Educational System In Athens Essay

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In this part of the essay I am going to talk about the transformation of the educational system in Athens, and how the Aristocrats loss their power as a result of that. I will examine the different subjects that were taught by sophists, explain the purpose of each subject and who taught them. It will also elaborate and how these subjects affected the political system under the rule of Pericles. Finally, I will explain how the subjects change the views of aristocrats and peasants in Athens. In order to understand the transformation of the educational system in Athens it is important to comprehend the traditional Athenian educational system. According to Professor Trumbach, the traditional form of education was done in the gymnasium. Young aristocrats were taught how to become a warrior/athlete, and about music and poetry from older Athenian men. The young Athenians had love relationships with the older men who taught them how to become well-rounded Athenian citizens. This was no longer the case when sophism came to Athens. In The Athenian Constitution, Aristotle says that the Aristocrats loss power in 506 B.C.E when Cleisthenes rose to power. When he came into office he decided to make changes to transform the Athenian political system into a democratic society. He divided the city into separate districts, gave the peasants the right to be elected to a government position, and gave everyone an equal chance of holding a position since they were chosen by lottery no matter what type of background that person had. This new system benefitted the peasants more than the Aristocrats (11). They did not like this new ruling because they knew that peasants compiled of 98% of the population which meant they would not know how the peasants wo... ... middle of paper ... ... back with his money knowing that he does not have the money. Once he said that the Athenians felt that he was being sincere about his intentions as a leader and did not ask him to repay them. They felt proud to have a leader like him who was so ambitious to better Athens. As a result, he sent Thucydides and the opposing party to exile (Plutarch, 182). He not only used cross-examination, but rhetoric to pursue the people of Athens that he was not abusing the money Although sophism made an impact on Aristocrats, it did not do the same for the peasants. They believed in putting their faith in God. They chose not to consume their time and energy into sophists because they did not want to hear the logic or reasoning behind sophism. Peasants had a fear that once they started to listen to what sophists had to say, God would no longer answer their prayers (Plutarch, 170).

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