Blog 5

"A prince, therefore, should have no other object, no other thought, no other subject of study, than war, its rules and disciplines, this is the only art for a man who commands..." 

Pg. 40

I think that this statement by Machiavelli is just kind of sad to think about. The idea that for men of royal birthright, the only thing on their minds should be war, is not an idea that applies today. Today, men are encouraged to grow and develop their minds in many different areas of study. I don't think it is right to say that a prince should focus primarily on war. The text goes on to say that, "the prince should never turn his mind from the study of war; in times of peace he should think about it even more than in wartime." I think that actually is thoughtful advice, to be prepared even when things are going well. I believe it is a little extreme to say that he should never turn his mind from the study of war however.

Blog 3, part 2

• Racism

 "And now let me speak at once of the race which is most dear to our rich men, and which I avoid above all others; no shyness shall stand in my way." This paragraph talked about different races and their different backgrounds.

• Mental Illness

 "Most sick people here in Rome perish for want of sleep, the illness itself having been produced by food lying undigested on a fevered stomach." This was the only thing I could read about being sick or ill. Maybe there weren't as many mentally ill people back then and if there were, I'm sure they were just thought of as crazy and not treated respectfully.

• Freedom of Speech

 "And now let me speak at once of the race which is most dear to our rich men, and which I avoid above all others; no shyness shall stand in my way." Yes, I am using the same quote for this problem too. He just kind of goes right into what he says, and says it very bluntly using free speech.

• Education

 "there is no room.......for honest callings in this city, no reward for labour". This goes along with what I was saying about teachers not getting paid properly enough. There is not enough reward for their hard work.

• Obesity

I feel like obesity is such a modern problem. It's a lot more accessible than in ancient Roman times. I don't think they had any hardships dealing with overweight problems and it wasn't a concern for them.

Blog 3, part 1

What are the five most challenging social problems facing the United States today? Please briefly describe each challenge.

• Racism

This first social problem I've chosen is racism. I feel like each race in America is all fighting for the chance to say that they're the most discriminated against. "Black people were slaves hundreds of years ago and that's not fair." "Mexicans only have the jobs of garbage men and custodial workers." "Muslims just want to blow our country up." You hear this kind of stuff all the time and it's just ridiculous and naive. If your ancestors had a hard life because they were treated badly because of the color of their skin, yeah that sucks but that shouldn't define you and how you deal with your current situation. I think like Morgan Freeman says, the best way to end racism is to stop talking about it. Black history month, selected scholarships to certain races, etc. To really become equals in this country, we need to look past skin color and background and look to the person's soul and how they are as a human being.

•  Mental Illness

 















I think a lot of people feel like those with mental illness or depression or things such as are just 'begging for attention', 'faking it', and 'can easily stop it.' Mental illness is a sickness. I love what this billboard says: "Imagine if you got blamed for having cancer." Often times it seems like people react to those with mental illness as being annoying and nuisances to society. When accusations like this are stated, it seems no one bats an eye. But if someone came out and said that people with cancer just need to suck it up, people would go berserk. This problem needs to be handled by people respecting others minds and different weaknesses, whether that be cancer or suffering from things like suicidal thoughts or depression.

• Freedom of Speech

I saw someone say, "Not enough people use it, and not enough use it correctly." 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It always seems like the loudest people have the most to say while the quiet ones actually have things relevant to say. The first amendment promises citizens the freedom of speech, yet many citizens do not respect what others choose to say. 

 

• Education

And most importantly dealing with education-teachers. I feel that teachers are so under paid. Teachers are almost like babysitters for some students. They dedicate their time and effort to educate these students and hardly get recognition or the right amount of salary for the work they do. The teachers are the ones teaching America's future doctors, lawyers, politicians, etc and deserve more credit. 

 

• OBESITY

My last and final social problem is obesity. This problem just continues to get bigger and bigger (pun definitely intended). Such a large percent of Americans are overweight. This is a concern because of the many health problems and concerns that come with this problem. It's time to put down the cheeseburgers and pick up the celery sticks. Okay just kidding
 cheeseburgers >>> celery sticks. But it is important to respect our bodies enough to want to be healthy. I believe that over eating and lack of exercise is a disrespect to our bodily temples, just like multiple piercings and tattoos. Our bodies were entrusted to us to be taken care of and respected and this means staying healthy and fit to the best of our abilities. 

Blog 2

3) What makes a Golden Age? What aspects of Roman society under Augustus would constitute a Golden Age? What time period of American history (or your native  country's history) would constitute its Golden Age? Why?

         A golden age. The dictionary likes to define it as, "the most flourishing period in the history of a nation." 

The quick rise of Augustus brought to pass monumental occurrences with art, architecture, and literature. I think the reason that these things were able to gain such revolutionary popularity was due to Augustus' reign. He was able to unite all of Italy behind him and was then very easily able to influence the rise of that Golden Age. 

Augustus was able to control his image in the media by hazing close friends like Horace write the literature of the time. Augustus headed building projects and engineered different styles of idealistic art and architecture. 

I think the Golden Age of the U.S. would be the 1950s. It was a the time period right after World War Two and America really began to prosper. Color TV appeared as well as grounds for new styles of music and film. The American Dream was beginning to be explored and fulfilled. And to be completely honest, Disneyland opened in 1955 so hello best decade ever. I think the 1950s would definitely classify as a very important time in our nations history.

Blog 1

Using specific examples from the literature, compare Greek heroes in Homer's time to the heroes in Herodotus'  and Sophocles' time. Although there are still many similarities, what has changed? Compare that to our day. Is there a similar shift occurring in what makes the ideal man?

      The Greek heroes were usually warriors and fighters. The qualities of a great Greek hero included: wealthy, intelligent, strong, swift, god-like, loyal, intimidating, strategic, and more such as. Some Greek heroes from Homer's time were men like Achilles, Hector, Paris, and Agamemnon. These men were part of the battlefield and fought for their country, their family, and their own pride. The Greeks were very prideful and thus were the heroes of that time.

      In Oedipus The King by Sophocles, the main character Oedipus is thought of as the original tragic hero. I like the dictionary definition for a tragic hero:

  "a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is   destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat"

        This describes Oedipus very well. His destiny is to be the murderer of his father and to marry his mother. It takes awhile for Oedipus to piece together all the clues to his real identity. I feel that it takes more time than it should have actually taken for Oedipus to figure out that the prophecy has come true. I believe this makes him naive and slow. 

      The attributes of a hero greatly changed from Homer to Sophocles time. The heroes are no longer fighters or ambitious. Compared to our day, heroes can be completely different to different individuals. Some may name their heroes as celebrities, men and women who can be compared to heroes from both Homers' time and Sophocles and Herodotus' time. Celebrities are prideful and intimidating like in Homers' time while they also might be dimwitted and destined for downfall like the story of Oedipus in Sophocles time. 

     

             

Epithets

A Beautiful Breakdown

I am a regular decorated emergency. 
I feel like an ornamented being, plastered together with good intentions and a dimpled mask of a smile, with the time bomb inside my soul continuously tic-tic-ticking.
I feel like I am a bundle of emotions, which leads me to be an absolute beautiful, reckless, emotional wreck.

Lover of Fashion
One of my favorite things to do is piece together different outfits. Analyzing what looks good together and how it all fits and coincides to create a cohesive and interesting outfit.
Polyvore.com is one of my favorite websites, it lets me style outfits together. I then put the outfits on Pinterest and it's fun to see people repin them.
These are a few of the most popular outfits I've done.

Hoarder of Words
Quotes and lyrics are the greatest.
I love love love them. They can be inspiring, motivating, funny, and personally meaningful.

Keeper of Memories
If I had to pick my favorite road, it might just be memory lane.
 I love looking back at the past and reminiscing in the good times, because there's been a lot of good times. I've been incredibly blessed with amazing friends and family who give me amazing memories.