Spartan Women

I found it to be very interesting to read about the role the Spartan women had in society. They had an incredible freedom compared to the rest or the Classical world in that time period. They were given more political and social power and had almost the same rights as the men did. It was very obvious that Sparta encouraged thier women to have a very active role in society and to be a part of the rapidly changing world. It's neat to see the encouragement of female involvement and how women were so readily willing to take care of duties and responsibilities while thier husbands/brothers/fathers were away at war. It really spoke to me in the sense that I think it solitifies the point that society needs both men and women fufilling different roles to which they are called for it to flourish.

Wikipedia Article #1

This article contained information on the events, history, and background of the armies that were involved in the Battle of Thermopylae. It seems to focus more on the Greek army, giving brief Greek history, then really focusing in on the individual men and events that led up to this battle.

1. 8,979 words
2. My search was “The Battle of Thermopylae” and the article it came up with was “Battle of Thermopylae”
3. Other links to different events that “The Battle of Thermopylae may be referring to.
4. This was a page for people to post their opinions on the article as well as critique the validity of it, as well as add changes.
5. First change was January 12, 2007, last change was September 13, 2008
6. Six
7. One-hundred and Twenty-Five
8. Seven

I think this article would be great for someone who is interested in learning more about this battle. It really focus’s in on the primary events in this battle and offers great detail and very many other sources of information.

Slavery

Reading through this section I was very interested in Aristotle's outlook on slavery. It seems so harsh and abrupt, the idea that some men are just born slaves and some are born to be the masters. It's an extremely opposite viewpoint than any American would hold today, but I found it to be quite interesting to at least think about. In no way did I agree with the fundamental point he made, however I do think there is some psychological truth to be found in the statement that, "It is clear, then, that some men are by nature free, and others slave..", just not to the extreme that Aristotle took it.

Now, in no way am I promoting slavery, all men are created equal; however, I do think that we are all born with certain tendencies to be by nature, either a leader or follower. Most of the time we are not given a choice, our natural personality which we are born with really dictates which one of these extremes we will lean toward being. As a result, our positions in society are marked by this. One who is a natural leader, will in no way be content being the library receptionist or a Elementary school lunch lady their whole life, just as one who is a natural follower would be terrified at the thought of being the President of a thriving business corporation or being a public political figure. So in an essence I think Aristotle was right to say that some are born slaves and some masters, but I also feel unlike Aristotle, that this should be left up to each individual to discern for themselves and not be left up to society to dictate.

Also, I think the true point that Aristotle was trying to make in this writing, was that should "natural" slaves suddenly become masters in society, they would ruin society because they didn't know how to be masters. Because it was against their nature and they would ruin the rest of society around them by trying to be something they were in fact not. Although, I can see the logic behind this reasoning I again feel, this should have been something that was decided by the individual and not dictated for them by society.

Overall I found it to be very interesting reading some of the logic behind the starting of Slavery in this world. Although, I'm not in agreement with the issue it was still interesting for me to read and think about the logical backings behind it.

The Battle of Thermopylae

I greatly enjoyed reading about this battle, I've always enjoyed reading Ancient Greek literature and history. However, to my dismay previous to reading this section the most knowledge I had on this battle was limited to movie reviews that I read on the blockbuster hit "300". I've always been skeptical of such movies as it is almost impossible for movie producers to avoid mixing myth with factual events in dealing with Ancient Greece. However, it was great to read how the actual events transpired and and see the courage of the Spartans that stood thier ground. I think we can still take into account many lessons from this battle and apply it even on a personal level. The Spartans were able to look past the temporal situation, the moment at hand, to see that their actions were affecting the future outcome greatly. In our fast-food, fast-paced society it is all too easy to fall into a habit forming way of life where all that matters is the present and we fail to see how our actions will effect our future or work together for a greater outcome. I speak as one who is probably more guilty than anyone when it comes to this way of life. It may not be a matter of defending your country from being completly over-ran by Persians or an instance of sacrifically dying in a battle to ulitimately win the war, but I really do believe this can apply to our everyday decesions that ultimately effect our future and the future of the world around us. It is very inspiring to look upon these men and see their couragous determination. It's awesome to see that something that happened so long ago can still apply to the lives of not only our political leaders, but also the lives of the individuals in society.