pg. 72 Polynikes demanded to know which it was. Because if Ariston was afraid of him, then he was a coward. And if he wasn't, he was reckless and ignorant, which is even worse.
The training that these not even grown men was quite similar to the training we can put some adults through before the join the army. They give the people in training a dilemma, two equally unappealing sides of a question and they are required to answer it and get punished either way. It is a way of toughening up soldiers.
pg. 74 On it would go, into all-night shield drill which by mid second watch would have reduced the boys to involuntary regurgitation and defecation; they would be puking and shitting themselves, their bodies shattered utterly from exhaustion, and then, when the dawn sacrifices at last brought clemency and reprieve, the boys would fall in for another full day of training without a minute's sleep.
This is another example of the harsh training they would go through. The chapter is focusing around the training that they are going through and this could easily destroy a person from the inside, if not the outside. They are on the edge with no recent food or water, or even a minute to just sit down and rest after a long day of training. If this exercise routine goes on for too long, I would be very surprised if even the instructors made it out of this training regime alive.
pg. 115 That half of him, the best part, a man sets aside and leaves behind. He banishes from his heart all feeling of tenderness and mercy, all compassion and kindness, all thought or concept of the enemy as a man, a human being like himself.
This quote really strikes me as showing what exactly a warrior is in the eyes of the Spartans. They are pretty much bloodthirsty animals and stop showing mercy as they finally become a warrior. They lose a part of them that put them in with the rest of the towns and villages, they lost their common decency, and become killing machines. It is the reason that the Spartans can triumph over all others in battle, they push themselves to the human limit and beyond, and leave part of themselves behind.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Dialectic journals 4, 5, and 6
Pg. 21 All is the obverse of what it had been.
This reminds me of real life. When there is a panic, nobody cares if you were a rich land owner or a slave. You are all treated the same. Specifically later on when it says the adults became kids, this makes me think of when some adults see a celebrity, they turn into kids again and clamor to try to meet them and get an autograph or a hand-shake. People try to keep things in order, but when it comes down to it we are all humans on equal levels when our social levels get torn apart.
Pg. 23 Our city no longer existed. Not alone the physical site, the citizens, the walls and famrs. But the very spirit of our nation, the polis itself, that ideal of mind called Astakos that, yes, had been poorer than Megara or Epidauros or Olympia, but that existed as a city nonetheless. Our city, my city. Now it was effaced utterly. We who called ourselves Astakiots were effaced with it. Without a city, who were we? What were we?
This quote really strikes me. It shows not only how much material possesions effect ourselves, but effect relationships and overall how we think. Without the claim of a house or the claim on food and resources, they feel that they are nothing. They no longer that they really exist and that in a way, they all stopped existing, along with any relationships or any ties to what once lived in the village before it was attacked.
pg. 36 Because a warrior carries helmet and breastplate for his own protection, but his shield for the safety of the whole line.
The spartans would not punish one who did protect himself, but they were severe to anyone who would not protect others and endangered them all. This shows the spartans value individual lives, but will not go out to attack those who do not value their own lives and try to protect it. They have a sense of unity, but they will not force that on anyone. Just like the whipping the person chooses to train themself. The masters do not force anything on them though.
This reminds me of real life. When there is a panic, nobody cares if you were a rich land owner or a slave. You are all treated the same. Specifically later on when it says the adults became kids, this makes me think of when some adults see a celebrity, they turn into kids again and clamor to try to meet them and get an autograph or a hand-shake. People try to keep things in order, but when it comes down to it we are all humans on equal levels when our social levels get torn apart.
Pg. 23 Our city no longer existed. Not alone the physical site, the citizens, the walls and famrs. But the very spirit of our nation, the polis itself, that ideal of mind called Astakos that, yes, had been poorer than Megara or Epidauros or Olympia, but that existed as a city nonetheless. Our city, my city. Now it was effaced utterly. We who called ourselves Astakiots were effaced with it. Without a city, who were we? What were we?
This quote really strikes me. It shows not only how much material possesions effect ourselves, but effect relationships and overall how we think. Without the claim of a house or the claim on food and resources, they feel that they are nothing. They no longer that they really exist and that in a way, they all stopped existing, along with any relationships or any ties to what once lived in the village before it was attacked.
pg. 36 Because a warrior carries helmet and breastplate for his own protection, but his shield for the safety of the whole line.
The spartans would not punish one who did protect himself, but they were severe to anyone who would not protect others and endangered them all. This shows the spartans value individual lives, but will not go out to attack those who do not value their own lives and try to protect it. They have a sense of unity, but they will not force that on anyone. Just like the whipping the person chooses to train themself. The masters do not force anything on them though.
Friday, October 10, 2008
2 Blog posts: part 2
My dad had always been there for me. He was always helped me when I was hurt and was also there when I was happy. He has always helped me whenever I asked for his help and even when I didn't. He is a great dad.
2 Blog posts: part 1
This is a picture of Illidan the betrayer. I like this photo not only because it is epic, but because of the light it shows Illidan in. This photo shows what Illidan is really like, because of the way he stands on top of the jagged rock, showing himself to his followers epically. It also shows him as evil. Those holes in his wings and the light you can see coming from the red moon behind him all point to him being evil.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
LDW: Alliteration, Assonance, and Consonance
I secretly slept silently on the sofa until noon. After lunch I did my weekly jobs. I started by washing all the windows with Windex. I then cleaned my room a bit and sorted my cloths.
Then I worked on my Spanish project and put particularly putrid paper mache on my board. After I finished it was night and I ate some absolutely appetizing chicken at Anthonys. Afterwords I posted a perfect post on my prodigious blog.
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