Rome Vs America

by OchoCinco85

I do not think that America is the new Rome. After talking about it a bunch in class, I realized that although there are a few similarities between America and Rome, there are more differences which make me think that America is not the new Rome. The future of the United States is fine and I do not think we will have a sudden decline and collapse like the Romans. A huge difference between Rome and America as the “leaders” of the world is that Rome was in this position for over a thousand years, where America has only been in this situation for less than 100 years. There are also many other reasons, which show that America is not the new Rome. The education in America is not ranked at the top of the world, and countries such as Finland, South Korea, China, Japan, and Singapore all have education systems, which are ranked higher than Americas. However, America has the highest student debt in the world, which shows that even though we are spending the most money on education, we are not getting the best education. This is very different from Rome because they had the best education and didn’t have to sacrifice the amount of money that our students do. Our national infrastructure is also average in terms of global infrastructure. The bridges and roads in America are not advanced and our equipment is not the best in the world. The healthcare in America is the most expensive in the world, but it is average in comparison to the rest of the world. The political corruption that America faces is led by the money put into the different political parties and candidates. Usually, money can take you a long way in the world of politics. Politics were very different between Rome and America. A Republic led Rome’s politics, and the power was in the hands of a small percentage of the people who were educated and wealthy. America has a democracy, and every citizen has a say in the politics. The social equality was another massive difference between Rome and America. In Rome the huge gap between successful people and failed people was obvious, whereas in America the gap is much less. Entrepreneurs in America are accepted and supported, where in Rome people with these types of ideas were not supported.

I’m Coming Home

by OchoCinco85

The homecomings of soldiers from combat has been something that we have looked a lot at in class. Once a soldier has done all of his time, and comes back to the normal world, it is normally not a smooth return home. Although people would assume everyone is going to be excited for the return of their loved one, the marriage of many of the homecomings we have studied do not always work out. In “Tips for a Smooth Transition,” Evie has a very tough time with her husband, Colin’s homecoming. This goes to show that its not always the soldier who has the hard time adjusting to the new world, because Evie was the wife of a soldier. Their relationship is very awkward due to the separation during Colin’s deployment. In Hawaii, they want to do completely different things, and Chris’s experiences in combat make him fearless in the real world. This attitude really bothers Evie when Chris jumps into the water, which was infested with sharks. Overall, none of the “transitions” went that well, Colin had to transition from a warrior to a husband, and a soldier to a civilian. On the other hand, Evie had to transition from an independent women to a “wife”. The absurd expectations of everything being completely back to normal from when Colin left is obviously not realistic, and the awkwardness and lack of communication is clear. In the end of “The Hurt Locker,” Sergeant First Class William James is not entertained when he returns home. His job was to dissemble bombs which was a very stressful job, however when he returns home to normal civilization he seems bored and wants to, and eventually does go back to the war. This is all the contemporary world’s homecomings, however in Odysseus’s homecoming, which was the classical past, his situation was much different. Odysseus had to dress up and pretends to be someone else when he returned home from his 20-year absence. The key line that makes Penelope realize it is actually Odysseus is when he yells at her about moving the bed. The homecoming in the classical past was more of a dramatic realization of if Odysseus was even Penelope’s wife, but after this the homecoming was much smoother than the contemporary world homecomings we studied.

Hector The Rejector

by OchoCinco85

Throughout the two readings, Hector has been pretty busy playing different roles. In the first reading, Iliad book 6, lines 462-600, Hector plays the role of a father and spouse. His wife is Andromache, who is warm and generous. He also plays the role of a supporting husband when his wife, Andromache, starts complaining to him. She says, “And the seven brothers I had within our halls… all in the same day went down to the House of Death, the great godlike runner Achilles butchered them all, tending their shambling oxen, shining flocks.” (Lines 422-425). Here, Hectors wife is describing how her siblings were brutally murdered by Achilles, the “rival” of Hector. Obviously this does not sit well with Hector, especially when his wife talks about how Hector is the only thing she has left, “You Hector- you are my father now, my noble mother, a brother too, and you are my husband, young and warm and strong! Pity me please! Take your stand on the rampart here, before you orphan your son and make your wife a widow.” It is clear that his wife does not want him to die, which would make herself a widow, and the only thing in her life that is left would be gone. However, this sad speech by his wife does not change Hectors opinion, he will not be a coward. On the other hand, in book 22, lines 90-134, we see the hesitation from Hector. He seems pretty scared, and thinks that Achilles is going to kill him in a brutal way. Overall, the various roles that Hector plays in the Iliad is pretty interesting and shows that characters in this ancient society are not single minded, but can play various roles throughout their lives.

Similarities and differences

by OchoCinco85

After reading “Base Details”, by Siegfried Sassoon, the quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles, and watching Paths of Glory, it was clear that there are several similarities and differences in military leadership. In “Base Details”, the scarlet Majors live luxuriously, and are fat because of all the food they eat. Their faces are red from how much they are screaming at the “glum hero’s”, who they are just sending off to get killed. They stay in the best hotel and are considered to be REMF’s. These men are higher in power, and call the shots, but do not go into combat and stay safely in the back. This is the same in Paths of Glory, how Mireau has all the power, but is no where near the actual fighting. He is safe and sound with no bullets coming his way. Both of these leaders are REMF’s and stay away from any action. This is also similar to Agamemnon, who stays in the back during battle. Achilles accuses Agamemnon of being a coward, and says, “Staggering drunk, with your dog’s eyes, your fawn’s heart! Never once did you arm with the troops and go to battle or risk an ambush packed with Achaea’s picked men- You lack the courage, you can see death coming.” (line 226). This is a great connection to both Paths of Glory, and Base Details, because in all three there is a leader who stays very far away from the action, and demonstrates cowardly characteristics, and each of the three do not lead by example. In all three pieces, there is someone who complains about this type of leadership. The narrator of Base Details is clearly annoyed with this technique of leading, as is Dax when he refuses Mireau’s suicide mission. Achilles is the one who calls out Agamemnon and calls him a coward, a drunk and a dog.

However, there are clearly differences between the three pieces as well. In Base Details, there is no real confrontation because of this leadership. The narrator keeps it to himself and writes a poem about it. In The Iliad, Achilles takes it to the next level and actually verbally confronts Agamemnon and tells him what he is doing wrong. Finally, in Paths of Glory, Dax physically confronts Mireau by refusing to carry out with the mission, which was the most dramatic of the three.

Overall there are tons of similarities and differences in these three pieces, but the stories all involve some sort of confrontation over poor leadership.