Thought and reflections the plague and the civil war at Corcyra

Ben Howson. World History per. 6                                                                      01/29/14

Thought and reflections on: The Plague, and the Civil war at Corcyra

By Thucydides


Human Nature

Human nature is a funny thing. My definition of human nature is that human nature comes out in times of struggle. It is a way of being, feeling, and acting. It shows us and others who we really are. Thucydides thoughts are slightly different from mine. He thinks that, like me, human nature comes out in times of struggle like the plague but he thinks that that is who we really are as people. I believe that this is not who we really are. This way of being is just an instinct for survival. In The History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides said that human nature is who we really are and when a plague comes, it is the trigger that provokes the dark side of human nature. This dark side is separating from the group and turning against each other. Every man for himself. Depending on yourself and not needing anyone else. In Athens many of the people who usually did follow the rules, did not follow the rules or traditions. They did not care about their honor. And due to the fact that there were no laws followed, people had no fear of punishment. Due to that, they felt no regret. Thucydides goes on to talk about human nature and what happens with it in times of war. It is somewhat similar to what happens in the plague. The difference is that people get carried away and lose themselves. In time of war people start to take advantage of other people who are weaker than they are. They commit atrocities against each other like torture. All of these things contributed to the cause of evil which was ambition. The war became a prize and in that prize if people took over something they assumed it was theirs. Usually people fight wars for their country, but in this case they ended up fighting more for the benefit of themselves. Like finding gold for themselves not their country. Taking things for themselves and not for their country. General laws of humanity were gone, and the dark side of human nature took its place.

Thisisa picture of Bear Gryls Surviving by him self

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War Question and answer.

Ben Howson, World History 

Athens was an incredible place and they were very smart, and different from all others. They had a very clever system of government, and that system was very like what we have today, a Democracy. They didn't take this great idea of a Democracy from any one, they made up Democracy, they created. They put the power in the hands of all the people, and also everyone is equal. Athens was a modle for everyone else. Many people looked up to them, and respected them.Athens also belived that every man should take an interest in politics. Everyone is well informed, and they all had a very big interest in the affairs of the state. Athens would also take so pretty big risks, but before taking action, and just doing it, they would call some type of meeting, and discuss and debate what they are wanting to do, and the consequences that might go along with those things. They didn't rush any of the things that there was a posibility of big consequences. They all had to agree, of win by majority, and only then will they make their move. Athens was very connected, and what they say or do, is as one. Athens also was very involved in community service. They would always help eachother out in times of trouble. They would do good to others rather than receiving. They would do good, not expecting any thing inreturn  except for good-will. Athens was a truly remarkable place, that was filed with great, smart people, who were willing to go out of their way to help others. That is what made Athens a great place.    

This is a picture/ painting of a politcal gathering in Athens.

Thucydides intro, questions answerd.

Ben Howson, World history per.6

Thucydides was unlike the poets of he time, he was unlike them, because of the method that he recorded history. He would only tell the story how it was, and he didn't add anything to the story, he didn't exagerate the story like all of the poets, and other writers did to make the story more interesting. He told the truth, and nothing but the truth. He would also not just hear a story and write it down. He would hear may peoples stories, then compare them to one another, to make the story be as close to what actually happened as possible. In terms of getting the stories, he would get them only from eye witnesses, or him self as am eye witness. So all in all he just wanted the truth, and he wanted to tell history, not a fantasy, no matter how boring, he told it how history happend.

Thucydides wrote history because he wanted people to know what was going on, and he wanted them to learn history. Thucydides specifically wrote history for people who wanted to know about history, and the truth, and what actually happend. He wanted to teach people, and tell them about history, and not many people cared, because they were more into the fantasy and the cool stories, which meant that Thucydides was writing for a pretty small group of people. 

The Homeric Scriptures of The Greeks, Reading Questions

Ben Howson, World History per. 6                                                                       01/15/14


Homer's writings are Greek creation myths, do to the fact that other religions such as Judaism and Christianity believed that Gods came first, and then man, but Homer believed that man came first, then the Gods came in the form of man, man's image. Also Homer was talking all about life, and how the Gods came to be and all that. But he never even said any thing about the creation of the earth. He just skipped it, and went right into talking about the Gods.
The function of the Iliaid and the Odyssey was to give the Greeks answers about history, and to stop them from questioning many things. It made them feel very comfortable, and gave them something to lean on. It also gave the Greeks a great story to tell everyone. You could kind of call the lliad and the Odyssey the Greeks Bible.

I feel that Homer's work would still stand out from others, even they survived, and we had them today, mostly because Homer's work was really a foundation for all the Greeks, and it gave them a great story to tell others. So it was pretty much their bible, and without it they wouldn't be as great.
Homer's work was able to survive do to the fact that the story was very well told, widely spread, and many educated Greeks were able to memorize the whole story.  There were also many wrote copies of his work, that were kept in many places, and a lot of the copies were kept in places like Egypt, where the climate is very dry, and is easily preserved. That is how Homer's work was able to survive while many others did not.
The Gods played many roles in the lives of humans, but quite frankly the Gods didn't really like the humans that much, they hated them, and every day the Gods would affect the humans in some way or another, maybe by creating a flood or something of that nature. Every day the Gods were either aided or frustrated with the humans, and they weren't very nice to them either. So really the Gods were not very nice, and they were mean bullies that bullied the humans every day.

The picture above is an ancient  sculpture of Homer who wrote the llaid and the Odyssey.

Ben Howson, World History per.6                                                                   01,13,14
Thoughts and Reflections on: Greek Gifts

The Greeks were amazing people, who were very culturally rich, civilized, and sophisticated. They were really into Arts, such as theater and music. But the thing is that they never really shared any of their gifts with anyone else other than there selfs. When we think of the Greeks, we think of people who were missionaries, people who were on a mission to civilize, and improve others. But Peter Green agues, and says that they were actually very arrogant, that they thought that they were the best. He also thought that they were very condescending, meaning that they treated nonGreeks as barbarians and children, and that they were exclusive, not allowing other people to have influence on Greece, unless they were able to read and write in Greek.

Greek Gifts page 68 vocabulary

Ben Howson                                                                                                     01/10/14

Enclave- A portion of territory that is in or surrounded by a larger territory whose inhabitants are culturally different to the other territory.

Seleucid- A member of the Seleucid dynasty. 

Renegade- A person who deserts and betrays something, like a country. 

Idiosyncratic- A person or thing that is very peculiar or an individual.

Coinage- The creation or descovery of a new type of word or phrase.

Palatial- Some type of building that is very grand, and magnificent.

Peristyle- A collection of columns, that surround a space inside a building.

  

Globetrotting- A person who traves regularly, to many countrys around the world. They do this for pleasure.

Loci- Multiple locus.

Xenophobic- A strong disliking of people from other countrys than your own.

Iconography- A group of pictures on concerning a specific topic or subject. 

Thoughts and reflections on Greece, and Sparta and Athens

Ben Howson, world History per.6                                                             January 9, 2014

Thoughts and Reflections on: Greece, Sparta, and Athens reading.

Sparta and Athens were two city states in Greece, and the two were very different to one another. When thinking of their differences, I think of three big fundamental differences, and those differences being, government, way of living, and culture. 

Sparta was Autocratically ruled, which means that they were ruled by the military. So they had no rights, and were ruled by military, making the goverment very stricked. Athens was governed in a very different way, it was ruled by a democracy. That means that all of the citizens have full right, and equal justice. Also the goverment was payed.

The Spartains way of living, was all evolved around military. They were all warriors, and they lived in fear, and under control with stricked rules. They all surrendered their freedom to the war machine.

Again, Athens was very different, they lived in a place that was surrounded with diversity in occupation. They were honored in their talents, and in public service. They were into art, architecture, science, and many other things like math.

The Spartains culture was very barren, they were all about war, and into nothing else than war. They didn't really have much of a culture, they were very confined or limited. Athens was very rich in culture, meaning that they had many different things to do. They were very free and peaceful, and had a huge range in activities. Their culture is like a big melting pot, they were into things like plays, architecture, and music.

Like I said they are two very different places, even though they are very close together.  

The Greeks had some really great accomplishments, in the time that they rained. They were great at architecture, building statues, and were also very into their plays. Today if you go to Greece, you can still see the great architecture everywhere, even though they are ruins, they are still able to stand today. In Greece, there were many great artists, and you can still see their work in museums all around the world. But they were especially known for their statues, of kings, and many other famous peolpe who were very important in that time. The Greeks were also very into their plays, there are old amphitheaters all around Greece. We even have some of the old plays that were written around that time. Most of these things all came from Athens, becasue they were very into all of the arts, musics, and building. 

Today in America, we have many direct results of the Greek legacy. Our government is a Democracy, and we are full right citizens, with equal justice. This is a like Athens, because they also were a Democracy, and were full right citizens, with equal justice. But not just that, they were the creators of Democracy, and with out them, we would probably have a different type of government, or even no goverment at all. Our culture today is very a like what it was like in Athens. We are a big melting pot, with all different types of people. We also have a very rich culture, with many different jobs, and professions. I actually think that we are more a like to the many things that only happen in Athens, compared to what happens in Greece.