Digital scrapbook entry #8

UDigital Scrapbook Entry- Rome 

Jack S.

5/1/15

Per. 4

Praetorian Brutality

In Ancient Rome the Praetorian Guard was the emperor's personal guard. While it was supposed to just serve as a guard for the emperor they turned into their own self lead army. They went from protecting the emperor to robbing, murdering, and raping citizens of Rome. The guard focused especially on the poor citizens because they thought less of them. While the Praetorian Guard started as a sign of safety and protection the morphed into an enemy of the lower class of Rome. 

In today's world the police force in the U.S. has been morphing in the same way that the Praetorian Guard did. In the past few years and even months, the police have had an unfortunate streak of "accidental" killings in which all of them the victim happened to be black. This has caused an outrage in the black community and even in communities of other races. For example , in Baltimore there have been riots the past two days and on the first day it was only blacks, but on the second day there were people of all races including students from Johns Hopkins. These recent events have turned the police into an enemy of the people instead of an ally and it is completely self inflicted. 

The transition that both of these so called protectors of justice have gone through has tarnished their reputation and turned the public against them. In the type of work that these people do it is hard for them to work without the cooperation of the people and by doing this like this they loose all of the publics cooperation. The police must prevent things like this from happening to regain the trust of the public and continue making our safe.

Links: http://www.unrv.com/military/praetorian-guard.php

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/police-brutality/

Emperor Project- Titus and Vespasian

Jack S.

4/13/15

Per. 4

In a thrilling and excitement filled biography, you will learn everything you need to know about the mighty emperor Titus. The text will follow the life of Titus very in depth and accurately from when he was named emperor to his death. Known throughout the land, Titus was loved and known as a powerful military commander who served under his father, Vespasian. Titus was compared to the emperor Nero as a young man due to his, charm, intellect, and ruthlessness. Some of Titus's most storied achievements include, the capturing of Jerusalem, completing the Colosseum, and his acts that kept Rome alive after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Titus accomplished so much in his life and in his short reign that the Roman people built the Arch of Titus and he is one of the most highly regarded emperors in Roman history. Titus was loved throughout Rome and had quite an interesting life and this biography will take you on a historic roller coaster through Ancient Rome and the life of mighty Titus.

"Better than the Biography of Vespasian."

-The General Public Book Review             

Titus-

 yo my name is Titus my rhymes hurt like Arthritis 

Step to me I fight you until you look like human stew 

You might be my dad but you still gon make me mad so you beta watch out before I make you pout 

Imma memba of the Flavian dynasty im looking at all these haters and they wanna be just like me 

Vespasian- That was some pretty good flow but I was the first emperor andyou don't even know how good it was when I was in charge everybody loved me now let me go hard 

I owned the dynasty for 27 years and when you hear these rhymes they gonna hurt your ears 

I built temples of peace and brought rome together built me a colosseum that's what I call freedom  

Titus- You okay pops you looking kinda old 

All the soldiers respect me and treat me like gold 

You started the colosseum but I finished it so don't even start with me and take all of the credit 

You weak and not on my level so when you die of diarrhea say hi to the devil 

Vespasian- that's not even cool cause you don't do a lot you just sit around and let rome rot

Yeah you my son but I don't even love you so if you on a cliff I might just shove you 

I'm done with this rap battle cause I'm the best so just lay ya head down and go back to rest 

Titus- the population loves me dad you wish you could be me so go back to your grave cause you know you ain't free

I'm the new face of Rome so just go back home cause you can't compete with me so let me deplete the

 

Digital Scrapbook Entry #7

Digital Scrapbook Entry- Greece

Jack S.

5/5/15

Per. 4

                                                          Columns in Ancient Greece 

Columns in Ancient Greece were not only an architectural statement inside of Greece but also around the world. The Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns were some of the most popular and most recognizable columns in Ancient Greece. While the columns might only seem like a very minor part of a whole building such as the Parthenon, but in reality they were debatably the most crucial pieces of the entire building. This is because the columns are very pleasing to the eye and help the building look more complete. Lots of thought also goes into how big the columns are to make them look just right. For example, on the Parthenon the corner columns are shorter than the center columns so from a front view it looks straight. For how little the columns seem to be at first glance they are truly a huge piece of every building they are found on. Columns were a huge part in Greek architecture but they are also a very big part of modern American architecture as well. 

In today's world we see an enormous amount of Greek influence in our architecture. For example, at Davidson College in North Carolina (which is pretty far away from Greece) we can find hundreds of Doric columns throughout the campus as seen in the picture below. We also see Ionic columns on the White House as well which is the home of our nations president. Greek columns can be found everywhere in the United States including places that probably do not even know the history behind the columns themselves.

The Greeks made such a huge impact on architecture with these columns that they have been used over thousands of years and are still just as popular as before. These columns are held in such high regards that they are on the home of a world leader and at one of our nations top collegiate schools. The Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns were the foundation of modern architecture and were one of the most well known parts of Greek history. 

Links- http://greece.mrdonn.org/columns.html

http://www.greekgateway.com/news/ancient-greek-to-modern-architecture-with-greek-influence

Rome Plato Creations

A light saber and a ceaser salad. 

Jack S.

2/19/15

Per. 4

                  Thoughts and Reflections on: When Free Speech Was First Condemned

In Ancient Greece Socrates was put on trial. He was much wiser than his prosecutors and the jury. With his wisdom, he made all of his foes look like fools by out smarting them and ultimately convincing them to give him the punishment he wanted. Socrates put sentenced to death by poisoning. In this trial Athens saw someone speak their own mind to the jury instead of begging to them and kissing up. This was even new to the jury and the prosecutors and it caught them off guard. They were all extremely offended by the hidden insults and complex questions that Socrates was throwing at them because he proved to them that he was smarter than them. By doing this he angered the jury so much that they wanted to put him to death even though that is what he wanted as well. The bottom line is that Socrates was killed for speaking his mind and expressing his opinion, so that is why this article is called, When Free Speech Was First Condemned. This article did not change my opinion on Socrates in any way. It did allow me to realize how wise Socrates truly was by realizing that his death was inevitable and he came to peace with it. If I were the head attorney of the prosecution team I would call Meletus to the stand to be the prime witness. I would do this because Meletus hates Socrates and would go all out to sway the jury in our favor. On the other hand, I would call Plato to the stand because he loves Socrates with all his heart and would go to great lengths to keep Socrates alive. I would call these people to the stand because they are either devoted to killing Socrates or saving him, but either way they will do whatever it takes to get the jury on their side.    

Jack S.

2/18/15

Per 4. 

                                  Thoughts and Reflections on: Socrates The Apology

Socrates will not use, "pitiful appeals" in court because he does not want anyones pity. He says that he will not bring his sons to the trial because it drew unwanted sympathy from the jury. Socrates also stays very calm and composed instead of crying and pleading to the jury. Socrates was very confident in himself and did not want anyones help in this trial. Many punishments are suggested in Socrates trial, but he finds out a way to shoot each one of them down. For example, Meletus suggests imprisonment and Socrates makes a joke by saying if he was put in prison the government was essentially just taking care of him. Socrates does not believe he deserves a punishment, but instead should be rewarded for his work by receiving free food from the Athenians. Socrates also suggests banishment over death, but then contradicts himself by saying that he would still teach even if he was banished. Throughout the passage he is comparing banishment and death and it soon becomes apparent that he would prefer death over banishment. Socrates pressures the jury to give him the death penalty by saying that if they do anything els he will still find a way to teach. Socrates gives all these suggestions because he wants to overwhelm the jury with his knowledge and essentially coax them into giving him what he wants, the death penalty. Socrates finally proves he will not do what he believed is wrong by telling the jury that he will not give in to them and allow them to give him an unfair punishment. He does this because he can not afford to be passive in this situation and he must tell the jury shay he believes in order to get what he wants. Socrates gives a prophecy that states, "I tell you, my executioners, that as soon as I am dead, vengeance shall fall upon you with a punishment far more painful than your killing of me. As soon as I am dead, retribution will come upon you-far more severe, I swear, than the sentence that you have passed upon me." This prophecy is saying that even if the Athenians kill him all of his followers will continue to question the government and live as Socrates did. Socrates believed death is a good thing and he shows this to the jury by saying, "Death is either annihilation, and the dead have no consciousness of anything; or, as we are told, it is really a change: a migration of the soul from this place to another." According to Socrates the two possible outcomes of death are both appealing to him, so for Socrates death is a good thing.  

Jack S.

2/10/15

Per. 4

                                          Thoughts and Reflections on: Socrates 

Socrates was a philosopher in Ancient Greece who was one of the wisest people our world has ever seen. We know this because he brought many new innovations and ideas to the people of Ancient Greece that would spread throughout the world. For example, the Socratic Method is a series of questions asked not only to draw individual answers but also to encourage fundamental insight into the issue at hand. Socrates was important to society because he brought so many new ideas to the people who looked up to him. Some even said that Socrates brought his philosophies straight from the gods. Socrates did not worship the gods that others did and he introduced new divinities of his own which is one of the reasons he was brought to trial. Others thought that by Socrates introducing new higher powers to worship he was corrupting the youth. Even though Socrates was extremely wise he was not always the most liked person around. When Socrates says, "I am fairly certain that this plain speaking of mine is the cause of my unpopularity" he means that because his philosophies were not extremely extravagant and mostly said that humans do not know as much as they think people did not want to hear them. Many believed Socrates corrupted the youth, but Socrates is baffled led by this accusation. Socrates does not understand how the whole community can blame one man for corrupting all of the youth.