Final Post: Letter to My Future Self

Dear Future Me,
I am writing this letter you assuming you are around my parents age(40-50ish years old). Wow a lot has happened in the last 12 weeks. At the beginning of 2020 I remember hearing about this sickness going around in another part of the would. I thought to myself, "That couldn't reach us, right?" Wrong. On Friday March 15th, 2020 we were told we were going to be starting online school for the next two weeks. I guess in the back of my mind I knew that we were never really going back, only no one wanted to admit it. What I can't believe is how bad we let it get. I wonder did we ever get COVID? Did another strand break out a few years later that was even worse? I know its a bad thing, but my mind usually skips to the worst thing that could happen. When did we go back to normal, or really, did we ever go back to normal? I have just spent two and a half months adjusting to online school. I have to tell you, it was not easy. Everybody kept saying these are unprecedented times, like that was supposed to make everything better. As time went on I got super stress about school, and it started feeling like a chore. Then, I let myself relax a bit more. I started to wake up a little later, and enjoy the time off. I do miss driving to school with my dad and answering the College of Knowledge on 101.9 every morning. Did we ever do that again, I sure hope so. I thinks what unsettles me the most is that I have no idea when things are going back to normal, and honestly things don't seem to be getting any better. I think I miss dance the most. Are we still dancing? Dance is probably one of the only things that had eased my mind right now. I plan on do a lot of dance classes this summer to keep me busy. As of right now(June 4, 2020) I am planning to go to my aunt's house next week in West Virginia and then I have online driver eds for the next two weeks after that. To wrap up our summer we are planning on going to OBX in August. Knock on wood that we can go, we are renting a big house with 4 other families, so hopefully it was fun. My freshman year had definitely been an exciting one. Don't forget we got pertussis(whooping cough), we got the flu(B), and we did some pretty fun dance things(MDA+IDN) and volunteer work(Wheelchair basketball). I have a few questions. What did we go to college for? What was your favorite high school memory? Do we have children yet? What about our parents, how are they? Where is Sebastian(My brother)? How was college? Do we still wear masks everywhere? Are they teaching about the year 2020 in school yet? I hope you enjoyed your high school experience, I know I loved freshman year, even throughout all the worse parts. If you aren't in tears right, who are you?! Anyway, know that 15 year old me is thinking of you almost everyday.
Much love,
Izzy

Blog Day Fifty-Six: What a Happened After JC?

Today for class we were asked to take notes on the final part of Chi Cago's Study Guide for Rome. Here are my notes.

The Aftermath of JC's Assassination

• JC's heir is his adopted son Octavian
• Octavian takes over at age 18 and starts The Second Triumvirate
• Mark Antony (experienced general)
• Lepidus (powerful politician)
• The second Triumvirate is a doomed group
• Octavian forces Lepidus to retire
• Octavian and Mark Antony become rivals
• Mark Antony teams up with Cleopatra of Egypt
• Militarily
• Personally
• Politically
• Economically
• Octavian defeats them at the Battle of Actium
• Octavian is the unchallenged ruler of Rome
• Given the honorific name "Augustus"
• "Exalted One"
• Given the title "imperator"
• Supreme military commander
• where we get the word "Emperor"
• Rome is now an empire, not a republic
• Octavian ruled for 40 years ( 27 BC- AD 14)
• He began a stable era of peace known as Pax Romana
• Pax Romana lasted 207 years (27 BC- AD 180)
• Octavian Augustus had many accomplishes before he died of natural causes
• Expanded Roman Empire further into Africa
• Set up civil service to run the Gov/ empire
• Building a network of roads
• Collecting taxes
• Establishing postal service
• Administering the grain supply
• Building aqueducts and buildings
• Setting up police department
• Running a fire-fighting organization
• Octavian Augustus' Death lead to the age of Emperors
• Some were good
• Some were bad
• Some were crazy
• Tiberius ruled from AD 14- AD 37
• Excellent general, reluctant emperor
• The death of his son caused him to exile himself from Rome
• Left his prefects in charge
• Died at age 77
• Caligula ruled from AD 37- AD 41 (4 years)
• Won a power struggle after Tiberius' death
• Known for his cruelty, extravagance, and perversity
• He was an insane tyrant
• He was assassinated by a group of praetorian guards, Senators, and the imperial court
• The assassinators were trying to reestablish the Republic
• It didn't work
• Claudius ruled from AD 41- AD 54
• Suffered from many infirmities possibly because of cerebral palsy
• A limp
• Stammering
• Shaking
• Slobbering
• Took over because he was the last adult male in the family
• He ruled well
• Built roads, aqueducts, and canals
• Started the conquest of Britain
• Died by poisoning 
• His wife's plan (She wanted her son Nero to rise to power)
• Nero ruled from 54- 68
• emphasized the arts
• Huge fire happened in 64
• He wanted to rebuild Rome
• Make it more majestic
• He overspent by a lot
• Had to raid temples for money
• Historians do not like him very much

Those were my notes for what happened after JC's death. Have a great weekend everyone!

Blog Day Fifty-Five: JC's Rise and Fall

I will be taking my Rome test on June 2nd from 8:00-8:50 because I am in Honors 202. Today's blog will consist of my notes on the rise and fall of Julius Caesar.

Julius Caesar' Rise and Fall

• Kept Plebeians from revolting by giving them bread and circuses
• Bread was free grain from the state
• circuses was the Colosseum and Circus Maximus
• Government did this to keep plebeians alive, as well as keep them distracted and docile 
• Soldiers(who were plebs) loyalty was only to their military leaders, not Rome or the Republic
• Tiberius Gracchus recognized the power of the plebeians aka the soldiers
• military generals would lead their soldiers and conquer a land, then give plots of the land to the soldiers in return for their loyalty 
• Julius Caesar was the best at this strategy 
• Lived 100-44 BCE)
• highly successful general
• He conquered the huge territory of Gaul
• JC could also play politics
• He tried to always please the common folk
• He had high class friends
• Pompey( a general who conquered Syria and Palestine)
• Crassus( the richest man in Rome, and in all history)
• These three men made up the first Triumvirate
• Triumvirate(Rule of three men)
• Pompey couldn't understand how JC was conquering and gaining so much power
• He crossed the Rubicon
• crossing to the point of no return
• Caesar seized power
• Serves as consul for 1 year
• Then appoints himself governor of Gaul
• Pompey is jealous
• becomes JC's rival
• Caesar and Pompey's armies clash in Greece, Asia, Spain, and Egypt(Caesar winning all)
• Caesar is named dictator of Rome 
• at first for only 6 months
• the for life
• Caesar makes many reforms
• Gave citizens in provinces citizenship
• Expanded the Senate
• by adding his friends
• Created jobs for the poor
• through public works projects
• Increased soldiers pay
• Started colonies where those without land could own land
• Sic semper tyrannis!
• translates to: Thus always to tyrants!
• JC's Assassination
• Why?
• Senators were threatened by JC's rise in power
• How?
• Got JC to the Senate and stabbed him 23 times( so everyone was involved)
• Who?
• Brutus, Caesar's friend
• (Et tu, Brute?)
• Senators were never punished
• Octavian was named as JC's sole heir
• End of the Republic

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Blog Day Fifty-Four: My Rome Essay Choice

For my test essay on Rome, I choose to write about the first option, option A. I will be comparing and contrasting the ancient Roman government with the modern-day United States government. Happy Memorial day weekend everyone!

Blog Day Fifty-Three: The Roman Empire Notes

Today for class we were asked to take noted on the Roman Empire. Here are mine:

The Roman Empire
Terms and Names
Civil War- conflict between groups within the same country.
Julius Caesar- A military leader who took over control of Rome and met a horrible death after being stabbed by a close friend of his.
Triumvirate- A group of three rulers.
Augustus- Name meaning "exalted one" Ocativian takes on this new name as the new, sole leader of Rome.
Pax Romana- meaning "Roman Peace," a time were Rome had peace and prosperity
Notes

• Rome getting more land/countries = an unsteady Republic
• this was not good for the lower class citizens
• Gap between rich and poor grew wider
• Slaves made up 1/3 of the Roman population
• Slaves were captured from different wars
• Slaves work on plantations owned by rich Roman landowners
• Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus were tribunes fighting for the poor people of Rome
• Proposed reforms to limit sizes of plantations and to give land to the poor
• Tiberius explain that the people who fought for Rome were being mistreated, while the rich get to live luxuriously
• Many senators felt threatened by the men
• Tiberius died in 133 BC 
• Gaius died in 121 BC
• Roman military fell apart
• Soldiers made allegiances to only the commander
• Commander would pay soldiers with land for their allegiance
• These new soldiers replace the citizen soldiers, who fought for the Republic
• Now military leaders had enough power to take over individually
• Caesar, a military leader; Crassus, a wealthy Roman; and Pompey, a popular general take over as leaders of Rome
• Caesar was the main leader, as consul of Rome, but the two other men ruled with him for ten years
• Caesar only serve one year as consul, per tradition
• Appointed himself as governor of Gaul for 8 years 
• Eventually conquer all of Gaul
• Had won his men loyalty because he shared in the hardships of war
• Success in war = Caesar becoming popular in Rome
• Pompey, who feared Caesar's popularity, ordered Caesar back to Rome in 50 BC
• Caesar refused and took his men to battle against Pompey 
• Caesar and his troops fought and won in Greece, Asia, Spain, and Egypt
• Caesar returned to Rome and was named dictator for life in 44 BC 
• Caesar made many reforms with his power
• Granted Roman citizenship to many people in the provinces
• Added friends from Italy and other regions to the senate
• Helped the poor by creating jobs
• Started colonies so people without land could own property
• increased pay for soldiers
• Many people feared Caesar's power
• Caesar was stabbed to death on March 15, 44 BC by Marcus Brutus and Gaius Cassius
• Following the death, civil war broke out and the Republic crumbed
• Caesar's adopted son, Octavian; Mark Antony, an experience general; and Lepidus, and politician formed the 2nd triumvirate for ten years
• The mens loyalty to each other did not last
• Octavian forced Lepidus to retired
• Mark Antony and Octavian became enemies
• Mark Antony left for Cleopatra
• Octavian fought against Mark Antony and won
• Later Antony and Cleopatra commit suicide
• Octavian restores some parts of the Republic s new leader of Rome
• Octavian takes on new name "Augustus" meaning "exalted one"
• Augustus is now the sole leader of Rome
• Pax Romana occured for 207 years
• Rome thrived with almost 1 million people living in the city itself
• Augustus didi great things for Rome and its citizens
• When he died the stability in Rome continued because of the effectiveness
• 90% of Romans were involved in farming
• Rome had a huge trading network with roads stretching to Russia and Persia
• Gravitas- a person who held values of strength, discipline, and loyalty, displayed in many Roman citizens
• Slaves were stilled used for anything their masters saw fit, and were mainly used on plantations
• The Roman government and religion were linked
• The worship of the emperor was important and apart of the official religion
• The difference between the rich and poor was still great
• Some upper class citizens lived extravagantly
• Lower class citizens sometimes barely lived off of rations of grian
• Rome held games and entertainment to distract Roman citizens and control them
• Christianity also emerged during this time, but early members were persecuted for their beliefs

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Blog Day Fifty-Two: The Punic Wars

Today we were asked to write about the Punic Wars. These wars lasted, in total, for more than 100 years. Obviously, the war was not continuous throughout this time, but the first war started in 264 BCE and the last war ended in 146 BCE. The Punic wars were fought between Rome and Carthage. The first Punic War was fought by the navy for control of the perfectly placed island of Sicily. This war lasted from 264-241 BCE and the eventually victor was Rome. The second Punic War was started by Hannibal who was a Carthaginian general. Hannibal's goal was to attack and capture Rome. He planned to do this by attacking Rome from the north and traveling over Iberia (Spain) and the Alps to reach Rome. For 15 years, Carthage held control over the peninsula but was never able to seize Rome. This second war was fought from 218-201 BCE. The third Punic War was started by Rome who wanted to permanently get rid of Carthage's constant threat. This war lasted from 149-146 BCE. Scipio, Tiberius Gracchus, and other Roman leaders attack Carthage ruthlessly. Carthage was burned for 17 days and everything in the city was destroyed. Those Carthaginian citizens who survive, about 50,000 of them, were sold into slavery by the Romans. Personally, I do not think this was the best thing for Rome to do, but I can't change history. All of those slaves poured into Italy along with Greek slaves. By the end of the second century there was about 1 million slaves in Italy. The rest of Carthage's territories were annexed into Roman rule and became the Roman province of Africa. The Punic Wars finally ended, with Rome as it's sole victor, in the end.
Have a great weekend everyone!

Blog Day Fifty-One: A Darzy Family and Rome's Gov. vs. US Gov.

Today we were asked to write about slides 9-12 and 13-22 on the study guide. Here are my thoughts/notes.
Slides 9-12
All I can say is wow. This family is crazy and I don't blame Rome for expelling them. What happened was Tarquin's grandfather died and his widow choose Servius Tullius to rule the throne. Servius Tullius had two daughters who married two different men. One of the daughters, Tullia, kills her husband and her sister because she wanted to marry Tarquin, who was married to Tullia's sister. Then Tullia convinces Tarquin to overthrow her father, Servius Tullius, for the throne of Rome. Tarquin does just that and then assassinates Servius Tullius. When Tullia asks Tarquin for a proper burial for her father, Tarquin refuses and any senator that disagreed with him was also assassinated. Then Tarquin has a son named Sextus. While he was drunk with his friends, Sextus tries to force himself on a matron named Lucretia. Lucretia refuses, but then Sextus threatens to kill her and say that he found her with a slave, so Lucretia gives into the blackmail. Then Lucretia tells her family about it and commits suicide. Tarquin tried to cover up what happened, but the citizens of Rome did not let that happen. The citizens expelled the whole family and from then on made sure Rome was never lead under a single family again. Like I said, crazy.
Slides 13-22
The US government and Rome's republic are similar, but not totally the same. But, Let's start at the beginning. After the monarchy didn't work out, Rome was ruled by two consuls who held a term for one year. They were always patricians, who traced their descendant from famous ancestors(paters) which is how they got their importance. The consuls duties were dealing justice, commanding the army, and making laws. One consuls could veto the others law, reducing the individual power of each consul.  In the 5th century BCE, the plebians(people) challenged the patricians. The Plebs made up 98% of Rome's population. Why did the Patricians dominate, one may ask? Well, the Plebs served in the army, and therefore could not hold office. The Plebs were also threatened with debt slavery and had no legal rights in Rome at the time. Since they had no legal rights, they were victim of discriminatory decisions in the judicial office. Technically, Rome had no written law, only unwritten customs that patricians interpreted to their needs. The plebeians eventually realized this and refused to work in the army until a few things happen. They wanted the laws written down (The Law of the Twelve Tables), wanted the laws displayed in public (happened in 450 BCE), and had Tribunes elected (tribal leaders for the plebeians). Since Rome needed its army, all of these conditions were met. Then SPQR- Senatus Populusque Romanum, which means any decree or decision was made by "the Roman Senate and People" in Rome. With that, Rome had a whole new type of government, a republic. The Republic was made from democracy( people's assembly and the tribunes), aristocracy (The Senate, which was approximately 300 people), and monarchy (the consuls). Both the US government and the Roman Republic had three branches; executive, legislative, and judicial. the main differences between the executive branch was that the US has one leader who serves for four year terms and Rome had two leaders for served for one year terms. The main difference between the legislative branch was that the US has the Senate (Made of 100 people) and the House of Representative, whereas Rome had the Senate (made of 300 people) and assemblies. The main difference between the judicial branch is the US has Supreme Court members who serve for life, where Rome had praetors who served one year terms. Finally, the differences between the laws is that the US has the Bill of RIghts, where Rome had the Twelve Tables.

Wow, that was a lot of information. Happy Monday everyone!

Blog Day Fifty! My Notes for Rome

Today for class we were asked to take notes from the PowerPoint on Rome. Usually I would write my notes in paragraph from, but today I am going to copy my notes in the same format as I wrote them in my notebook.

Rome

• Foundation Myths of Rome
• Virgil's Aeneid(Aeneas escapes from Troy)
• Romulus and Remus
• Etruscans settled in Rome
• Came from north-central part of peninsula
• They were artists, metalworkers, and architects
• Greeks also settled in Rome
• They had many colonies around Med. Sea
• Romans borrowed their ideas
• Religious beliefs
• Alphabet
• Art
• Military Strategy
• Latins settled in Rome first
• Descendants of Indo-Europeans
• Settled on Tiber's banks
• Trading Ships(not war fleets) could only travel as far as Rome
• Had a commercial port(not vulnerable to attack)
• Built community on One of the seven hills (Palatine)
• Seven Hills of Rome
• Capitoline
• Quirinal
• Viminal
• Esquiline
• Caelian
• Palatine
• The hill Romulus choose
• Aventine
• The hill Remus choose
• Rome was near the Tiber river and Ocean/Sea
• Lots of streams flowed into the Tiber
• Marshy area- called the Forum
• Forum was between Palatine and Capitoline hills
• Tarquin the Proud grandfather built the Cloaca Maxima 
• Cloaca Maxima
• Largest ancient drain
• Channeled water into Tiber River
• Legend says Washington D.C. was built on a swamp
• Lucius Tarquinius Superbus
• Seventh and final king of Rome
• Known as Tarquinius the Proud/ Arrogant
• Was a tyrant(both old and modern sense)

Those were my notes from the first eight slides of the Rome PowerPoint. Have a great weekend everyone!

Blog Day Forty-Nine: Rome by Chi Cago

If cyber school wasn't happening, today Mr. Schick was supposed to show us his famous song Rome by Chi Cago. I was quite surprised to hear this and, as I'm sure Mr. Schick would have guessed, a little embarrassed to be listening to it. Overall, I thought that the song was very informative about its topic Rome. I'm not sure I would have given a standing ovation, but I know I would have clapped for it. It makes me a little sad that I missed out on what I know would have been an awesome day at school. The lyrics were well thought out and matched the song sample perfectly. I thought the part about Julius Caesar was a little harsh, but still very true. Some of the things the song talked about I didn't know about Rome. For example, I did not know that Rome had a civil war or that Hannibal rode on an elephant to go to battle. The song as a whole is has a lot of helpful information about Rome and definitely deserves to be on Billboard Hot 100. Great job Mr. Schick!

Blog Day Forty-EIght: The Twelve Tables

Today for class we were asked to write a summary on Rome's Twelve Tables. Here is mine.

Overall, the Twelve Tables were a written law, created by the Plebeians, for all free citizens of Rome to see and know. In 451 B.C. a group of 10 officials started to write down Roman laws. The laws were first carved into wooden tablets(tables) and then onto bronze to be permanent. They were carved onto twelve tablets, hence the name The Twelve Tables, and place all over the Forum for people to see. These written laws established the thought that all free citizens were equally protected under the law. Although they were not a constitution, they were a collection of laws. The laws written down ranged from the widths of roads to the death penalty for sing a disrespectful song about another person. This written law code became the backbone for the future Roman law. They also became the precedent of written law and equality for citizens under the law.

Happy Monday everyone!

Blog Day Forty-Seven: Aqueducts

Today for our class we were asked to find a picture of Roman architecture and describe it. Here is mine.

This is a picture of an aqueduct in Rome. They were very useful in getting water from water sources to Roman cities. These structures could stretch for many miles for get water for those that needed it. The arching structure was also very important for the stability of the aqueducts. Another fact about the aqueducts was that they sloped downhill in order to get the water to the cities. Aqueducts were essential for Roman living.

Sources

Cartwright, Mark. "Pont del Diable Aqueduct, Tarraco." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 27 Aug 2016. Web. 30 Apr 2020.

Blog Day Forty-Six: Patricians Vs. Plebeians

Today for class we were asked to answer two questions. Here are my answers.

What were the main differences between Roman plebeians and patricians?
Roman plebeians were the common people of Rome, they were the farmers, artisans, and merchants that made up most of the Roman population. Whereas, Roman patricians were the upper class citizens of Rome, the wealthy landowners who held most of the political power in Rome. One main difference between these two groups in Rome was their roles in the Republic. The patricians held all the major leadership roles and also made laws so that plebeians were unqualified for those positions. Plebeians were allowed to make their own assembly so that they were protected against unfair laws that the patricians made against them. Another difference would be the amount of money each group had. As the upper class citizens, the patricians had more money and usually money equals power, which would explain why they were allowed to have so uhc of it in the Republic. The plebeians would money, but not as much as the patricians would have. The difference between these two group can still be seen in today's culture.
What were the Greek versions of patricians and plebeians?
The Greek versions of the patricians were the aristocrats in Greek society. The aristocrats were the rich and elite members of society. They were also the members of the ruling class. The plebeians of Greek society were called non-aristocratic, or middle class Athenians. Those that were included in that title were free male property owners, only 1/5 of the population. Like the plebeians, the non-aristocratic citizens in Greece had to follow all the laws that the aristocrats made. The aristocrats and middle class citizens of Greece were very similar to the patricians and plebeians of Rome.

Blog Day Forty-Five: Rome Vocab Words

Today we were asked to type out the definitions for the chapter we read yesterday. Thankfully I already wrote out these definitions in my notebook yesterday, so all I have to do today is type them out!

Republic- a form of government in which power rests with citizens who have the right to vote for their leaders.
Patrician- wealthy landowners who held the most power and leadership roles in the republic, the "1st class citizens."
Plebeian- the farmers, artisans, and merchants that made up most of the population, the "Commoners."
Tribune- assemblies elected by the plebeians to protect the rights of plebeians from unfair acts of patrician officials.
Consul- an official that commanded the army and directed the government, would rule in pairs.
Senate- aristocratic branch in ROme's government that had both legislative and administrative functions in the republic.
Dictator- a leader who had absolute power to make laws and command the army.
Legions- made of 5,000 heavily armed infantry and behind was a group of calvary, they were split into smaller groups called centuries.
Punic Wars- Rome vs. Carthage, fought three wars, lasted from 264-146 B.C.E.
Hannibal- a brilliant military strategist who wanted to avenge Carthage's earlier defeat from Rome.

Happy Tuesday!

Blog Day Forty-Four: My Greece Test Essay Question

For today's assignment we were asked to create our own essay prompt and essay outline.
Prompt: Explain how the Athenian Plague affected Pericles' war plan for Athens.
Outline:
First Paragraph- I would explain Pericles' plan. He wanted to keep Athens on lock down and all the citizens inside of the Athenian walls. The city-state would recive shipments of the supplies they needed to survive inside the walls.
Second Paragraph- I would explain how the plague got to Athens. The fleets were the only contact Athens had with the outside world at the time. I would explain how the fleets brought Athens the plague.
Third Paragraph-  I would explain what the plague's symptoms were. How 1/3 of Athens population died from it.
Fourth Paragraph- I would explain how Pericles was infected. I would explain how even citizens who didn't like Pericles realized that he was holding Athens together, and after his death Athens was left with unrest.
Final Paragraph- Explain how Pericles had a good plan to protect Athens, only he could not have predicted a plague like this to ruin his plan.
Happy Tuesday everyone!

Blog Day Forty-Three: Objective Test Questions

Today for our class work we were asked to create five objective test questions, because if we were in school our test on Greece would being coming up soon. Here are my questions:

1. What was not one of Pericles' three goals of Athens?
A. Hold and strengthen Athens' empire
B. Dominate the world
C. Strengthen Athens democracy
D. Glorify Athens
2. What Greek god was the god of music, arts, and knowledge?
A. Aphrodite
B. Poseidon
C. Demeter
D. Apollo
3. What was the technological marvel, rowed by 170 men on 3 levels, being one of the fastest ships at the time named?
A. The Trireme
B. The Phalanx
C. The Titanic
D. The Cavalry
4. Fill in the blank:         was the first Great Philosopher who taught         , who then taught        .
A. Plato, Alexander, Aristotle
B. Aristotle, Socrates, Plato
C. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle
D. Alexander, Plato, Socrates
5. Who was the ruler who continually conquered the known world during his rule, but never pushed his beliefs on his conquered cities?
A. Darius III
B. Alexander the Great
C. Xerxes
D. Philip II

Those are my objective questions for my Greece test. Have a great weekend!

Blog Day Forty-Two: Plato's Worst Ideas

Today we were asked to answer a few questions about the video we watched today. The video was about Plato's best and worst ideas. It was a nice short video, but filled with tons of information.

1. How did Plato define The Forms?

Plato define The Forms as the ideal versions of the things and concepts we see around us. They serve as an instruction manual to our own world. In my eyes, The Forms are everyone's perspective of the things around us. It is how we see world. One example in the video was the ideal tree. Everyone has a different image of the ideal tree in our minds, but finding the true perfect tree is the whole ideas of Plato's Forms. 

2. Who are the three groups in Plato's ideal Society? 

In Plato's perfect utopia, there are three groups; the producers, the military, and the rulers. Back In Plato's day these groupings may have been acceptable, but today I think there are too many jobs in the world to categorize people in these three groups. I also think the groups are biased. Since Plato believed in philosopher rulers, he set them in a separate group, along with the military, a.k.a. the people who will protect him/ all the rulers. Then Plato categorized all the common people as producers, when potentially all their jobs didn't always produce something. 

3. What were Plato's thoughts on women?

Plato believed that women could rule the perfect society he was imagining. But he also compared woman to children in some of his philosophies. Plato thought that women's womb was a live-animal in their bodies that could move around the body and cause illness. As the video said, sadly this philosophy was used by many European medicine traditions for hundreds of years after. Although I am glad he believed women could rule in his ideal society, it disappoints me that he compared women to children and thought our womb was a live-animal. 

4. What was the Noble Lie that Plato proposed? 

The Noble Lie was that we were all born with gold, silver, and a mixture of brass and iron in our souls. Plato believed that the amount of each element we had in our soul determined our roles in life. I found it interesting that many people credit this idea to propaganda and Plato's thought of philosopher kings to the dictators that use propaganda. I understand why people would believe this because we all would want our souls to be filled with the "good" elements like gold and silver. I wonder if Plato used this philosophy to convince people to do things for him, or to convince them to be a better version of themselves. 

It was really cool to learn about all the different ideas Plato had, good and bad. And I miss our class time discussing these ideas!

Blog Day Forty-One: Alex and Bucephalus, the Poem

For today's assignment we were asked to write a poem. I choose to *attempt* to write an iambic pentameter about Alexander the Great and his horse Bucephalus. Enjoy!

Only Alex could ride the horse into
Battle Bucephalus was hard to tame
Alex realize he could tame the creature
Turning the horse away from his shadow
Towards the sun Alex mounted and rode
The horse away from the assembly
Bucephalus was the moment in the
young Alexander's life where the boy be
Came the king to rule for life with the horse
By his side in every battle fought by
Alex and with his united kingdom
Alex rode on his horse until the steed
Passed on to a better new world where the
Horse with a star on his head could relax
Respect was paid by naming a city
Bucephala after the great war horse
Alex the Great and his war horse could not
Have lived without the other and were truly
Made to live and serve each other for life

Blog Day Fourty! Happy Spring Break

We were not required to write a blog today. But I hope everyone has a great break and I will be keeping in mind what Mr. Schick wrote about on his blog today over the break. Happy Easter!

Blog Day Thirty-Nine: Classical Greek Architecture

Today our assignment is to find two pictures of classic Greek Architecture and write a few sentences about them.

This is an image of the Temple of Hera. It was dedicated to in the 5th century BCE. You can tell it was built well because most of the temple is still standing. The temple was planned out well because most of the supports are still standing, which shows that the builders built the temple to last a long time.

This is an image of a Corinthian capital. Just by looking at the stone, you can tell it took a lot of time to make. All the detail in the stone, makes it pleasing to the eye. This type of stone would be put at the top of a column for better support of the roof.

Sources

Cartwright, Mark. "Corinthian Capital." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 26 Apr 2012. Web. 02 Apr 2020. 

Cartwright, Mark. "Temple of Hera, Selinus." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 29 Apr 2014. Web. 01 Apr 2020.

Blog Day Thirty-Eight: Ancient Greek Drama

Today in (cyber) class we were told to answer three questions.

• Describe the types of dramas that were performed in the theaters of Ancient Greece.  

There were two main type of drama performed in Greek theaters. One was a type as a tragedy. A tragic play is a serious drama about common themes such as love, hate, war, and betrayal. These types of plays would feature a main character that often had a tragic flaw. That flaw would eventually lead to the character's downfall, and a tragic ending to the play. The other type of drama was a comedy. A comedic play was filled with scenes of slapstick situations and crude humor. The storylines often made fun of Greek politics and respected people, along with ideas of the time. Comedies and Tragedies were the two types of drama performed in the theaters of Ancient Greece.  

• Describe the ways your production resembled ancient Greek productions. 

I performed in the dance recital, in December, for JCS. As written in the text, we had elaborate costumes and dramatized dancing. Each dance had its own separate message/ theme, kind of like the separate scenes in the plays performed in Greece. Just like a drama, we performed to showcase our artform and present it to others. We performed up on stage, like a drama would in ancient Greece. Also we performed for others entertainment, just like Greek citizens did for the wealthy members of their society. 

• Describe an image of an Ancient Greek theatre. 
   

The theatre looks like a huge amphitheatre. Unlike the JCS stage, the audience sits above the performers in this theatre. The theatre seems like it is big enough to fit the entire population of Greece. It is open to nature, so plays could occur in  nice weather. 

Blog Day Thirty-Seven: Accountability

Today in (cyber) class we were told to write about the accountability it takes to be online schooled. I think school is all about making connections, friendships, and relationships. Be online schooled, it is hard to keep making more and continue to grow in the connections we had already. As Mr. Schick said, online school is new to us. Sadly, I think it our new normal. It is scary to say that, but this virus is only going to get worse, leaving us to do the only thing we can do, stay at home. I am so thankful to be going to a school that continues to teach us during this time. It takes both the teacher and student to make this work. If the teacher gets lazy and stops putting up work for us to do, the students will be equally as lazy when doing the work. This system takes effort from both sides. Although giving students tests in this type of schooling is difficult, the students need to be putting effort into learning the material and the teacher needs to trust that the students are following the honor system. Yes, I realize that student sharing work is a violation of this honor system, but teachers need to understand that we are just trying to help each other. I don't know about other people, but I try my best not to share my work. If one of my peers has a question or needs help with an assignment, I will do my best to help them, but only help, not give them any of my work word for word. All the things we are learning now are new to us, we all need help from each other and our teachers to make sure we understand and are actually learning something. I think online school is challenging and will change us for better or for worse. I know many of my peers would not mind going the easy way out to get answers to turn in the assignment. I try to hold myself up to a standard and make sure I am learning everything I can, since my parents are paying for me to go to this school. As Mr. Schick said, I want to get my money's worth. Online school also prepares us for college, just as JCS is supposed to do anyways. Online school is getting us used to taking notes and holding ourselves responsible for getting our work turned in on time, like college will eventually ask of us. Overall, accountability requires trust from both sides and is something that we all will learn more of in the next few weeks. 

Blog Day Thirty-Six: Thank You

Today we didn't have to write a blog post. I just wanted to say thank you to all my teachers who continue to teach me well, even over a screen! Have a great weekend.

Blog Day Thirty-Five: Athenian Plague vs. Coronavirus

Today for our classwork we were asked to write about the coronavirus compared to the Athenian plague. There are many differences between these two illnesses, especially since they are more then 2 centuries apart from each other, and medicine has advanced a lot since the Athenian plague spread. I did research about the Athenian plague. I already knew, from a past assignment, that the disease got to Athens from their shipping ports, just like the US got COVID-19 from our airports. The plague came from sub-saharan Africa, south of Ethiopia. COVID-19 came from China. The symptoms of these two illnesses are also different. the plague's symptoms are a very high fever, then "violent ulceration" and diarrhea. If someone survived the plague, the experienced finger and toe loss, blindness, and memory loss (sometimes about others and/or about themselves). Coronavirus symptoms are a fever, and coughing/sneezing. The virus is a respiratory disease. Based off the plague's symptoms, the plague was not a respiratory disease like the coronavirus is. The plague killed 1/3 of the Athenian population, whereas the fatality rate for the virus is only growing. Although the plague had horrible symptoms, I think the effects of the coronavirus will be worse than the plagues.

Source

https://www.ancient.eu/article/939/the-plague-at-athens-430-427-bce/

Blog Day Thirty-Four: Phillip, Alex, and Darius

Today in (cyber) class I did research on Philip II, Alexander the Great, and Darius III.
Philip II was the king of Macedon. He assumed role of king in 359 BCE at age 23. At the time, his kingdom was unruly and he used bribery and warfare to secure his kingdom under his power. He was able to increase the size of his army, by more than doubling the original size. His army was now filled with professional soldiers instead of citizen-soldiers. He rebuilt his capital city, Pella, and invited people of the arts. Including poets, writers, adn philosophers (including Aristotle). During one of Macedonia's conquest of Greece, Philip took time away from his army to marry. He married and had a child with Olympias. That child would eventually grow up to be Alexander the Great. One of Philips old friends, Pausanias, had a personal conflict with Philip. That anger eventually led to Philip being stabbed to death by Pausanias.
Alexander the Great was son of Philip II. After Philip died, Alexander assume role of King of Macedon. Before that, during his youth, Alex was taught by Aristotle. Philip hired Aristotle to tutor Alex from age 14 to 17. Then at age 18, Alex's first military excursion was the Battle of Chaeronea. Macedonia won against the allied Greek city-states. Alex went on to conquer much of the world, at least the world as he knew it. Alex never pushed his beliefs onto his conquered people. Instead, he wanted them to support and not disagree with his rule. Those who did oppose him, he was ruthless to. Alex met Darius III on the battlefield at Gaugamela. Macedonia won against Durus, who fled the field after the battle. After conquering much of Peris, Alex adopted many Persian customs. many of his men did not like this. Alex ended up dying at age 32. It was due to a fever he had, probably from contaminated water he drank.
Darius III was King of Persia. He can constant unstable rule of Persia. When battling Alex, Darius underestimated the power of Alex and his army. Darius used bad battle tactics when facing Alex. This led to a Persian defeat. Darius was eventually murdered and that led Persia to being overcome by Macedonia. This conquering of Persia, by Alexander, led to Persia's downfall. Darius's unstable control of Persia could have never saved Persia against Alexander the Great's army. Overall, Alex and his army were more susantible than Darius and his empire could have ever been.
It was interesting learning about these three men and their connection to each other.

Sources

https://www.ancient.eu/Philip_II_of_Macedon/

https://www.ancient.eu/Alexander_the_Great/

https://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/people/history/ancient-middle-east/darius-iii

Blog Day Thirty-Three: Alexander and Bucephalus

Today I did research about Alexander the Great and his horse, Bucephalus. Their relationship started when Alexander was around 11 or 12 years old. Bucephalus was given to King Philip, Alexander's father, for the price of 13 talents. Philip and his men declared that Bucephalus was to uneasy and hard to tame. Alexander challenged that and said that they were too afraid to tame the massive horse. Alexander told his father that if he couldn't tame the horse we would pay back his father the money Bucephalus costed. As Alex approached the horse, he realized that Bucephalus was afraid of his own shadow. Alex turned Bucephalus towards the light and mounted the horse. Philip realizes that Alex will go on to do great things in his life, after taming the  hard to manage horse. Alex, obviously, keeps and rides the horse for the rest of Bucephalus' life. Many historians think that this was a turning point in Alexander's life. During an excursion, Bucephalus was kidnapped from Alex. Alex threaten to kill in order to get Bucephalus back. Eventually, the horse was returned to Alex with a plea for mercy. This event shows how Alex would do anything to save his horse, that he loves so much. Throughout almost all of his battles, Alexander rode Bucephalus. At the end of Bucephalus' life, Alex named a city, Bucephala, in memory of his horse. Alexander loved Bucephalus, and wouldn't have been as successful in his battles, if it wasn't for his amazing relationship with his horse.

Sources

https://www.ancient.eu/Bucephalus/

https://www.colorado.edu/classics/2018/06/19/alexander-and-bucephalus

https://www.ancient.eu/Alexander_the_Great/

Blog Day Thirty-Two: My Thoughts on Cyber School

Today in (cyber) class we were told to write about cyber school. I choose to wait to do this assignment until I finished all my work today, in order to get a feel for what a full week of work would feel like. Cyber school, just like most things, has its pros and cons. Let us start with the positives. You have a sense of freedom with your schedule. I don't know about other people but, none of my classes require me to be doing my work during the time of the class. Obviously I need to turn in my work before the day ends, but I can choose what classes work I want to do in the order that suits me. Personally, I have been waking up at around 7:30-8 to start working by 8-8:30. I am trying to keep my schedule as normal as possible, with all that is going on. I try to get three classes work done before lunch. Usually I will do them by order of the letter day it is. But not always. For example, I didn't do my gym work this morning because I didn't want to exercise first thing in the morning. After about three classes, I will go out to my kitchen to make myself lunch, usually around 11- 12ish. After lunch I work till about 3-3:30. Like Mr. Schick said, I would rather get all my work done at the start of the day so I could have that night to relax. After I'm done all my book work I would go do my dance or gym assignment. Then I have the rest of the afternoon to do whatever I want to do. A negative about cyber school, is that you have to try and teach yourself something you don't know. For most classes it is easy, but trying to learn a new component of a language is hard to do by yourself. Another con is that you don't get the opportunity to talk or go into discussion about something. We get an email each day about what we need to do and we are supposed to complete that assignment and email the teacher if we have questions. At the beginning of the week I was excited to do cyber school, now I think that by the end of this I will be praying to go back to school. Other than that, I am thankful to be going to a school that is keeping me distracted by learning through this stressful time. And those are my thoughts on cyber school.

Blog Day Thirty-One: Why Did The Philosopher Emerge Now?

After the war, many philosophers and their beliefs emerged in Athens. They appeared to settle and challenge the minds of Athenians. After the war, there was a stormed that caused the generals and their ships not to be able to save all the men that were tossed overboard during the battle. The Athenian people were not happy about this at all, when the generals got home. They were so upset that the tossed all the generals in prison to charge them for their lives. Socrates was one of the people who didn't think that the men should be punished for what they did. Sadly, Socrates was only one person and the generals ended up drinking poison hemlock to die. Philosophers emerged now to have people question their life and the decisions they make. Philosopher, like Protagoras, wanted people to question their ideas about justice and other moral and traditional values they had. Protagoras did not believe there was any universal standard of truth. Quite the opposite of him, was Socrates. Socrates did believe in truth and justice. He once said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Some people adored these men's ideas, and others were just puzzled by them. Philosophers emerged at this time in history because people needed some type of answer to the questions they had about life and war.

Blog Day Thirty: Pericles, Death and Disease in Athens

Athens was at war with Sparta at the time of Pericles final rule. Pericles overall plan for Athens was to make it into the greatest power in the Mediterranean world. Pericles planned on doing this by keep the entire population of Athens behind the walls, where Sparta could no get to them. For the first year of the war, Pericles method of getting food from fleet shipments, worked. Towards the end of year one, these shipments brought something other than food. They brought a plague to Athens. People back then could have never guessed that a plague would be so easily received and spread. Since every Athenian citizen was crammed behind the city walls, it makes sense that the plague spread so fast. After getting infected, many citizens would crawl to the city's well systems to die. During the quick spread of the plague, many citizens became violent and started not caring about anything in Athens. Eventually, Pericles caught the plague. Six months after he had been infected, Pericles died in 429 B.C. His death showed many Athenian citizens that Pericles was the only person keeping Athens together. Even the people who didn't like Pericles realized that he was keeping Athen from evil and violence. Those who were in line after Pericles fought to get rule over Athens. These single figures were willing to do anything that the Athenian citizens wanted, in order to rule. Pericles could have never guessed that his plan would only lead to death and disease. It would, after his death, also lead to mob rule. This is the last thing Athens needed to win the battle against Sparta, since mod rule would only lead to a broken democracy.

Blog Day Twenty-Nine: Cyber Class Assignment 1

Pericles was a popular statesman in Athens from 461-429 B.C. Pericles was a politician, speaker, as well as a general for Athens. He held the popular support in Athens for around 32 years. In that time, he had three goals for Athens. One was to strengthen Athens democracy, two was to hold and strengthen Athens empire, and three was to glorify Athens. Pericles strengthen Athens democracy by adding more paying positions for public officials. Before, only wealthier men could hold unpaid positions. Now, Pericles made it so that lower class citizens could rule if chosen for office. By doing this, Pericles strengthen Athens direct democracy. A direct democracy is run by citizens directly, not through representatives. Pericles was able to strengthen Athens empire by ruling the Delian League. The Delian League was ruled by Athens who; therefore, rule all the city-states who were in the League. Pericles use money from the Delian League to make Athens navy the best in the Mediterranean. A strong navy meant a safer and stronger Athens. Pericles also used money from the Delian League to beautify Athens. He convinced the assembly to vote for Athens to buy gold, silver, and marble and to pay the artists that were making Athens beautiful. Pericles did great things for Athens.

Blog Day Twenty-Eight: COVID-19

Today in class we got new seats. I sit on the side of the room near the windows, a place a have never sat before. I really like my seat because I can see out of the window. After we changed our seats, we had a long talk about the infamous COVID-19. It was a very informational talk and Mr. Schick kind of scared me into caring about the pandemic. At the beginning of this week, I guessed that we would be online schooled by the end of the week. Although we are not being taught online this week, starting next week we will be for the next two weeks. I am very interested in seeing how online schooling plays out. Obviously there will be positives and negatives, but I'm glad that I will be continuing to 'learn' even though I'm at home. I really did learn a lot during our talk today. The most important thing was probably that we can contain this virus. But it will have to take everyone staying home for the virus to stop spreading so fast. There is always going to be people who will want to break the rules, so I am trying to have faith that people will indeed stay home. Overall, I am glad the school is taking the right precautions to this pandemic. This might have been the last class we will have for a while, at least in person, but I will be excited to see what we do in this class for online schooling.

Blog Day Twenty-Seven: The Battle of Marathon and Salamis

Today in class we had a sub again. Our classwork was to watch Episode Two of Crucible of Civilization. I took notes again because we might be tested on this information. Athens was now a democracy and their biggest rival was the Persian Empire. In the Battle of Marathon, Athens was outnumbered 2:1 versus the Persian Empire. Athens won the battle, and saved democracy for the first time. Themistocles realized that this is not going to be the last battle with the Persians. He suggested for Athens to buy and support and navy, especially a weapon called a Trireme. A Trireme was a large boat that could ram into opposing ship and destroy them, and it was highly expensive. Themistocles knew that Athens would need the Trireme for a battle against Persia, but since the people in Athens didn't want to be reminded of Persia, he said they would use it for battle against an opposing city-state. When it came time to battle Persia for the second time, their army was filled with almost 2 million soldiers. Arabian, Phoenician, Egyptian, and Persian men made up this army. The Battle of Salamis was fought on the sea in between the coast of Salamis and the ridges of Athens. The Persian army traveled to this location in the night, only to realize in the morning that the Greeks had trapped them in this narrow sea. Athens eventually won this battle and was able to save democracy once again.

Blog Day Twenty-Six: Sub and Video

Today in class we had a sub. For our classwork we had to watch a video about Greece and take notes I wrote down that Themistocles was one of the greatest military generals. Then the video gave a lot of information about Cleisthenes. Cleisthenes was born into one of the richest families in Athens, an aristocratic family. He was born in 570 BC. He was born into the lifestyle that would most likely never want the people to rule themselves, but Cleisthenes thought it wouldn't be a bad idea. I also found it surprising that the life expectancy at birth was less than 15 years. This was most likely because there was no waste collection or sewage in Athens, so disease could spread fast. Another thing I learned was that the capes of the soldiers were red to hide the blood that would be splattered onto it during battle. The last thing was that the first Olympic Games started in 776 BC. Around 40,000 people would come and watch the games, which is a crazy amount of people coming to Greece. Today was a good class, even though Mr. Schick was not here.

Blog Day Twenty- Five: A Pop Quiz

Today in class we did a review for a pop quiz that we had during class. I think I got two wrong, which is an 80 and I hope that that doesn't take my grade down to a B. If it does I will be upset, but oh well. I got a question wrong about who was Artemis' brother wrong. I said that her brother was Archimedes, but really her brother was Apollo. I guess at least I know that for the next test. The other one I thought I got wrong was about what did not happen during Persian war. I think that I actually got this one right because I was deciding between two different answers and I can't remember which one I put as the correct one. Other than that I really don't like pop quizzes, but I guess it will help me in the future when the questions count for even more points on the test.

Blog Day Twenty- Four: Three Great Philosophers

Today in class we took notes on three great Greek philosophers. The first was Socrates. We talked about him at the beginning of the year, so I didn't take many notes. I did write down that at his trail he described himself as a stinging gadfly tand Athens as a lazy horse. Also, at his trail, he did not deny what he did, instead he asked for "free dinners" because what he was doing was so great, and it was. Socrates was eventually killed by drinking poison hemlock. Now onto the second philosopher, Plato. Plato was a student and follower of Socrates. he wrote out Socrates teachings and described his trial in Apology. Plato also wrote the Republic, which discussed Socrates idea of the ideal state and justice. It was one of the most influential books in philosophy ever written. The next, and final, philosopher was Aristotle. Aristotle was a student of Plato's, in the school Plato made, called the Academy. He fostered the idea that Athens was an intellectual destination for people to meet up and discuss what they know. Aristotle's school, the Lyceum, was focused on cooperation research and building knowledge off of one another. Aristotle also tutored Alexander the Great. That was all we learned about today, I can't wait to learn more about Greece tomorrow.

Blog Day Twenty- Three: Absent

Today I was not in class, because I had a dentist appointment. I will take notes tonight to catch up with the class for tomorrow.

Blog Day Twenty- Two: Greek Gods and Goddesses

Today in class we took notes and went over our Ancient Greece part 1 test. I did well on this test and it brought my grade average up, which made me very happy. Someone had to make up the test during class today, so the rest of us took notes on the four slides about Greek Gods and Goddesses. I learned that Zeus is the ruler of heaven and earth. He is the god of the sky, weather, thunder, lightning, law, order, and justice. He is also the father of Athena. Athena is the goddess of wisdom, skill, warfare, intelligence, battle strategy, and handicrafts. She is the Patron of heros, like Odysseus, and the city Athens was named after her. Apollo is the god of music, arts, knowledge, and healing. He is the son of Zeus and the twin brother of Artemis. Apollo is usually associated with the sun, whereas Artemis is usually associated with the moon. Poseidon is the god of the sea, rivers, floods, and earthquakes. He is the brother of Zeus and the king of the waters and sea. Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty, desire, and sexuality. Her lovers include; Ares (god of war), Adonis (demi-god of desire), and Anchises (a mortal who fathered her baby). I am excited to learn more about Greece and their gods and goddesses.

Blog Day Twenty- One: Absent

Today(2/28) I was not in class, because I was on a dance field trip.

Blog Day Twenty: Test on Greece Part 1

Today in class we had a test. I studied really hard for it for the past two- three nights. I did use a Quizlet, that I made myself, and it really helped. I actually knew the information, instead of just having to memorize question to answer. There were about three questions that I am hesitant on if I made the right choice for the answer or not. My hope is that I did make the right answer, and if I didn't that it doesn't bring my grade below a B. Overall though, I would say I was probably the most prepared I could have been for this test. It just always happens that you don't look or study enough of one thing and there is a question about it on the test. I am very proud of myself for studying and making sure I knew almost all of the material. I am excited to learn more about Greece. It is really interesting to see where the root of our government began. Today will be my last blog of the week because tomorrow I will be on a field trip with the Dance Program.

Blog Day Nineteen: Rulers and Reforms

Today in class we finished taking notes on the information we have to know for our test. The test is going to be our next class which will be Thursday. To prepare I took good notes in class and I am going through each PowerPoint slide to make a through Quizlet of all the information we have to know about Greece. I took notes on a few people and their reforms to the Greek government. The first was Draco. His reform and rule began around 621 BCE. His reforms were that all Athenians are equal under the law, death is a punishment for most all crimes, and debt slavery is okay. Then, next was Solon. His rule and reforms began around 594 BCE. His reforms were that  all Athenian citizens can speak at the assembly, any citizen can press charges against wrongdoers, and that debt slavery was not okay and it was outlawed. Cleisthenes came next in the PowerPoint. His reforms were that citizens were allowed to submit laws for debate and the Council of 500 would counsel the assembly. These reforms happened around 500 BCE. We learned a lot in class today, and I'm hoping I paid enough attention to get a good grade on our test on Thursday.

Blog Day Eighteen: More Notes on Greece

Today in class we took more notes on Ancient Greece. I was absent on Friday, so I sadly missed the pop quiz Mr. Schick had. He let me taking the quiz, in front of the entire class, and I only got one questions wrong. It was the Mycenaeans who ruled from 1600- 1200 BCE. I mainly took the quiz because Mr. Schick said most all of the questions on the pop quiz would be on the test we have this Thursday. I plan on studying really well for this test because I need an A to keep my overall average over a B. Some notes I took today was The Iliad by Homer was the story of the Trojan War and The Odyssey was the story of Odysseus trying to get home after the war, and Poseidon stopping him almost every time. Another thing was the The Dorians, who ruled from 1150-750 BCE brought the Greek world into the Dark Ages. They did this because they didn't write down or record anything, they completely cut themselves off from the rest of the world. Homer takes the Greek world out of this decline in 750-700 BCE by telling and spreading his stories throughout the Greek world. Another thing that I think is important was the in an Aristocracy, the leaders had Symposiums were they made political decisions in a relaxed and party environment. We have one more class until our test and I want to make sure I'm paying attention so I get a good grade on the test this Thursday.

Blog Day Seventeen: Absent

Today I was not in class. I sadly missed a pop quiz and taking notes. I will take notes this weekend to catch up with the class!

Blog Day Sixteen: More about Greece

Today in class we continued taking notes on the PowerPoint (Ancient) Greece is the Word. I wrote down that 1/4 of the land of Greece is fertile, but only 20% of that land is arable, which means it is suitable for farming. Another thing that I found important was what was in the Greek diet. The Greek diet consists of grains, grapes, olives, and fish. The temperature in Greece ranged from low 40's in the winter to mid 80's in the summer. Because of their mild climate they were active, outdoorsy people. Now onto the three civilizations that we learned about. The first was the Mycenaeans. They lived on a rocky ridge in Peloponnesus and had a 20 feet thick wall protecting them. When they conquered Crete in 1400 B.C. they adopted many parts of Crete's culture. This would later be called cultural diffusion. After them was the Dorians. Their civilization led the Western area into the Dark Ages. The Dorians were very isolated, and they didn't like to trade, which eventually led to their downfall. Today we had this class last, so I will see you on Friday!

Blog Day Fifteen: Greece is the Word

Today in class we started by talking about the pipe that was not really a pipe. We started to talk about the philosophy idea just by discussing it in class. It kind of connects to the Allegory of the Cave. It is almost like you can't believe everything that you see is what it actually looks like it is. For example the pipe wasn't a pipe, it was a projection of of picture of a drawing of a painting of a pipe. Confusing, right? I guess it makes sense, but it also makes me question what other things I'm seeing in my life that aren't what they look like to be. We sadly didn't go that far in class, because it just didn't flow super well. But it is an interesting thing to think about, and it reminds me that I should always ask questions. After that we starting are (Ancient) Greece is the Word PowerPoint. I loved the title, as Grease is one of my favorite movies. For our test, in the future, will we have to know the rivers that match up with each great civilizations. I will also have to learn where the following things are on a map: Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, Adriatic Sea, Peloponnesus, Athens, Sparta, Crete, Asia Minor, and Macedonia. I'm excited to learn more about Greece next class.

Blog Day Fourteen: Allegory of the Cave Video

Today in class we got heart-shaped candies to celebrate Valentine's Day. I took one of each color because Mr. Schick said I could. After that A few people retook the Egypt quiz and did really well. Then we watched a video about Plato's Allegory of the cave. Although Mr. Schick said we didn't have to take any notes, I did because it is a helpful way for me to retain information. The theme of the allegory is said by Pluto in his allegory. He said, "The effect of education and the lack of it on our nature." This allegory comes from Pluto's most famous writing  The Republic. I remember the video saying that everyone who didn't know about the ideas and thoughts about philosophy are the people in the cave. The people who have experienced the thoughts of philosophy, like Socrates and Pluto, are the people who have been out of the cave. And like in the story, and in real life with Socrates, those people who have experienced the light usually get killed for their beliefs. I found this whole video very interesting and thought we had a good discussion about it in class. Since we have Monday off, I will see you one Tuesday!

Blog Day Thirteen: The Allegory of the Cave

Today in class we went over our Egypt quiz. I did okay on this quiz, but I wish I had done better. I got three questions wrong, still got a B, which is fine. After that we started something new. Mr. Schick opened this by asking if anyone knew who the three great philosophers were. I didn't know any of them, but I learned that the three are Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Then we started to learn about the Allegory of the Cave. We were read a story to learn this allegory and I volunteered to help Mr. Schick read it. I am glad I did because it helped me comprehend the allegory better than I think listening to it would have. I read the role of Plato's brother, Glaucon. The allegory was interesting. It told about prisoners who have only be told about and taught by these shadows of images on a wall. Then one day the people controlling the images brought one of the prisoners out into the real world and the sunlight. At first the prisoner was blinded by the bright, strong sunlight. Then the prisoner's vision adjusted and he could see out into the world and everything around him. He was held out in the real world for so long that he saw how days shifted into nights. Then the people who dragged him out into the world pulled him back into the cave with his fellow prisoners. The exposed prisoner was trying to tell the other prisoner what was really out in the world, but no one would believe him. Eventually the other prisoners got annoyed by his constant mention of the "real world" that they all killed him. I thought this was quite and interesting story as it can still be compared to how people think now. I don't think I would believe someone if they said I was living in a completely false world, so why would the people in the cave believe the exposed prisoner. Yet at the same time if I was the person exposed to the real world, I think I would try to convince people that there is a better place to live in, but who no who would believe me. I think this allegory could be related to almost anything in our society tody, which is really cool since it was written so long ago.

Blog Day Twelve: Athens vs. Sparta

Today in class we had a sub for Mr. Schick. We took notes on "Warring City-States." This was a longer sections so it basically took me the whole class to take notes and read everything in the book. I am slow at taking notes, so I wasn't surprised when the bell rang and I just finished reading. I took notes about Athens, Sparta, and the Persian War. Some things I wrote down were that each city-state each had their own government. For example, Athens had a democracy, or rule by the people. The men of Athens went to school to learn how to become good citizens of Athens, so they could participate in their government. Men also were the only ones considered citizens in AThens, all other were minorities and didn't count when it came to the government. The women of Athens were taught how to raise a household. Yet, over in Sparta, everyone was told to put Sparta first, even over their own family. Men also went to school in Sparta, but for mainly military purposes, as they were expected to be in the army until they were 60 years old. They boys went to school at 7 years old and stayed until 30 years old when they moved into military. Women also had to train with physical labor. They still had to run the household while the men were gone, but they were considered part of the citizens of Sparta. Overall it was cool to learn about Athens and Sparta and how their societies differed from one another.

Blog Day Eleven: Questions about Greece

Today in class we were told to answer these questions.
1. For each term or nme, write the significance. 
Mycenaean: Indo- Europeans who settled on Greek mainland around 2000 B.C.
Trojan War: Attack on Troy, once thought to be a myth, by the Mycenaean civilization. Now confirmed true.
Dorian: After the Trojan War, these people settled into the war- torn countryside. May have been distant relatives of the Bronze Age Greeks.
Homer: A blind man, who was a great storyteller, and wrote many epics.
Epic: Narrative poems celebrating heroic deeds.
Myth: traditional stories, about Greek gods.
3. What impact did nearness to the sea have on the development of Greece? 

• Greeks lived off the sea, never farther than 85 miles away from one. 
• Being near the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and Black Sea meant they had easy access to transportation. 
• Travel equals trade
• Greeks didn't have many natural resources like timber, precious metals, and farmland. They could travel and trade to get what they needed. 

4. What aspects of culture did the Mycenaeans adopt from the Minoans? 

• When Mycenaeans met the Minoans, saw opportunity for greater seaborne trade. 
• Mycenaeans traders started to sail through different places like Syria, Egypt, Crete, and Italy to trade for needed things. 
• Mycenaeans adapted the Minoans writing into Greek so that they could use it. 
• Minoan culture also changed religious practices, politics, art, and literature in Greece as well. 

5. Why were the epics of importance to the Greeks of the Dorian period?

• Greeks at this time learned right from wrong by the spoken word. 
• Epic told about the stories, and about heroic people doing the right thing. 
• Epics were used to teach arete which in Greek meant virtue and excellence.
• Greeks believed in having good moral and epics taught and encouraged that at this time. 

These questions were from page 126 in our textbook. 

Blog Day Ten: A Quiz and Notes

Today in class we took a quiz on Egypt. Overall I thought the quiz was easy, but I definitely got a few questions wrong. I hope I did well enough to have earned an A. After the quiz I took notes on Greece from the textbook. Surprisingly, I was able to finish taking notes. Usually I take a long time to take notes, but I think I have finally found a system of taking them efficiently. A few vocabulary words I learned were Mycenaean, Trojan War, Dorian, Homer, epic, and myth. The Mycenaean civilization were Indo-Europeans who settled on Greek mainland around 2000 BC.  The Trojan War was an attack on Troy, once thought to be a myth, by the Mycenaean Civilization, now confirmed to be true. The Dorian civilization were the people who settled into the Mycenaeans territory after their downfall and the Trojan War. Homer was a blind man who told great stories; all his stories were written in a collection called an epic. An epic is a group of narrative poems celebrating heroic deeds. Myths are traditional stories about the Greek gods. Today was our last class of the week, see you on Monday!

Blog Day Nine: Review for Quiz on Egypt

Today in class we review a few facts about Egypt. We have a quiz on Egypt tomorrow/ on Thursday. A few things that I wrote down to ensure that I remember them were that Upper Egypt is to the south and on higher terrain. And with that the Lower Kingdom of Egypt is to the north in the lower terrain of Africa. I also learned that the Nile river is longer than the United States if you go from the West coast to the East coast. The river itself is about 1,400 miles long. If we drove next to it, Mr. Schick said it would take 5 days to get to one end from the other. In class we also watched a video about mummification. I thought it was really cool that a person who was mummified about 2,00 years ago is still intact today. Using X- Ray technology, people have discovered that the skin and all the bones of the person are still intact because they were mummified. To study, I plan on looking over my notes and making sue I recall everything important we talked about in class.

Blog Day Eight: Pop Quiz?!

Today in class we took a pop quiz. I am glad I made sure I read everything from the textbook, or else I would not have gotten a good grade. It was only seven questions, which may seem easy but if you get one wrong it is a B. Thankfully I think I got them all correct. Hopefully that pop quiz will help my grade. After discussing the quiz we took notes in the Egypt PowerPoint. Since I was out of class for the last two days, I already took notes on that PowerPoint to insure that I was all caught up with the class. I did take a few more notes, though, while Mr. Schick was talking. I wrote down that the Nile River flows from south to north. Another fact is that the ink that the Egyptians used to write on papyrus was from smashed berries. The final extra note I took was that the Egyptians created the sailboat. It was revolutionary because it was the first type of boat the could go against the current, using the wind. Tomorrow in class we are reviewing for our quiz on Egypt on Thursday.

Blog Day Seven: Absent

Today I was absent from class 1/31/20.

Blog Day Six: Absent

Today I was absent from class 1/30/20.

Blog Day Five: Mesopotamia Quiz

Today in class we had our Mesopotamia quiz. I got a 95 which I am proud of. I knew there were a few questions I was not going to get correct. After the quiz we started reading and taking notes on Egypt. A few vocab words that I wrote about were as following. A delta is a broad, marshy, triangular area of land formed by deposits of slit at the mouth of a river. Narmer is a king who created a crown that rules Upper and Lower Egypt. A pharaoh is an Egyptian god- king. Theocracy is a type of government based on religious authority. A pyramid is a resting place after death and an immense structure. Mummification is the embalming and drying of a corpse to keep it from rotting. Hieroglyphics is a flexible writing system meaning "sacred carving." Papyrus is a writing surface made from the dried papyrus plant.

Blog Day Four: Review for Mesopotamia Quiz

Today in class we reviewed for our 75 point quiz we have on Wednesday. I took a few notes just to be sure I get a good grade on this quiz. I wrote down that the definition of a city- state is a political unit that operates like an independent nation. Also that the Fertile Crescent has good land that allows farming and civilization grew from that ability. Inside the Fertile Crescent is Mesopotamia and that is the land in between the two rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates. The downside to living there is that there is no natural barriers, limited natural resources, and unpredictable flooding and long periods of time without no rain. Speaking of floods, The Epic of Gilgamesh was a story told at that time about a great flood that wiped out everything in Mesopotamia. Another fun fact is that the fertile mud that gets washed away during a flood is called slit. We also watched a very fun video about Mesopotamia. It was a very funny video and it definitely helped to watch to recap what Mesopotamia is. I hope to study my notes to be ready for this quiz on Wednesday. 

Blog Day Three: Mesopotamia and Hammurabi's Code

Today in class we finished taking notes about Mesopotamia. Some notes that I took that I found interesting was that The great Ziggurat of Ur is still in existence. It is a very old building and that fact that people made that by hand so many years ago and it's still standing is just amazing to me. Another fact as that in 2350 B.C. Sumer was conquered by the Akkadians. A while after that the Hittites conquered all their neighbors, and even threatening one of the biggest civilization, Egypt. As a class we also looked up Hammurabi's Code. One of the laws that I shared was that if a child hits his father, his hand shall be cut off. This law shows that there is a major point of respecting your elders in their society. I think it is a little extreme to cut off the kids hand but I guess it was acceptable in their time.

Blog Day Two: From Prehistory to Civilization

Today in class we finished reading the section in our textbook about City- States in Mesopotamia. At least I did, since I am a slow reader and note taker. While I was taking reading and taking notes, Mr. Schick and the class were doing housekeeping and fixing their blogs if needed. After everyone finished reading we started to takes notes from a PowerPoint. The PowerPoint was titled From Prehistory to Civilization. This is indeed a very long span of time that we get to learned about. Some notes that I took were that the earliest prehistoric age was the Paleolithic Age. the next age was the Neolithic Age which is marked by the making of advanced tools. Another thing that I found interesting was that the very first form of writing discovered was called cuneiform. The first ever epic discovered as called the Epic of Gilgamesh. It told about a great flood and how the world came to be. Today was a good second day of Western Civ and I'm looking forward to class tomorrow.

Blog Day One: First Day of Western Civ

Today was our first class of Western Civilization. I am very thankful that my class is filled with good people and that it is the smaller class of only 13 people. During class mr. Schick told us that the course is going to be half book work and half lecturing. I am looking forward to this method of learning. We did have an assignment to complete on our blog so here it is.
1. For each term, list their significance.
Fertile Crescent- It is a curved shape of land that lies in a desert and its rich soil provides the best farming in all of Southeast Asia.
Mesopotamia- Is a plain in the fertile crescent, The greek meaning for the word is 'land between rivers."
City-State- It functions like its own country, formed by city and the land surrounding it.
Dynasty- Series of rulers from a single family.
Cultural Diffusion- when a new idea or product spreads from one culture to another.
Polytheism- belief in more than one god.
Empire- brings together peoples, nations, or previously independent states under one ruler's control.
Hammurabi- reigned from 1792- 1750 B.C. and has a set of laws named after him.
3. What were three environmental challenges to Sumerians?
     1. Unpredictable flooding, and then little to no rain for months, causing desert conditions.
     2. No natural land barriers, the Sumerians village was defenseless.
     3. Limited natural resources, building materials and necessities were scare.

Today was a good class and I am looking forward to this semester of Western Civ.