Histroy 101 Western Civ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Histroy 101 Western Civ - Essay Example Athens as a democratic state was much emphasized during the 4th century BC although many historical documents have shown that democracy as a way of life was very much practiced as early as 5 B.C. The word Demos connotes two important things for Athenians- â€Å"village† and â€Å"people†. Village was the smallest unit of government at that time. People belonged to a certain village; in fact, men who are at least 18 years of age could participate in the Assembly. The Assembly was attended by anyone from the village that wants to have their voice heard. This included Demosthenes who tirelessly rebukes citizens to recall certain events since the people were always present in such Assembly (Blackwell, 2003, p6). It was of grave importance to always attend to the concerns being discussed during the said meeting. The characteristics of such a meeting showed the democratic ideals of Athens. First, anyone can speak regardless of trade or position in society, especially if the i ssue at hand is about governance. For other concerns that needed specialized knowledge, a craftsman is called forth to shed opinion on such matters (Blackwell, p7). These rules during an assembly imply that democracy was highly-valued and actively practiced. Democracy is not just a lofty ideal since it was practiced by the citizens. The assembly just shows how wealth is considered inferior to the democratic rights of its citizens (Lewis and Lewis,p.219). The practice of democracy was further heightened by Pericles during 460 B.C. Previously, public officials were appointed based on wealth or birth status. Such criteria for public office were promulgated by Solon or Cleisthenes. Pericles made the selection more democratic by allowing patrons to represent slaves and resident aliens, which is referred to as equality of opportunity. Although such practice earned criticism of historians since they believed it promoted â€Å"aristocracy†, the important to consider was the fact that representatives were chosen based on merit. Merit does not include wealth nor birth status which allowed men from all walks of life to have a say in matters of the state. This philosophy of Pericles is again an example of how democratic ideals permeated the political structure and governance of Athens. Interestingly, art became a willing medium of democratic ideals for this civilization. The assembly provided enough fodder for playwrights to create plays that can be considered political satire. In the same manner, the epic Iliad which is a gory depiction of battles is also said to have an underlying tone of political satire. According to Stewart, The Battle Between Frogs and The Mice is actually a satire with a pacifist theme. Again, the relevance of political satire when it comes to democratic ideals is that such art forms express how vigilant Athenians are over issues that concern their homeland. Pacifism is a philosophy adhered to by Athenians for they were not men of war like S partans. Although critics may disagree with such stand, this emphasizes to students of history that this society respected the opinion of its citizens. Lastly, the choir setting in Greek plays also demonstrates the ideals of democracy in Athens. Studies relating performing arts assert that â€Å"Performance reflects, encodes cultural models† (Goldhill and Osborne, 27). Democracy is expressed by the choir’

The Daily Life of a President Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Daily Life of a President - Research Paper Example Job of a president includes â€Å"chairing meetings, setting agendas, appointing committees and assuring their proper functioning, and supervising the board administrator† (Stafford). What to talk of the meals, even the breakfast of a president is hardly ever taken in a private setting. Quite often, the president has to attend breakfast out of the house. Such news are typical of a president; â€Å"Georgian College  employees are invited to attend a  President’s Breakfast  at the  Barrie, Midland, Orillia  andOwen Sound  campuses† (â€Å"Have Breakfast†). Almost every day, the president has to deal with unforeseen matters and be present beyond the office time to make decisions of national and international significance. This practically involves the president in the job mentally, if not physically for full 24 hours because most presidents can not escape their job even in their dreams. The day of a president starts with the personal secretaryâ₠¬â„¢s report, who does the night duty to make note of all news, calls and messages for the president that may arrive in the night while the president is sleeping. While he is delivered a glassful of fresh juice or bed-tea as may liked by the president in the bed, the personal secretary narrates the report and the two discuss how to modify the schedule to incorporate the changes. The secretary also confirms the numbers of flights, time of flights. He also checks if the pre-departure arrangements have been made to all local and abroad tours. The president has breakfast with the family, if he is spared the opportunity by the local ministers, government officials or foreign ministers. A heavy breakfast acquaints the president with all the energy that is required during the day. After the breakfast, the president sets off to make guest appearance at some school, hospital or conference. He may or may not accompany his wife with him on such visits. In a vast majority of cases, presidents t ake their wives along with them to the opening ceremonies. On his way to the ceremony or conference, the president tends to take a preliminary in-sight to the speech prepared for him by the personal speech-maker. Most presidents appoint a person with exceptional vocal skills for this purpose. The speech is hardly ever read completely and thoroughly by the presidents as they are so many and have to be made at quite a lot of places on a daily basis. Occasionally, a president may experience difficulty reading a speech if the words are printed wrongly. The president’s visit adds tones to the importance of a ceremony and it is brought in the lime-light. The president may be offered buffet at the location of ceremony for lunch. After the ceremony, the president proceeds towards the press-conference for clarifying public’s doubts over the enforcement of recent alterations in the rules and regulations. A president takes the press-conference as an opportunity to clarify the con fusions that may have cultivated in the minds of the public and the media from time to time and satisfy their queries. Press-conference is a very challenging event for a president because he has to live answer the most critical questions openly raised by media’s representatives. To make it worse, the whole session is telecast live and each and every emotion of the president is recorded. In order to gain public’