Another theme of Titus Andronicus is the idea of civilization vs. barbarism. The Romans see themselves as civilized while viewing the Goths and everyone else as barbarians. In modern times, we too, consider ourselves to be civilized. Are we? What does being civilized really mean? How can a society define itself as civilized? And, if we are living in a civilized society, what constitutes a barbaric one?
Shonique Edwards
ReplyDeleteWe do look at ourselves as civilized only because we are one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world. We forget to consider how we treat others. According to most people, being civilized means acting in order with everybody else, and not causing scenes and such. But according to Google, civilized means to "bring (a place or people) to a stage of social, cultural, and moral development considered to be more advanced". We may consider ourselves civilized because we have technology and a diverse population, but there still is segregation everywhere, including America. We see barbaric societies as societies who war a lot, and are brutal to people, but we war just the same, and segregation causes a lot of barbaric acts, which is done all the time, so we besides the technology, we wonder how civilized we really are.
Brianna parlette
ReplyDeleteWe definatly catergorize societies other than our own and we also see ours as higher and more classy. We look at places such as africa with shacks for houses and label them as a 3rd world country. Which is pretty much another name for barbaric or very low life living. We consider us and china as 1st world because we are technologically advanced and we have economic trading and we are involved around the world. Being cilivilized may come down to how technologically advanced we are. Cilivilized to me is that we have a country that can be run self suffeciently and we get along with all the other countries. However in my opinion a barbaric country would be one that always wants to fight wars and they always have an negative opinion on social world problems, also its hard for them to be run because theyre leader is too harsh or gives the people no rights. Having a country that can get along within itself as well as around the world constitutes a civilized society.
We are no more civilized than anyone else. Being civilized just doesn't exist, here or anywhere. The United States blew up Japan, and the soil is still dealing with radiation poisoning. People destroy each other daily. Being civilized would mean to bring no harm, just happiness, peace, and love. No society is based on any of those. Hate, crime, murder- are the things that the world is filled with. We love to think that we are so great, and other places- like in China where they kill female children because males are better- as being barbaric. The things we do are no better.
ReplyDeleteMarlena Hill
Jessica vilberg
ReplyDeleteI think being truly civilized is being able to come up with a decision, without using force as a first resort, and actually thinking about what the best thing to do is. With that being said, no one is truly civilized because we still have instances where we shoot first and ask questions later. When a civilization can find a problem with another country, or something within their country, and calmly come up with a way to fix it like the intelligent people we are, than they will be civilized instead of barbaric.
Veronica Wallace
ReplyDeleteIn modern times we do consider ourselfs as a "civilized society" which is why we go and push our beliefs and government systems on other people. To be honest being civilized doesnt mean being all superior and knowing everything, its about acting with dignity and respecting other societys for being kind of behind. We think of barbaric societys as like cavemen or people that are way behind us technology wise. But because we think of ourselfs as all knowing, it dosent make us a better society.
McKenzie Johnson
ReplyDeleteWe do consider ourselves today as being a civilized race and while in many ways we are there are ways in which we are not civilized. Being "civilized" changes between cultures and while in American society many of us are civilized we might not be viewed as being civilized in another society. For example, in Chinese culture if you burp at dinner it is a compliment to the cook and it's being civilized. While if you burped during a dinner in America without saying excuse me you are seen as being uncivilized. Therefore with the changing of the meaning of being civilized there is no way to define what it is and universally be correct. Also you can not constitute what is and what is not barbaric without a sense of the definition of what is civilized. Both of which can not be universally defined because the meanings change within different cultures and areas of the world.
Onecia
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Veronica. We us the fact that we have advanced things to bully other countries and call it "being civilized" and that's not right. In my opinion, the Romans, much like us, were never truly civilized. They were just an advanced culture.
Tay Brown
ReplyDeleteBeing civilized means respecting people for differences, not killing them because they are different. Some of the themes in this play are relevant today, just not as extreme. Today, there's really no way to define being civilized.
There really is no way to classify civilized. We're always putting ourswlves higher than other countries because of the things we have and do. We can't blame America for thinking highly of ourselves, though, because the whole world idealizes us. We're considered amazing to most people and everyone tends to run away to the "land of the free" to start their lives over and make something of themselves. I personally dislike America and its crappy standards, bit it's true. Its all over movies and commercials; everyone wants to live in america because of its popular lies. Either way, we have no right to call ourselves more civilized than someone living in a hut with nothing but rice for dinner. That person would probably be more 'civilized' than the average American.
ReplyDeleteAndie Sifontes
Stephana Reid
ReplyDeleteWe look at being civilized in terms of technology,and how they live there lives day to day. Everyone has there own definition of who is civilized and who is not. Today we wold consider the spartans to be uncivilized because their lives were based on war, but in reality America is involved in every war that we can get into, yet we are consider ourselves to be civilized.
Keith Knudsen
ReplyDeleteWe consider things that are civilized as being advanced and being able to settle things without conflict... key word being "able". All conflicts can be neutralized with communication but its human nature to be violent and crave the insanity of war over formal speech; after all, violence and conflict is a more primal way of solving problems as its emotional and was here long before speech.
Mickale Foard
ReplyDeleteTo be civilized is when a society does not act as a wild animal in the jungle. Although, even those animals show more respect, valor, and self-respect than we today in the world shows. Our world has become so war driven that everything resorts into violence without the slightest rejection. Seems as if more times we are the wild animals and this world is our cage.
civilized means to uphold rules and standards in a manner-like way. We are not civilized because we our barbaric. If we were civilized we wouldn't do half the things we usually do. We wouldn't act childish or talk about dumb stuff. But the main reason we are not civilized is because there is no such thing. We believe we are civilized by our standards but what about other peoples standards. There is no civilized society of any kind because there is no such thing as being civilized. -Brandon Bernard
ReplyDeleteDoesn't really matter now but I don't think we are civilized at all. Maybe because we have technology that other countries think that we are. We are just as barbaric as the under developed countries. I think civilized means that we are aware. Aware that we are human and that everyone is important and we need to care for one another and survive. Not kill or destroy each other. I think a society should consider their selves civilized if they live in peace. If everyone lives in harmony and knows how to talk out problems and find a non violent and non harmful way to solve the problems they may face. Civilization is not the fact that we have toilets or cell phone reception. I believe the barbaric people are those who think killing and destroying another's way of life is a way to solve the problem.
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