Throughout our first month in Mrs. Whitley's english class, we have spent a majority of our time discussing ancient civilizations and the cultural values of the time. From Gilgamesh and the Mesopotamians to the Egyptians, we have continuously compared one era to another. All the talk about past societies made me realize that there are many parallels between those ancient times and the present
Another example is the pyramids which reflected the social ladder for the Egyptians. This can also be compared to our own society. For the Egyptians, the top of the pyramids represented the Pharaohs, the bottom represented the slaves and peasants, while the middle was the working class. Our current social ladder has almost the exact structure. The only difference is that instead of a Pharaoh at the top we have powerful CEO's and members of the government at the top.
We know that the past can teach us about the present and even our future. However, we rarely get to study the history of such ancient civilizations, we never get to notice how different or similar today's society is to the past. But since studying these different eras, I've been able to see some of the connections between the past and present.
Whoa!! :O Do you think we are still "stuck" in the past since there're probably more similarities than difference?
ReplyDeleteHistory really does repeat itself. From the beginning of time, the people who had the most land and money were the ones with the most power and influence on society. I don't see that idea ever changing.
ReplyDeleteNothing ever really changes eh? We still have the pyramid system going on to this day!
ReplyDeleteWow I totally agree with you it's crazy how nothing really changed
ReplyDeleteJaena makes an excellent point here - the past certainly can inform us about the present. The question is how do we use that to impact the future? Can we learn something from looking at the progression of history through its most lasting stories that can help us to navigate our own lives?
ReplyDeleteThis is truly an idea that has practically been engrained in our DNA, it's seem as though we need people to lead, the same way we all believe in some type of redeemer. I totally agree with your thought.
ReplyDeleteI agree Jaena. Nothing seems to have changed. Although there are advancements in science and technology our society's class pyramid is still the same. Maybe that's what makes the stories we read so interesting. They can be compared to our lives. Just like the Pastoral Poems that represented the simple desires of simple people , we could relate to those because we are simple people with desires. Literature connects to our lives so much and I definitely see that in English this year. Good Job Jaena.
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