Views of Ancient Athens and Modern Los Angeles

Cities are a place where people get to live, work, and socialize. Living in the city gives us the Opportunities like public transportation is easier to get, restaurants all around us, more walking. We could trace the history of cities in ancient times. The first cities first originated in Asia (“Ancient Athens video”). We had cities like ancient Athens who started the foundations of democracy, theater, and the arts. These cities help shape the modern cities of today. A city that has been shaped by the influences of ancient times is Los Angeles. Los Angeles is a city that grows each year. It is a city that year-round has the perfect weather, the most diverse of people and, the best beaches. In contrast, there are also some challenges the city is facing as of today, education for everyone, better immigration rights and policies, and stronger city law changes. In order to better understand the challenges Los Angeles face and how to overcome them, Ancient Athens history can be a guide on how to improve and strengthen our Los Angeles. What components of ancient Athens can Los Angeles incorporate into its city to make it greater? Ancient Athens can teach Los Angeles about its immigration, democratic system and teaching approaches.In order to reinforce my argument, the paper is organized into 3 main sections. In the first section of the paper I will be discussing the democratic system of ancient Athens: the variety of policies and changes Los Angeles can make in relation to the Athenians. The second part I will be discussing immigration and how it impacted positively the economy in ancient Athens: Los Angeles can pass positive policies of immigration into society. Lastly, third point I will be examining education and the methods Athenians used when learning was involved: what are some of the strategies we can incorporate into Los Angeles Education.

Democratic Ideas of Athens

In Democracy and War in Ancient Athens and Today, Pritchard summarizes many ideas of democracy in ancient Athens by giving us a timeline of democratic policies and laws (140). Pritchard informs the reader about Ancient Athens direct democracy (140). Which was a system that allowed citizens to vote on policies and have greater voice (Pritchard 141). He also talked about the cultural and military development in ancient Athens (Pritchard 143). Pritchards gave us an insight into what ancient Athens democratic values, war, and culture were back then. The strengths of the article are how detailed the discussion is about war and revolution during ancient Athens. Another strength of the article would be subtopics presented were accurate and informational. The article had flaws pertaining to democracy topic. The author explained more about war than about the democratic views. Overall, the tone the author offered was unbiased and had educative information.

Another article that has historical information about democratic Athens is Bakewell’s, Tragedy as Democratic Education. Bakewell outlines ancient Athens democratic system and how they carried out public affairs (258). The Athenians had an assembly in which male citizens were able to join (Bakewell 258). There were around 500 citizens that were in the assembly and chosen yearly (Bakewell 259). Each of those members in the assembly would take turns in the meetings and could only serve twice (Bakewell 259). In law courts, a juror was picked randomly for every new trial (Bakewell 259). The citizens who decided in court were all chosen by staff who volunteered in the court (Bakewell 259).

When a person was in office, they were given a prior screening by the council in the court to make sure they were the right candidates for the job (Bakewell 259). When some of the politicians or officers would take advantage of the system, they were punished for lying or abusing their code of honor (Bakewell 259).A lot of the success in direct democracy system has to do with the people’s ability to participate in their own government system. The poor, rich, or non-educated could participate in system and know their city with certainty (Bakewell 260). The second section that is talked about by Bakewell is the Athenians production of plays. That honored ancient gods (Bakewell 261). These plays were put on by government and were seen like a competition (Bakewell 261). The tragedies represented what the city of Athens was going through like the war, crises, negative events and how they could change from the mistakes they had in the city to make it better. The strengths the article contained were specific information to the reader about democratic system. It gave the reader an insight into how the courts worked in the assembly. A weakness the article had was explaining why the tragedies were influential to city and government. Overall, the published article contained information about democratic system and its courts.

A Better Democratic Los Angeles. One of the biggest changes Los Angeles can do when it comes to democratic system, is bring the ideas of direct democracy to the city. Pritchard’s gives us a greater view of direct democracy in Athens. We see that the city was prosperous when it was democratic. Direct democracy was achieved by allowing its citizens to make the right choices for their own life's (Bakewell 259). Bakewell gives us a look at the assembly used by the Athenians (259). Each of the people in the assembly were citizens of the city. If Los Angeles were to be a direct democracy, then we could have city that helps its citizens vote and pass their own laws. Musso and Weare article, Social capital and community representation: how multiform networks promote local democracy in Los Angeles, promotes a strategy for citizen participation. The strategy would be to have citizens form a group that communicates with government officials, to come up with ideas about change in the city (Musso and Weare 2522). Musso and Weare theorizes that by doing community groups, reliance happens between the government and citizens (2522). By having a more direct democracy in Los Angeles, we can hold accountable corruption and interference of governmental officials. Bakewell states that the politicians in office were given a screening before starting in office and whoever was guilty of corruption were punished severely (259). The city of Los Angeles could be influenced to punish people for corruption by serving jail time or serve court trials. Another action that the Athenians avoided was civil strife (Pritchard 141). Civil strife means an act that is violent amongst a large group of people like fighting (“Civil Strife” def.). Athens was the only democracy in which civil strife was not apparent In its city, other cities were affected by it (Pritchard 141). Los Angeles were to incorporate the avoidance of civil strife, by listening to people and creating policies that help the poor, and disadvantage that would lessen the chance of people creating bad or civil strife.

Immigration in Athens

In Abrecht dissertation, My neighbor the Barbarian: Immigrant Neighborhoods in Classical Athens, Imperial Rome, and Tang Chang, immigration in Athens in the main topic. Immigration impacted the city of Athens demographically (Abrecht 79). The city of Athens was not just having Athenians, but it had foreigners, slaves, immigrants who changed the city economically, politically and culturally. One type of immigrant was the foreigners also called Metic (Abrecht 79). Metics were required to have three requirements in Athens: they were required to pay tax, needed someone who could protect them against court trials, and could not own any type of property (Abrecht 79). A lot of the foreigners were importers and business owners (Abrecht 81). The importers would come to Athens to provide goods to the citizens (Abrecht 81). The foreigners were never called illegal aliens only would be identified by what activity they had near the sea port (Abrecht 81). Other foreigners had a hand for artistic creations like pottery making, and painting (Abrecht 83). There was an immigrant who had his own business and would employ many slaves (Abrecht 82). Pericles would hire immigrants to help and design the city into what it was (Abrecht 82). The immigration in Athens helped the city strengthen its economic system by the contributions the foreigners and slaves made. The article was good and informative it gave a whole view of immigration in Athens. A weakness the article had was it do not show what the Athens opinions were to immigration and the obstacles the immigrants faced in the city. Overall, the historical data was important to understand of immigration had on Athens.

Immigration change in Los Angeles. One of the challenges that Los Angeles faces and that can improve on is rights for immigrants and unbiased viewpoint of them. Ancient Immigrants and modern times both came for economic reasons. The success of ancient Athens democracy is because of the immigrants, they had huge impact in their culture. Los Angeles is also full of diversity of people from all over the world. Thanks to a lot of what immigrants do, our city thrives because of that. The city still needs to come up with policies that creates security for immigrants. We can pass a policy that if they are an immigrant, they need to pay taxes like resident does. The policy would strengthen our economy by allowing immigrants to help the city flourish economically. If the city gave the opportunity to immigrants to start their own business without repercussion because they are illegal, like how Athens gave them the opportunity to do that. In Abrecht dissertation, he explains how some immigrants would start their own business and help the Athenian market (82). In, the effects of immigration in urban communities, James et al. Korean immigrants find different ways to increase their education levels in the business market thus making them the higher ethnic group to have their own business (182). Immigrants come to the country to help with the economy with their own their own business. Another possible option the city can do to help immigrants is to pass a reform in which helps them find a job and thus contributing to the economy. The immigrant Cephalus of Syracuse of ancient Athens would hire hundreds of slaves to work in his business (Abrecht 82). His business throve for at least thirty years (Abrecht 82). The example, the Athenian economy thrived because of the creation of jobs by same immigrants who had business in the city. All in all, immigrants are not a burden to the city, but they help with economy and diversity of Los Angeles.

Education in Ancient Athens

In Rihll’s Teaching and Learning in Classical Athens, is how Athenians learning took place in ancient times. Philosophy is one the main topics of learning in Athens. There were famous philosophers like Aristotle, Plato and Socrates. Lectures and speeches were given in any kind of environment (Rihll 172). Citizens would go to any lecture just to hear philosophers talk. Some philosophers would talk until there was no one listening to them (Rihll 172). When speakers were talking anybody from the poor, rich or foreigners would go to Athens to enjoy the speeches (Rihll 173). There were two types of crowds those would like to learn and the crowd who would go for entertainment purposes (Rihll 176). During lectures some young men would get bored listening to the same material, so they would stop attending the speeches and going to workforce instead (Rihll 181). Those actions of the youth resulted in philosophers changing learning strategies to maintain the interest of the students, by creating exercises classes to remove boredom from just sitting in a classroom (Rihll 181). The article gives clearly view of how philosophers gave their speeches in Athens. A strength was the detailed description with first person accounts of what they said are placed in the article. There are also examples of philosopher's actions in ancient Athens.

In, Ancient Universities and Student Life, Forbes gives the reader an overview of the foundations of universities. Schools used to be opened by philosophers in ancient Athens (Forbes 417). The schools funded by the philosophers were given lectures about culture to the students (Forbes 417). Another type of school in Athens was a military school that was mandatory for students to attend every single day (Forbes 417). After a few missteps in the system, the schools eventually became one university (Forbes 417). After life in the University was established, there were many students who rivaled against rules of the school and went out for a good ol’ drink (Forbes 423). The next point was the relationship between the students and teachers. The professor was admired for the knowledge that he carried, and students looked up to them as leaders and role models (Forbes 425). The article gives clear and descriptive account of the university life of ancient Athens and gives a view on the conduct of the students.

Education in Los Angeles. The question is what Los Angeles can do to improve their educational system by looking for guidance from the Athenians? First most, the Athenians had a free way of thinking when it comes to learning. The system of education in Athens gave opportunity to anyone who was poor, old, young, and foreigners to listen to their speeches and lectures. Los Angeles can put in policies that help promote that learning is for everyone not just the young. Their a stigma that only young people can go to the university and learn. In community college we see types of people wanting to learn. The older wiser Athenians usually ended up becoming philosophers themselves and successful like the other students (Rihll 182).

Los Angeles can also incorporate different types of classes in high school that are not just the same subject but different extracurricular topics like exercise, music, or art. Not only would the students have that drive to learn but they would gain life skills besides educational ones. A philosopher named Zenon came up with classes that were stimulating to the students in which it helps the student reorder their mind when it came to be concentrating in the class (Rihll 181). The new ideas brought by the philosopher the students were able to stay in school more than dropping out. Los Angeles can also get ideas of ancient Universities. In ancient Athens, some philosopher disliked the idea of books, so they emphasized on muscle memory (Forbes 425). The idea of having a reliability on textbooks and not memory makes us think less when it comes to learning (Forbes 425). Using our brains permits the student to learn more than just reading a book. The city of Los Angeles can incorporate strategies of studying in schools to help the students better their learning and success in school. Another concept the city of Los Angeles can use of Athens is having more communication between teachers and students. The school district can look for candidates that have communication skills to help their students have a positive relationship between them. In, longitudinal effects of teacher and student perceptions of teacher student relationship qualities on academic adjustment, Hughes explains that having a positive teacher-student relationship in early childhood schools affects the children positively (39). When the child feels that emotional support with the teacher, the child is more likely to succeed in high self-esteem in school and themselves (Hughes 39). In Ancient Athens, the professors were a role model and someone they could count on (Forbes 425). Success happens in the classroom with communication between the student and the teacher. Asking questions about anything that a student might have improves learning in the classroom.

Conclusion of Athens and Los Angeles

All throughout time, we have seen cities have institutions that are important for prosperity in city life. We have institutions like school, government, culture, society, security. In order to better understand what the city of Los Angeles needs to better itself. The ancient city of Athens history gives us a view on how people used to live back then. The ancient city had many accomplishments in their times like democracy, education and immigration. Los Angeles can grow to be a better city by looking at how Athens functioned back then. We can look at immigration policies and it changed the economy of Athens for the better. The education system can was different compared to what it is now. The democratic system was important aspect for both Los Angeles and Athens. Thanks to what ancient Athens taught us we can incorporate some of those policies and ideas into our economy and lives.