Greek City-States Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Greek City-States - Research Paper Example The size of the city states varied. While some consisted of few square miles, there are some consisting of over 100 square miles. The large city states formed through the consolidation of several cities. For example, the territory of Attica which earlier had 12 city-states became a single city state of Athens. By fifth century BC, it had a population of 250000. But most city states had population of few thousands only. The word politics is derived from the Greek word Polis. For the Greeks, the polis was not only a political institution, but it was a community of persons in which all political, economic, social, cultural and religious activities are focused (Spielvogel). The people in the city state consisted of citizens with political rights, citizens without political rights and non citizens. In the city state, women and children had no political rights. Slaves were not considered as citizens. All citizens of the polis had rights and responsibilities. According to Aristotle, the fat her of Political Science, every citizen must consider himself as belonging to the state. He emphasised on the unity of the people and believed that the state should take the initiative to direct the life of the community. This patriotism however brought distrust among the various city states that ultimate resulted in its ruin. In fact, Greece was not a politically united country. There was no central government in ancient Greece. It mainly denotes the geographical location only (Ancient Greek City-States ). War was an integral part of Greek way of life. According to the great Greek philosopher Plato, war exists by nature between every Greek city state. The tradition of warfare developed by Greeks became part of western civilisation. They possessed excellent weapons and made use of technological advancements. A large number of citizens were solders. They were interested in discipline and receiving training. This gave the Greek army an edge over the opponents’ larger armies. Th ey had a willingness to engage the enemy directly and thus the battle ends quickly with fewer casualties. They also demonstrated the effectiveness of heavy infantry. Colonisation Another major development during 750 BC and 550 BC was the expansion of Greece and growth of trade. Over population, hunger, poverty, growth of trade etc. forced many Greeks to leave their homeland and settle in distant parts. Most of them settled inn fertile agricultural lad taken from native population. Each colony was established as a polis and was independent of the mother polis (metropolis). The Greek settlements in Western part of Mediterranean included cities of Tarentum (Taranto) and Neapolis (Naples). Many Greek communities established in Italy who were later called Magna Graecia by the Romans. Syracuse, another city found by the Corinth was important. Greeks also established in southern France, Northern Africa and Western Egypt. The Greeks also established on the banks of black sea, most important being Byzantium. By establishing a trading post in Egypt, Greeks also got access to the culture and goods from the East. Results of colonisation Greek settlements in different places resulted in spreading Greek culture throughout Mediterranean region. The Romans had first contacts with Greece through settlements in south Italy. It also helped in developing a Greek identity. The Greek communities before the 8 century had isolated life. When they went abroad and confronted people

Ads and Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ads and Media - Essay Example There is a dire need to include more ethnic groups in broad media and bring them to the forefront in order to give them greater opportunity in professional and other aspects. The media that is portrayed to the broader audience is usually the least ethnically diverse and covers less of their lives and there are only the stereotypical caste members. Mostly in America, during the hours in which people view television the most is the time in which very skewed caste members and limited types of shows are aired, building the perception in children from a very young age as to what constitutes an important caste and which caste is subordinate, when that should not be the case. In 1998 the role of ethnic minorities, such as African Americans, Native Americans and Hispanics actually declines when their visibility should actually have increased over the years. Narrowcasting to an ethnic minority about their group of people doesn’t make other groups aware of their potential and their life style, and doesn’t bring about the sensitization that is necessary for a harmonized media and a harmonized world (J.E. 2005)) Media just focuses on the glamor and luster; they prefer to show the downtrodden as downtrodden in broader mediums such as television and print rather than reality, because they want to carry on with the stereotypical images that were set years ago. But the world is becoming more globalized today, and different media gets across different channels and to different groups of people; therefore media should become more ethnically diverse as well. Broadcasting should be done on matters that can relate to all kinds of people and not just relating to one caste or creed. Even though most people have their own judgments, and have become to realize the true face of media, it is nevertheless the only means of communication with the mass and thus can be influential whether it portrays a good image or a bad image. And for those whose only means of news is the medi a, their life concepts would be built around what the media portrays; for example in those cultures with lesser opportunity, and only access to a television, media is all what they believe in, and if Americans are seen as being an assertive race or the Iraqis as being Taliban, animosity is built through the media by casting to a smaller audience. Ethnic media is broadcasted in some societies and it helps in preventing isolation and keeping the language and cultures alive and this helps bring about change and is essential to a healthy society. News media which caters to a broader audience, also gives a voice to members of society and so if only the majorities are represented, the minorities lose out their voice on this medium as well. It also eliminates the top down approach and connects all cultures on a horizontal plane, thus reducing ambiguity and hostility. However, even the news can create dissent among racial groups rather than community (European Research Centre on Migration a nd Ethnic Relations 2002). U.S residents get majority of their information from ethnic media. There are multilingual polls, and there is a preference among people to view ethnic media and even those who preferred mainstream media have reverted to ethnic media. However, the consumers of this media were usually minorities, so this doesn’t represent the mainstream media channels, be it television, radio or newspapers (Lalley 2005). Most sources do not believe that ethnic minorities are given adequate representation in mainstream media; and even if they are, it is inaccurate and doesn’t give a true picture. Therefore it is important that they are not only represented on this platform which will help them communicate better and