Western And Byzantine Civilizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Western And Byzantine Civilizations - Essay Example The eastern part of the Roman Empire achieved greatness as the Byzantine civilization, which saw its days of glory during the rule of Justinian and Theodora. Eastern Orthodoxy was the dominant religious belief and a new imperial law was devised, which resulted in a unified imperial Government, unlike the fractured tribes of the Western civilization. The government was also centralized and under the rule of Justinian, art reached new heights since several new buildings and churches were built.  The first document dealing with this period is a piece written by the Christian priest Salvian, which compares the Romans and the Barbarians and finds that the barbarians have superior moral values. This document is titled â€Å"Of God’s Government† and is found in the book titled â€Å"Readings in European History† Vol 1 by James Harvey Robinson, published in 1904. The priest compares Roman customs to those of the barbarians and points out that the barbarians, despite th eir record of cruelty and sin, appear to demonstrate the values of love, kindness, and charity which the Romans ought to have. The Romans, on the contrary, persecute each other and the enormity of their sin is doubled because they are supposed to be civilized individuals. On this basis, the priest concludes that the moral framework of the barbarians may, in fact, be superior to the Romans.  The second document is written by the court historian and biographer Procopius. The article is titled â€Å"The character and innovations of Justinian and Theodora† and appears in the book titled â€Å"The secret history of Procopius† published in 1927 by Crown Publishers. In this article, Procopius presents a critical view of Justinian and Theodora. He points out the differences in the Roman manner of greeting where the dignity of high officials was preserved, while Justinian and Theodora demanded a more slavish form homage.

Your Thoughts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Your Thoughts - Essay Example repeated emphasis on proper concepts, the asking of different questions, and the elaborate examples point out that the intention of the author is to make the reader realize the gravity of the situation. He does, in fact, succeed in doing so. It is indeed true that the subject of mathematics is taught as a necessity. Mathematics is used in every aspect of life and in every field of work that is why it is becoming essential. However, the need for the study of mathematics has made it nothing but a burden on students. The result is that the students, instead of appreciating the ‘beauty’ of mathematics, consider it important for their respective fields only. The mode of instruction, as the author states, is a very important reason for this attitude. The mode of instruction in the primary and elementary schools is, indeed, not up to the mark. Often, students are just spoon-fed the knowledge of the things around them. This approach may be appropriate for subjects like history where the students cannot really ask why some event took place. However, when it comes to the study of mathematics, this approach is not acceptable. Mathematics is a subject that is primarily based on the study of concepts. This means that the teaching of mathematics should ideally require the understanding of why a particular phenomenon takes place. An example, according to the author, would be the concept of why the area of a rectangle is determined by taking the product of length and width. The previously mentioned mode of instruction, employed by teachers, however, completely ruins the idea of the teaching of mathematics. The stress of teachers on learning how to solve problems has many implications. Firstly, the thinking process of students is hindered as a result of rote learning. Students generally develop thinking and analytical skills in their early years of education. If the teachers impose a certain way of doing things in that early phase, the students may never be able to think