift. The Annals of the American Academy Perhaps the most serious industrial result of unemployment is its effect on the quality of the working people. It makes good workers bad. It turns workers who were capable and willing into men who are neither capable nor willing to hold a steady Job if they could get one. As one man with whom I talked when he was out in front of a hosiery mill at the noon hour, said, † For six months before this month, we have been working from 8 to 3. When we came to go back to the old hours (7 to 5. 0) it seemed at first as if we Just couldn’t make ourselves get up an hour earlier and work two hours later. † The utter inability of the workers to understand or to change the situation breeds a fatalistic lack of hope that soon manifests itself in a lack of ambition and effort. The secretary of the National Lace Weavers’ Union says, â€Å"The lace industry has made more bums than any industry I know of. I have seen men go into the mills onl y to work an hour this morning or an hour this afternoon, so long, that they are incapable of sustained effort. They lose their personal ‘punch’ and often eventually lose their ability to discuss anything except how things are this week in this or that plant. One of the usual ways by which such a depression leads to a debasing of the worker is by causing the skilled man to drift into an unskilled trade. When a man is out of work, he is very apt to â€Å"take anything† that offers, whether it is a job in which he can utilize his skill or not. The very common result is that he is never able to â€Å"come back† to his own trade. His ability in his particular trade is sacrificed and he drifts into the already tremendously overcrowded class of unskilled men. Not only the worker but the entire Philadelphia community as well, is the loser by this lowering of the skill of abort. The injury to the worker by unemployment extends beyond his mere industrial efficiency, and dangerously affects the social standing, the family relations, the health, the intelligence and the public orderliness of the working classes of the community. A series of interviews with Kensington textile workers (chiefly Anglicans) is one steady story of used up savings, of increased debts, and of â€Å"half time† for four, six or nine months during the past winter. Even the few whose greater savings or â€Å"steadier time† would normally have led them to avoid the â€Å"pinch† f the past winter, have felt obliged to lend to the less fortunate to an extent 41 Steadying Employment which, in many cases, has meant a severe drain on their own resources. The lowered income during such a winter as the past. 1914-1 5) very frequently means the curtailment of the necessities of food, fuel and clothing, to the point where the health is seriously impaired. It is almost impossible to measure this injury. Mr.. R. R. P. Bradford, who is in charge of the â€Å"Lighthouse† and was quoted previously (page 6), said during the spring of 1915, â€Å"l should not be at all surprised if, as a result of the erring of physical vita lity among the Kensington workers, because of insufficient nourishment and protection, there should come about an epidemic of disease that will cost us dear. Whether it does or does not happen, we have a permanent injury as a result of this year’s unemployment in the lessened vitality of the people. † Every severe depression is a great destroyer of family life. Almost every family with whom I conversed knew of two or three families that were forced to â€Å"break up† because of the unemployment during the past winter. One of the usual results of unemployment s a considerable increase in the number of thefts, burglaries and suicides. How to cite Annals of the American Academy, Papers

How effectively the constitution protects freedom free essay sample

There is a small amount of disagreement over whether or not the US constitution protects freedom for the average American citizen – whilst many Americans feel that the constitution formally protects their liberties (for example: the first amendment guarantees the rights of Americans to their freedom of speech) others believe that the codified constitution is unnecessary and would point to nations like the United Kingdom (that do not have a codified constitution) that operate reasonably efficiently and have other methods of protecting the rights of the average person. Those that identify themselves as more traditionalist in the United States would argue that constitution has served to protect the rights of individuals to a satisfactory standard during its centuries of operation. They would use the notion of ‘conservative pragmatism’ to suggest that the historical democratic system in place is functioning well and so does not require change. Those that consider themselves more willing to reform the American system would disagree with this and would point to several historical issues that suggest the current system has not protected freedom properly. Over the years various groups have been discriminated against – including Native Americans and African-Americans, despite the amendments to the constitution and the principles of the self-governing system that the United States of America was founded on. There is disagreement over the constitution’s protection of the rights of minority populations (such as African-Americans) in the past. Some would argue that despite the 15th Amendment (signed in 1870) granting the right to all Americans to vote regardless of race or colour, African-Americans continued to be discriminated against for nearly a hundred years. Indeed some polling stations used literacy tests to discriminate against African-Americans up until the 1960s – giving white people easy questions and then giving African-Americans considerably harder tests (one in Louisiana was described as ‘impossible’ by judges on the Supreme Court in 1965) simply to allow them to vote. Some would point to this discrimination as a failure of the American constitution to adequately protect the freedoms of the American people, and would argue that the rights of some African-American voters were better protected by the Supreme Court and President Lyndon B. Johnson. However, others would argue that the discrimination experienced by those African-Americans was produced by a racist minority manipulating the system unfairly – and would point out that the literacy tests were deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court and so the rights of all were protected by the constitution’s system of checks and balances, and the separation of powers. So the discrimination was a result of a minority acting illegally and was corrected by the processes outlined in the constitution. The existence of disagreement over the American constitution’s ability to protect the liberties of the American people is evident in the amendments to the document that have been proposed. A Federal Marriage Amendment (which would make same-sex marriage legal in every state) has been proposed on four occasions in this century but has been defeated every time so far. With the issue of same-sex marriage being separate from this debate, the fact that some Americans feel the need to propose such an amendment clearly suggests there is huge disagreement over the ability of the constitution to protect their rights in its present form. There are other amendments that have been proposed – such as the Right to Vote Amendment and the People’s Rights Amendment that have been unsuccessful in reforming the system but do demonstrate the presence of disagreement over the efficacy of the American constitution. On the other hand the fact that there has not been a successful amendment of the constitution since 1992 (the 27th amendment) suggests that there is no longer much of a debate over the needs to amend the constitution and therefore the majority of Americans believe that their constitution is protecting their rights satisfactorily. However, simply because there has not been a successful amendment in recent years does not mean there has not been any disagreement over the ability of the constitution’s ability to defend the liberties of the American people. The fact is that in a developed, civilized, democratic nation like the United States there will always be debate over necessary reforms and so there is and always will be disagreement over how effectively the constitution protects freedom. Furthermore, the majority of Americans feel the system laid out by the constitution does sufficiently protect their rights sufficiently. Although the constitution does have its flaws (for example it does not even explicitly mention the rights of the people to vote) it does perpetuate a system that protects the rights of the citizens based on prevailing public opinion – which is more democratic than an outlining of eternal liberties. The fact that the constitution outlines the separation of powers (to the executive, legislature and judiciary) ensures no one body can amass too much power and exploit the rights of the people. Dare I say it but even the Second Amendment – the Right to Bear Arms, allows the people to protect themselves from a tyrannical government and thus protect their rights from central government and other potential oppressors. The use of an impartial judiciary with the ability to check the elected positions in the legislature and executive helps to prevent the often feared ‘tyranny of the majority’ – and protects the rights of the minorities without undermining democracy. Even the process of constitutional amendments allows certain rights to be created through a democratic process and allows a more autonomous system that can react to popular demand whilst still protecting established rights. It would require a united, single-party or combined oppressive politicians to dominate over 38 of the 50 states for a party to begin to abuse the rights of the people and make the required amendments to the constitution as well as a two thirds majority in both houses and potentially the control of the executive to appoint sympathetic judges to the Supreme Court (with the confirmation of the Senate). Realistically most Americans know that this is incredibly unlikely and almost everyone accepts that the two-party system that the constitution encourages prevents any one group from dominating the political process to the extent that the rights of the people would be threatened. With the growth of the executive position and power, and the influence of the federal bureaucracy in the decision making process some American people feel that the government and unelected officials are able to breach the will of the people. The fact that the US government has gone to war on numerous occasions without the approval of congress (which the constitution states is required) using various loopholes – for example when the US sent troops into Korea they used the excuse of a peace-keeping mission, similar excuses were used for interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam – with all conflicts not being approved by the legislature. This worries many Americans and recent protests after interventions in the middle east has led to many calling for reform to the system in place to go to war and intervene militarily in other countries. The existence of the Iraq War protests (such as the ones in Washington D. C. in 2007) implies there is disagreement over the constitution’s system of declaring war and suggesting some people believe the rights of the people are being violated as the US government can declare war on other countries without going through the democratic processes. In conclusion, there is a small amount of disagreement over whether or not the constitution protects the freedom of the people. This is evident from the proposed amendments, concerns among the American people about governance and historical examples of the government abusing the liberties of some citizens. Despite the lack of recent amendments and general consensus that the constitution is not completely unfit for purpose, there is still disagreement over the efficacy of the American constitution in protecting freedom and the liberties of the American people.