Dumpster Diving

1. How does Eighner organize his essay? What does this imply?

Eighner begins with defining what a dumpster is and what exactly it is that dumpster divers do. He then goes into how to tell the difference between good and bad finds, and which dumpsters and in which times of year you will get the most out of dumpster diving or "scavenging". This he uses to show how wasteful people are and  how little regard we have for our things. He then concludes by stating his pity for those who carelessly live and are unaware of the treasures they once had. His whole message is "Wake up" and it is evident throughout his entire piece.

2. Eighners simple, understated tone suggests that anyone can adapt to Dumpster Diving with a little practice. Why do you think he uses such a tone?

Eighner's audience is the average, everyday person. For this reason he dons a relaxed, approachable tone that welcomes everyone who reads it. Because of the pleasant tone people will read and want to continue reading, and they will actually pay attention to what is being discussed because the peice is being addressed to them in a nice, respectful manner.

Augustine's Confessions

What do we expect of an autobiography today, and how may we need to broaden our understanding of this form of writing to appreciate the Confessions?

Today, when we think of "Autobiography", we think of something along the lines of Frederick Douglas. We expect a story in chronological order of the major events in a person's life that shaped the way they turned out. That isn't exactly what we get when we read The Confessions, to me it seems like Augustine didn't write an autobiography, but a prayer journal almost. Augustine's autobiography is about his spiritual life, and what he went through, and it seems as though he wrote it to help other christians with their spiritual walk, but at the same time it seems as though he didn't write it for us to read. Now an autobiography isn't just a retelling of one's life it can be a guide book of sorts, written in order to help others.

The Dark Ages

Based on your viewing of the History Channel so far, how would you classify it as a historical source and why?

I would classify the History Channel's Dark Ages as a secondary source because there are no eyewitnesses and no one saw anything firsthand, however, the speakers gave us eyewitness accounts and they presented artwork and visual evidence, which was very carefully studied before it was presented yo the viewers.


How reliable do you consider this to be? why?

I consider this source to be very reliable, because these people have devoted a lot of time to studying these materials, and they brought in first hand accounts, although they didn't mention whose eyewitness accounts they were, but if they mentioned that I think that their source would have been even more reliable

Western Civilizations Chapter 7 Review Question

Byzantine culture was distinctive in many ways. What are some of its important features?

One of the most distinctive features of the Byzantine culture was its stability. "Strong, self-perpetuating political institutions thus constituted a major source of stability in Byzantium and offer an explanation for the extraordinary longevity of the empire's core provinces: nearly a thousand years." (pg. 215) The leaders in Byzantium's capitol city, Constantinople, were highly educated men who supervised aspects of social and cultural life such as the educational systems, the Orthodox church, and the observances of religious services and festivals. The military, courts and diplomatic services were all strengthened by the bureaucracies appointed over them. Another area of strength was the economy as Constantinople was became a central area of trade.

Western Civilizations Chapter 6 Connections question

In your opinion, which phenomenon had a more profound impact on Rome: the overexension of imperial power or the mass migration of peoples from Rome's frontier. Why?

The mass migration of people from Rome's frontier had a greater impact on Rome because the more people there are, the more resources are needed. With the immense growth in Rome, the rulers had less control over the empire, and the armies had to spread out and separate in order to try and protect all of Rome. With the weakening of Rome's armies more people were able to migrate, expanding Rome's borders. Smaller Kingdoms began to emerge and tax revenues were lost, weakening Rome

Western Civilizations Chapter 6 Review Question

Christianity's acceptance as a legal religion changed it in profound ways. Why was this?

Christianity was originally a small group of people who followed the teachings of God, then suddenly it is the preferred religion of Rome, this overnight change caused several problems. Now that Christianity was publicly accepted and practiced, people began to notice that not every church had the same access to the scriptures, some had the letters of Paul, whereas others had none of his letters. Some churches had appointed leaders, while others did not. With Constantine's conversion the churches were unified and given structure. Another change was the combining of Christianity and Roman Tradition, this was more than likely done to help the Romans to accept Christianity as their new religion.

Aeneid book 10 & 11

Book 10
Venus is very detailed and calm when responding to Jove, she informs him that Turnus and his men are attacking and causing much bloodshed, and then proceeds to ask him to spare Ascanius' life so that he may found Rome, Juno however starts enraged, she starts to defend herself by asking a string of questions that are supposed to prove her innocence, and she then follows it up with a downright lie about not interfering with Aeneas. Venus does not try to prove anything, she sticks to the absolute truth and her love for her  mortal family, Juno has no evidence, only questions that do nothing to help her and lies.

Book 11
Pallas functions as a Patroclus in several ways. Pallas and Patroclus both were friends of Aeneas and Achilles, respectively,  and in the absences of their friends they went and fought and died brutal deaths. these two were the reasons that Aeneas and Achilles fought as viciously as they did when they returned, and they functioned as the release button. once the button was pushed there was no going back, Aeneas and Achilles were ready to kill in order to avenge their friends death's.

The Aeneid: Book 6

In this portion of Aeneas' story we open seeing Aeneas receiving instructions from the Sybil, prophetess of Apollo, after he and his men land on the shores of Italy. Once the orders of the Sybil had been followed, Aeneas is led down to the underworld by the Sybil in order to see his father. He is taken on a trip through the underworld and meets up with several of his former comrades, and eventually his father who tells him his future, and shows him his future descendants. Aeneas then leaves the underworld to complete his destiny.

The Punic Wars

The Punic wars were important in Roman history because they helped Rome gain control, strength, and it helped Rome stabilize itself. Carthage was very powerful and established with many resources and an amazing military force. Rome after defeating Carthage was able to take over all of their resources and therefore build upon their own humble beginnings.

The Roman Empire

Rome was successful because of her army and her laws. Rome had a large army and even though they at first lost many battles, they continued and perservered and eventually began to win. Also the laws were very highly respected, so the city was organized and stable and able to build upon itself.

The Aeneid Book 3

Aeneas continues his tale of escape, he and his crew re-group at Antander, and then sail to Thrace, where they meet Polydorus, son of Priam, in the form of a tree. The ghost of Polydorus then tells his story and Aeneas and his men proceed to give him a proper burial. Aeneas then goes to Delos and receives a dream from Apollo, but misinterprets the dream and ends up sailing to Crete, they soon leave however when their civilization is plagued. The gods come to Aeneas and tell him that he was supposed to go to Italy. The men sail for Italy but end up getting shipwrecked on the Island of the Harpies where they eat of the cattle and anger the harpies. The leader then curse the men saying that famine will come upon their land and with that the men sacrifice to Apollo and once again set sail to Italy. On the way Aeneas meets Andromache who tells of she and Helen's capture and she advises Aeneas too take the longer route to avoid troubles. They run into a Man from Ulysses's crew and he tells them of the cyclops that they deceived, and when the Cyclops shows up the men decide to leave, and his story ends there.

Aeneid book 2

Book two of the Aeneid opens with Aeneas fulfilling Dido's request to tell his story. He starts off his story introducing the Trojan horse. The Greeks had hidden their best soldiers in the hollow belly of the horse, and had sent it over to the Trojans who were suspicious of the horse. They begin to debate about whether or not to accept the horse when a young Greek soldier Sinon cunningly deceives the Trojans into accepting the horse. After seeing  Neptune's priest and his two sons eaten by two massive serpents, they move the horse to the shrine of Athena, ignoring the prophetic voice of Cassandra. As the Trojans sleep Sinon opens the horse and lets his Greek comrades out. the Greeks then proceed to kill the guards, open the gates and let in more of their forces. Meanwhile Hector's ghost appears to Aeneas n a dream warning him of the Greek invasion. Aeneas and his men arm themselves and fight and kill many Greeks, but they are too outnumbered. Aeneas and his men arrive at Priam's palace where Priam was going to try and fight. Phyrrus, son of Achilles, slaughters a son of Priam before Priam's eyes and then kills Priam at the altar. Two impious acts.As Aeneas is seeing this he catches sight of Helen, who he believes to be the reason for all the bloodshed and sets out to kill her, until Venus stops him. Venus tells her son Aeneas that Helen is not to blame for the war, but that the gods are responsible and that he needs to flee from Troy with his family. She then takes Aeneas to his fathers house, his father originally refuses to leave but upon receiving an omen he joins his family. Cruesa, Aeneas' wife is lost along the way out of Troy, but her ghost appears to Aeneas telling him that it was not her fate to escape from Troy, and that he has a better future ahead of him.

Livy response

Livy seems to be writing this piece in order to bring history to life with his lyric poem. He also seems to be writing this piece in order to share the history of Rome partially for his own satisfaction, but also so that others can learn from Rome's successes and mistakes.

The Aeneid

In Book 1 of the Aeneid we open up with Virgil calling upon the muses so that they might help him relay the story of the founding of Rome. Aeneas, who is destined to found Rome, is sailing to Italy after the Trojan War. Juno, queen of the gods, hates the Trojans and wants them dead. She despairs, however, because the Fates have prevented her from doing anything to Aeneas and his friends. Even with this knowledge, she goes to King Aeolus, keeper of the winds, and asks him to send forth his winds to destroy Aeneas. He does so, causing Aeneas and his men to sail to the first piece of land they can find. Neptune, god of the sea and storms, is angered by the winds' storm and causes it to stop. Venus, goddess of love and mother of Aeneas, seeing what is happening to her son, goes to see Jupiter,king of the gods. Jupiter consoles Venus and reassures her that Aeneas will be the founder of Rome. Venus then goes to see Aeneas, disguised as a huntress and tells him of Dido the queen of Carthage. Aeneas and his men set out to find Dido and when they do, Aeneas proceeds to explain what has happened to them. Venus then sends Cupid, her son, to "poison" Dido so that she will fall madly in love with Aeneas.

Early Rome

1). How much of the early Roman culture can be credited to the Etruscans?

2). What role does Mythology play in the early Roman History?

The Iliad: Closure

The Iliad opens with the Rage of Achilles, it does not however end in the same way. In the end we actually see Achilles attempting to control his anger, which he does successfully. " He feared that, overwhelmed by the sight of Hector, wild with grief, Priam might let his anger flare and Achilles might fly into fresh rage himself" (24.684-86). At the beginning of the epic Achilles let his anger control him and his actions, at the end Achilles has gained control of his emotions. A major attitude change has taken place in Achilles. Another somewhat smaller way the epic has been resolved is in the perspective. We opened seeing things through the eyes of the Acheans, and we end seeing things through the eyes of the Trojans. At the beginning we find out that the Acheans will win the war, and we end with the Trojans knowing that their doom is inevitable. It is, despite the circumstances, a good ending, an ending that gives you a sense of finality. Everything is going the way the gods said it would, and that's that.

Iliad Books 18-19 questions

Book 18:
1). Achilles, when he heard of the death of Patroclus, covered himself in dust and mourned the death of his friend. The Neriads joined their sister Thetis in comforting  Achilles, while the women wept and beat their chests in agony.
2). Achilles tells his mother how he loved Patroclus above all men, and how he loved him as his own life. He then tells Thetis that the armor he gave Patroclus to wear was his Fathers. It was given to Peleus as a gift from the gods the day he married Thetis. Achilles then goes on to say how he wished that Thetis had not married a mortal because now she will have to see her son die.
3). Achilles tells his mother that he is very willing to die because Patroclus, his best friend, is dead
4).  Achilles lets out a roar and Athena lights up his hair, as everyone runs away in fear Achilles takes the body of Patroclus.
5). The scenes fit in because they seem as though they could be describing what will come to pass, especially with the two men quarreling over the death of a loved one. They could be Achilles and Hector fighting over the death of Patroclus.

Book 19:
1).  The Myrmidons were not able to look on the shield, they all looked away in fear. Achilles on the other hand was able to look on the shield, and the sight of the shield actually fueled his anger.
2). Achilles says that her death would have been better than her life having caused all the trouble that it did. Previously, Briseis was his most prized possession, but now that she indirectly caused Patroclus' death, he couldn't care less about her.
3).Agamemnon blames Zeus, the Fates, the Furies, and Ruin for his actions. He is, however, not justified in his accusations because when he was insulting Achilles, there was no account given of any gods interfering, only of his pride and anger. This speech shows that fate is stronger than human will, and that human will is weak.
4). Agamemnon and Achilles manage to forget the wrongdoings committed against one another. Achilles, in order to avenge the death of Patroclus, is willing to put aside his anger towards Agamemnon And Agamemnon needs Achilles help to fight against the Trojans. Odysseus arranges a feast to both celebrate the reconciliations and to revive the armies' spirits.
5). Briseis was only lamenting the fact that Patroclus, now that he is dead, cannot make her the wedded wife of Achilles. The rest of the women in his camp mourn over him once Briseis has finished her lament. This scene mirrors the beginning of book 18 when Achilles is mourning and after the women also mourn the death of Patroclus.
6). Achilles refuses to eat because he committed himself to fasting in order to mourn the death of Patroclus, and in his grief he will not allow himself to eat. Achilles, however, does not starve because Zeus had Athena give him nectar and ambrosia in order to keep up his strength.
7). Achilles' spear is unique because no one can carry it's weight other than Achilles. The spear was a gift from his father, Peleus, who had received it from Chiron. As Achilles is preparing for battle, Homer describes the pain and anger going through Achilles.As he is finishing, Achilles lets out the rage building up inside of him and rushes into battle.

"The Allegory of the Cave"

"The Allegory of the Cave" shows that in Plato's eyes we are all disillusioned. While we think that we are seeing and experiencing the real world, we are not. We are seeing "shadows" of the real world, and in order to see the "real" world, we need to open ourselves to further questioning and deeper thinking. Parmenides argues that reality is permanent and characterized by unity, whereas Heraclitus believed that reality is constantly changing and that there is no such thing as permanence. Plato reconciles these two by classifying them as levels of reality in which one can experience the different levels and gain understanding like the lucky prisoner in the allegory.

Debate reflections

I think that over all we did a fairly good job. Every one was a bit nervous. Which caused some if us to forget information, but then we let loose at the free for all and lost some of the formality required. In general I think that we need to keep our personal opinions out of the debate. The strategy of using one's personal view was used several times in an attempt to confuse the opposing team. I also think that if everyone was equally cooperative some would have felt more prepared. Over all it was a good-ish experience, but it will improve with time and practice.

Solon, Themistocles, and Pericles

In my opinion, Plutarch favors Solon and Pericles above Themistocles, he still shows respect for all men, just more respect for Solon and Pericles. Plutarch, when speaking about Solon and Pericles is constantly showering praises on them. Plutarch is constantly praising Solon's great wisdom, and knowledge, and Pericles' great leadership. Themistocles, he does praise, but he focuses a lot on his bad behavior and manners as a boy, and on his betrayal as an adult. Plurtar in my opinion faors Solon and Periles.

Lycurgus

I think that Plutarch wrote this "biography" of Lycurgus because he truly respected his wisdom, and justice, and want for equality. When Plutarch speaks of Lycurgus, it is never anything negative, only how good, and just he is. One of the stories that Plutarch tells of Lycurgus is when he inherits the throne after his brother's death. He reigns for a while until it is discovered that his late brother's wife is pregnant. Lycurgus' brother's wife offers to kill her child as long as she can become queen. Lycurgus is disgusted by her offer, but seems to accept until the child is born, Lycurgus then gives the throne over to his nephew, and leaves to avoid suspicion due to rumors being spread about him. As Lycurgus traveled he picked up ideas from his travels and implemented them in Spartan society in order to better it. I believe that Plutarch agreed with Lycurgus' changes to  the Spartan Constitution, because he refers to the luxuries they had before Lycurgus' changes as though they were silly, he does refer to them as "useless" and never once has something to say against Lycurgus, or his ideas.

The Iliad book 9: Achilles

I think that Achilles should have returned to the fight after the Embassy to Achilles. Achilles wanted the Acheans to come and beg for his help, to realize how much he was needed. And they did, they begged and offered him much great wealth. And by not returning he showed immense hubris, and he used the gods for his own personal gain, and then refused the help they gave him.