Ostracism in Athenian Democracy

Ostracism in Athenian Democracy Question 3. Ostraka Ostracism was a process instituted as one of the Kleisthenic reforms of 508/7BC as a result of the non-elite intervention in the conflict with the Spartan backed Isagoras, although there is no evidence for its actual use before 487BC (Forsdyke 2005: 144). Lasting for a period of 70 years it was a symbolic reminder of democratic power as opposed to elite rule as well as a pragmatic device for controlling the ambitions of potentially powerful traitors, or leading figures, without destabilizing the political system (Forsdyke 2005: 143). It required a minimum of 6,000 male citizens to take part in an annual secret ballot by inscribing the name of their preferred candidate on a potsherd (ostrakon plural ostraka) and the person who polled the most votes on a simple majority basis was exiled from Athens and Attica for a period of 10 years (Easterling and Handley 2001: 26) with the property and rights of the exile being protected by law during their exclusion. Ostrakon A. The inscriptions on this ostrakon(Fig. 1) can be transcribed, transliterated and translated as follows:- ÃŽ  ÃŽâ€¢ÃŽ ¡ÃŽâ„¢ÃŽÅ¡ÃŽâ€ºÃŽâ€¢ÃŽ £ ÃŽ §ÃŽ £ÃŽâ€˜ÃŽ ÃŽËœÃŽâ„¢ÃŽ  ÃŽ  ÃŽÅ¸ Perikles Xsanthippo Pericles (son) of Xanthippos Pericles was an aristocratic politician who became a democratic leader and this text shows his name inscribed alongside the genitive patronymic (the name of his father). A member of the Alkmaeonid family his mother was the niece of Kleisthenes and his father had been exiled in 484BC but recalled as a general during the Persian war. In 463/2BC he was elected as a prosecutor of Cimon who had been accused of receiving bribes from Alexander of Macedon and this opposition to Cimon brought a coalition with Ephialtes in 462BC to attack and reform the Areopagus (Hornblower and Spawforth 2003: 1139). When Ephialtes died and Cimon was ostracised Pericles became one of the most influential men in Athens, being elected as strategos (general) for 10 consecutive years from 443BC, and was an unopposed ruler who had an ambitious foreign policy of westward expansion that saw Athens become predominant in Greece (Bowder 1982: 157). The extensive public building programme instituted by Pericles, which included the re-building of the Parthenon (Bowder 1982: 156), was intended to make Athens an example to all Greece (Thucydides 2.41). An active military leader he put down a revolt in Euboea in 446BC and reviewed Athens grain supply during an expedition to the Black Sea (Hornblower and Spawforth 2003: 1139). Having once proposed a unification of all Greek states that had fought Persia, which Sparta opposed, his strategy, based upon the advice of Themistocles (Thucydides 1.93.16-17), as Athenian leader in the Peloponnesian war was to avoid fighting in the open, stay behind their fortifications and allow their sea power to prevail. Unfortunately the Athenians did not follow this policy which resulted in defeat (Davies 1993: 118-20). Pericles also made probably the most famous speech on Athenian democracy as a funeral oration for those who fell fighting Sparta in the first year of the Peloponnesian war where he commen ds the Athenian model to their neighbours as government by the many as opposed to an elite few (Barrow 1999: 29-30, Thucydides 2.35-46). Ostrakon B. The text on this ostrakon(Fig. 2) can be transcribed, transliterated and translated as follows:- ÃŽ £ÃŽÅ¸ÃŽÅ¡ÃŽ ¡ÃŽâ€˜ÃŽ ¤ÃŽâ€¢ÃŽ £: ΑÎ ÃŽâ€˜ÃŽâ€œÃŽ ¥ÃŽ ¡ÃŽâ€˜ÃŽ £ÃŽâ„¢ÃŽÅ¸ÃŽ £ Sokrates: Anagyrasios Socrates (of the deme) of Anagyrous The Socrates named here is not the famous philosopher but a general, one of the 10 strategos elected annually one from each of the 10 tribes (Barrow 1999: 20). The text gives the demotic adjective in the nominative case rather than the more usual genitive patronymic and from this deme name we can link Socrates to the Erechtheis tribe (Whitehead 1986: 369). Anagyrous was a garrison deme, possibly part of the signalling network (Whitehead 1986: 401) and as this ostrakon relates to 440BC (Easterling and Handley 2001: 28) we can assume Socrates was elected as strategos by his tribe in 441/440BC and given command of the Anagyrous garrison. We know nothing else of him so can only guess at why he was nominated for ostracism. Inscriptions C (Easterling and Handley 2001: p29). These inscriptions can be transliterated and translated as:- Themisthokles Neokleos Themistocles (son) of Neocles Themisthokles Neokleosito Themistocles (son) of Neocles Get Out Although these ostraka have the more normal form showing the genitive case patronymic two items are of note. Firstly, the double use of theta in Themistocles name and secondly the use of ito (Get out) which underlines the depth of feeling against him (Easterling and Handley 2001: 29) which is an interesting perspective given his reputation as father of the Athenian navy and the fact that he had implemented ostracism in 487BC (Bowder 1982: 198). There is evidence that the surviving ostraka on which Themistocles name is inscribed were written by only 14 people and this may reflect either the poor level of literacy at the time (ostraka being pre-prepared or written by a scribe) or some form of vote rigging (Murray 1993: 285). Themistocles was an Athenian politician, a member of the Lycomid family, a radical democrat who attempted to destroy the aristocracy and considered to be one of the greatest men of his generation (Bowder 1982: 199). When he was archonhe had developed Piraeus as the harbour of Athens (Thucydides 1.93.11-12) and argued that output from the Laurium silver mines be spent on increasing the size of the Athenian navy, ostensibly for the war against Aigina but in reality for use against Persia, which culminated in the victory at Salamis in 480BC (Herodotus 7.144.1-5). Although he had avoided being ostracised in the 480s he was sent into exile in 470/1BC after clashing with Cimon over accusations of negotiating with Persia (Bowder 1982: 198) but when accused by Sparta of becoming Persian he was recalled, fled and in his absence was condemned to death for treason. Arriving in Persia he was made governor of Magnesia where he remained until his death (Hornblower and Spawforth 2003: 1497). Ostracism fell into disrepair after 416BC when Alcibiades and Phiax manipulated its use to combine their forces and have their political rival Hyperbolus exiled. Corruption had always been present but this time it had been so blatant and visible that it completely discredited the process and its use was abandoned (Easterling and Handley 2001: 29). Bibliography Ancient Sources Herodotus: The Histories. trans. A. De Selincourt (Penguin ukessays>essays>classics). Middlesex. Penguin Books. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1986. Thucydides: The History of the Peloponnesian War. trans. R. Livingstone (The Worlds ukessays>essays>classics). Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1973. Modern Sources Barrow, R. 1999: Athenian Democracy. (Inside the Ancient World). London. Bristol Classical Press. Bowder, D. (ed.) 1982: Who was who in the Greek world. Oxford. Phaidon Press. Davies, J.K. 1993: Democracy and Classical Greece. 2nd Edition (Fontana History of the Ancient World). London. Harper Collins. Forsdyke, S.L. 2005: Exile, Ostracism and Democracy: the Politics of Expulsion in Ancient Greece. Princeton. Princeton University Press. Hornblower, S and Spawforth, A (eds). 2003: The Oxford Classical Dictionary. 3rd Edition Revised. Oxford. Oxford University Press. Murray, O. 1993: Early Greece. 2nd Edition (Fontana History of the Ancient World). London. Harper Collins. Whitehead, D. 1986: The Demes of Attica 508/7- 250BC. London. Princeton University Press.

The Life of St. Ignatius Loyola (in first person) :: essays research papers

St. Ignatius Loyola   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I am St. Ignatius Loyola the man who found the Society of Jesus or the Jesuits. My original name is Inigo de Loyola and I was born in 1491 in a place called Azpeitia in the Basque province of Guipuzoa in northern Spain. I was the youngest of thirteen children. At the age of sixteen I became a servant for Juan Velazquez, the treasurer of the kingdom of Castile. I was considered a member of the Velazquez family so when ever Juan went to court I would go with him. In doing this I began to like court and any thing to deal with court, but I gained the biggest interest in the woman. I also began to like gambling; I liked it so much I became addicted to it. I was also very completive and was open to competing in anything-even sword fighting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For the next decade or so I didn’t really do much my life didn’t progress at all till 1521 when I turned 30 and I was defending the fortress of the town of Pamplona against the French. We were starting to lose the battle we were out numbered and my head commander wanted to throw in the towel but I said â€Å"no† and convinced him to stay in the battle and fight. I wanted to fight for the honor of Spain, and not for the win. I was in the thick of the battle and â€Å"Wham† I got blasted by cannon ball breaking my leg and wounding the other. Because I was such a courageous leader the French soldiers carried me back to my home rather that prison so I could get better. They set my leg after it broke but it was not healing right so the doctors said they had to break it again with out any use of painkillers. I was told to prepare for my death but instead one day my health took a turn for the better. My leg did heal good but it was shorter th an the other one so for the rest of my life I had to walk with a limp.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the many, many, many weeks of recuperation I thought I was going to lose my mind out of boredom. So I asked for some romance novels to help my pass the time. There were no romance novels of any sort in the castle of Loyola; with my luck I did find a book called the Life of Christ.

Education and Empowerment

The myth of â€Å"education and empowerment† has affected public schools tremendously in a sense that everyone is being divided, mostly by class, which lowers the confidence of our students today. Yes, there are teachers who cater to students, stay after class, and provide them with one on one tutoring and even take time from their lunch to offer extra assistance in any subject. However, there are other public schools in which teachers do not take the initiative to listen and understand when their student says â€Å"I don’t get it†. No one ever takes the responsibility as to why students are failing; they only take credit for those who are succeeding, bringing in positive results, and on a path of attaining a promising future. Jean Anyon, John Taylor Gatto, and Michael Moore have all questioned the system of public education in there articles. As a result, American public schools are hurting their students’ chances of being competitive in a global economy because they are not aiming high enough, stripping students of â€Å"responsibility and independence† (pg 158), and cutting off important resources. Jean Anyon discussed the evaluation of five elementary schools and how their social class differed and affected their students. â€Å"Several weeks later, after a test, a group of her children ’still didn’t get it,’ and she made no attempts to explain the concept of dividing things into groups or to give them manipulables for their own investigation. Rather, she went over the steps with them again and told them that they ’needed more practice†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (pg 177). Besides learning how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide, math gives students the ability to rethink a situation, and look for other options. If teachers in these working-class schools are not taking the time to break down a simple division problem and give alternatives, how will their students be challenged or even advance to another grade level? Competition in this economy is widely based on how much money you have, what school you’re enrolled in, and who you know. If the majority of the students in this class were failing tests in an elite school, action would have been taken as soon as the teacher sensed a problem. The amount of money people pay to have their child enrolled in one of the best schools, better mean that their child is getting all the keenness from their teachers. This is why students struggle in this economy, because they are all categorized. So what if one student’s parents are making more than the other, because he/she can afford that school and the other cant. This should give American public schools an even better motivation to â€Å"leave no child behind†. â€Å"School has done a pretty good job of turning children into addicts, but has done a spectacular job of turning our children into children. Again, this is no accident. Theorists from Plato to Rousseau to our own Dr. Inglis knew that if children could be cloistered with other children, stripped of responsibility and independence, encouraged to develop only the trivializing emotions of greed, envy, jealousy, and fear, they would grow older but never truly grow up† (pg 158). If you are not teaching students to make good decisions or be responsible, they may never be able to do things without depending on their peers or family members. As if America wasn’t lazy already, Gatto talks about the easy ways out people have been taking advantage of, rather than working at it; such as getting divorces. Schools have not stressed the fact that working hard at something brings results. It’s life. You can’t just become something great without having to put effort and time, you have to set goals and aim high, break down your options, and take them, don’t let anyone do it for you. What happens when a large group of schools are opened without a principal? Michael Moore stated that â€Å"163 New York city schools opened the 2000- 2001 school year without a principal† (pg 140). The time it takes for students to step foot in class is the time it’s going to take for the school to fall apart. Schools will not have established systems or discipline without one. Who will teachers turn to, when something just isn’t right? Principals are the foundation of a school. Whether they are simply counseling a troubled student or revising a lesson plan with a teacher, they act as a resource. They are there to show support for the students and build relationships as they see them progress throughout the years. Acting as another resource for schools are public libraries and school libraries. Students are being deprived from the limited resources they can look to, to continue their education and obtain new informational skills. Kids who come from a lower class cannot always manage to afford books, or even one of the greatest inventions, a computer, hence, to cut off such a necessity would be like cutting off their education for the most part. Instead of everyone working with the students, everyone is simply working for themselves. People ask who is the blame for our failing students of today but do not realize, or better yet, take the responsibility and action to make a change in their schools. Children complain that boredom s the only thing they think of when they come to class, however teachers are not challenging or giving students the amount of responsibility they need. To succeed in this global economy you have to be independent and dominant so that you’re not categorized below your own standards. It is said that the majority of the students whose families have money, do better, education wise, because they can afford more prestigious schools; but if teachers and students were more motivated, co mmitted, and communicated, they too can achieve positive results and set themselves up for competition in this global economy. Without a doubt will students be able to go against other students from different countries who have been cramming every book into their brains as young children because they were told that the key to survive as a professional was knowledge, responsibility, independence, and discipline. However, the system that is being used in American public schools today continues to lower the only self esteem students have left today.

Single Parenthood Definition Effects - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 635 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/06/26 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Single Parent Essay Did you like this example? Single parenthood comes with additional responsibilities of handling what the other spouse could have if he or she were around. It can be stressful, draining, demanding in all sorts of ways but if treated with a big heart it can also be rewarding in the aftermath. Besides, it can be much fun filling the void. Nonetheless, there are some negative aspects that come with single parenting lack finances, low self-esteem, and child behavior changes. Single parenting is a situation where one parent, in the absence of the other for some reasons, must raise his or her children alone. Some parents who are raising children on their own may be limited on funds because they are living off a single income. A lack of finances may mean that kids are forced to miss out on participating in sports leagues or dance classes because the parent cant afford the extra expense. Depending on the number of children who are in the home, it may be challenging to be able to afford new school clothes or tutoring lessons. This added stress of living paycheck to paycheck can put extra pressure on the parent, which can be easy to recognize for the children. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Single Parenthood: Definition Effects" essay for you Create order Most kids get their sense of security at home, which affects how they view themselves and the people around them. Due to the circumstances of their childhood, they may begin to have lower self-esteem. They may not understand how to have a healthy marriage later in life if they never lived with both parents or learn to love both despite if one is missing from the picture. Their lack of self-esteem can come from a place of not getting enough attention from their only parent, which can make it difficult to thrive both at home and in school. Its important to recognize the childs achievements and post a report card on the refrigerator or reward them for doing chores around the house to show that you care. Help build them positively. Always ensures minimized elements that break the connection and build it with your kids for a fantastic relationship from the tender age, teenage years to adulthood. One day when they grow up, it will all count, and all the credit will go to the single parent , not two. Remember, the impact left on the child is unique but most significant though the experience might be arduous. Consequently, this will give your child a different outlook on how to behave. Let them know they will experience disappointments but managing their emotions and embracing with empathy is the path to being compassionate adults. In some cases, children may begin to act out or develop poor behavior due to a lack of discipline in the home. With single parenting, it can be challenging to reinforce as many rules due to a lack of support from your partner. Kids may begin to misbehave at school or can become rebellious during their teenage years. Take time out and talk to them and let them know its not their fault and, let them know the whole story and support each other. Thus, single parenting provides the chance of not going through conflicts brought in by the other spouse. There are some negative aspects that come with it lack finances, low self-esteem, and child behavior changes. Nonetheless, raising kids together as a couple is the most beautiful close union on earth. While this life can leave one with low self-esteem on how they go about their lives, it is not an excuse not to teach your kids the best. Spare time together to overcome the loneliness characteristic with single parenthood. Let the children know discipline is essential and excellent academic performance is growth. Work on saving money and find a way to co-parent to find ways to support your child extracurricular activities.