reply to each of the discussion post. each post response should be a minimum of 150-250 words each.

PLEASE RESPOND TO EACH DISCUSSION. YOUR RESPONSE SHOULD BE 150-200 WORDS

Kelly Salinas 

RE: Week Two Discussion 2 Topic 1 - Classical Greece

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About 500 BC the Athenians established an annual ritual to honor those who had died during the war.  This was a public funeral where certain ceremonies took place ending with a speech by a prominent Athenian citizen.  At the end of the first year of the Peloponnesian war, the Funeral Oration was given by Pericles.  You would think that his intended audience would be the families of those who died defending their country, but after reading his oration, it seems as though this speech is intended for all the Athenian citizens. 

He gains the audience’s acceptance and understanding by stating that he does not believe that a single person especially him should be giving this eulogy as he could not possibly honor those who died as well as a friend who was familiar with the facts could, however because our ancestors created this custom and put it into law, it was his duty to obey that and do the best that he could.  The majority of his speech was spent praising Athens in such a way that people would be willing to die for it.  He glorified Athens democracy and insisted that fighting for one’s country was the greatest honor that anyone could have, he implied that even those who may not be living an honorable life could escape that image and could become an honorable person because they were willing to put aside everything to protect and fight for its country. 

The tone of this eulogy or speech should be that of honor and respect for those who gave their lives, however the tone changed to that of persuasion.  Pericles speech was intended to persuade the Athenian people to follow in their ancestors’ footsteps and sacrifice themselves for that of their country.  

Xenophon describes Sparta as being one of the most powerful and renowned city in Greece although it was the most sparsely populated city in Greece.   He describes how young Spartans were assigned a public guardian, the Paidomos which had complete control over them and that this guardian was allowed to inflict punishment if necessary, his practice was rather that providing them shoes to protect their feet, he made them go barefoot which would allow their feet to become tough and callus  and would allow the young Spartan to be faster than any other, they would only wear one garment throughout the whole year which would allow them to acclimate better to extreme heat and cold and that these practices would make them strong and prepare them for any situation.  I believe that his audience was those in other cities of Greece to convey that although they were spare, they were mighty and led a victory over Athens.  I believe the purpose of this was to set the tone of structure and power and would not only let others know how they became so strong but would also give them ways in which they too could build a better stronger society.  I think I would like to get some insite from the author by providing other Greek cities the knowledge of how the Spartans became so powerful, aren't they worried that they would use similar practices and overcome the Spartans?

Without actually being there, we have to rely on Thucydides and Xenophon's account of the events at face value.  

Topic 1 Required Reading

Kevin Reilly, The Human Journey, Chapter 3

Website: British Museum, Athens - http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/athens/home_set.html

Website: British Museum, Sparta - http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/sparta/home_set.html

2 days ago

Kyle Pflager 

RE: Week Two Discussion 2 Topic 2 - Rome and China

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After reviewing the videos and reading the information about Confucius and Plutarch I was intrigued by their outlook with life. In comparison, both Confucius and Plutarch valued ones common morals as well as the good of the character over the bad, or wrong doing of ones character. Both valued the society and with their own teachings longed to create a better society for the future generations. Both valued life and the respect of others in their own ways. While some minor details are different for each of them, I believe we can all agree both of their teachings influenced society for the better. Confucius focused on the value of family, specifically more with the male side. However, with that being said Confucius did value all members of the family. Confucius longed to create an ever-lasting type memory combined with remembrance of family values so as to affect the later generations. I personally believed focusing on a family-respect type system for society would cut down on the hatred we often see in society. Confucius saw that there was issues with society and longed to change them. On the other hand, Plutarch focused more on matching members with their respective aligned values. Plutarch did value society but in my opinion he focused much more on elite members and tried to make the best "match" as possible. Plutarch did not limit that to one match, but instead wanted to match one each value at a time. Instead of lumping them all together he decided to break them down one at a time. Both these teachings had a huge impact on their respective societies yet, sometimes promoted the elite gaining more respect and power and leaving the poor and less fortunate in the dust. 

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Topic 2 Required Reading

Kevin Reilly, The Human Journey, Chapter 3

Website: China and Rome: A Comparison of Two Empires - http://www.chinaandrome.org/English/home.htm