...that we choose to mock more than our own actions. It seems also that people like to laugh at other people - particularly when the r!ecipient of the criticism is one who is in a position of power or authority.! ‘Lysistrata’ - one of the most profoundly influential works of the classical comic Aristophanes - is an example of just that. Aristophanes takes his surroundings and synthesises a contrary scenario, making his audience laugh, but more importantly making radical arguments about the state of affairs in Athens in 411BC. Through the voice of his actors, he provides an amusing but pertinent s!ocial commentary that can pique the interest of the residents of his city. ! There are two social conditions that Aristophanes subverts in ‘Lysistrata’, giving clues about the attitudes at the time and the problems that the real-life characters were facing. One of these is familiar: the established patriarchy and gender-based societal inequality that one who reads any pre-21st century literature will be familiar with. The second is somewhat more nuanced and contextual: the almost omnipresent inter-state warfare of Ancient Greece. The way in which they interact is the concept with which Aristophanes plays; by envisaging a revolt of the female class, a!nd the stupidity and inadequacy to...
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...Generally, all plays written by Aristophanes and Plautus comprise of comedy that is both timeless and of its own time - where the comedy tends to be more suitable and applicable to its time period rather than universally speaking. When thinking of comedy of its own time – it is evident how the comedic descriptions of women and more specifically married women and the way they are presented is common across all plays by both Aristophanes and Plautus. Married women are particularly criticised whose only job is to waste the money and resources of men whilst they sit and do nothing shown with Strepsiades in The Clouds where his wife robbed him of all his money – Strepsiades states how she is “wearing my resources”. This is corroborated by Plautus’s, The Swaggering Soldier with Periplectomenus who complains how wives make you miserable and waste your money endlessly spending money - “all that sort of expense that women cost”. Again, this concept of married women stealing men’s freedom and wealth is shown in The Brothers Menaechmus where Menaechmus explains how he has provided his wife with “servants, food, clothes, jewellery and “everything she could possibly need” yet she still constantly pesters him and is never satisfied. In a humorous light the playwrights display married women as an irritation to men’s life, who do nothing whilst men slave away only for women to spend their wealth – comedy which would be more of its own time rather than timeless. Similarly, women across the plays...
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...Name Institution Instructor Date of submission Feminism in Ancient Greek Culture from the Perspective of Lysistrata Lysistrata is portrayed as a hero by Aristophanes and just as Antigone had played a social role in politics, so is Lysistrata portrayed. Most ancient Greek writers were people who had established themselves in the society. They were people of class, and when they wrote about women, they mostly wrote about women from their own social class. Women were shown to participate only in the domestic roles of childbearing and that saw many women confined to their houses. They rarely ventured out of the proximity of their domestic dwellings, let alone participate in manly politics. Lysistrata, however, steps up and take up a political role, an unusual thing in ancient Greek. She empowers women and shows their ability to run the state. Lysistrata is thus shown to be a feminist hero boasting of women empowerment. Many Marxist thinkers would conclude that Lysistrata was nothing more about feminism bout about sex. The women of Greece attempt to end the war using their sexuality, an act that prevails as they see their men return home and agree to sign a peace treaty. There is, however, much more beyond sexuality as the play displays issues of gender, masculinity and femininity. In Lysistrata, the masculine authority that has always prevailed in Ancient Greek is challenged by the women of Greece. The main characters, Lysistrata, Myrrhina...
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...Alejandra Fraguada Ancient & Medieval Western Civilization Contributions of Greek Civilization to Western Civilization. Ancient Greeks made many influential contributions to western civilization such as in the areas of philosophy, art and architecture, math and science. These contributions, which are also the achievements of ancient Greece, include certain things in the areas of philosophy, art, architecture, math and science. The ancient Greeks were a remarkable civilization in that they have made all these contributions and achievements while simultaneously fighting two wars, the Peloponnesian wars and the Persian wars. Luckily for western civilization, Greece carried on through these hardships and managed to achieve one thing after another, ultimately contributing a vast amount to western civilization. In the area of philosophy, Greece had made many influential contributions to western civilization. Greek philosophers were great thinkers who were determined to seek truth to a certain subject or question no matter where it led them. Three of the most famous philosophers in Greek history include Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato. Socrates, who lived from around 470 to 399 B.C., believed that life was not worth living unless it was examined and the truth about life was sought out. He also believed that there had to be certain standards for justice and punishment. In order to solve problems in life, Socrates invented a method for solving these problems called Socratic...
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...present-day society, we view women as essential to everyday life. Society sees and treats women as intelligent individuals who are equally efficient for most of the same work and intellectual skills as men. In most cases, we believe that women and men are equal, as women are able to legally run for and hold government offices, perform physical labor, work in medical professions, and basically anything they desire so long as, like anyone else, they attain the required certifications, education, etc. However, this outlook on women’s roles and abilities was not always shared among the social order. Throughout history, women’s roles in society, economy, government and culture have evolved and shifted dramatically. Throughout each culture and society in the ancient world, we find differences in the way women were treated, the responsibilities expected of them, and their learned place in the social order. Women featured in Homer’s The Iliad were some of some earliest examples of women being viewed with poor outlooks in the eyes of men in Greek culture. David Harvey claims that Aristotle had no doubt that women were inferior in this particular society (Harvey, 46). They were mainly viewed as prizes throughout Homer’s writing. For example, Helen of Troy is demeaned and objectified by being used as a fuel for war between Sparta and Troy solely based on Paris’ “love” for Helen, despite the fact that he is known for his notorious prostitution all throughout Troy. To continue, after...
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...philosophical influences in the Ancient Greek civilisation was born. Socrates’ teachings would continue to heavily impact on philosophical thought throughout the ages. Socrates began as a stonemason, but quickly made the change to a life pursuing the answers to all moral problems with emphasis on the right conduct by which one should live their life. His teachings attracted groups of young men who adopted his methodologies and became fascinated with the ideas he presented, which although popular with some, were often in conflict with the politicians in Athens at the time. Socrates lived through one of Athens’ most advanced eras and he saw firsthand the rise of the Athenian Empire. He often passed judgment and was highly opinionated on many issues which were putting Athens on the map, including democracy. He also promoted honesty and virtue as key contributors to a happy life. Socrates was one of only a few philosophers to be recognised for his work in his lifetime and this indicates that he must have been significant in some capacity. However, Athens was an ever-expanding empire, which meant that their culture was heavily impacted on by not just Greek people on the inside but also by the countries that they conquered and the foreigners who came to Athens as slaves or traders. These outside influences must be balanced against the interior influences of men such as Socrates to explore to what extent philosophy and the teachings of Socrates had on the advancement of Ancient Greek civilisation...
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...The Ethical Issue of Homosexuality Oct. 31, 2011 Homosexuality is defined as the romantic and sexual attraction to a member of the same sex. The conclusion that the behavioral and social sciences, as well as the health and mental professions is that homosexuality is a normal human sexual orientation. (Bell, Weinberg & Hammersmith) (Bullough) (Ford & Beach) (Kinsey, Pomeroy, & Martin) (Kinsey, Pomeroy, Martin, & Gebhard ) Homosexuality was once looked at as a mental disorder, and was listed as such in medical journals until 1973, and to this day scientists can only theorize as to what actually causes someone to become homosexual. Some believe it has a biological nature, while others believe not only that it is a mental disorder, but a tool of a being named Satan. Barbara Blewster, a member of the Arizona State Legislature was quoted as saying, "The perversion that follows homosexuality is bestiality and then human sacrifice and cannibalism." This is where the ethical issues of homosexuality arise. The issue ranges from attitudes like Mrs. Blewster’s who believe homosexuality to be an abomination and a sin, to those who feel that discrimination and hate toward someone who was just “born that way” is unethical. This leads us into the question of homosexual marriage. Should homosexuals be granted the same holy matrimony that heterosexual couples have? The first recorded depiction of homosexuality was found in Mesopotamia, circa 3000 BC where artifacts...
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...Setting the current legal standard to determine obscene material and laying the guidelines for distribution and regulation of such material has constantly raised questions in legal areas. Establishing how to define when a text is protected under the law poses a persistent struggle in legal definitions; to understand this issue, it is necessary to review the evolution of sexual explicit content throughout history, should a single jury, in a constantly changing society, determine the value of a work? In ancient times, sexual explicit content in drama, poetry, art and sculpture were not regulated by the state, as sex was a natural part of life, art graphically depicted intercourse, anal intercourse, prostitution and same-sex sex. Sumerian literature openly portrayed human love to be intimately connected to sexual pleasure (Black, Cunningham, Robson and Zolyom 188-190). Greek artists depicted explicit scenes of intercourse, anal intercourse, masturbation and fellatio on vases and terracotta and Greek drama was often demonstrative, Greece and Rome punished blasphemous and heretical expression, but not obscenity. Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides all dealt with...
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...vast, for good and for ill – for good, because individual and social happiness depends on right acting; for ill, because misrepresentations, deceit, mischief, and falsehood can also be learned by imitation.” "Much of what we know we learn by imitation, by acting parts, by practicing what we shall say or do." Language, for example, is taught by making the learner repeat what has been said. Filipino children exposed to English cartoon shows tend to become fluent in the language used. Those who are exposed to violent shows like wrestling become aggressive, as a result of idolizing the characters involved. People tend to "copy" what they observe in their environment. What makes drama vast is the fact that "the essentials of drama not only inhere in social experience; in basic ways they determine it." Materials of drama were used, including music, dancing, and the reenactment of important deeds and occasions. There are five epochs in which drama flourished, namely The Greek Classics, The Middle Ages, The Elizabethan Drama, The Neo-Classical French Drama and The Modern Drama. Looking back at the history of drama, it can be seen that each of these epochs has its own contributions to the modern drama. The Greek Classics was the epoch in which drama has begun. The most influential playwrights were Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles who wrote for tragedies. Another playwright known during this period was Aristophanes, who, on the other hand, wrote for comedies. Drama in The Greek...
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...Practical Philosophy November 2001 Plato’s theory of Love: Rationality as Passion Lydia Amir 'I … profess to understand nothing but matters of love.' Socrates in Plato’s Symposium. times, when due to their education and to political changes, women earned the right to love and to be loved as equals to men. When one dispels these misunderstandings related to the popular notion of Platonic love, one finds a great richness and depth in Plato’s theory of love. In explaining why love is so important to us and yet why it fails us so often, Plato’s view of love seems applicable to our time. It is common knowledge that a very high rate of divorce threatens our marriages. We expect a lot from the sexual passion we call love, but usually end up disappointed when the romance goes away. Yet we keep getting married, thinking that we are going to be the ones that will beat the system. If we fail, we change our partner and try again. We end up our love life as we began it, confused, afraid and as disappointed as we were hopeful. The malaise that characterises our love lives naturally finds its way to the philosophical consulting room. In this paper I shall attempt to show how Plato’s view of love can be helpful both in dispelling our confusion about love and in proposing some solutions to our suffering. A comprehensive account of Plato’s complex theory of love, an exhaustive presentation of the controversies involved in interpreting it or a thorough discussion of the problems it creates...
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...| | | |[pic] |AllPsych Journal | | |[pic] | | | | | |Homosexuality: Nature or Nurture | | |Ryan D. Johnson | | |April 30, 2003 | | |[pic] | | |In recent decades, many hotly debated topics have come under the scrutiny of sociobiologists, trying to determine their causation | | |and origins. One such topic is homosexuality. Originally thought by the American Psychological Association (hereafter referred to | | |as APA) to be a mental disorder, research into its causes, origins...
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...Ethics and Corporate Governance: Corporate Social Responsibility Contents Introduction 2 Definition of Ethics 2 Definition of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) 2 History of Ethics 2 Socrates 2 Plato 2 Aristotle 2 Cynics 2 Cyrenaics 2 Business Ethics 2 Nike 2 McDonalds 2 Enron 2 Wal-Mart 2 Why Business Ethics is Necessary 2 Conclusion 2 Bibliography 2 Introduction This assignment is a brief over view of ethics in the modern day era. It begins with a definition of ethics, followed by a concise explanation of corporate social responsibility. Ethics has evolved over a number of decades and still is to this day, with that a short history of ethics will be demonstrated in this assignment. Ethics determines whether or not a company has good or bad morale. Unfortunately a company that holds excellent ethics are not highlighted in the media as a company that has bad ethics. In this essay will illustrate examples of how large national and international companies came to have bad ethics. To conclude this assignment will be a brief outlay of why ethics is necessary to the business environment in this day and age. Definition of Ethics Ethics can be defined at vital concepts and essential principles of moral human conduct. It consists of the study of universal ethics such as the essential parity of all men and women, natural or human rights, compliance to the law of land, concern for health and safety and, progressively more, for the natural environment...
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...Ancient Egypt and the Spread of Tattoos Several female Egyptian mummies dating from the Eleventh Dynasty (2100 B.C.) show evidence of being tattooed for ritualistic purposes or for therapeutic purposes during pregnancy. Most likely influenced by ancient tattoo practices in Nubia, the women’s tattoos (or mentenu) were blackish blue and were likely applied with a pricking instrument with one or more fish bones set into a wooden handle. The most famous tattooed mummy is the beautiful Amunet, a priestess of the goddess of Hathor at Thebes, who was tattooed with several lines and dots in geometric patterns. A second female mummy, who appears to be a dancer, also exhibits similar patterns as well as a cicatrix pattern over the low pubic region. Several figurines from the Middle Kingdom known as the “Brides of Death” also display similar geometric patterns (Jones 2000). Though Egyptian tattoos have been found on only female mummies, designs which seem to represent tattoos are seen on both men and women in Egyptian art, suggesting tattoos were not restricted to women. While tattooing sprung up independently around the globe, the significant Egyptian influence also helped spread the practice. Ancient Greece and Rome: Tattoos as Marks of Ownership and Criminality The Greeks learned tattooing from the Persians who, as Herodotus informs us, would tattoo slaves, prisoners of war, and even Hellespont with the name or mark of Xerxes. While tattoos sometimes served as a way to transmit secret...
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...RAMOS, ROCELLE GRACE A. BSIE 2-1 The History of Economic Thought and Development Economics E conomic writings date from earlier Mesopotamian, Greek, Roman, Indian subcontinent, Chinese, Persian, and Arab civilizations. Notable writers from antiquity through to the 14th century include Aristotle, Xenophon, Chanakya (also known as Kautilya), Qin Shi Huang, Thomas Aquinas, and Ibn Khaldun. The works of Aristotle had a profound influence on Aquinas, who in turn influenced the late scholastics of the 14th to 17th centuries. Joseph Schumpeter described the latter as "coming nearer than any other group to being the 'founders' of scientific economics" as to monetary, interest, and value theory within a natural-law perspective. Two groups, later called 'mercantilists' and 'physiocrats', more directly influenced the subsequent development of the subject. Both groups were associated with the rise of economic nationalism and modern capitalism in Europe. Mercantilism was an economic doctrine that flourished from the 16th to 18th century in a prolific pamphlet literature, whether of merchants or statesmen. It held that a nation's wealth depended on its accumulation of gold and silver. Nations without access to mines could obtain gold and silver from trade only by selling goods abroad and restricting imports other than of gold and silver. The doctrine called for importing cheap raw materials to be used in manufacturing goods, which could be exported, and for state regulation...
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...gone before.” ~Liz Stanley and Sue Wise, 1983, p. 26. Introduction Over the past three decades, feminist methodologists have hammered home one point with surprising regularity: Feminist research takes a variety of legitimate forms; there is no “distinctive feminist method of research” (Harding, 1987; see also Chafetz, 2004a, 2004b; Fonow & Cook, 2005; Hawkesworth, 2006; Hesse-Biber, 2007; Risman, Sprague, & Howard, 1993; and Sprague, 2005). And yet, to this day, the relationship between feminist theory and quantitative social science research remains uneasy. Among feminist scholars, quantitative research is often seen as suspect for its association with positivism and its pretense of objectivity (among other things). At the same time, among quantitative researchers, feminist-identified work is often dismissed as “biased,” “activist,” or “substantively marginal.” While a number of scholars have recently published works outlining a “feminist” approach to social science research, these books have generally steered clear of quantitative survey research. Some authors of feminist 1 2— Feminist Measures in Survey Research methods texts limit their discussion of feminist survey research to a small section (e.g., Hesse-Biber, 2007; Reinharz, 1992; Sprague, 2005), while others overlook survey research entirely (e.g., Hesse-Biber, Gilmartin, & Lydenberg, 1999; Jaggar, 2008; Naples, 2003). Sociologist Joey Sprague (2005) aptly describes the situation: Because feminists and other...
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