Western Civilization 201

February 28th, 2020 Greece Terms Direct Democracy - a form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives Classical Art - the art of ancient Greece, in which harmony, order, and proportion were emphasized  Tragedy - a serious drama about common themes, such as love, hate, war, or betrayal Comedy - contained scenes filled with slapstick situations and crude humor Peloponnesian War - a war lasting from 431 to 404 B.C., in which Athens and its allies were defeated by Sparta and its allies Philosophers - great thinkers who were determined to seek the truth, no matter where the search led them; "lovers of wisdom" Socrates - a philosopher who believed that absolute standards did exist for truth and justice, and encouraged Greeks to go farther and question themselves and their moral character Plato - a student of Socrates that write down the conversations of Socrates Aristotle - a philosopher who questioned the nature of th...

February 27th, 2020 Greece Test Today in class we took a test on Greece. The test had many more questions than we have had in the past. I feel as if I did okay on the test, but I know I got a few answers wrong. The test asked about Greece's geography, the different types of governments, and tyrants. I felt ill-prepared for the test because I was not in class for most of the unit. Although I did read over Mr. Schick's slideshow and take notes, I still feel as if I was not as prepared as I could have been. I chose not to use Quizlet just in case Mr. Schick let us use our blogs. It was very time consuming to write notes on the slideshow and then put them on my blog. We will continue to learn about Greece in our next class. I like learning about Greece in this unit. 

February 26th, 2020 Greece Terms Polis : the fundamental political unit, made up of a city and the surrounding countryside Monarchy : rule by a single person (a king, in Greece) Aristocracy : rule by a small group of noble, very rich, landowning families Oligarchy : wealthy groups, dissatisfied with the aristocratic rule, who seized power (often with military help) Tyrant : a powerful individual who seized control by appealing to the common people for support; rules outside the framework of the polis Tyrant (modern meaning): an abusive or oppressive ruler Tyrant (Greek): someone who simply seized power Aristocrats: members of the ruling class Symposiums: meetings where elite, aristocratic men would enjoy wine and poetry, performances by dancers and acrobats, and the company of hetaeras while discussing politics Hetaeras: courtesans Hoplites: well-armed soldiers Debt Slavery: work as a slave to repay debts Council of Five Hundred: members chosen at random,...

February 24th, 2020 Greece Trojan War - fought around 1200 B.C.  - was part of Greek mythology until the 19th century  - most historians thought it was fictional because the story included gods and goddesses getting involved  - the goddesses Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera were given the "apple of discord"  - Paris judged Aphrodite as "the fairest"  - Aphrodite made Helen (who was married) fall in love with Paris, who took her back to Troy "sea people" and Dorians - around 1200 B.C. the "sea people" began to invade Mycenae, and burned palaces - the Dorians moved into this war-torn region, dominating from 1150-750 B.C. the Dorians were far less advanced the trade-based economy collapsed  writing disappeared for 400 years Greek oral tradition - stories passed on by word of mouth Epic - narrative stories that celebrate heroic deeds Dactylic Hexameter - a form of the meter or rhythmic scheme in poetry Homer the bard - li...

February 21, 2020 The Flu Once again I didn't come to class because I am still sick. I will be returning to school on Monday.

February 20, 2020 The Flu I did not attend our class again today because I am still sick with the flu.

February 18, 2020 The Flu Today I was not in class because I have the flu.