HIST 1200: Essay 2 Ancient leaders all over the world thought very highly of themselves and they wanted to portray themselves in the best light to the people. They often disguised the reality of their actions by making claims that could be classified as “half-truths”. These claims were not necessarily false, but they stated them in ways that made them look like positive rulers. It would not make sense for the ancient leaders to lie to their people in order to make themselves look better because then they would lose their credibility if the truth leaked. To avoid this problem, they took the negative aspects of their rulings and made it sound like their actions were good for the community, and they backed their claims up with evidence. Specifically,
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This is a positive factor of democracy and equality and it is what most are attempting to achieve, but what readers do not know is that not everyone was equal. The video stated that women and slaves were not allowed to vote or participate in the different roles of government. In the funeral oration Pericles claims that "we regard wealth as something to be properly used, rather than as something to boast about". This statement also paints a picture of responsibility and positive aspects of democracy. The question is what is the description of properly used? Pericles makes that vague statement about wealth but he chooses to use the surplus money in an irresponsible way. The documentary described that Pericles used the surplus of money to create a symbol, which was named the Parthenon, and this was made to be a bank for money and treasures. The money was not used properly in the construction of the Parthenon and factions were outraged that he used their own contributions to build the Parthenon. Pericles claimed that he was using the surplus for public works which in his mind this was an act of public work. Overall, Pericles presents himself in way that seems credible and his ideas about democracy seem genuine but once the truth behind his actions regarding democracy is stated one can see through to the flaws described
This is a positive factor of democracy and equality and it is what most are attempting to achieve, but what readers do not know is that not everyone was equal. The video stated that women and slaves were not allowed to vote or participate in the different roles of government. In the funeral oration Pericles claims that "we regard wealth as something to be properly used, rather than as something to boast about". This statement also paints a picture of responsibility and positive aspects of democracy. The question is what is the description of properly used? Pericles makes that vague statement about wealth but he chooses to use the surplus money in an irresponsible way. The documentary described that Pericles used the surplus of money to create a symbol, which was named the Parthenon, and this was made to be a bank for money and treasures. The money was not used properly in the construction of the Parthenon and factions were outraged that he used their own contributions to build the Parthenon. Pericles claimed that he was using the surplus for public works which in his mind this was an act of public work. Overall, Pericles presents himself in way that seems credible and his ideas about democracy seem genuine but once the truth behind his actions regarding democracy is stated one can see through to the flaws described