Book Review: Courtesans and Fishcakes

“In generosity, we are equally singular, acquiring our friends by conferring, not by receiving, favours” (Thucydides). The claimed kind, favor oriented nature of Athens shown here must have been a point of pride for the people. It contrasts against the militaristic nature of the Spartans and the Persian Empire. This line earned praise from Pericles’ audience not because of his Athenian audience, but because of the honor it gave to the fallen Athenian soldiers. At this point, Pericles concludes his glorification of Athenian culture. “In short, I say that as a city we are the school of Hellas (Greece), while I doubt if the world can produce a man, who where he has only himself to depend upon, is equal to so many emergencies, and graced by so happy a versatility, as the Athenian. And that this is no mere boast thrown out for the occasion, but plain matter of fact, the power of the state acquired by these habits proves” (Thucydides). Pericles ties all of his compliments together as if they were all one logical argument explaining Athenian superiority. His final word on the topic was not a simple boast. He proved it with all of his speech so far. Finally, Pericles holds authority and credibility in Athens as a

Many people in today’s world view bars as a rather social place (“Bars and Clubs”). The article indicates that people use bars to hang out with friends, meet new people, or just be part of a lively atmosphere. If this is true, how does alcoholism lead to segregation? Sadly, being an alcoholic does not mean you will always be the life of the party. As seen in The Glass Castle, Rex’s alcoholism causes the segregation of not just him, but his entire family. For example, while the family is living in Welch, one of the men at the bar offers to give Jeannette and Rex a ride home. While in the car, the man says to Jeannette, “For the daughter of the town drunk, you sure got big plans,” (Walls 183). This quote expertly shows the severity of the Rex’s segregation. Even among fellow drinkers, Rex is singled out for his alcoholism. His addiction is so strong that he is looked down upon by the others and labeled as the town drunk. This quote also shows how the children receive the brunt of Rex’s alcoholism. Because Rex spends his days drinking and passing out in bars, everyone expects that the children will be no better than he is. Another example of Rex’s alcoholism causing their segregation occurs when Jeannette is kicked out of the town pool by a boy named Ernie Goad. As Jeannette described him, “Ernie Goad was a pug-nosed, thick-necked kid who had little eyes set practically on the sides of his head, like a whale. He

Liquor became a very popular substance in this time period and people began to see that drunkenness from over drinking was tearing families apart. According to Document H, there was 9 steps of drinking called, "The Drunkard's Progress". What the artist is trying to portray is that drinking is bad if it gets out of hand. One or two drinks is good but once a person reaches 3 to 4 it is hard to stop continuing. Drinking in moderation was not the problem, it was an overdose of alcohol and recklessness of the individual that caused the problem.

This allowed the men to “disavow responsibility for their erotic adventure.” In other words, it was customary for men who engaged with courtesans to behave as though they were submitting to the inevitable, and for courtesans to be the dominant ones in the relationship. Poppea, the courtesan, must behave, according to social norms, as though she is dominant to Nerone. Now that the socio-historical context of this unusual power hierarchy has been explored, it is possible to explore, in an informed manner, the musicals means by which it is expressed.

Men who when stark sober could “let themselves go”, men who were in dread of convention, were utterly different beings when they drank. For alcohol made most men bold. Most timid men like the feeling of boldness (Anonymous 122). As depicted in both stories, alcohol can be used as a tool to help people break out of their shell and discover traits that they never knew existed.

The overview of taverns and drinking and their great impact on daily life is obvious in the evidence and narration Salinger provides. She uses a journal written by Thomas Jefferson to explain how deeply entrenched in their daily lives taverns and drinking were: “Thomas Jefferson noted with alarm that cheap distilled spirits were “spreading through the mass of our citizens,” yet he is credited with inventing the presidential cocktail party”(3). Despite any negativity surrounding drinking, its growth in popularity was unstoppable. She also adds the fact that ‘water was considered an unsafe beverage’, which partially explains the reason for alcohol’s rise to popularity and appearance in the daily lives of early Americans. This increase in drinking also lead to the tavern culture and the need to regulate it, which brings in the lawmaking side.

One major movement in the 19th century that grew from the Second Great Awakening was the Temperance Movement, a movement that would later lead to the 18th amendment which prohibited the sale and brewing of alcohol and ushered in the Prohibition Era. According to Lyman Beecher, in his sermon “A Reformation of Morals Practicable and Indispensable,” the excessive drinking of alcohol “will produce neither bodies nor minds like those which were the offspring of temperance and virtue.” This statement regarding temperance is just a small part of his larger viewpoint in the sermon, which focused on how we as Americans need to return to a more faithful society(Doc 1)(POV). This message would echo through the United States and turn many people against alcohol. In John Warner Barber’s “The Drunkard’s Progress, or the direct road to poverty, wretchedness & ruin,” Barber is depicting to families of possible drunkards the downward spiral of alcohol addiction that is most likely occurring in their households. Barber uses bible

Homer’s the Odyssey is an Epic poem written in the 8th Century BCE (the ‘dark ages’ of Greece / the geometric period). Euripides’ Trojan Women was written in 415 BCE, after the great plague of Athens and the rise of sophistry. Both were written in Mycenaean Greece, and inspired by events of the fabled 12th Century Trojan War. Homer’s purpose was to record the events, and provide entertainment for audiences in an oratory form. Euripides wrote a play, intended to be performed for Athenian men, in a competition.

In Chapter 1, the author assesses the unique and eternal achievements of 5th century BCE Athenian culture. She introduces several basic dichotomies that define her understanding of the writers and events of the period in the later chapters.

Till 1827, the idea of sobriety was practically non-existent in North-America . Taverns were open at all times of day and were a place of encounter for everyone – regardless of class, race and gender. Moreover, they facilitated ‘political negotiations, economic exchanges and interracial sociability . So, where did the idea of reducing alcohol consumption come from amid the booming socio-economic stability that taverns seemed to provide?

Alcohol-Related Windows on Simmel’s Social World by William J. Staudenmeier Jr. from the text, Illuminating Social Life, dives into the topic of alcohol and how its role in society can be directly reflected back to Simmel’s work. The text was introduced by explaining how alcohol has been a major influence throughout American history and how it has shaped the interactions of difference cultures, races and ethnicities by characterizing drinking as “conflict between coexisting value structures” (98). Simmel’s ideas about the core differences between dyads and triads was applied in the context of how group interaction significantly changed when the role of alcohol becomes a factor to socializing. Three different group stratifications can be seen

Studies concerning the lives of women in classical Athens have sparked much controversy because, despite the apparent fascination with femininity manifested in art and drama, we have no evidence voicing the opinions of the actual women themselves. This presents a

We can learn several things from the “Funeral Oration of Pericles“. Two of these things are, the Athenians respect for their warrior class and how the Athenians were exceedingly proud of their city and its customs. The Athenians respected the warrior class and placed them among the top members of their society. They were seen as the top portion of their classes. They are classified as heroes or idols. The Athenians are extremely proud of their city and its traditions. To the people of Athens their country was at the top and there was no other country that could top them off. The purpose of the funeral oration is not only to respect the departed but, but also to instill the citizen’s national pride and a passion to fight for Athens.

Generally, only aristocratic males with high education would attend these symposiums or these social gatherings but I had enough wit to engage in these activities with the aristocratic males. The men, and any woman smart enough to, conversed about specific topics, some recited poetry, and some even played music. After I met Pericles we began a courtship knowing that I was nothing more than a concubine to him he and I, were nothing more than scandalous rumors and attacks. The intellect that resided in my mind gave me great control over Pericles which was quite threatening to other Athenians, because of that Socrates held me upon a pedestal.

David Wiles uses comedies by Menander in order to display the roles of men and women in classical Athens. In his opinion, the female role can be broken into two subcategories concubines and undesirable vestal virgins. His main argument is that the modern definition of the word love was not found in antiquity marriages, and that prostitution often gave men the desires and companionship that they longed for. From the male perspective matrimony was just another form of property that reaped benefits, such as running a household and providing heirs, but did not provide companionship or fulfill desires.