Biography of Empress Theodora, Byzantine Feminist

Empress Theodora (c. 497–June 28, 548), wife of Emperor  Justinian I, is regarded as the most powerful woman in  Byzantine  history. Because of her intelligence and political savvy, she was Justinian’s most trusted adviser and used her influence to promote religious and social policies in line with her interests. She significantly expanded the rights of women. Fast Facts: Empress Theodora Known For: Most Influential Woman in the Byzantine EraBorn: c. 497 on Cyprus or in SyriaFather: AcaciusDied: June 28, 548 in Constantinople, modern-day TurkeySpouse: Justinian I Early Life Little is known of her early years. According to the historian Procopius—whose historical work, according to one source, which resembles a tabloid newspaper but is the best available—her father Acacius was a bear keeper at the Hippodrome in Constantinople, a large stadium where chariot races and other events were staged, including bear-baiting. He died when she was 5. Her mother remarried and started Theodoras acting career. Theodora had two sisters, Comitona and Anastasia, and as a child she worked on stage as a mime with older sister Comitona before becoming a full-fledged actress, though in that day much of what was termed acting would later be euphemistically called adult entertainment. Offstage she was known for having numerous lovers and wild parties and for prostitution. She became the mistress of a wealthy man named Hecebolus, who for reasons unknown threw her out in roughly 521. She found religion, renounced her former lifestyle, and made a living as a wool spinner, returning to Constantinople in 522. Marriage When Justinian somehow met her, he was attracted by her beauty and intelligence and made her his mistress before marrying her in 525. Because of her disreputable background, special legislation was required to legalize such a marriage. (The independent record of this law being changed supports Procopius account of Theodoras lowly origins.) Justinians uncle and adoptive father, Emperor Justin I, died on August 1, 527, the date that Justinians reign is usually said to have begun, though modern scholars believe that he actually took over the government as early as 518. When Justinian took the throne, Theodora became the empress. Theodora exercised considerable influence, though she was never made co-regent. Because of her intelligence and unerring political sensibility, many believe that she, rather than Justinian, ruled Byzantium. Her name appears in nearly all the laws passed during that period, and she received foreign envoys and corresponded with foreign rulers, roles usually taken by the ruler. Nika Revolt Her influence in political affairs is illustrated by the Nika Revolt of January 532, which involved the Blues and the Greens, two Constantinople political factions that sponsored chariot races, animal contests, and stage plays in the Hippodrome and had attained substantial political power. The Blues and Greens had set aside their traditional rivalry to unite and oppose the government and establish a rival emperor. The revolt started on January 13, as the chariot races were to begin. Before the day was over, many public buildings were in flames.  Justinian had failed to head off the situation, and most of his advisers urged him to flee. Preparations were made, and a ship sat ready in the harbor to carry the emperor and empress to safety. At a meeting of the Imperial Council on January 18, Theodora sat listening to the men debating whether they should flee the city. Then, according to Robert Brownings Justinian  and  Theodora, she stood and addressed them: Whether or not a woman should give an example of courage to men is neither here nor there....I think that flight, even if it brings us to safety, is not in our interest. Every man born to see the light of day must die. But that one who has been emperor should become an exile I cannot bear.   She suggested that Justinian, his generals, and the other officials stay and save the empire. After she sat down, the men looked at each other and the generals began to discuss military plans. Belisarius, one of her husbands generals,  eventually herded the rebels into the Hippodrome, where they were slaughtered. Religion Theodora was a monophysite Christian, believing that Jesus Christs nature was purely divine, while her husband reflected orthodox Christianity, which holds that Jesus nature was both human and divine. Some commentators, including Procopius, allege that their differences were more pretense than a reality, presumably to keep the church from having too much power. She was known as a protector of members of the Monophysite faction when they were accused of heresy.  She supported the moderate Monophysite Severus and, when he was excommunicated and exiled—with Justinians approval—Theodora helped him to settle in Egypt. Another excommunicated monophysite, Anthimus, was still hiding in the womens quarters when Theodora died, 12 years after the excommunication order. She sometimes explicitly worked against her husbands support of Chalcedonian Christianity in the ongoing struggle for the predominance of each faction, especially at the edges of the empire. At the end of his life, Justinian was said to have moved significantly toward monophysitism, though he took no official action to promote it. Death and Legacy Theodora died in 548, possibly from cancer or  gangrene. Her death illustrated how important she was in Byzantine political life: Little significant legislation dates from the period between her death and 565 when Justinian died. Theodora had given birth to a daughter, either before she met Justinian or early in their marriage, but the girl didnt live long. No other children were born to the imperial couple. Through her relationship with her husband, who treated her as his intellectual partner, Theodora had a major impact on the political decisions of the empire. Justinian wrote that he had consulted Theodora when he promulgated a constitution that included reforms meant to end corruption by public officials. She is credited with influencing many other reforms, including expanding the rights of women in divorce and property ownership, prohibiting forced prostitution, giving mothers some guardianship rights over their children, and forbidding the killing of a wife who committed adultery. She closed brothels and created convents, where the ex-prostitutes could support themselves. Sources Browning, Robert. Justinian and Theodora. Gorgias Pr Llc, January 1, 2003.Garland, Lynda. Byzantine Empresses: Women and Power in Byzantium AD 527-1204. 1st Edition, Routledge, January 8, 2011.Holmes, William Gordon. The Age of Justinian and Theodora, Vol. 1: A History of the Sixth Century. Paperback, Abridged edition, Forgotten Books, July 6, 2017.Procopius. The Secret History. Penguin Classics, Peter Sarris (Editor, Translator, Introduction), G. A. Williamson (Translator), Paperback, New Ed. / edition, December 18, 2007.Underhill, Clara. Theodora: The Courtesan of Constantinople. 1st Edition edition, Sears Publishing Company, Inc., 1932.Theodora: Byzantine Empress. Encyclopaedia Britannica.Theodora. Encyclopedia.com.

The Bluest Eye By Toni Morrison - 1103 Words

Toni Morrison is known for her prized works exploring themes and issues that are rampant in African American communities. Viewing Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye from a psychoanalytical lens sheds light onto how, as members of a marginalized group, character’s low self-esteem reflect into their actions, desires, and defense mechanisms. In her analysis of psychoanalytical criticism, Lois Tyson focuses on psychological defense mechanisms such as selective perception, selective memory, denial, avoidance, displacement, projection, and regression. Selective perception is only seeing and hearing what we feel like we can handle. Selective memory is the way of modifying our memories in order to not overwhelm ourselves or to just forget†¦show more content†¦Growing up in a time when the idea of black beauty was missing furthered the low self-esteem held in black woman everywhere. Pauline is a woman with deep insecurities, and she projects her own insecurities immediately onto her daughter. Pauline loses herself at the cinema in the fantasy of being beautiful like the movie stars. She works for white families as an escape from her life in a lower class. There is this worldwide phenomenon that parents, especially mothers, believe that their child is the cutest. Loving your own child is nature, it is an instinct, not a choice. But when Pauline sees baby Pecola, she immediately â€Å"knowed she was ugly† (126). She projects her low view of herself onto her offspring. Pauline’s husband, Cholly, has never known what true love his. As a baby, his mother abandoned him, leaving him behind with a twisted view of love and family. This traumatic event left him with identity issues. Instead of faces his issues, he regresses into an aggressive, angry alcoholic. His constant violent fights with Pauline leave the children with a lack of idea of familial love. He does not know how to nurture his children and show them love. This misconstructs the idea of love in the Breedlove family. Cholly’s rape of Pecola is just a consequence of the toll systematic racism can take on a person on a mental, emotional, and personal level. Morrison implies that this skewed love is due toShow MoreRelatedThe Bluest Eye By Toni Morrison1720 Words   |  7 Pagesof The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison, criticizes the danger of race discrimination for any kinds of situations with no exception. The purpose of the paper is explain how pervasive and destructive social racism was bound to happen in American society. The intended audiences are not only black people, but also other races had suffered racism until now. I could find out and concentrate on the most notable symbols which are whiteness, blue eyes and the characterization while reading the novel. Toni MorrisonRead MoreThe Bluest Eye By Toni Morrison1587 Words   |  7 Pagessaid, â€Å"We were born to die and we die to live.† Toni Morrison correlates to Nelson’s quote in her Nobel Lecture of 1993, â€Å"We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives.† In Toni Morrison’s novel, The Bluest Eye, she uses language to examine the concepts of racism, lack of self-identity, gender roles, and socioeconomic hardships as they factor into a misinterpretation of the American Dream. Morrison illustrates problems that these issues provoke throughRead MoreThe Bluest Eye By Toni Morrison956 Words   |  4 PagesHistory of Slavery Influenced the Characters of The Bluest Eye Unlike so many pieces of American literature that involve and examine the history of slavery and the years of intensely-entrenched racism that ensued, the overall plot of the novel, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, does not necessarily involve slavery directly, but rather examines the aftermath by delving into African-American self-hatred. Nearly all of the main characters in The Bluest Eye who are African American are dominated by the endlessRead MoreThe Bluest Eye By Toni Morrison1189 Words   |  5 PagesA standard of beauty is established by the society in which a person lives and then supported by its members in the community. In the novel The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, we are given an extensive understanding of how whiteness is the standard of beauty through messages throughout the novel that whiteness is superior. Morrison emphasizes how this ideality distorts the minds and lives of African-American women and children. He emphasizes that in order for African-American wom en to survive in aRead MoreThe Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison1095 Words   |  5 PagesSocial class is a major theme in the book The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Toni Morrison is saying that there are dysfunctional families in every social class, though people only think of it in the lower class. Toni Morrison was also stating that people also use social class to separate themselves from others and apart from race; social class is one thing Pauline and Geraldine admire.Claudia, Pecola, and Frieda are affected by not only their own social status, but others social status too - for exampleRead MoreThe Bluest Eye By Toni Morrison2069 Words   |  9 Pagesblack/whiteness. Specifically, white people were positioned at the upper part of the hierarchy, whereas, African Americans were inferior. Consequently, white people were able to control and dictate to the standards of beauty. In her novel, ‘The Bluest Eye’, Toni Morrison draws upon symbolism, narrative voice, setting and id eals of the time to expose the effects these standards had on the different characters. With the juxtaposition of Claudia MacTeer and Pecola Breedlove, who naively conforms to the barrierRead MoreThe Bluest Eye By Toni Morrison Essay1314 Words   |  6 PagesThe Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison, encompasses the themes of youth, gender, and race. The African American Civil Rights Movement had recently ended at the time the novel was written. In the book, Morrison utilizes a first-person story to convey her views on racial inequality. The protagonist and her friends find themselves in moments where they are filled with embarrassment and have a wish to flee such events. Since they are female African Americans, they are humiliated in society. One of Morrison’sRead MoreThe Bluest Eye By Toni Morrison1462 Words   |  6 PagesBildungsroman literature in the 20th century embodies the virtues of different authors’ contexts and cultures, influencing the fictional stories of child ren’s lives around the world.. The Bluest Eye is a 1970 publication by Toni Morrison set in 1940s Ohio in America, focal around the consequence of racism in an American community on the growth of a child, distinct in its use of a range of narrative perspectives. Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid is a novel set in post colonial Antigua, published in 1985Read MoreThe Bluest Eye By Toni Morrison992 Words   |  4 PagesSet in the 1940s, during the Great Depression, the novel The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison, illustrates in the inner struggles of African-American criticism. The Breedloves, the family the story revolves around a poor, black and ugly family. They live in a two-room store front, which is open, showing that they have nothing. In the family there is a girl named Pecola Breedlove, she is a black and thinks that she is ugly because she is not white. Pecola’s father, Cholly Breedlove, goes through humiliatedRead MoreThe Bluest Eye By Toni Morrison1044 Words   |   5 PagesIn the novel The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison confirms the existence of racism within the African American community. Unbelievably, many African Americans suffer from what is termed internalized racism. Internalized racism produces the same effect as racial racism: feelings of worthlessness, inferiority, and unattractiveness. In addition, the effect can produce the opposite feelings: superiority, hatred, and feelings of self-worth. Pecola, an 11-year-old black girl, desires to have the physical characteristics

The Undeniable Reality About Essay Topics on Educational Reform in Texas That Nobody Is Telling You

The Undeniable Reality About Essay Topics on Educational Reform in Texas That Nobody Is Telling You If You Read Nothing Else Today, Read This Report on Essay Topics on Educational Reform in Texas Inner-city inequality produces a whole lot of issues in all facets of life. Even more surprising, is how some deny that this sort of problem exists. Many educators now think that anything that more precisely meets the requirements of the kid will get the job done far better. There's an emphasis on computers and the Internet in these types of pages, but there's a great deal of general info, too. As an issue of fact, different students in various counties undergo various challenges in the academic practice. So, in order to achieve this task it's important to come up with a generation of young adults who possesses the proper expertise, skills, attitude and values. Essay Topics on Educational Reform in Texas Features If the goal is to close gaps, state equalization may not be the proper tool. For instance, the political culture may change under the effect of profound demographic alterations, which might occur in case of the rapid and considerable increase of the immigrant population. This shift is completely vital. The current structure is built in such a manner that it cannot be modified in ways necessary to make a desirable , adaptive outcome. The future of American education is vital to students and those who need to sustain a college education. Unfortunately, we've slipped behind in the region of education. This view now has rather wide currency, and is utilised to select a lot of the curricula of teachers' colleges. Education reformers aren't motivated by corporate interest and definitely don't want to earn any school fail. Although teachers should discover different methods for finding the information to the students. In addition, school isn't always happening in the classroom. Instead, permit the schools and the teachers determine the ideal methodology to teach the students which are in their care. Using Essay Topics on Educational Reform in Texas Massachusetts and Leander, as well as some other cases Gabor discuses, like the progressive reform movement in New York, have distinctly different cultures. We've got a chance to turn into a leader in educational assessments and an actual competitor to the ACT and SAT, states Wagner. The Reform Act might be viewed as the conclusion of the old purchase. The 30-Second Trick for Essay Topics on Educational Reform in Texas Other reforms started to sweep the nation. As I said previously, this education reform also require teacher collaboration. A reformer isn't a villain. Educational reform isn't a new phenomenon. Texas is among the states with a distinct political culture with a substantial effect on the worldview of the neighborhood population and policies conducted in the state. Essay Topics on Educational Reform in Texas - the Conspiracy For instance, the simple fact that computers are naturally very good at math contributes to the question of the usage of calculators in math education. The teaching method has to be teachable! This underrepresentation isn't due to absence of interest on the portion of students. These students will likely be similar with regard to family background, previous educational experiences, and individual characteristics like motivation and so on. The Importance of Essay Topics on Educational Reform in Texas It may not be someone who will be a Democrat, but we just want a person who is going to do a great job. Ramey's position, nevertheless, is that getting an education is nothing like choosing which cereal to fe ed your son or daughter. The number of individuals choosing freedom for their kids are going to be quite so great that there'll no longer be enough public interest in the traditional schools to carry on funding them. Of course with this kind of a highly diverse population, all individuals aren't likely to agree with one another. So How About Essay Topics on Educational Reform in Texas? Real reform isn't possible from within the present conventional school system. And we'll have the exact same choices that we've now if we're seriously interested in reforming our educational system. But the best that you can say about the stated goals of education reform is that it's going to knock out a small fraction of teachers that are incompetent and whip some other teachers into shape. This resulted in the maturation of self-governing school districts. Private and religious schools would need to be monitored to guarantee quality standards much like public schools. Appointed school boards will supply the stability of governance that's crucial to implementing lasting, far-sighted reforms. These colleges continue to be referred to as land-grant institutions. It's a fairly radical change, Reed explained. Texas is an area of mystery and intrigue. Patrick proposed an extremely similar measure in 2013. The very best score, states Tate, is 118. The difference in scores is that which we wish to understand, the causal effect of additional funding. Whether it is their intent, it's the obvious outcome. There is an excellent deal of evidence to demonstrate this issue. There isn't any doubt that future measures were bound to happen and there may not be any question that their success be would come as a consequence of the very first Act.

Musical is an art of arranging sounds free essay sample

Musical is an art of arranging sounds in a particular pattern to create a pleasant harmony to the ears of the listeners. Just like the industrial revolution took time to reach its present level, the two major forms of musical in America were realized after a long time of progressive development as (Riddle 2003) explains. American musical was firstly borrowed from the European States; the American musical pioneers built on it to develop theirs then later they completely detached from it came up with their own different style of presentation according to (Lubbock 1962). Musical comedy was the first of the only two advanced musical styles to be established in America. Then there followed the other which is the musical play and the two have been cherished widely in the twentieth and the twenty first centuries. There are several legend musicians who played a key role in making American musical what it is today and have been covered by history. The changes that were met in the twentieth century in musical varied from the cultural, content to the form of delivering the musical. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT Music in America is an art that has a very long history in its development in form and content to the level it is now. The historians have established that it has taken hundreds of years to develop from its primitive form to the now sophisticated forms. (Lubbock1962) traces music in America way back in the year 1735. He argues that this introduced music did not originate from America itself but from England. From those years on up to 1960,s the initial way of treating musicals underwent great transformation and many people came into terms with music unlike in the past. As the year 1960 was dawning, Americans began to get enlightened about Musicals where they were in a position to define it and find out its relationship with art according to (Gann 2000). Through continued development of interest in learning what music was, the people also became able to relate it with culture. It is also worthy noting that the various phases through which the American music underwent included the transformation of the places of performance. The first pieces of music were only played in the urban centres but it slowly filtered into the rural as time went by. According to (Gann 2000), the music was taken from the urban to the rural setting in the year 1961 and from there onward it expanded and widely spread more into the interior like a bush fire. In 1980,s several individuals ventured into bettering the quality of the musical performed in the theatres which took the dimension created by the Americans more than that of Europeans. CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT The culture of the people influences greatly the type of music they compose, the type of dance they use to accompany their songs and more so the kind of perception they have on the present generation music. American musical has had a lot of influence on the way the Americans perceive their abilities and identify their characters according to (Knapp 2005). In the same manner, the music the Americans borrowed from the Europeans took after the cultural practices of the natives of the country. Through the ages the American musicals saw a great transition in the way the Americans treated music in relation to their culture. It came a time when the stake holders in musicals began to present their cultures through the art of music especially holding cultural ceremonies where people got the opportunities to express their personalities as (Knapp 2005) confirms. The American musicians also were able to portray their culture through their manner of dressing during music play performances in the theatres. The twentieth century also was the year of making music as a source of earning personal living in addition to expressing the people’s beliefs and practices. (Crawford 2000) confirms that the art of music took the dimension of commercial activity during its development during the twentieth century and a rapid growth as a business the common exercise of the day. By watching a clip of the American produced musical, one was in a position to analyse the type of culture the performers upheld from the way the dressed, their make-ups, the food they eat and the dancing styles which were adopted during music development time. FORM DEVELOPMENT The form in which music first entered America is not the same style of music we play in America today. A great transition has occurred in the music industry in terms of the several classes of music which have hit in the country. Lubbock (1962) asserts that the first type of music to be played in America was Flora and this had its source from England. In this twenty first century, this kind of music can only be referred to as a legend and you may find that the current generation is not aware of the former existence of such kind of music. In the twentieth century, the American natives set out to develop their own style of music which indeed they did in two phases. The first phase was characterized by a lot of emulation of the pre-existing opera style of England which was later advanced. This first move by the upcoming American musicians constituted what was called the comedy music. The second phase of American musical development was the new form of music which was not derived from the European form. According to (Lubbock 1962) it was the Showboat which established the campaign towards developing American-produced music which came to be referred to as music play. Here the musicians could perform their own composed music in public. The music industry in the new form was since then continued by the other successors including Oklahoma and the others. Their establishments have since then not been out dated because music play and the prior styles are the only two ruling the American music industry.