Daily 5- week 4b

Was Alexander the Great a "good leader"? Compare/Contrast with Pericles.


Compared to Pericles, I think Alexander was equal to him for different reasons. I feel as if Pericles was more about the people and the citizens, but he didn't take the time to build up an army to keep out Persia, so he let his people down. On the other hand, Alexander only cared about becoming a legend and showing Persia whose REALLY in charge. I think that a leader needs to be about the people and for the people, not only caring about making history books. I also think a leader needs to know his true strengths and weaknesses in order to keep his civilization a civilization. If Alexander and Pericles could have combined they probably would have been the best leader of all time. 

Daily 4- Week 4b

Could a force like Alexander the Great exist today? Why or why not?


I believe that a force like Alexander the Great could not exist today. The way the world works and the way that countries communicate with one another doesn't allow much room for a ruler like Alexander the Great. It's much easier to communicate, transport, and work together today than it was back in ancient Greek times, therefore, a ruler like Alexander the Great wouldn't even have time to establish an army of such strength without United Nations or some other type of resource stepping in and not allowing this to happen. There have been many people, I believe, that have tried to live out their lives like Alexander the Great, such as Hitler, that tried to control what kind of people lived in certain places, what they looked like, and what religion they practiced, but they were put to a stop before they had a chance to conquer everyone.

Daily 3- Week 4b

Describe relations between Egypt and Persia before Alexander came on the scene.


Even before Alexander had decided to enter Egypt and ask for Egyptian help in conquering Persia, the Egyptians had always hated the Persians and the Persians had always hated the Egyptians. Alexander didn't just walk right into Egypt and demand that all Egyptians must hate the Persians. There was already a long-going hate relationship between Egypt and Persia that just worked for Alexander's advantage. 

Daily 2-Week 4b

Do you think Alexander honestly felt like he was avenging Persian wrongs? Or was that just propaganda to mask his goal of conquest?


I feel like Alexander was doing both. The Greeks never forgot what Persia did to them, and they had wanted revenge for years. Before Alexander's father was murdered, he said he wanted to avenge Persian wrongs. Maybe this inspired Alexander to conquer Persia. He could have wanted to fulfill his father's dream of conquering Persia once and for all. He could have also seen this as an opportunity to not only fulfill his father's dream, but fulfill his own dream of conquest. He practically killed two birds with one stone. 

Daily 1- Week 4b

What compels someone to lead others?


I believe people lead others for many reasons. Throughout history people have become leaders for power, fame, and - believe it or not- to make sure their country is run properly. Today, the U.S. leaders come to power to make sure that our country stays in tact and that the citizens of the U.S. are safe. But, in ancient Greek times, men came to power not always for that exact reason. For example: Alexander the Great came to power to show the world how strong and powerful he is. Sure, he might have also came to power after his father died to make sure the citizens would be okay, but mostly it was to become famous. He wanted his name to be remembered, by everyone. This is still going on today. Foreign countries in the Middle East have leaders that aren't truly in it for the people of their country. They're just in it for the fame and glory. That is what I believe compels someone to lead others.

Weekly 4

SCRIPT

Setting: Events occurring at the same time as the Peloponnesian War

Characters:

Delia- Narrator

Pericles- Leader of Athens

Cyanae & Elpis- Caretakers of plague people

Drakon, Jonas, & Barnabas- Townsmen

Heracles- Athenian soldier

Zenon- Spartan soldier

PROLOGUE-

Delia- Athens, at one time, had proven to be the central power of the world. Nobody had a clue of how amazing and powerful Athens would become, but they also didn’t have a clue as to how quickly this ancient Greek empire would fall. Throughout this story, you’ll realize the hardships and pain Athens went through.

ACT 1-

Drakon, Jonas, & Barnabas- Well, good morning, Ms. Delia!

Delia- Good morning, gentlemen! How’re you on this fine morning?

Drakon- Not too well, Ms. Delia. You see, Pericles has caught the plague that has recently hit Athens! Our leader can’t defend us in battle, so the Spartans might defeat us!

Delia- No! This can’t be so!

Jonas- But, yes ma’am it is. But, hopefully, the Gods will pull through again for us, and defeat the Spartans!

Delia- Hopefully. Barnabas, why haven’t you said much?

Barnabas- I’m sorry, Ms. Delia, but I just finished talking to Heracles before we came here, and he said there is no way Athens will defeat the Spartans.

Delia- I’m going to go have a fine talk with that man!

(Delia walks into to town to find Heracles, the Athenian soldier)

Delia- Heracles! Oh, Heracles! Do I have a word to pick with you!

Heracles- I’m sorry, Delia, but it seems as if there’s a huge problem down near the water and I must get too it!

Delia- No, Heracles, you stay right here! You can’t go around telling innocent, naïve Athenian people that we aren’t going to win this hard, cold war against the Spartans!

Heracles- But, it seems as if we have already been defeated. The people of Athens didn’t know that Pericles has been down the plague for 6 months now, and he took his last breath this morning. I’m sorry, but now I must go!

(Heracles walks away)

Delia- Oh my goodness, how could we let this happen to us? Athens was once so strong and noble, and now we’re falling apart, bit by bit. I must go see Elpis, I know she had to have been taking care of poor Pericles.

(Delia runs to the house of Pericles)

ACT 2-

Delia- Cyanae, dear dear, Cyanae! Have you seen my close friend, Elpis?

Cyanae- Oh, yes ma’am. I was just at Pericles household with her. We were both taking care of him. I’ll take you straight over there!

Delia- Thank you dear!

(Spartan soldier stops them on the way to Pericles house)

Zenon- Now where do you think you two are going?

Delia- We’re going to the house of our leader, Pericles!

Zenon- That’s where you THINK you’re going, you can turn around and walk all the way home. There are no rights for you Athenian people ever since your leader died.

Delia- I beg your pardon!

Zenon- You heard me lady, now go.

(Delia and Cyanae turn around)

Cyanae- It’s okay, that stupid Spartan soldier has been guarding this road for days. I know a back way to get into Pericles house!

Delia- Oh, thank you! Bless the Gods&Goddess for helping me make it to Pericles’s house!

(Delia and Cyanae enter the house of Pericles and see him dead in bed)

Elpis- Cyanae! Cyanae! Where have you been?! I’ve been looking all over for you! What are we going to tell the people of Athens?! How can we let the Spartans control us without a fight?! How can we let this happen! Our leader is dead!

(Elpis is in tears)

Delia- Now, Elpis, don’t you worry. This isn’t your fault; you kept Pericles alive longer than anyone could. We’ll make it through these hard times. We will! Now, Cyanae, grab Elpis some water, please?

Cyanae- Yes ma’am!

Delia- Now, we’ll hold a town meeting explaining what has happened to poor Pericles.

Elpis- Delia, you know we can’t do that. The Spartans won’t allow it.

Delia- We’ll ignore those stupid Spartans! This is between the Athenian people!

(Delia leaves to go get Heracles)

Delia- Heracles, I apologize for the way I acted towards you earlier. But, I need to ask a favor of you.

Heracles- It’s okay, Ms. Delia, I understand completely. Now, what is that favor?

Delia- Could you risk holding a town meeting to inform the Athenian people that our leader, Pericles, died of the plague?

Heracles- Oh, I don’t know, Delia, that’s a huge risk. I could be killed by the Spartans.

Delia- Please, Heracles! I’m begging you!

Heracles- Fine, fine.

Delia- Thank you so much Heracles! You don’t know how much this means to our people!

(Two days later Heracles holds a secret town meeting with the Athenian people in one of the theaters)

Heracles- PEOPLE, PEOPLE! PLEASE LISTEN UP. WE NEED TO MAKE THIS AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE, SO THAT THE SPARTANS WON’T GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO KILL US!!!

Delia- Heracles! My God! Don’t say that!

Heracles- Sorry, Ms. Delia, I’m just a little nervous….

Heracles- People of Athens! I’ve called this meeting today to inform you that our dear leader, Pericles, has died of the plague that has taken over Athens.

(Athenian people are distraught and upset)

Heracles- Calm down, everything will be fi-…Oh, no..

Delia- What is it Heracles?

Heracles- It seems as if the Spartans have found us.

Delia- What?!

Zenon- You idiots! You didn’t think the SPARTANS would find YOU?! Please! You all better get out of here before I condemn you all to death!

Heracles- Zenon, don’t you dare talk to the people of Athens that way! They had a right to know the information I was sharing with them!

Zenon- Please, like anyone cares about your failure of a leader, Pericles! He’s dead, people! And you’re all under Spartan rule!

(Heracles tackles Zenon to the ground)

Heracles- Don’t you ever talk to my people that way, I’ll kill you right here right now with my bare hands!

Delia- HERACLES! ZENON! STOP!

(Delia pulls Heracles off of Zenon)

Zenon- How dare you! You don’t know what you’ve just begun, Heracles.

Heracles- I’m sure I do, now if you don’t mind I’ll be getting back to my ATHENIAN duty.

(Zenon pulls out his sword and tries to stab Heracles)

Delia- HERACLES, LOOK OUT!

(Heracles dodges the sword, and whips out his own sword)

Heracles- Two can play that game, but only one can win!

(Heracles stabs Zenon, and Zenon drops to the ground)

Zenon- You just made the biggest (Zenon starts to die) mis..ta…ke..of…y…yo…your..life.

(Zenon dies, and the rest of the Spartan soldiers show up)

Heracles- Quick, Delia! We have to hide before they see us!

(Heracles and Delia run away, but Heracles wasn’t fast enough)

Delia- HERACLES! HERACLES NO!!!!!

(Heracles is captured and killed by the Spartans in front of Delia’s own eyes)

EPILOUGE:

Delia- After Heracles was killed, the Athenian people had no hope in regaining Athens back. Many people died, starved, or were killed by the Spartans. But, Heracles died a hero. He died as a man of the people of Athens, and made sure that the Athenian people had their rights as much as possible.

THE END

Daily 4- Week 4

 Explain how the origins of theatre in Athens are tied to both religion and politics


The origins of theatre in Athens are tied to both religion and politics for many different reasons and many different ways. Theatre in Athens was a way for the Athenian people to enjoy themselves, and have a good time. What's a better way then to have a good time then to make fun of the past government leaders or ways? Also, it drew attention from the Athenian people when the characters weaved in the Gods along with politics, showing how the Gods always give answers, but people can interpret them in many ways. The people of Athens loved to see tragedy, so they used politics and religion to make tragedies happen. That is why the origins of theatre in Athens are tied to both religion and politics.  

Daily 3- Week 4

Was Athens really a 'democracy'?


I think Athens wasn't truly a democracy. In a democracy, the people get to choose their leaders. In Athens, leaders weren't truly chosen. Once a new leader came into office, sooner or later another up-coming leader would come along and throw that leader out of office and take over. Sure, many people favored the new leaders when they over-threw the other leaders. But, no one usually voted for their leaders. There were times when leaders were elected by the people, but most of the time it was usually who could over throw the current leader became the new leader. This doesn't make Athens a democracy.

Daily 2- Week 4

Write the script for a skit exploring the Persian Wars from the Persian point-of-view.


Leader of the Persians- "Athens is such a small, tiny place in all of Greece, and we are the Persians! No one is better than us, no one can beat us, and no one is prepared for we have built ourselves up to be! Athens isn't prepared in any sort of way to deal with a war that we're about to give them. Now, let's make a fool out of Athens and show the world how truly strong and powerful the Persians really are!"

Daily 1- Week 4

 Do you think Socrates got what he deserved? Why didn't he accept exile?


I think Socrates didn't deserve what happened to him at all. It wasn't like he put the Athenians in the situation they were in, they put themselves there. The only reason they did what they did to him was because he was a man of logic, who thought things through and who was smarter than most of the Athenians, therefore, they wanted to get rid of him and blame someone for what had happened to them. Socrates didn't accept exile because he believed that his principles didn't fit with exile, and he was more willing to stay true to his principles then to take the easy way out and accept exile.

Weekly 3

These pictures show the megaliths on the property of the John Carroll School. These megaliths are a variety of different megaliths found around the world. Why the diversity of these ancient stones? No one truly knows the meaning of these megaliths or why they are there, but many people have theories of what they were used for and who used them.

One of the first theories for these stones were that Archbishop John Carroll had the people of his church re-create these megaliths to show that the Catholic Church is open to all cultures, countries, and societies around the world. This theory is one of the most popular of the many theories, but there is no evidence that Archbishop John Carroll had these megaliths made for this reason, or made for a reason at all. But, this theory doesn’t quite make sense. If Archbishop John Carroll wanted to prove to the world that the Catholic Church accepts everyone, why would he use replicas of other megaliths that people believe were used for DIFFFERNT religions? This would go against Catholic teachings and belief, therefore, this theory doesn’t truly fit with the ancient stones.

Another theory of these megaliths is the Theory of the Ancient Greeks. This theory depicts that at the time the Greek Empire was a world power, they put megaliths to show that they owned that land. This theory would make sense, since different megaliths are found all over the world. But, something doesn’t quite fit with this theory either. If the Greek Empire ruled this part of the world at one time, why didn’t Greek people inhabit this country? Was there a plague or an enemy that killed them? No one knows the answer to this question either. But, we do know that if the Greek did, in fact, inhabit the land at one point in time, they would have most likely kept records of this and we would still know about them today.

As you can see, no one truly knows the story behind these random megaliths, nor do they know the truth of these theories. All we can do is try to dig deeper into history and try to find the real meanings of these ancient stones. But, whether or not we find out the truth, the theories are pretty fun to hear!

Daily 4- Week 3

"Structures, both social and physical are continually improving." agree or disagree.


I believe that structures, both social and physical are continually improving. I believe that people around the world are noticing that countries aren't working and pulling together like they should be to help each other out, and we are trying to improve on that. We're trying to improve everyone's economic problems, and we are also trying to improve everyones political problems. I believe that the world is physically improving by trying to build bigger and better structures for natural disasters that are tending to happen more often. Also, they are trying to protect people from these problems with bridges,walls,barriers,etc. Finally, they are also trying to improve with technology to make our world work better and faster. That is why I believe structures, both social and physical are continually improving.

Daily 3- Week 3

"War is a form of technology". Agree or Disagree.


I believe war is not a form of technology. I think war actually holds the United States back from improving themselves into a stronger, better, more peaceful, friendly country. I believe that war just keeps people stuck in the time that they are in and doesn't allow them to branch out and grow as a country, together. I'm not saying war is completely wrong, because in some cases war is necessary. But, war doesn't help the economy or the country. It doesn't allow us to save up the money and use it towards research, schools, jobs, poverty, etc. It just allows us to use money we don't have to send over food, supplies, etc. to the people in the war. That is why I believe war is not a form of technology.

Daily 2- Week 3

Give several examples of monuments in Maryland / DC / PA that might be familiar to folks who live here but which would not be understood by outsiders without an explanation. Please include your own or public domain photos.

This is a monument that shows all the battles Maryland has been involved in. The many people that would visit this monument & would read it, would recognize more than half of the battles that are stated. But, people that are not from Maryland, or the U.S. at all, most likely wouldn't recognize these battles because they haven't specifically learned about them like the children in Maryland do.

This is a monument for the state of Maryland located in Gettysburg. This monument might not be recognized by out of state people because they might not realize the importance of the Civil War and who was involved.

The Francis Scott Key monument is located in Baltimore. This might not be recognized by out of state people because they don't realize the importance of Francis Scott Key to Baltimore. Francis Scott Key originated from Baltimore, and he wrote the Star Spangled Banner in the Baltimore harbor.

The monument of Abraham Lincoln is located in Washington, D.C. This monument might not be recognized from people out of the country because they might not be aware that Lincoln was one of the most important presidents in American History. He freed the slaves and pulled our country together as one.

This is a picture of the White House, in Washington, D.C. Many people from out of the country might not understand this because they aren't aware of how our government works/where the president lives/ how important the president is.

Daily 1- Week 3

What is the oldest human-created artifact that has mattered to you? Why/how does it matter?


The oldest human-created artifact that has mattered to me is the Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta Stone matters to me for numerous different reasons. Throughout the world, people use hundreds of different languages. Not many people pay attention to this, but how did we get all these different languages, and most of all, how did we come to understand each other? The Rosetta Stone shows this exact relationship. The Rosetta Stone has 3 different languages on it, and one of them is Hieroglyphics. Hieroglyphics are a series of symbols that represent sounds, certain people, landmarks, animals, etc. But, only people in ancient Egyptian times could understand these until a few hundred years ago a man discovered the Hieroglyphic language. It truly amazes me how we can go from speaking hundreds of different languages, to understanding the main language that was used by one civilization thousands of years ago. That is why the Rosetta Stone is the oldest human-created artifact that has mattered to me. 

Weekly 2

 Is 'Change' a Good Thing or a Bad Thing? (Relate to the origins of art, the agricultural revolution, architecture and urban planning in Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley.)

I think that change is a good thing. Between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley, they both needed change in order to branch out and become bigger, better civilizations. Between their art, agriculture, architecture, and urban planning change was the best option for them. They needed to improve their art to show other people how to also learn the technique, and so that they could better explain and express themselves. The needed to improve their agriculture for many reasons. They needed better watering systems in order to keep all of their crops, and more, alive and ready to eat/trade/sell. Also, they needed to find better ways to take care of their cattle so that they wouldn't die/starve/be stolen/run away. They needed to improve their architecture in order to improve their up-coming cities and towns. They needed to build bigger and better homes/stores/buildings.Also, they needed to find more material that could possibly make their buildings stronger and more sturdy. Finally, they needed to be able to build buildings faster and easier in able to make sure everyone had a home, a place to work, and a place to shop/trade. Urban planning needed to be changed in order to have well-organized, successful cities. Without planning out jobs, homes, government, etc., people wouldn't be able to function. They also needed a way to be able to trade, therefore they made a money system. All of these reasons are why I think change is good.

Daily 4- Week 2

Create your own language.


Meredith Haggerty & Kelly McCloskey:

Meredith: Ooog! (Hi!)

Kelly: Ooog! (Hi!)

Meredith: Ahhh oye? 

(What is your favorite hobby?)

Kelly: Neigh boom boom boom (I like to horseback ride and dance!)

Meredith: Aye! 

(Oh, cool!)

Kelly: Uhe ahh oo? (Yes, what about you?)

Meredith: Clunkclunk 

(I love to play lacrosse)

Kelly: Ahah (Oh fun!)

Meredith: Uhe ooga

 (Bye!)

Kelly: ooga! (Cya!)

Daily 3- Week 2

 Describe the importance of water in the ancient world.

In the ancient world, water was practically what every civilization/family/person depended on. Water was used for almost everything in the ancient world. Farmers needed water to make they're land fertile. They also needed water in able to keep their crops growing and healthy. Without water, no farmer would be able to make a living. Also, water was used for cattle. In order to keep the cattle alive, you needed food and water, and without the water you wouldn't have food OR water. Without cattle, people wouldn't have any meat to eat, and once again- farmers wouldn't be able to make a living. Finally, people themselves depended on water for survival. Without water, people would cease to exist. The three main things people need are: food, water, and shelter. If water didn't exist, they wouldn't have fruits/vegetables/cattle to eat, or water to drink. Also, they wouldn't be able to make a living, so therefore they wouldn't have a home. Water was everything to the people in the ancient world, without it, none of us would be here.