The Grecian school of thought included many aspects of politics, philosophy, mathematics, religion and science. One common topic which many Greeks wrote about is the role of law in their communities and societies. Here as some of the things that they said:
Thucydides speaking about their constitution: "Its administration favours the many instead of the few; this is why it is called a democracy." He went on to explain that every man in the Greek society is involved in politics and not just in voting. Each one was a politician. Each one took part in discussions and meetings to determine laws and city ordinances. Each one took a turn serving in the government. Ideally this is how it worked, although it wasn't quite this perfect. The main effect of this type of law is the empowering of each man, be he poor or rich. Each man had an equal opportunity to go somewhere in his life.
Plato in the Crito: Here Socrates speaks about the Laws in Athens. He states that they should not be disobeyed or nullified or they will lost importance and the state will fall into chaos. His most important assertion is that the state is only held together by the laws and that the laws are only binding if they hold no matter the circumstances.
Sophocles: In "Oedipus Rex" Sophocles shows how important the law is to the King Oedipus because he was willing to kill himself rather than have his name shamed because he broke the law.
The way the Greeks view law is quite different from our view, but some things do remain the same. When Thucydides describes how each man in the city participates in government I am reminded of how we each have the opportunity to participate in government by voting, although, the Greek way of participating was much more involved than ours. I can also relate to Plato's statement about how laws hold the state together and keep them from falling to chaos. I feel like laws still do that today.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
The use of masks in Greek Theater and how that relates to us
My wife and I collect masks. We try to buy at least one mask each time we visit a foreign country or get to know a new kind of people. We recently bought a mask in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The mask is colorful with peacock feathers, symbolizing the party, Carnaval, a festival that occurs in late February. I served my mission among the Brazilian people and I know that the mask we bought does not remind me of the Brazilian people I have come to love. It does, though, represent a people who drastically change their lifestyle to party for a week during Carnaval.
As I was reading about Greek theater a few things stood out. The first was their use of only male actors, playing all parts, male, female or otherwise. The second part that stood out to me was the way they use masks. In the assigned reading for tomorrow's class it said that "actors would simply change masks and could appear" as many different roles in the same play. Each mask is designed to give off a different impression. The mask served to transform the person wearing the mask into another character altogether. The face is by far the most recognizable part of the body and so when we change the face, the person changes altogether. Change to another part of the body, such as the foot would hardly go unnoticed. In fact, many tragedies outfitted their actors all with the same pair of boots, regardless of their roles. "Tragic actors also wore special boots called cothurni or "buskins" in English. These low boots were generic foot coverings and anciently had neither a right foot or a left foot." It is remarkable to think about how much we depend on the face to tell us about a person, what he or she is saying and how he or she is feeling. Through our faces we have the opportunity to communicate who we really are. We have the ability to accurately portray our thoughts and feelings. We also can use our face to disguise our true identity and create a new character altogether, the same as what happened over and over again in Greek tragedy.
As I was reading about Greek theater a few things stood out. The first was their use of only male actors, playing all parts, male, female or otherwise. The second part that stood out to me was the way they use masks. In the assigned reading for tomorrow's class it said that "actors would simply change masks and could appear" as many different roles in the same play. Each mask is designed to give off a different impression. The mask served to transform the person wearing the mask into another character altogether. The face is by far the most recognizable part of the body and so when we change the face, the person changes altogether. Change to another part of the body, such as the foot would hardly go unnoticed. In fact, many tragedies outfitted their actors all with the same pair of boots, regardless of their roles. "Tragic actors also wore special boots called cothurni or "buskins" in English. These low boots were generic foot coverings and anciently had neither a right foot or a left foot." It is remarkable to think about how much we depend on the face to tell us about a person, what he or she is saying and how he or she is feeling. Through our faces we have the opportunity to communicate who we really are. We have the ability to accurately portray our thoughts and feelings. We also can use our face to disguise our true identity and create a new character altogether, the same as what happened over and over again in Greek tragedy.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Epithets - How would Homer describe me?
An Epithet is a descriptive term that often accompanies a name. Many examples can be found in Greek literature such as Homer's Iliad. My task is to consider how I can be described using epithets.
John The Piano Man
-This one is really simple: I am a piano performance major and I play a lot of piano. I perform, I accompany, I play for the BYU Men's Chorus, I have even accompanied BYU ballet classes.
The Shumway Family Man
-I come from a family of 10 and my parents and 7 siblings mean everything to me. I am now married to my wife, Allison, the love of my life and we are starting a family of our own. She means everything to me and everything I do is so that we and our family can be happy.
Joao, Rapaz Brasileiro
-"Rapaz", in Portuguese, means young man and that is what my friends in Brazil often call me. Joao is John in Portuguese. I served my mission in Sao Paulo and have been back since then with my wife to visit friends there and see some other parts of Brazil, including Rio de Janeiro. We love it there and it has become a second home. I suggest this name for myself, though, because many Brazilians have told me that they often forget that I am American because of how naturally I seem to speak the language and fit into the Brazilian lifestyle.
John, Latter-Day Saint
-A saint is described as a "holy person", someone who serves God. Above all else in my life, this is the most important to me: my service to God. Of equal importance is the way my family serves God and comes closer to Him as a family unit. This is the plan that God has for each of us: that we serve Him in this life and make a habit of it. This is how we can be happy in the eternities.
John The Piano Man
-This one is really simple: I am a piano performance major and I play a lot of piano. I perform, I accompany, I play for the BYU Men's Chorus, I have even accompanied BYU ballet classes.
The Shumway Family Man
-I come from a family of 10 and my parents and 7 siblings mean everything to me. I am now married to my wife, Allison, the love of my life and we are starting a family of our own. She means everything to me and everything I do is so that we and our family can be happy.
Joao, Rapaz Brasileiro
-"Rapaz", in Portuguese, means young man and that is what my friends in Brazil often call me. Joao is John in Portuguese. I served my mission in Sao Paulo and have been back since then with my wife to visit friends there and see some other parts of Brazil, including Rio de Janeiro. We love it there and it has become a second home. I suggest this name for myself, though, because many Brazilians have told me that they often forget that I am American because of how naturally I seem to speak the language and fit into the Brazilian lifestyle.
John, Latter-Day Saint
-A saint is described as a "holy person", someone who serves God. Above all else in my life, this is the most important to me: my service to God. Of equal importance is the way my family serves God and comes closer to Him as a family unit. This is the plan that God has for each of us: that we serve Him in this life and make a habit of it. This is how we can be happy in the eternities.
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