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Based on reading these two resources, what is the condition of Rome that Juvenal is describing?  Does his satirical commentary sound like anything you might hear today? 

http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/juv-sat3eng.asp

http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/1320hist&civ/chapters/08romfal.htm

Respond to students answer:

Juvenal is describing and contrasting conditions primarily of the city, and subtly the empire of Rome. As a resident of Rome the city, and clearly a natural-born Roman citizen, he feels the Capitol has gone to ruin. He more than alludes to preferring a rural lifestyle, even with its climatic challenges. He strikes me as an older (not elderly) man, with grievances based on his recollection of a more equitable city of times past. A few points that he lingers on and returns to throughout are: stark contrasts between the “haves and have-nots,” the perceived infiltration of foreigners, and the degradation of standards both ethically and physically. Actually, he synthesizes these concepts to make his points.

Juvenal relishes the pride of Roman citizenship. However, he believes being a Roman has lost its glamour based on the fact that wealth now determines the value of a citizen. Further, he feels allowing uncultured foreigners to include themselves in such a rich heritage is preposterous.

Essentially, he is describing Rome after Gaius Julius Caesar affected change and when peace was dominant: the Pax Romana. The unequal distribution of wealth, corruption, and as Fiero highlights, “crime, noise, poor hygiene, and a frequent scarcity of food and water,” (Fiero 2013, 69) were his main talking points.

In the U.S., this sort of sentiment is not and has not been uncommon. While our country was founded on beliefs and ideologies that the borders were open to all who would come through the proper channels, it was also based on European ideologies of the educated. Perhaps it was assumed that these non-European foreigners would naturally adopt the culture and language of the society at large. This idea of absorption has not been the case, and is the source of contention for modern-day satirists.

While Juvenal portrayed disdain for the Greeks, much like the English toward the Irish, it was perhaps the “barbarians” that he shared his most dislike for. Today, and in years past, that would be the equivalent of granting equal citizenship to Chinese and African slaves, and Hispanics. Granting them equal citizenship meant a mottling of cultures, and there were perceived burdens on government welfare, especially in the cities. Similar to Roman Emperor Valens’ decision to allow the Visigoths to enter the protection of Rome, there are ongoing debates about immigration reform.

Not a tinderbox, just my equation.

Respond to students answer:

The condition that he is describes is that of a failing society, and he complains about several things. One of the things he complains about is, for lack of a better word, immigration issues. He doesnt like that foreigners are coming to Rome and taking Roman jobs. He also complains about what appears to be a significant wealth gap, claiming that cost of living is too high and the lifestyle is over the top and pretentious. He also makes references to infrastructure issues; he claims there are cracks in the walls and that fire is an ever present danger. Robbery and constand noise causing sleeplessness among the populace is another complaint made.

It seems to me that the rome being described is very much a rome that has fallen into decline. It sounds very similar to the sort of thing you might hear today on satirical programs like the daily show. The function of this type of satire is to try to draw attention to the issues in society in an attempt to affect change through persuasion, and I think this is what Juvenal is trying to accomplish here. There is even a reference to potential political reform towards the end of the section.