Kristy Sar
10/29/15
Debate, Brown
Persuasive Speech Outline
Topic: National Treasures Should Be Returned To Their Country of Origin
Specific Purpose: To persuade the audience to believe that stolen artifacts should be returned.
1. Introduction
A. 2 Rhetorical Questions
1. Would you like it if someone came to your house and stole your valuable belongings?
i. I know I wouldn 't, and I 'm sure none of you would either.
2. So why should any country 's artifact - a valuable belonging of theirs, be put up for display in another country 's museum? Specifically, ones that were stolen.
B. Comparative example to understand perspective
i. Imagine the Declaration of Independence or Abraham Lincoln 's casket being stolen and perhaps sold in the black
…show more content…
2. The marbles are masterpieces of classical Greek sculpture that were removed from the Parthenon in Athens in 1801 by Lord Elgin, a Scottish nobleman and diplomat, who later sold them to the British Museum in 1816. (Downs, J.)
3. As with the Rosetta Stone, Britain has consistently refused to return the marbles to Greece due to the British Museum Act, a law passed in 1963 that forbids the removal of collections within the museum.
C. Babysitting
1. Museums claim that the artifacts they house are in better hands because they have the means to keep it safe and properly maintain it.
i. However, this reason no applies as we are now in an age where countries that were once unable to care for their artifacts, now can.
2. Another comparative example to understand perspective
i. We take care of one another’s’ children whose families are in trouble. But, we do not refuse to return the child to their parents because that would be kidnapping and therefore illegal.
D. Attempt in pressuring Great Britain to return marbles
1. During the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece attempted to pressure Great Britain for the return of the displaced marbles by announcing the building a brand new museum for them, the Acropolis Museum. Greece also announced pollution control measures installed have reduced sulphur dioxide levels in the city to a fifth of their previous
…show more content…
Profit
1. At least Germany was honest in their reasoning with keeping Nefertiti’s bust. Countries like Germany and Great Britain have no right in continuing making profit off of other countries ' stolen treasure. They should return its stolen artifacts, and instead, thank the countries for being able to have made money off of what was not rightfully theirs to begin with. Basically, these countries not only stole artifacts, but large amounts of money that should have been made by the artifacts ' countries themselves.
III. Conclusion
A. Review/Clincher.
1. Cultural treasures should be displayed in the context in which they originated; only then can they be truly understood. In the case of the Elgin marbles this is an architectural context which only proximity to the Parthenon itself can provide.
2. If countries were truly interested in studying another 's artifacts, they could then borrow the artifacts on a long-term loan – an alternative solution.
3. Lastly, if you were also interested in archaeology, you wouldn 't want to have to visit a number of museums all across the world just to see objects from one civilization, would you?
i. Wouldn 't it be nice if all Egyptian artifacts were housed in Egypt, all Greek artifacts housed in Greece, and all other artifacts housed in their
Artifacts that are found in a country should stay in that country so it don’t get lost or broken. I think that if the artifact is in the museum then it needs to stay in one place so the object doesn't get tossed around and gets broken. If the artifact breaks then that is a part of history that is gone forever and it will not be here for us to learn about. I feel like if the artifact was found in a certain country then it needs to be stored in its own countries’ museums.
From what I learned from the past assigned readings and class discussions, one of the difficult decisions that museums have to make is do they return their objects/artifacts back to their original countries or cultural group. This issue is an ethical dilemma because, would it be the museum to legally keep the objects because of their belief that they can protect and use these items (Warren 1999: 1-20). Or, would it be ethical for the museum to return the items that were previously removed from their country or place of origin. Based on my lecture notes and discussion for this week’s class, one of the ways which many countries and cultural groups are able to acquire back their objects/artifacts legally is through the process of restitution and
Therefore, the Greece government demands for their Elgin Marbles or the Parthenon Sculptures to be send back to their rightful home, Greece. In the modern days the argument has arisen about weather or not they should return the Elgin Marbles to Greece? In my opinion, I think that it should remain
Most countries will buy stolen merchandise knowingly, considering they are selfish and only think about improving their country. Many countries do not think about the losses of other countries. For example,if the United States loss something really important many people would want to fight to find their countries prize possession.As mentioned in “Bring Them Home,”Egypt’s invaluable burial mask was stolen and purchased at a museum in St.Louis.In modern time,people are jailed for receiving stolen merchandise;maybe some museums need to be shut down for not returning looted
The controversy began almost one hundred years ago. Between 1801 and 1812, Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin and British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, removed several sculptures from the Parthenon in Athens and shipped them to England, where he sold them to the British Museum in 1816. 167 years later, Melina Mercouri, Greek Minister of Culture, requested that the “Elgin” Marbles be returned. This request sparked one of the greatest debates the art world has ever known. For the past two decades, people have argued over who has the rights to these Marbles. The Greek position is certainly understandable from a cultural and emotional point of view. However, from the standpoint of
For obvious reasons, preservation of the marbles takes priority to both the Greek and the British. Integrity and distribution rely on the preservation of the marbles, therefore everyone
Historic treasures and artifacts are often donated to or purchased by other nations to place in their museums. Often museums are given the objects with full cooperation from the originating country, but sometimes they are stolen or given for protection such as in a time of war. When nations want the artifacts returned it can cause a disagreement with the other nations of who the rightful owner is.
More evidence is shown in the passage, “A Case in Antiquities for ‘Finders Keepers’” paragraph 15, “Scientist and curators have generally supported the laws passed in recent decades giving countries ownership of ancient ‘cultural property’ discovered within their borders.” This evidence shows that some people like travelers are on a mission to discover something new and if they find an ancient objects from the past they should have the right to bring it back and spread this cultural religion and ancient artifact. Lastly, evidence is shown in the passage, “Vision of home: Repatriated Works Back in Their Countries of Origin” paragraph 2 and 3, “The Getty, which had bought the statue in 1988 for $18 million, returned it to Italy in 2011 after Italian prosecutors found that it had been
Since 1983, after the transition from Post-Civil War Greece to the Modern Day Democratic Greece, the Greek Government has demanded the return of its ancient Parthenon Sculptures from the British Museum in London. After Greece regained its independence and government, it has demanded for the stolen statues to be returned to Greece so they can be united with the rest of the Parthenon and the Acropolis. Not only this, but the Greeks put the legality of the British’s taking of the statues under question, stating it was through secrecy and conspiracy this was achieved. The British argue that under law, they legally bought the statues from the Ottomans (The then rulers of Greece) in 1811 with Lord Elgin. Not only this, but they state that they wish to preserve the statues in London, to showcase to the world mankind’s greatest achievements. While both sides offer valid and tenacious arguments,
The Parthenon is located on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece; is a former temple which was dedicated to Greek goddess Athena, whom the Athens considered their leader. According to the British Museum (2015), The Parthenon was built nearly 2500 years ago and has a long and complex history. After thousands of years it became a church of the Virgin Mary of the Athenians, then a mosque and then finally resulted in a archaeological ruin. After the result of a ruin, the buildings were reformed in which various sculptures were damaged. During the 1800’s after the Parthenon being damaged, the Elgin marbles (Elgin) a part of the remaining sculpture, was removed and given to a British museum. For hundreds of years there has been a question if the British museum should return the Elgin marbles back to the Athenians or not. I believe that that the safest and most beneficial place for the Elgin marbles is the British museum, therefore the British should not return the marble to the Athenians.
One of the most well-known components of the Parthenon are the enormously beautiful and important marble sculptures that were placed in the pediment of the monument. These marbles are shrouded in controversy as to whom they belong: Greece or Britain. These marble sculptures were removed between 1801 and 1812 in order to protect them from possible destruction caused by the war between the Grecians and the Venetians, taken to Britain for refuge by the Earl of Elgin, and sold to the British Museum to be displayed. John Henry Merryman discusses his view on the issue of the ownership of marbles by presenting two main points and the validity of both sides. One aspect of his examination revolves around the legality of the removal of these sculptures.
After reading your article about the Parthenon Marbles, I felt like I was reading my article, except that yours is put together more eloquently. I completely concur with you regarding how the British might have a “legal” claim on the marbles, but these marbles, as you put it, “belong where they came from”. Therefore, I also believe that they should be returned to Greece, no matter what the British claim regarding their “ownership”.
Ancient artifacts are the symbols of human civilization. All of them are priceless and cannot be measured by currency value. Repatriate is a controversial problem because of the various reasons. For instance, the aggressor took all of the captures back to their home countries and showed them to the public, during the war. Voyagers took other countries’ artifact to prove they had been in that place. Archeologists, anthropologists, and scientists took the antiquities back to their university for research. Politicians used the regulation to move away a relic as decrease the power of a competitor. Thieves had stolen someone’s important items or expensive objects in a tomb in order to sell to the private collectors. It can’t be right to steal the items that belong to other people. When the owner found out the items were stolen, and then they hoped they could get them back. That was how repatriated started. Some antiquities were transported to the country that they do not belong to. Thus, there are some people think those ancient artifacts should be returned to the original country because it involves moral issues. However, some people think they shouldn’t be returned because they are the spoils of the wars. Most antiquities were looted from other places, which are showed in the museum. So which countries do they belong to? However, In my opinion, museums don’t have to return the antiquities to the original
Located on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, the Parthenon is the most famous and most important piece of architecture in Greece. Standing in ruins as a former temple dedicated to the Greek Goddess of wisdom, Athena, the Parthenon has held the most important sculptures made by the Greeks. During the 1800s, when Greece was under the control of the Ottomans, sculptures from the Parthenon were sent to Britain by Lord Elgin for safe protection. The Parthenon Marbles have since then never been returned to the Greeks. The sculptures, currently housed in the British Museum in London, should be returned to their homeland because they are part of Greece’s culture, they have a safe home ready for them in the Acropolis Museum, they are not being cared for as they should, it would most likely boost the economy, and the English did not have the right to take them in the first place.
As I mentioned, this is an extremely controversial topic that has raised a lot of difference in opinions. Furthermore, I must admit that those arguing for the sculptures to remain in Britain do make some interesting points that plenty of people have taken into consideration. One of their arguments is that the sculptures were already in a damaged and fragile condition, and leaving them in Greece would have destroyed them completely (‘The Parthenon Marbles: Refuting the Arguments”, par 6). In the YouTube video, “Parthenon Marbles Debate ", one of Tristam Hunt’s arguments is if the Greeks are able to acquire their historic artwork, this may cause other countries to demand their historic artifacts as well, not just from the British Museum, but from museums all over the world as well. I can see the counter arguments that this controversy issue involves. However, regardless of whether they were in a horrible condition, the Greeks were never consulted, nor did they have a say regarding the selling of this artwork to Elgin. Now, when it comes to everyone claiming and demanding they receive their ancient artwork, like historian Hunt said; this is true. It can happen, but I don't believe that any other artifacts have the amount of significance that these sculptures do. The Greeks worked their hearts