View-Master jumpscares

                Today in Western Civilization we took our final test before finals on Christianity during the Pax Romana. I was digging around in my toy box, and found my dad’s old View-Master, which I brought to school with one of his Philadelphia Flyers discs in. Mr. Schick and some of the class thought it was cool, so I’m bringing it and the rest of the discs with me to class Tuesday next week (maybe on exam day?). The test was only a page long, and I unfortunately may have gotten an eighty-nine on it due to multiple misspellings and one wrong question. The one question I got wrong was the one about the date of Christianity becoming the official religion of Rome, which I’m pretty sure I answered with the date of the final Roman emperor coming into power. After everyone handed in their tests, Mr. Schick went over the answers (and the best worst answers, maybe we should add extra pages in the books Mr. Dannenfelser has for them). After that we had the rest of the period to do as we pleased. I would like to say this is the last blog I will write (At least for a long time) so if you didn’t read this slow enough to get enough enjoyment out of it, read it again (Thanks for a great year Mr. Schick).

The countdown begins...7 days of school left

                Today in Western Civilization we finished our PowerPoint on Christianity during the Pax Romana. First, we reviewed the slide about Constantine’s battle that was won after praying to the Christian God. Next, we went on to the slide about the Edict of Milan in 313 AD. After the battle that Constantine won in God’s name, Christianity is approved by him and gains in grows. In 380 AD, it becomes the official religion of Rome. After this begins the decline of the Roman Empire. The Roman military becomes too weak, as the land Rome controls is too large. The taxes become too high, trade is disrupted, and the gap between the rich and the poor increases. No one cares about public affairs, there is a lot of disloyalty, and a population decrease. Politically, there is a division of the Empire because Constantine had the capitol moved to Byzantine. The last Roman emperor is named Romulus Augustus, who rules in 476 AD and is only fourteen.

Confirmation rehearsal is today....whoooo....

Today we finished our presentation on Christianity during the Pax Romana. Christians were like the Jews, monotheistic, and were persecuted by the general population because of their religion. Christians could be persecuted through (from best to worst) exile, imprisonment, execution, crucifixion, burning, or being killed by wild animals. These were the physical punishments, however your business might be attacked or you might get kidnapped, if the Romans thought it was necessary. The Romans would not get in trouble for doing so, be it the government or someone off the streets. As things began to go wrong in the Empire, a scapegoat was needed, and Christianity was the perfect choice (Ironically, the term scapegoat is biblical in origin and the lamb is a highly valued symbol in Christianity). However Christianity kept growing for reasons such as: It embraced all people (the enslaved, men and women, and the poor), gave hope to the powerless, offered a personal relationship with God, and promised eternal life after death. Much later, in 312 AD, the emperor Constantine was going to fight a key battle. His wife convinced him to pray to the Christian God for victory, and he did. Constantine then saw a cross in the sky with the Greek words ‘Ev TouTw Nika,’ which means ‘In this sign conquer.’ Constantine then ordered his troops to put crosses on their shields. They then won the battle.

Saul=Paul

                Today in Western Civilization we continued our PowerPoint on Christianity during the Pax Romana. Jesus was one of many preachers, however he was different in a substantial way. Jesus was believed by his followers to be the Messiah, come to end the world and bring the faithful to the Kingdom of God. Jesus was considered to be human and divine, and was deemed a threat by the Roman government and crucified. His followers believed that he was Resurrected three days later and went to heaven. His apostles (close followers then started to spread His teachings). Christians began to be persecuted and killed for their beliefs, especially by Saul of Tarsus. Saul eventually had a conversion (not described here) and was rechristened Paul. Paul then spread Christianity and it’s teachings far and wide across the known Earth, and started new churches as well as keeping in contact with those churches through letters, now known as the Letters of St. Paul. Paul talked of pre-destination the most, and spread the message of Christianity farther than Jesus did, making him a major kick-starter of Christianity. Jews and Christians were monotheistic, they didn’t believe in Roman gods. This, combined with the way Jesus taught by empowering the lowly, made them prime candidates for persecution. During the early years of Christianity and Pax Romana, it was easy to spread word to different places, and the poor, desperate Romans were a receptive audience to these teachings.

Still an 88...

                Today in Western Civilization we went over our tests and started our next unit on Christianity during the Pax Romana. First, we got our tests back. Then we started going over the answers. Despite CJ’s beautiful reading of the answers, I think my Russian voice topped it. I got quite a few questions wrong, but even with Mr. Schick’s slight apology, I think the question about ‘an insane tyrant’ could have been worded a little better. Unfortunately, there were no mismarks on the quiz and I still have an eighty-eight. After going through the test Mr. Schick loaded up the PowerPoint for our next unit, Christianity during the Pax Romana. He started out by telling us about how the Republic, is gone and the Emperor has all the power, despite there being consuls and other governmental processes belying a Republic. Meanwhile, Jesus is starting Christianity, which we learn information about through the four gospels. Jesus was different from the other preachers because he taught about love and personal relationships with God. Jesus’ teachings, actions, and miracles also obviously had an effect on people, as Christianity is now a leading world religion.

I have an eight..... I have a nine..... HOOH...... eighty-nine!

                Today in Western Civilization we got out test grades while three of our classmates completed their tests because of being absence. I did not have any homework as of yet to complete because I got it all done the night before (and Western Civilization was the first class) so I sat on the floor next to Matt. Matt’s computer wasn’t working, so we messed around on mine. Eventually I had to get up because sitting on the floor doesn’t agree with me for some reason (my legs fall asleep) so I went back to my chair. Later, when Mr. Schick was done grading the tests that were done, I went up and got an eighty-eight (because it was impossible to get an eighty-nine) and sat back down. Later Mr. Schick approached me on an issue that he wanted to know about because I’m generally considered conservative. Mr. Schick wanted to know about the news coverage of President Trump’s private interactions with the Russians and how Fox News was covering it. My assumption was that Fox News was avoiding the issue, or if it was mentioned it wasn’t a prime story, just more of a notification. I looked it up and apparently a lot of Fox News is playing it down, ignoring it, or as Sean Hannity put it, saying it’s ‘fake news’. I was a little worried at first, however I did notice that the source of this information is CNN, a competing and left news organization, so I’m not exactly going to trust them one-hundred percent on not over-exaggerating.

My grandparents are here this week for my Confirmation. Not that it applies here, but I'm putting that out there since I can't think of a better title. (Record length title)

                Today in Western Civilization we had our test on Ancient Rome. I think the test was around fifty-six questions, but I’m not sure on that. Either way, I finished it pretty quickly for my normal test taking time. I can almost guarantee I’m not getting a one-hundred on this test, but I got most of the questions right. I’m not sure whether or not we reviewed how long it takes until a consul can run again (I thought they couldn’t come back, probably was ten years) and I couldn’t remember what modern-day Gaul was. Lastly, I also didn’t remember the name of the girl Sextus raped (didn’t have that in my notes, my fault). Otherwise, the test was easy. I felt like some of the answers for the different emperors’ section could have applied to multiple of the different statements listed, however I gave my best answers. After taking the test I finished reading Their Eyes Were Watching God for Mrs. Zurkowski’s class, and watched YouTube when the rest of the class was done with their test.

Finding Nero: A Pixar story

                Today in Western Civilization we did some review on our test for Friday and watched a little bit of the movie about Nero (Yay!). Mr. Schick did our Moment of Zen (I would like to mention, if everything we know is wrong, then wouldn’t that mean that the knowledge of knowing that everything is wrong is wrong?) and we proceeded with class. Mr. Schick then called random questions from his test and gave us a general idea of what some of the questions are about. Normally we would have the review day on the day before the test, however we don’t have class tomorrow so I get an extra day to study for the test. After Mr. Schick exhausted his stack of questions for the test, we watched the beginning of the video. The beginning immediately goes into Rome burning, while super stressed-out Nero tries to do what he can (not much) to help the people. After the city burns, Nero’s advisor tells him to rule like the gods would, and Nero begins his quest towards bankruptcy. Rome is being put back together in a more beautiful form, and Nero is extremely OCD about it. Nero continues on with the building of Rome and loots the temples of their money and treasures in order to pay for Rome’s reconstruction. Nero shows multiple signs of insanity and bursts of hatred throughout, and it doesn’t help when he has total control over Rome. His own Senators plot to kill him, however their plot is revealed by one of the slaves of a conspirator. Multiple of the Senators are killed and tortured in the process (Through the usage of salt in the eye), and the Senator that gets the salt begins spouting names of all the Senators in on the plot (possibly some that aren’t, just so he can keep his eye) and those Senators are immediately murdered discretely. At this point Nero decides he’s going to perform a tragedy onstage for his Senators, and all the Senators can do is applaud. Ironically enough, I didn’t think he was that bad, with the exception of him dropping his sword in the middle of his speech.

I wanted to watch Nero!

                Today in Western Civilization we finished our movie on Caesar. It starts out with Caesar talking to Mark Antony about a revolt in the legion. Caesar has Antony decimate the legion, meaning one in ten mutineers are killed (in the movie, they were hung by their wrists and had their bodies smashed to death with a wooden mallet). Pompey wants to out wait Caesar until his supplies are depleted, however the aristocrats are more worried about money than winning or the cost of life, as the army needs to be paid. They eventually pressure Pompey into attacking early, and he does. Pompey does not want to attack for tactical reasons, and despite Pompey’s doubts the aristocrats expect him to win, and even throw a feast before he leaves for when Pompey returns successful. Caesar reads Pompey’s movements and lures his cavalry into a type of ambush made by his foot soldiers. Despite the great difference in numbers, Caesar eventually wins, and has Pompey killed. The general that betrayed Caesar kept fighting, but was killed in a conflict later. Caesar lets the senators that supported Pompey live (maybe a mistake). Caesar becomes dictator for six months, then for life. Rome has now become an empire. Caesar rules well for about four months, but is eventually assassinated by his senators.

When you ask for a hat and get murder instead

                Today in Western Civilization we continued watching our movie on Tiberius Gracchus. Despite his friends trying to stop him, Tiberius has Octavius removed from the tribunal council. This leads to the Senators talking about Tiberius trying to seize power as king. The Senators eventually rile up the Romans enough that they become a mob, and vandalize Tiberius’ house and destroy his possessions. Tiberius decides to run for a second term as tribunal, despite it being against the law so that the Senate cannot prosecute him for ‘crimes against Rome’ in court. As Tiberius approaches the stand to make a speech, he taps his head multiple times as a signal to his bodyguard, and this is misread by the Senators as Tiberius asking his bodyguards to bring his crown. Tiberius is then beaten to death by the Senators, despite his bodyguard’s best efforts. Tiberius’ body is dumped in the river and forgotten. After that we began a video on Caesar. The video begins with Caesar fighting the Gaul’s, and the Gaul’s appear to be winning. However, at the last moment, Caesar signals the cavalry and they demolish the Gaul’s. Caesar is on his way back to Rome, as the war is over, and the Senate becomes worried that Caesar will attempt to cease power on his way into Rome if he does not disband his army. The Senate overpressures Caesar to disband his army, and Caesar does not like the terms. Caesar doesn’t disband his army, and Rome is evacuated to Greece. Pompey (a Senator and general) leads and army against Caesar and loses after many years of fighting.

Revenge of the Fifth! (Or Cinco De Mayo)

                Today in Western Civilization we continued our movie on the life of the general Tiberius Gracchus. Tiberius was continuing his attack on Carthage, and Carthage eventually fell. Tiberius was made a hero, and the Romans demolished and burned down Carthage itself. All of the remaining Carthaginians were made into slaves and brought back to Rome. As Tiberius moved on to start a campaign to take Spain, he sees a woman whose cart is flipped over by his troops and she says that her land was taken from her. Tiberius has his troops fix the cart and care for the people while he visits Octavian’s latifundia. While this conversation goes on, there is the infamous quote “Just grab some land!” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ-d3nHRBh4) and Tiberius learns of the aristocrats stealing land from farmers. Tiberius leaves for Spain early, and engages in combat against the ‘barbarians’. Tiberius’ forces are promptly surrounded, and they are forced to come to a peace treaty with Spain, however Tiberius claims to speak for Rome instead of his commander, as Tiberius is the only one the Spanish leaders will talk to. Tiberius and his troops go back to Rome and face trial (even though the populous thinks of them as heroes) for making an unsanctioned peace treaty with the Spaniards. However, the council relents and Tiberius is released from punishment. Tiberius then decides to run for office as a tribal leader. He succeeds, and the people love him as he causes as much disruption to the general populous as possible as he tries to improve the farmer’s lives.

Obi-Wan suggests having a fully stocked utility belt. Guess who forgot their lightsabers?

                Today in Western Civilization we finished our PowerPoint on Ancient Rome. I just want to mention that today is Star Wars day and that I forgot to bring my lightsabers to school. We began the section of the PowerPoint designated to the emperors of Rome, and we started off on Tiberius. Tiberius ruled from 14 AD to 37 AD, and was a good general, but a reluctant emperor. After the death of his son, he exiled himself from Rome so he wouldn’t have to be emperor anymore, and he died at age 77. Next was Caligula, who ruled from 37 AD to 41 AD, and won a power struggle to become emperor. He was cruel, extravagant, and perverse (basically insane), but was eventually assassinated by a group of Praetorian guards, Senators, and the imperial court. They then tried to re-establish the Republic, however they failed. Claudius was then elected emperor, and ruled from 41 AD to 54 AD. He had many, many infirmities, mostly to do with cerebral palsy, but despite these infirmities he was a good emperor. He was only picked as emperor because he was the last male in his family, but he ruled well, built many roads, aqueducts, canals, and started conquering Britain. Unfortunately, his last wife poisoned him because she wanted her son Nero to be emperor immediately. Nero ruled from 54 AD to 68 AD. He emphasized the arts, however he wasn’t very smart. There was a large fire in Rome in 64 AD, and he made almost no effort to do anything about it. After this fire, he wanted to rebuild Rome majestically, however he overspent, and had to raid temples for money. Historians tend to dislike Nero for this, and his name even encodes 666 in some format, making him associated with the apocalypse because of his Christian persecution and killing.

Octavian, not Octavius

                Today in Western Civilization we continued our PowerPoint on Rome. Keep in mind, I have yet to look up the notes for the stuff that I missed on Caesar’s life, but I will do so tonight. We started on the slide that was titled sic semper tyrannis meaning “Thus always to tyrants”. This slide told about Caesar’s assassination in the Senate by his own Senators and his being stabbed twenty-three times. There may or may not be some play in from Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, but Caesar’s death is historically accurate. Caesar’s throne is inherited by Octavian, who is his adopted son and grandnephew, and is eighteen years old. This is considered the end of the Roman Republic. The Senators that caused Caesar’s death were not punished. Octavian makes a new triumvirate, consisting of Mark Antony, and good general, and Lepidus, a trained politician. Eventually Octavian forces Lepidus to retire, but Octavian and Mark Antony become rivals. Mark Antony partners with Cleopatra of Egypt personally, politically, and economically. However, Octavian wins at the Battle of Actium, and Octavian becomes the unchallenged ruler of Rome. Octavian is renamed Augustus, meaning “exalted one”. He is also given the title imperator meaning “supreme military commander”, which is where the word emperor is derived from. Rome becomes an empire at this point. Octavian rules for forty years (from 27 BC-14 AD), and this time of stability and prosperity are known as Pax Romana, which lasts for 207 years (27 BC-180 AD). During his rule Octavian: expanded the Roman Empire into Africa, started a civil service to run the government that built roads, collected taxes, ran postal, administered grain supply, built aqueducts and building, and ran the police and a sort of fire department. Octavian eventually died of natural causes, and the age of emperors began.