Aeschylus :: essays research papers

Aeschylus was born in Eleusis, a Greek town near Athens, in 525 B.C. He was the first of the great Greek tragedians, preceding both Sophocles and Euripides, and is often credited with inventing tragic drama. Prior to Aeschylus, plays were primitive, consisting of a single actor and a chorus offering commentary. In his works, he added a "second actor" (often more than one) thus creating endless new dramatic possibilities. He lived until 456 B.C., fighting in the wars against Persia, and attaining great acclaim in the world of the Athenian theater. Aeschylus wrote nearly ninety plays; however, only seven have survived to the modern era, including such famous works as Prometheus Bound and The Seven Against Thebes. Agamemnon is the first of a trilogy, called the Oresteia, which continues with The Libation-Bearers and concludes with The Eumenides. The trilogy--the only such work to survive from Ancient Greece--is considered by many critics to be the greatest Athenian tragedy ever written, both for the power of its poetry and the strength of its characters. Agamemnon depicts the assassination of the title character by his wife, Clytemnestra, and her lover; The Libation-Bearers continues the story with the return of Agamemnon's son, Orestes, who kills his mother and avenges his father. Orestes is pursued by the Furies in punishment for his matricide, and finally finds refuge in Athens, where the god Athena relieves him of his persecution. The events of Agamemnon take place against a backdrop that would have been familiar to an Athenian audience. Agamemnon is returning from his victory at Troy, which Palmieri 2 has been besieged for ten years by Greek armies attempting to recover Helen, Agamemnon's brother's wife, stolen treacherously by the Trojan Prince, Paris. (The events of the Trojan War are recounted in Homer's Iliad.) The play's tragic events occur as a result of the crimes committed by Agamemnon's family. His father, Atreus, murdered and cooked the children of his own brother, Thyestes, and served them to him; Clytemnestra's lover, Aegisthus (Thyestes's only surviving son), seeks revenge for that crime. Meanwhile, Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia to gain a favorable wind to Troy, and Clytemnestra murders him to avenge her death. Tragedies were Athenian, reflecting the taste and intellectual climate of mid fifth century Athens. The weight of history and heritage becomes a major theme of the play, and indeed of the entire trilogy, for the family it depicts cannot escape the cursed cycle of bloodshed from its past. Aeschylus wrote this victory-winning trilogy in Athens, 458 B.C. His participation in a loosely organized political â€Å"group† is thought to have influenced his

Biag ni Lam-ang

Biag ni Lam-ang (The Life of Lam-ang) is an epic poem of the Ilokano people from the Ilocos region of the Philippines. Recited and written in the original Iloko, the poem is believed to be a composite work of various poets who passed it on through the generations, and was first transcribed around 1640 by a blind Ilokano bard named Pedro Bucaneg. Lam-ang is an extraordinary being, manifesting when he begins to speak in his early years, thus enabling him to choose his own name.His adventures begin when his father, Don Juan, set out for a battle but never returned. At barely nine months, Lam-ang goes to search for Don Juan in the highlands where the latter was said to have gone. Aware that her child was a blessed, exceptional creature, his mother Namongan allows him to go. Lam-ang then goes off in search of his father, leaving his grieving mother behind. When Lam-ang arrives at the place where Don Juan had disappeared, he is enraged to see his father’s severed head atop a bamboo pole; a scene he dreamt beforehand.Lam-ang demands to the local people why that had happened to his father, but does not receive an answer. Instead, the chieftain of the village tells him to leave under pain of suffering the same fate as his father. Lam-ang defies the caveat and bravely fights the chieftain and his tribesmen. The hero emerges victorious from the battle with little effort, avenging his murdered father. Fom this story, we can realize how the love of a son to his father and

The Immigration Act Of 1924 - 1732 Words

America is no foreigner to immigrants. From the pilgrims who came searching for religious liberation to African slaves that had lost their liberty, America’s history has been shaped by the influx of immigrants from different parts of the world. As America grew, it became, and still is, a promised land for many. As a result, immigration has become a pivotal topic in the American culture and with time, the dynamics of immigration has changed due to a shifting of focus between different immigrant groups. From the Chinese exclusion act in 1882 to the Immigration Act of 1924, which restricted Eastern European immigrants’ access to the USA, different groups of people have been the principal focus of immigration reform (HISTORY Corporation, 2009). Since the early-20th century to present, the main group of focus with immigration reform has been Hispanics, mainly Mexicans. From deportation to discrimination, many Mexicans have struggled in the hands of immigration laws. This pai n is evident in the cultural marks Mexicans have left in American Culture. A prime example of such mark is within the Chicano movement. Beginning in the 1960s, the Chicano movement aimed to address the social injustices that the Mexican population faced in America. (Mendoza, 2001). From reinstatement of land rights to voter and political rights, these social injustices propelled the Chicano movement to fight for civil rights. This passion fueled multiple artistic expressions and many Chicano artists mirroredShow MoreRelatedThe Immigration Act Of 19241198 Words   |  5 Pageswealth, their immigration records may flux. You sometimes hear people say that they were born in America so they are a native but in the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt â€Å"Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.† According to The Immigration Act of 1924 article, the U.S. government had limited the number of immigrants allowed entry into the country through a national origins quota. The quota provided immigration visas to twoRead MoreThe Immigration Act Of 19241399 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout history, immigration has remained a complex and influential piece of presidential policy—from the Age of Mass Migration, which led to the Immigration Act of 1924, to present day policy, which may result in the construction of a border wall. The debate on immigration remains contentious, inspiring emotional and empirical arguments by politicians and the public alike. Many of these aspects are discussed and defined within Abramitzky, Boustan, and Eriksson’s paper â€Å"A Nation of Immigrants:Read MoreOn March 22, 2016, The Library Of Congress Issued A Press1739 Words   |  7 PagesOn March 22, 2016, the Library of Congress issued a press release outlining their decision to alter their subject heading pertaining to immigration. In the official press release, the Library of Congress outlined their reasoning behind changing their pejorative headings. â€Å"Alien† and â€Å"illegal alien†. The Public and Standards Division of the Library of Congress cited outcry from the immigrant community, as one of their major reasons for their reevaluation. In response, on May 10, Tea Party RepublicRead MoreImmigration : How It s Changed And Stayed The Same1727 Words   |  7 Pages Immigration How It’s Changed and Stayed the Same Gilardo Gonzalez Ms.Ferguson Ap US History, Block 4 09/06/15 Immigration has changed a lot throughout the years in American history, not only in laws about immigration, but about places where immigrants came from, and the different races that immigrated. These factors have changed throughout history by shaping the social and economic aspects of the United States. Immigration has changed for the better and for the worse. It has goneRead MoreThe Immigration Of The United States And Germany840 Words   |  4 PagesI. Introduction A. What is Immigration? i. Immigration is the act of coming to live permanently in a foreign country. ii. Constantine compares the desire to migrate to an urge , â€Å"People seem to be drawn toward those places which offer a promise of better- ing life, by an urge which is as relent- less as that which impels water in its course.† iii. Before the era of rapid communications and transportation, America encouraged relatively open immigration to settle its empty lands. B. Why Do PeopleRead MoreImmigration Reform Is Needed For Our Country880 Words   |  4 PagesImmigration reform is desperately needed for our country; otherwise unauthorized immigration will continue to be on the forefront of our country’s problems. Obtaining a visa for any reason has become an extremely difficult process, and many immigrants do not even qualify to apply. There are approximately 11.3 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. Prior to 1882, when the Chinese Exclusionary Act was passed, the United States had open borders. Immigration was further restricted withRead MoreImpact Of Immigration On The United States1017 Words   |  5 PagesAmerica has always been a country of immigrants. During the 1891 to 1924, over twenty million immigrants came to the U.S. (Daniels, 1997, p. viii). Several pieces of key legislation were also passed during that time that affected immigrants. America’s view at this time reflected that of strong Nativism. Sever al anti-immigration groups had their fair share of influence in political affairs that had a negative affect on certain groups. This paper will outline the events that led to three pieces ofRead More Immigration Restriction Law of 1924 Essay788 Words   |  4 Pages The immigration act of 1924 was really the first permanent limitation on immigration. This limitation was like a quota system that only aloud two percent instead of the three percent of each foreign born group living in the United states in 1890. Like it say in Document A â€Å"Under the act of 1924 the number of each nationality who may be admitted annually is limited to two per cent of the population of such nationality resident in the United States according to the census of 1890.† Using the 1890Read MoreThese Quotas Made It Very Clear On Who Was And Was Not1628 Words   |  7 Pagesobligation to protect against those fears. The quotas allowed for those reservations to hide behind numbers set by the governmen t. The 1924 Johnson-Reed Act exposed the anxieties Americans were feeling about the ‘outsider’. Through the government and the passage of this act, the government was able to give the American people a sense of security. The Walter McCarren Act of 1952 addressed the unease of society and the government over immigrants who could not fit in to the social order of the United StatesRead MoreThe Golden Door : The Land Of Economic Opportunity1255 Words   |  6 Pagespassed many immigration laws due to the massive growth of people in the United States. In 1910 the first law that was passed allowed only 3 percent of immigrants into our country. In 1917 the United States congress passed the first widely restrictive law regarding immigration. The 1917 act made a requirement that all immigrants over the age of 16 needed to pass a literacy test which demonstrated basic reading comprehension. The act of 1917 had many important provisions paving the way for the act of 1924