Review the chart on page 72 in the textbook that compares the cultures of Athens and Sparta. In which society would you rather live? Why?
HELPFUL HINTS:
The really tough thing to do this week, is to step outside of our modern American world and consider what life was like in ancient Greece. What we have today, our freedoms, opportunities, and belief systems have evolved over time, and yet, the question is asking you to make a judgement call of a single “snap-shot” in time. This will be difficult, and there is no absolute right or wrong answer. A good answer backs up your position(s) with facts (that means doing some digging around on the Internet perhaps). A not-so-good answer will just say, “I believe… or I think…” without any background material to substantiate.
Try thinking about immediate vs. long-term effects of each form of government.
Try thinking about other people within the society, like parents, spouses, siblings, children, male vs. female.
Try thinking about the rich versus poor versus slave citizens.
Try thinking about living under patriarchal rule, both Sparta and Athens were patriarchal.
Try thinking about what the ownership of property really means, and why many cultures do not subscribe to the concept of personal property like we do in the U.S.A.
Try thinking about what is education? Is it only formal, or is there informal education? Would education in Ancient Greece look anything like what we have today?
