Households and domesticity in ancient world

How Valid is Mazarakis Ainian ‘s Hypothesis that Rulers ‘ Dwellings in the Early Iron Age were the Forerunner of the Urban Temples of Later Periods?In this paper I am traveling to review Mazarakis Ainian ‘s averment that there is a strong nexus between swayers ‘ homes and early temples in both map and architecture. I shall get down by placing what it is that separates a swayer ‘s home from the remainder of a community and shall so seek to place why a house would be used as a temple and the grounds for why there would hold been the passage to a dedicated spiritual edifice.House types of the Early Iron AgeThe period of the Early Iron Age ( EIA ) covers about 1100-700 BC and encompasses the so called ‘Dark Ages ‘ which followed the Mycenaean prostration and which ends in the passage to the Early Archaic period of the seventh century. It can be divided into the Protogeometric and Geometric periods of 1100-900 and 900-700BC severally. It is Mazarakis Ainian ‘s chief statement that due to the evident absence of temples of any sort within colonies prior to the mid eighth century BC, swayers ‘ homes alternatively served as Centres of communal cult ( 1988: 106 ) . It would hence be utile to look at the scope of house signifiers known from this early period, to place what separates elect lodging from other constructing types and besides the grounds they contain to propose ritual or spiritual activity. Although there are comparatively few colony sites staying, peculiarly 1s incorporating identifiable house remains or foundations, in comparing to subsequently periods in the Grecian World, Lang recognizes two chief types of house agreement ; detached and agglomerated. Both types of colony normally show that they were unplanned, having irregular street layouts which most frequently follow the local topography ( Lang 2007: 183 ) . The colony of Zagora on the island of Andros is demonstrative of the agglomerative house type while Emporio on Chios shows detached. This may nevertheless be brooding of colony size ; Zagora may good hold begun with a degage house agreement but its location on a drop top tableland and ensuing bounds on infinite, any addition in population may hold required new houses to be built in close propinquity to bing 1s. The alteration from little to big bunchs of houses can be seen in the programs drawn of the EIA and Archaic remains at the site ( fig. 1 ) . This has nevertheless led to several bookmans proposing that the house layout of Zagora reflects an early illustration of the courtyard house prevalent in the Classical Period ( Coucouzeli 2007: 169-181, Morris 1998 ) . The statement for this does non look wholly convincing, but I shall non turn to it farther in this paper. House types within these agreements besides varied. They were most normally composed of one or two little suites with rectangular, egg-shaped, apsidal or the somewhat less common round land programs ( Mazarakis Ainian 1997: Ch. 1 ) . The agglomerative colony lent itself best to rectangular land programs as seen with Zagora ( figure 1 ) . Geographic location appears to hold played a portion in the distribution of the different house types with, for illustration, egg-shaped edifices of the Geometric Period being chiefly found in Attica and Euboea, the East Greek islands and West seashore Asia Minor but seldom identified elsewhere ( Mazarakis Ainian 1997: 86 ) . It is the edifices of apsidal and rectangular programs that Mazarakis Ainian suggests were the ancestors of the Archaic temple and the most preferable designs for swayer ‘s homes. They can be divided into two groups ; those with a closed frontage are classified as ‘oikoi ‘ and those with an unfastened frontage are known as anta edifices ( 1997: 259 ) . At many of the colonies there is normally a home that stands out in footings of size, program and location from all others in the locality and it is these that are assumed swayers ‘ homes. Figure 2 high spots this in a comparing of elect homes of certain type, dwelling of a chief room with smaller rear chamber, and other domestic edifices of similar form.The House as TempleThe extent to which these likely elite houses show similarity in signifier and map to the first urban temples will now hold to be considered. To get down to reply this, the grounds for why these houses would be used as focal point of ritual ac tivity in the first topographic point demand to be looked into. M. Ainian calls these edifices swayers ‘ homes, but who were these powerful work forces and how far would their power have extended within their community? Mazarakis Ainian suggests that the swayers who inhabited these homes would hold been work forces who came to power on either a familial footing or through possessing desirable personal virtuousnesss ( 1997: 270 ) . In anthropological footings this would do them either heads or large work forces. He proposes that in some countries these powerful work forces may hold had their beginnings as local governors in the Late Helladic IIIB Period, and so would hold maintained control of little colonies after the Mycenaean prostration. In most countries colonies would hold been little made up of one or two drawn-out households, with the caput of the dominant or possibly oldest family going responsible for the direction of communal personal businesss ( Mazarakis Ainian 1997: 375, 393 ) . Thomas and Conant express it good: The community is virtually an drawn-out household, and the small town leader, the caput of the most of import household. ( Thomas and Conant 1999: 52 ) This reflects what is thought from Homer ; that the Oikos consisting of drawn-out household of possibly three coevalss was the basic ‘kinship, residential and economic unit ‘ with any figure of oikoi doing up a community ( Donlan 1985: 299 ) . It would merely look logical that as portion of his control of communal responsibilities the ‘chief ‘ would besides be in charge of spiritual cult pattern. When the colony was little and lone consisting of the one affinity group the ideal topographic point to idolize a divinity or ascendant would hold been within his place. As the colony grew possibly this pattern continued as tradition. It is M. Ainian ‘s position that by literally lodging spiritual pattern the swayer was keeping his prestigiousness and control within the community ( 1997: 393 ) . The control of faith by a individual swayer, or double swayers in this peculiar instance, was continued into subsequently periods by the male monarchs of Sparta who cont inued to move as main priests, retaining their spiritual function ( Mazarakis Ainian 1988: 118 ) . This would look to propose that spiritual responsibilities would and could hold been controlled by the colony leader. There would therefore look to be several strong accounts as to why a swayer ‘s house would hold come to be used as a precursor to the temple. The archeological grounds is largely in support of this position, with domestic and ritual artifacts frequently found in association. Nichoria, a site in Messenia is a good illustration of this. At this site two peculiar house remains, known as unit IV-1 and unit IV-5, stand out from the remainder of the homes in the locality. As a consequence it could be said with comparative certainty that they held some particular importance within the community. Both were rather big apsidal edifices surrounded by little seemingly low position apsidal huts. The first, IV-1, has been dated to the tenth century BC while IV-5 most probably replaced it in the 9th. IV-1 is the most complete of the constructions and digging found that it contained a paved circle raised on a dais and covered with a bed of burned stuff ; nearby an sum of animate being bone was besides recovered. This suggested to the excavators that it may hold been a temple, with the paved circle operation as an communion table. Other di scoveries of a domestic nature were besides found nevertheless, proposing that it was possibly of importance both as a home and for its ritual significance ( Lukermann and Moody 1978: 94 ) . Ritual banqueting was another facet of ancient Greek spiritual pattern that M. Ainian identifies as perchance holding a case in point within the swayers ‘ home. Whitley though argues that the big sums of animate being castanetss and imbibing vass in association with fireplaces and benches in some homes does propose banqueting, but for the intent of doing bonds of commitment and beef uping authorization within the community ( Whitley 1991: 185 ) . Mazarakis Ainian does non deny that banquets were most likely taking topographic point for these grounds, but besides tenuously suggests that they would hold been held for ritual intents ( 1997: 379-80 ) . The grounds he cites for this nevertheless is limited at best, and he does rely somewhat on justification from the Homeric heroic poems in this peculiar country, despite his unfavorable judgment for other bookmans on this point. I am nevertheless inclined to take up his point of position in this affair. Although it is certain that fe asts did happen in swayers ‘ homes, the grounds available makes their purpose hard to find, but as antecedently argued, the swayer took on the function of ‘priest ‘ which makes it likely that some signifier of ritual dining must hold taken topographic point within his house alongside the other signifiers mentioned. The architectural similarities between swayers ‘ homes and early temples besides give acceptance to M. Ainian ‘s hypothesis. They portion similar land programs, being largely rectangular or apsidal and holding the entryway in the short side, significance that every cult edifice of the Late Geometric Period had an architectural opposite number in a domestic edifice of the same or earlier day of the month ( Mazarakis Ainian 1997: 388 ) . Apparently so this demonstrates really close ties between the edifice types that must certainly stand for a continuance of tradition. Snodgrass nevertheless does foreground that shrines may hold existed as separate entities in earlier periods as direct ancestors of the classical temple, but because architectural criterions were lower they can non be differentiated from domestic constructions ( Snodgrass 1980: 58 ) . Some edifices, such as edifice C at Koukounaries, appear to portion greater similarity with banqueting halls than with abodes as they consist of merely the one big room without any noticeable divisions ( figure 3 ) . A individual unfastened infinite like this would look more ideal as a topographic point for banqueting than as a life infinite for the elite. This would propose a remarkable function and specific intent for these peculiar edifices instead than holding the double intent of brooding and Centre of cult that is cardinal to M. Ainian ‘s statement. If this was the instance so the temple, which fulfilled the function of communal banqueting hall and garnering topographic point in the Archaic Period, could be seen as holding its beginnings as a typical, separate construction in an urban scene at a much earlier day of the month. Lang though believes that EIA society would non hold been developed plenty socially or economically to let for the building of public edifices of remarkable map ( Lang 2007: 186 ) . Ideas of public and private infinite had non been developed and so the separation of domestic and sacred would non hold been necessary ; the demand for a typical temple edifice within the confines of the colony would non hold existed. Small discoveries from within many of the big constructions suggest a scope of domestic maps took topographic point within, instead than the remarkable grounds of dining that would be expected from a banqueting hall. The bulk of edifices believed to be swayers ‘ homes are divided into compartments or suites with edifice C at Koukounaries being one of merely several exclusions to this ( Mazarakis Ainian 1997: 271 ) . His most convincing statement is that without these being classed as places of governing households, there would be small archeological grounds to propose Grecian society was stratified as opposed to classless during the EIA ( 1997: 271 ) . It would therefore look improbable in visible radiation of the grounds that temples would hold existed in their ain right during in urban contexts during this period. Rulers ‘ homes apparently would hold filled the function finally played by the temple, with the leader, the head or large adult male, executing the responsibilities of priest.Passage to TempleIt does look that swayers ‘ homes would hold been the Centre of at least some sort of ritual spiritual activity within EIA communities. So why was there the passage to the separate urban temple at the terminal of the 8th and beginning of the seventh century? These new temples, in the beginning at least, would hold carried out the same spiritual map as the houses of the elite had done, but were merely designed for this remarkable intent. This alteration must certainly hold represented new thoughts emerging of dividing public and privat e infinite and in bend reflect societal, political and even economic alteration. Prior to the mid eighth century, temples as edifices in their ain right merely appear to hold existed at extra-urban sanctuaries ; that is those which are outside any peculiar colony. One illustration of such a edifice is the rural shrine at Pachlitsani Agriada near Kavousi on Crete ( Mazarakis Ainian 1988: 116 ) . The edifice contained a bench on which idols stood and besides the remains of several graven images, perchance dedications to the goddess Eileithyia ( Mazarakis Ainian 1997: 212 ) . It is dated tenuously from the manner of the graven images to the Protogeometric at the earliest and the bend of the 8th/7th century at the latest, with M. Ainian preferring the earlier day of the month. There was hence a case in point for edifices that were built for the exclusive intent of worship, either to a God, an ascendant or hero, but non within a colony. As has been mentioned the map of a temple was carried out by the swayers ‘ home and so there was no demand for such a edifice u ntil about 750BC.From so onwards this position changed and temples began to look in a figure of urban colonies across Greece. Of class the alterations taking topographic point did non make so at the same time across the full Grecian Universe, but 750BC appears to hold been the turning point from which the temple finally dominated as the primary focal point of spiritual cult. Mazarakis Ainian suggests that the passage to temples occurred as a consequence of political and societal alteration ; specifically the diminution of the monarchal system. He proposes that when the so called ‘basileus ‘ , the leader of the community, had control over the direction of communal personal businesss including spiritual facets, the sacred and non sacred were non separated. It is his sentiment therefore that the rise of temples from the mid eighth century was a direct consequence of the abolishment of monarchy in favor of an blue system. The former leader would hold lost many of his powers and in peculiar the control of cult activity ( Mazarakis Ainian 1988: 118 ) . This implies that control would hold passed to the ‘state ‘ as it existed at the clip, followed by the separation of the every-day into public and private, sacred and non sacred. This is one possible account as to the passage of cult from swayers ‘ brooding to temple and it is closely linked with the other chief account ; the rise of the polis, which shall be discussed shortly. Harmonizing to M. Ainian, the building of temples meant the remotion of cult from private to public control and so besides implied the remotion of power from the single i.e. the colony leader. Although it is widely held that power did bit by bit go more widely distributed between a figure of elect as opposed to being held by one adult male, and is seen in the archeological record by the progressively hard undertaking of placing swayers ‘ homes from the architectural remains of this period, it could non hold been the instance everyplace as evidenced by the continued presence of sovereign into the Archaic Period and beyond ( Mazarakis Ainian 1997: 382 ) . His logical thinking does non take into history that temples themselves, as monumental constructions, could besides be interpreted as shows of authorization and wealth of a high position person in the same manner swayers ‘ homes had done, while possibly at the same time in other countries stand foring competition between c ommunities and a show of the corporate power of the ‘state ‘ . The best counter-argument to his position must certainly be the instance of Sparta, as a good documented metropolis where the establishment of kingship was maintained, yet besides featured temples. He argues that for monumental temples to be constructed it required communal consensus, attempt and resources that would non hold been possible under a individual swayer ( 1997: 384 ) . Yet, by his ain statement, the earliest temples frequently resembled swayers ‘ homes in form every bit good as map, and so the really first temples at least could hold been constructed utilizing bing resources and work force ( 1988: 116 ) . He is nevertheless right in proposing that a swayer at the degree of ‘chief ‘ would be improbable to command adequate power in order to build a truly monumental edifice of any sort. The ‘Heroon ‘ at Lefkandi may be the exclusion to this ; at 47 meters long, 10 meters broad and dating to c.950BC it was bigger than anything else built in Greec e for more than the following 200 old ages. It has been suggested that this excessively may hold served as a home before being converted into a funerary construction ( De Waele 1998: 384 ) . It would once more confute M. Ainian ‘s theory as it was most probably constructed to house the people finally buried within it instead than for the broader community, but within the range of this paper shall be treated as an anomalousness. This aside so, it would look to come down to a inquiry non of who was in charge, the person or the many, but the phase of development as a society that they were at. Sparta was able to hold temples even under a dyarchy because it had developed into a polis and accordingly was at a phase of political development that allowed for the separation of the sacred and the non sacred, the populace from the private. It has even been argued that it was a necessary demand for the development of the metropolis province. Starr asserts that the outgrowth of purpose built temples indicates civic integrity merely possible through the societal construction and centralized authorities of the polis ( Starr 1986: 39 ) . Thomas and Conant agree to an extent with this position, proposing that spiritual commonalty would hold contributed towards the turning coherence of colonies and added to the sense of community beyond affinity groups. But they go farther in suggesting that this manifested itself in the bu ilding of grander constructions to honor the Gods and hence played a important portion in the development of the community and individuality of the polis ( Thomas and Conant 1999: 138-9 ) . From these two statements the inquiry is formed as to whether the temple was a consequence of the rise of the polis, or if the polis was merely possible through the creative activity of, or at least the societal, political and economic conditions necessary for the building of, the urban temple. To decently reply this would necessitate an in deepness expression into the rise of the polis which is beyond the bounds of this paper, but no affair what the reply it is clear that the outgrowth of both were inexorably linked. If, as harmonizing to Mazarakis Ainian, it was the displacement from monarchy to shared regulation that led to the demand for temples so it would go forth those metropoliss that did non travel through this political alteration as exclusions to the regulation. To give him the benefit of the uncertainty, what he is most likely seeking to state is that urban temples were a phenomenon of ‘state ‘ regardless of its signifier of authorities every bit long as the power was shared in some manner. I would therefore suggest that his usage of the term ‘monarchy ‘ is misdirecting in this context as he alternatively seems to be mentioning to the alteration from chiefdom degree regulation to that of province degree ; therefore indirectly besides back uping the thought that the beginnings of the polis was the ground for alteration.DecisionsSo is Mazarakis Ainian ‘s hypothesis valid? The grounds for the period he is analyzing is comparatively limited, embracing as it do es the so called Dark Age of Greece, but what is known from the archeological record does non look to confute his decisions. That is non to state nevertheless that it to the full endorses him either. In several illustrations presented the archeology could be interpreted in a figure of ways but would look to back up his statement through other indirect associations. This can peculiarly be seen in the grounds for banqueting within swayers ‘ homes which does be, but its ritual nature is difficult to find. Its reading as such is largely dependent on whether the colony swayer genuinely took on the mantle of priest as argued. Although there are several separate and valid statements in support of his point of view, in my sentiment if merely one facet such as the degree of authorization of a colony leader was thrown into uncertainty, the other statements would go well weaker. Despite this, holding considered the chief points of Mazarakis Ainian ‘s statement and the available grounds I have drawn similar decisions, and would therefore back up his hypothesis that swayers ‘ homes were so a precursor in both signifier and map of the early temple.BibliographyCoucouzeli, A. 2007. From Megaron to Oikos at Zagora. In R. Westgate, N. Fisher and J. Whitley ( explosive detection systems ) , Constructing Communities: House, Settlement and society in the Aegean and Beyond, 169-181.British School at Athens.Lang, F. 2007. House-Community-Settlement: The New Concept of Living in Archaic Greece. In R.Westgate, N. Fisher and J. Whitley ( explosive detection systems ) , Constructing Communities: House, Settlement and society in the Aegean and Beyond, 183-193. British School at Athens.Lukermann, F. and Moody, J. 1978. Nichoria and Vicinity: Colonies and Circulation. In G. Rapp andS. Aschenbrenner ( explosive detection systems ) , Excavations at Nichoria in Southw est Greece: Volume I. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota.Mazarakis Ainian, A. 1997. From Rulers Dwellings to Temples: Architecture, Religion and Society in Early Iron Age Greece 1100-700BC. Jonsered: Paul Astroms Forlag.Mazarakis Ainian, A. 1988. Early Grecian Temples: Their Beginning and Function. In R. Hagg, N. Marinatos and G. Nordquist ( explosive detection systems ) , Early Grecian Cult Practice, 105-119. Capital of sweden: Paul Astroms Forlag.Morris, I. 1998. Archaeology and Archaic Greek History. In N. Fisher and H. new wave Wees ( explosive detection systems ) , Archaic Greece: New Approaches and New Evidence, 1-91. Swansea: The Classical Press of Wales.Snodgrass, A. 1980. Archaic Greece: The Age of Experiment. London and Toronto: J. M. Dent and Sons Ltd.Starr, C. G. 1986. Individual and Community: the Rise of the Polis 800-500BC. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Thomas, C. G. and Conant, C. 1999. Citadel to City State. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press .Whitley, J. 1991. Style and Society in Dark Age Greece: The Changing Face of a Pre-Literate Society 1100-700BC. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Contemporary Sociological Theory

Contemporary Sociological Theory Final Exam Jurgen Habermas’ Theory of Communicative Action sought to explain this contemporary sociological thinker’s ideas on system and the life-world. The meaning of this â€Å"life-world† for Habermas, meant: one’s own personal space, including personal identity and consciousness. â€Å"It is the lived realm of informal, culturally-grounded understandings and mutual accommodations. † (Wikipedia) The life-world goes on to function through norms and beliefs of the society. Everyone in the society plays their role, which is based on their personal identity, and the society goes on functioning as a system.The system includes a chain of commands dealing with politics, economics, etc. Consequently, this leads to a colonization of the life-world. The system is an impersonal structure that entails organization and functionality. Because it is based on functions within social, educational and environmental policies, as we ll as markets (Parsons’ AGIL), there must be a form of order for it to run smoothly. The political institutions do not allow the individual to just think of himself, it essentially leaves a demand for all to work together as a whole.The life-world is based more on happiness and order within. When the functions of the system and life-world collide the life-world becomes colonized. Things are harder to be rationalized within the system because barriers are formed in the lines of communication. The struggle to please one’s own self and the need for order in the political realm causes a conflict of interest in modern society. The two entities are becoming rationalized as both continue to evolve. The life-world will continue to be hindered as the system continues to block lines of communication.As modern society goes on, the struggle within one’s self and the need to continually stabilize society will eventually cause a greater problem that will require further resea rch beyond that of Jurgen Habermas. 4. In Michael Foucault’s Discipline & Punish, he sought to explain his theory of surveillance within contemporary society. He does this by using the idea of the Panopticon as an example. The panopticon is a structure, created by Jeremy Bentham, which is built in a way that allows all angles to be easily viewed.The design, which is a circular, spherical building, allows those conducting the surveillance to see everything without having to worry about corners and non visible spots. The subjects that are being viewed never actually know when they are being specifically watched due to the construction of the building. It is also built so that the viewer cannot be easily seen. This structure is mainly existent in prisons but can also be used within schools, factories and military structures. Surveillance is defined as being the â€Å"continual observation of a person or group, especially on suspected of doing something illegal. (Encarta Diction ary) The most obvious example would be in the prison system where prisoners are being watched by prison wardens and guards. Cameras are set up at ever imaginable angle to monitor the behavior of the inmates. These cameras are active 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, recording every move of every prisoner. Furthermore, if the guard were to stand in the middle of the panopticon, he would also be able to view all angles easily without too much movement. Foulcault formulated his theory of contemporary society, in relation to the panopticon. The idea of total surveillance represents power in society.The individual is constantly being watched which consequently alters their behavior. Because the surveillance is constant and unknown, we develop a state of paranoia within ourselves and never feel completely alone unless we are absolutely sure that we are in a private space. Foulcault’s interpretation extends to the acts of the government: â€Å"The role of legislation allows the means of authority to spread without need for one central authority figure. This advocates the self monitoring society which in essence is panopticism. † (Gieser) It is said that because the government is seen as the overseer.We, the citizens, develop our own sense of self-surveillance that in turn, satisfies the surveillance tactic. Foucault felt that this panoptic ordeal â€Å"dehumanize[d] and strip[ped] the population of their power†. (Gieser) Thus, it leaves us with no actual sense of normalcy and security. 5. The idea of culture industry was created by Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer of the Frankfurt School. Culture industry is simply the use of manufactured goods in pop culture to influence society, thus causing society to be passive and not worrying about economical woes.Society develops unnecessary wants and needs while capitalism is masked and flourishing. This form of culture molds the idea of what’s important to society through mass production and ignores what works for the individual. Thus, a sense of uniqueness is lost. The Frankfurt School felt that this was an important way of trying to understand modern capitalist society because it was clearly going in that direction, at the time and now. Karl Marx inspired these beliefs through his own works and encouraged the Frankfurt School to expose capitalists.They did this by using ancient examples that proved that these frivolous items being praised were only there to mask the fact that we, the people were being manipulated and controlled. Exposing society to the control was supposed to encourage them to break free and regain their senses of self. The focus was on capitalism because it was strengthening its hold onto society at a constant rate. Adorno felt that through exposing these capitalist tactics, the cycle would reverse, causing individuals to gain there personality back, but that did not happen.Capitalism has only flourished and become more severe. Modern society is evolving an d as that happens; more capitalist tactics are being created. Thus culture industry is doing nothing but becoming stronger. The Frankfurt School took the time out to enlighten the masses but despite the fact, capitalism prevails. References Geiser, Brenton. All Eyes on You. â€Å"Surveillance (n. )†. Encarta Online Dictionary. Dec. 14, 2007. http://encarta. msn. com/dictionary_1861717276/surveillance. html http://www. wikipedia. com

Medea Aristotelian Analysis

This would add to the tension, and provide an exaggerated contrast between the men, speaking in their natural voices, and the women in their falsetto. This also influences the musical nature of the play. As compared to other Greek tragedies where the chorus would have been intentionally all male, Medea would have a very different sound, a much more feminine sound, as would be fitting for one of the few Greek plays with a female protagonist. The language Eurypides uses helps the audience understand her and her actions, as well as be able to empathize with her. Words of destruction, such as â€Å"kill,† â€Å"broken,† â€Å"refugee,† â€Å"sick,† â€Å"hate,† â€Å"enraged,† and â€Å"starves† all set the stage in the first 20 lines of the play. The audience instantly knows that Medea has suffered horribly, and now has every right and reason to take revenge for the wrongs that have been done to her. These same words are used often throughout the play, especially â€Å"hate† and â€Å"betrayed† and give us great insight into the total fury and single mindedness of Medeas later actions. Jason’s words, on the other hand, help us realize just how disconnected he is. He is, as the Chorus says â€Å"ignorant beyond pity. †Ã‚   Jason thinks he is being â€Å"generous,† and he somehow thinks leaving his wife for a younger woman makes him her â€Å"advocate. Eurypides carefully emphasizes the scene where the children are slaughtered by having it be the only time we hear them speak. They are on stage for many scenes, but they never do anything but watch, silent and obedient while their family falls apart around them. When they finally speak, it is because it is their only hope of saving themselves; it is too late for their family. They cry out, with young innocent voices, pleading for help in what is perhaps the most tense moment of the play. This tension is further heightened by the fact that the audience cannot see what is happening, they can only hear it. They are forced to rely on sound alone, and that sound for those few lines becomes the only thing that matters. One almost wants to watch Medea kill her children just to know what is actually happening behind that door instead of being denied perhaps our most important sense: sight. The audience becomes blind to the action of the play, as Medea has embraced her blind rage. Social Implications: In the last lines of Medea, Euripides uses the verbal interaction between Jason and Medea to show a reversal in the stereotypical gender roles of the time. Although Medea is a goddess, she represents a strong, unyielding female role that has power over her male counterpart in their relationship. Moments before the final grand spectacle, a distraught, weakened Jason is powerless to the will of Medea. He raises his voice (indicative of his losing all authority and pathetically lashing out for some form control) and demands that he be allowed to have his children back. Yet Madea is unwavering and persistent. Unlike Jason, she â€Å"wastes† no words and provides a simple, rational-sounding message that reflects her supremacy. This kind of social commentary is interesting because women, who were rarely awarded the liberties of men at the time, were allowed to attend the plays at the Dionysus festival. It is possible that Euripides was sending a subtle message of hope and pride to all of the oppressed female members of his audience. Dialect: Euripides was celebrated for his simplistic use of language which reflects a more realistic dialogue in the character’s expressions. Although he did not win as many first place awards as Sophocles or Aeschylus at the Dionysus festivals, his work was popular to an audience which was able to recognize their own dialects and accents on stage. Unlike other tragedies of his time, Euripides’s work was not diluted by unrealistic, grandiose phraseology which often had a deleterious effect on the listener’s comprehension and ability to interprate the plays. Physical Realities of Sound in Ancient Greek Theater: Ancient Greek theaters were specially constructed to perfectly suit the art which they housed (although without roofs). The multi-thousand-seat theaters were built into hilsides to allow for minimal construction and also excellent accoustics. In today’s theater, sound is almost always electronically amplified to permit better hearing by the audience, but not having this as an option, these grecian temples had to be constructed perfectly. By encircling the orchestra   with a mathematically perfected design of wooden or stone benches, sloping upwards away from the performance, the ancient architects nearly mimiced the way that sound travels as it spreads. This near-perfect acoustical environment allowed the actors’ voices to travel all the way to the last row of seats. Also, the Skene buidling which stood behind the orchestra may have assisted in the amplification by reflecting voices and sound towards the thousands of audience members. This arrangement meant that the words which were spoken and sounds of music and dancing were clear such that their importance could be heard accurately. The theaters of Ancient Greece enormous, when, for example, the nearest seat was almost 10 meters away from the performer, large movements and loud voices were critical to conveying the full story. As such, it is widely accepted that the performers would wear very simple, plain masks which made their facial features more clear and obvious for the audience to see. Some theater historians assert that these masks also had a type of megaphone built in for amplification, although this point is disputed. In conjunction with their enlarged faces, the performers were often on stilts and wearing heavy robes of fabric to accurately convey their character. These amendments to their body meant that every move they made and every sound they created needed to be worth it. There was no â€Å"stage whispering† in this theater which limited but also inspired Euripides to write plays with more dynamic and complex plotlines, ones filled with action and confrontation to futher add to the experience. In addition, the chorus of some twelve men (playing women in Medea) would constantly dance around the orchestra (derived from the Greek term for dancing) during their scenes. The dancing was entertaining but also allowed the group to spread around the wealth so to speak of their odes, so that all might be privy to hearing their sound and seeing their dance. VI. Spectacle The Greatest Spectacle: After the extraordinary hardships which Medea faces throughout the play, we come across the ending when she â€Å"appears in a winged chariot, rising above the house. The bodies of the two children are visible in the chariot. Interestingly, over the past 1570 lines of the play, the stage directions are almost never this specific or elaborate. Showing that Euripides has literally saved the best for last, perhaps to shamelessly present a big ending, the rising chariot is the epitome of spectacle in this play. Although there would be no such chariot in the ancient theaters, it is likely that Med ea herself would be lifted from the stage level by the deus ex machina (literally, god machine) and the childen’s bodies would be thrust forth on a rolling wagon from the skene in the rear of the orchestra. By creating such a spectacle, Euripides also highlights the importance of this event: Medea has killed her own childen in order to free them from the terror of the world which has been created for them. Her actions display her insanity, and her relentless pursuit of revenge against Jason. Setting and Costumes: The unique Greek theaters which seated many thousands called for very simplistic yet very clear design choices. Instead of elaborate costumes, the performers would wear large bold costumes which allowed even the farthest spectator to be clear on who is who. Due to the widely acknowledged â€Å"three-actor rule† (whereby three actors played the roles of all the characters in a play) the costume and mask changes would need to immediately reflect differing characters. It is also widely accepted that the performers would wear a type of stilts to make them â€Å"larger than life† leading to two interpretations: the actors could be better seen and heard when higher, but also became almost godlike or unrealistically large- adding to the spectacle of this world. Entrances and Exits: In the rear of the orchestra section was the Skene, a large building which served as a universal setting for Greek Theater. The sometimes elaborate building would generally have a major door in the center (for palace settings) as well as machines which hoisted actors above the orchestra section. Some characters may have entered this way, but most, including the chorus, would enter on ramps adjacent to the orchestra area. These eisodoi or parodoi would be used for entrances by characters such as a messenger or soldier. How did the actors move: Simply, the actors moved in large, overstated motions. In order to make the play as clear as possible for the large audiences, subtlety was not an option for the ancient Greeks. But what this also meant   for the performance was that the plot had to be appropriately planned for this style of acting. Performers carried out sometimes-long speeches with highly clear emotional intent. This style is a crucial part of Medea. As the plot continues and Medea’s situation worsens, emotions become increasingly polar and disjointed, making clear the protagonist and antagonist’s intentions. Medea Aristotelian Analysis This would add to the tension, and provide an exaggerated contrast between the men, speaking in their natural voices, and the women in their falsetto. This also influences the musical nature of the play. As compared to other Greek tragedies where the chorus would have been intentionally all male, Medea would have a very different sound, a much more feminine sound, as would be fitting for one of the few Greek plays with a female protagonist. The language Eurypides uses helps the audience understand her and her actions, as well as be able to empathize with her. Words of destruction, such as â€Å"kill,† â€Å"broken,† â€Å"refugee,† â€Å"sick,† â€Å"hate,† â€Å"enraged,† and â€Å"starves† all set the stage in the first 20 lines of the play. The audience instantly knows that Medea has suffered horribly, and now has every right and reason to take revenge for the wrongs that have been done to her. These same words are used often throughout the play, especially â€Å"hate† and â€Å"betrayed† and give us great insight into the total fury and single mindedness of Medeas later actions. Jason’s words, on the other hand, help us realize just how disconnected he is. He is, as the Chorus says â€Å"ignorant beyond pity. †Ã‚   Jason thinks he is being â€Å"generous,† and he somehow thinks leaving his wife for a younger woman makes him her â€Å"advocate. Eurypides carefully emphasizes the scene where the children are slaughtered by having it be the only time we hear them speak. They are on stage for many scenes, but they never do anything but watch, silent and obedient while their family falls apart around them. When they finally speak, it is because it is their only hope of saving themselves; it is too late for their family. They cry out, with young innocent voices, pleading for help in what is perhaps the most tense moment of the play. This tension is further heightened by the fact that the audience cannot see what is happening, they can only hear it. They are forced to rely on sound alone, and that sound for those few lines becomes the only thing that matters. One almost wants to watch Medea kill her children just to know what is actually happening behind that door instead of being denied perhaps our most important sense: sight. The audience becomes blind to the action of the play, as Medea has embraced her blind rage. Social Implications: In the last lines of Medea, Euripides uses the verbal interaction between Jason and Medea to show a reversal in the stereotypical gender roles of the time. Although Medea is a goddess, she represents a strong, unyielding female role that has power over her male counterpart in their relationship. Moments before the final grand spectacle, a distraught, weakened Jason is powerless to the will of Medea. He raises his voice (indicative of his losing all authority and pathetically lashing out for some form control) and demands that he be allowed to have his children back. Yet Madea is unwavering and persistent. Unlike Jason, she â€Å"wastes† no words and provides a simple, rational-sounding message that reflects her supremacy. This kind of social commentary is interesting because women, who were rarely awarded the liberties of men at the time, were allowed to attend the plays at the Dionysus festival. It is possible that Euripides was sending a subtle message of hope and pride to all of the oppressed female members of his audience. Dialect: Euripides was celebrated for his simplistic use of language which reflects a more realistic dialogue in the character’s expressions. Although he did not win as many first place awards as Sophocles or Aeschylus at the Dionysus festivals, his work was popular to an audience which was able to recognize their own dialects and accents on stage. Unlike other tragedies of his time, Euripides’s work was not diluted by unrealistic, grandiose phraseology which often had a deleterious effect on the listener’s comprehension and ability to interprate the plays. Physical Realities of Sound in Ancient Greek Theater: Ancient Greek theaters were specially constructed to perfectly suit the art which they housed (although without roofs). The multi-thousand-seat theaters were built into hilsides to allow for minimal construction and also excellent accoustics. In today’s theater, sound is almost always electronically amplified to permit better hearing by the audience, but not having this as an option, these grecian temples had to be constructed perfectly. By encircling the orchestra   with a mathematically perfected design of wooden or stone benches, sloping upwards away from the performance, the ancient architects nearly mimiced the way that sound travels as it spreads. This near-perfect acoustical environment allowed the actors’ voices to travel all the way to the last row of seats. Also, the Skene buidling which stood behind the orchestra may have assisted in the amplification by reflecting voices and sound towards the thousands of audience members. This arrangement meant that the words which were spoken and sounds of music and dancing were clear such that their importance could be heard accurately. The theaters of Ancient Greece enormous, when, for example, the nearest seat was almost 10 meters away from the performer, large movements and loud voices were critical to conveying the full story. As such, it is widely accepted that the performers would wear very simple, plain masks which made their facial features more clear and obvious for the audience to see. Some theater historians assert that these masks also had a type of megaphone built in for amplification, although this point is disputed. In conjunction with their enlarged faces, the performers were often on stilts and wearing heavy robes of fabric to accurately convey their character. These amendments to their body meant that every move they made and every sound they created needed to be worth it. There was no â€Å"stage whispering† in this theater which limited but also inspired Euripides to write plays with more dynamic and complex plotlines, ones filled with action and confrontation to futher add to the experience. In addition, the chorus of some twelve men (playing women in Medea) would constantly dance around the orchestra (derived from the Greek term for dancing) during their scenes. The dancing was entertaining but also allowed the group to spread around the wealth so to speak of their odes, so that all might be privy to hearing their sound and seeing their dance. VI. Spectacle The Greatest Spectacle: After the extraordinary hardships which Medea faces throughout the play, we come across the ending when she â€Å"appears in a winged chariot, rising above the house. The bodies of the two children are visible in the chariot. Interestingly, over the past 1570 lines of the play, the stage directions are almost never this specific or elaborate. Showing that Euripides has literally saved the best for last, perhaps to shamelessly present a big ending, the rising chariot is the epitome of spectacle in this play. Although there would be no such chariot in the ancient theaters, it is likely that Med ea herself would be lifted from the stage level by the deus ex machina (literally, god machine) and the childen’s bodies would be thrust forth on a rolling wagon from the skene in the rear of the orchestra. By creating such a spectacle, Euripides also highlights the importance of this event: Medea has killed her own childen in order to free them from the terror of the world which has been created for them. Her actions display her insanity, and her relentless pursuit of revenge against Jason. Setting and Costumes: The unique Greek theaters which seated many thousands called for very simplistic yet very clear design choices. Instead of elaborate costumes, the performers would wear large bold costumes which allowed even the farthest spectator to be clear on who is who. Due to the widely acknowledged â€Å"three-actor rule† (whereby three actors played the roles of all the characters in a play) the costume and mask changes would need to immediately reflect differing characters. It is also widely accepted that the performers would wear a type of stilts to make them â€Å"larger than life† leading to two interpretations: the actors could be better seen and heard when higher, but also became almost godlike or unrealistically large- adding to the spectacle of this world. Entrances and Exits: In the rear of the orchestra section was the Skene, a large building which served as a universal setting for Greek Theater. The sometimes elaborate building would generally have a major door in the center (for palace settings) as well as machines which hoisted actors above the orchestra section. Some characters may have entered this way, but most, including the chorus, would enter on ramps adjacent to the orchestra area. These eisodoi or parodoi would be used for entrances by characters such as a messenger or soldier. How did the actors move: Simply, the actors moved in large, overstated motions. In order to make the play as clear as possible for the large audiences, subtlety was not an option for the ancient Greeks. But what this also meant   for the performance was that the plot had to be appropriately planned for this style of acting. Performers carried out sometimes-long speeches with highly clear emotional intent. This style is a crucial part of Medea. As the plot continues and Medea’s situation worsens, emotions become increasingly polar and disjointed, making clear the protagonist and antagonist’s intentions.

Business Principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Principles - Essay Example Together with its values of boldness, openness, trustworthiness, and clarity both in the products they sell and services that they render, O2 puts premium on creating a steady bond and relationship with its customers by providing them mobile phones that would enrich their lives. Upon reading O2's mission, vision and value statements, I would say that O2 have fairly pass the test for a mission statement to be considered good. O2's strategic purpose clearly laid down a simple and clear foundation that enables investors and customers to gauge the company's progress. By clearly indicating in its mission statement the bare essence of its existence (i.e. creating an inseparable relationship with their customer by understanding and providing effective and necessary wireless solutions for them) it has provided a clear yardstick of progress for others to measure with. And, because of its straightforwardness and simplicity, O2 has successfully limited other's expectation concerning its growth through its mission statement. The clarity of their vision of creating mobile phones that would "enrich their customers" gives us a definite factor that differentiates its product line from its competitors.

Charles Peirce's The Doctrine of Necessity Examined Essay

Charles Peirce's The Doctrine of Necessity Examined - Essay Example Charles S. Peirce wonders whether we necessarily have to see or notice signal effects of some element that may have happened by pure chance so that to ascertain that real chance exists. He wonders whether there are some occurrences or effects that may have gone unnoticed or unobserved. He gives an example of how physicists claim that gas particles move about randomly, considerably as if by pure chance, and that by the assumption of probabilities, there certainly will be situations contrary to the second law of thermodynamics whereby concentrations of heat in the gases lead to explosive mixtures, which must at the time have tremendous effects. He claims this assumption could be false because it has never happened like that. â€Å"What we are, that only can we see† (Dickinson). This is a popular quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson from his publication, Nature. Emerson believed in facts. Emersonian philosophy seemingly emphasized on seeing, and perception. Emerson would, therefore, prob ably support Charles on this argument, because Charles insists that he cannot support or believed in things that allegedly happened without any evidence or that have never happened. Another argument of Charles S. Peirce about this issue is that he is not of the belief that there is any person who can ascertain that the precise, universal compliance of facts to natural law is proved evidently, or depicted particularly possible, by any observations made so far. He noted that those in support of the doctrine of exact regularity used hypotheses other than proven experimental result of facts to support their arguments. He, therefore, dismissed this notion as it shows high levels of poor reasoning. Charles affirms that, sometimes people cannot help to believe a given proposition. However, he noted that this was of collective thinking which is wrong. Some people conclude a proposition to be true while others look at it as â€Å"we† instead of â€Å"I†. This leads to the propo sition being true to certain people and wrong to others depending on their levels of ignorance, or the evidence they have. He calls this problem â€Å"inability to conceive† and claims that every man passes through this stage with respect to the number of beliefs they have. The mind of man is sometime subjected to this blind coercion, but it is cast off as time goes through rigorous thinking. As a result, Charles confirms that, the things that are not conceivable today will turn out to be indisputable in future. This is supported by the countercultural philosophy of Emerson whereby he lobbied to create a structure of a form of life that will go past the status quo expectations and thinking models. This was in favour of deeply independent and creative manifestations of universal truths. This, he argued, will also help solve the problem of inability to conceive by stating, â€Å"Every man has a form of mind peculiar to himself.† The author confirms that the principles of mechanics are indeed natural beliefs, which have been confirmed by experience. The only problem is that those that were formulated long time ago were exceedingly erroneous. As a result, they need to be continually corrected and purified from natural illusions. This process of products adapting to recognizable usefulness or ends, as seen in nature, is never quite perfect. The author, therefore, finds this argument well

Sample content for either a book or magazine of your invention plus an Essay

Sample content for either a book or magazine of your invention plus an indicative publishing plan and a critical reflection - Essay Example R. (2003 is first ensuring that data stored in the computer is safely stored and only accessible to the people who have been authorized. This can be done by ensuring that your computer is locked with a not only a password but a strong password. A strong password is a password that is at least eight characters long. It should include a mixture of numeric, alphanumeric and symbols. Alphanumeric should include both uppercase and lowercase letters (Caldwell, 2003). The second thing to ensuring that your computer is safe is employing the use of an anti-virus. The anti-virus will according to Kaspersky lab, ensure that your computer is safe from viruses, worms, malicious codes and any suspicious software that are likely to affect the normal functioning of your computer (Caldwell, 2003). The anti-virus is capable of removing the malicious software from your computer. Not only should you ensure that you have an anti-virus, but also ensure that the anti-virus you choose to incorporate in your system in compatible with the computer programs installed. You should ensure also that the anti-virus’ performance is capable of reaching up to your personal needs and specifications. Ensuring that your computer programs and the operating system are up to date is also another way of ensuring that your computer stays safe. By keeping your operating system up to date for example, this will have the effect of ensuring that the security flaws that were present in the previous version are patched up. One should also ensure that their anti-virus software are up to date. This will give the computer users the confidence that their system will be free from any emerging viruses in the internet (Caldwell, 2003). In order for one to ensure security on-line, (Shneiderman, 2000) they have to ensure that their firewalls are turned on. A firewall is software that controls the traffic being received and being transmitted by a computer. It will help the user in

The Impact of the growing attention between GCC and China Thesis

The Impact of the growing attention between GCC and China - Thesis Example The main reason for the study is that most countries across the world have for the past engaged and created a relationship with the ‘west’ especially the United States since it has been renowned as the world super power. The current investigation is a perfect example of how GCC which has member states such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have taken a bold step in ‘looking east’ in order to satisfy the needs of each other especially economically,   politically and further. In fact, it could be argued that since the terrorist attack in the United States in 2001 among other related issues, most countries across the world with the inclusion of the GCC member states have now opted to break new grounds in the East by declaring their interest in participating and getting involved in China’s progression. Moreover, this study is aimed at ensuring that there is clear justification on why the   GCC member states have resolved on approaching China in most if not all their developments. In fact, the study will seek to discuss reasons as to why other countries, particularly in the developing world, understand the impact that is likely to emerge when there is the continuous growth of attention between the GCC and China.   The relationship between these two entities is continually intertwined since the GCC is renowned worldwide for the production of oil, gas and other energy-related products necessary in stabilizing, and further enlarging the economic power that is needed by China for the world at large.

Political Terrorism Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Political Terrorism - Term Paper Example Some of the most threatening terrorist groups are taking advantage of IT, like the Internet, telecommunication equipment, and computers to enhance the organization and coordination of scattered operations. This essay discusses the impact of information technology on terrorism; how policymakers, intelligence specialists, and scholars view this current change in the nature of terrorism; and the needed security or defense policies to disrupt this new form of terrorism. While numerous private companies have adopted information technology to conduct their businesses more competitively and with better adaptability, terrorist organizations are exploiting the potentials of IT to facilitate new structures of organization and functional ideologies. And while private companies are building consortiums to offer a wide variety of products and/or services to consumers, terrorist organizations are ‘fragmenting’ from hierarchical bureaucracies and shifting to more linear, autonomous, and frequently restructuring networks of organizations unified by a shared objective (Muckian, 2006). The emergence of networked terrorist organizations is a component of a larger move toward ‘netwar’. Netwar is defined as a developing form of crime and conflict requiring procedures far removed from conventional war where in actors are likely to be made up of small, scattered units who carry out, organize, and communicate their operations without an exact central authority (Arquilla & Ronfeldt, 2001, 3). Netwar is different from forms of conflict wherein the players favor hierarchical, independent, official structures, ideologies, and approaches, such as earlier attempts, for instance, to create consolidated revolutionary campaigns along the lines of Marxism. †¦ criminal organizations and networks based in North America, Western Europe, China, Colombia, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, and Russia will expand the

Dystopia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dystopia - Essay Example The themes often show dehumanization, dictatorial institutions, disaster with the environment and other issues that are associated with bad luck and calamities (Atwood). The same themes are found by reading 1984 by George Orwell (Orwell). This political novel is written with the purpose of warning readers about dangers associated with totalitarian leadership. Where we see authorities using their power to control and manipulate the lives of the people they rule. One of the major areas is in language use for exclusion and mind control, psychological manipulation, control of information and history. In his book for example, Orwell elaborates to the readers on the dangers that are associated with totalitarian leadership. The same issues are found in the Handmaids tale. The Handmaid’s Tale is set in the future times, in a theocracy that has overthrown the government of the United States of America. In the novel there are many themes discussed, some of the major ones is the issue of women who are forced to be submissive to the male dominated governance. The major themes that are explored in this novel includes; the use of women body as political instruments, the cause of urge and use of language to manipulate people. Physical control In his novel, 1984, Orwell talks about how the totalitarian party controls the bodies of its people. The party is very strict and observes any form of disloyalty to the extent that even a simple facial twitch can lead to a person being arrested on the spot. For the reason we find that, a person’s nervous system is actually his worst enemy. The same issues are found in the Handmaids tale, where people and especially women are monitored everywhere (Orwell). c) Use of language to manipulate people In exploring this theme, Gilead, innovates a new language that corrupts the main form of communication and can only serve the society it desires and the elite people in this world. In addition, women are the major losers here because Gilead prohibits any woman to hold jobs and those who are found working are usually put to punishment. For women, they are nothing more than wives and handmaids. They are stripped off their familiar names and called Marthas. Those women who are found with deformed babies are not taken to be human and for this reason Gilead refer to them as unwomen. For men, Gilead ensures that each man works hard to hold strengths of the military system alive. All men are judged by their military might. This form of ill treatment is not only reflected in gender relations but also on racial grounds. (Atwood). Gilead rule is very lethal that even one can be persecuted for not greeting another person in the required manner. This in Gilead’s world is a show of disloyalty. Through this theme, the reader is able to foresee the dangers that the world and our governments would face it were led by a totalitarian society. This can also be found in Foucaults, â€Å"Panopticism† from Discipline & Punishment’ (Foucault) where he talks about eighteenth century torture. In his book he analyzes on the issues of totalitarian rule and penalties given to the people who went against the ruling government. Totalitarian rule shaped the way people behaved and how the governments run. Penalties became so harsh that it became a way of life. In Europe and America, penalties would exist in the following ways: economic purnishment, projects reforms, revision of law and crime, moral and

Plagiarism literary Essay Example for Free

Plagiarism literary Essay Post your response to the following: Axia College takes academic honesty seriously. Think for a moment about an author whose original work has been plagiarized by a student. Why would that author consider plagiarism to be such a grave offense? Plagiarism is a literary theft that is commonly done by some students. A scenario in which an author who had spent everything he has on a literary project gets to know that people are just copying his works that he suffered to put it together without proper acknowledgment, he will be so much offended. he will count this as act of disrespect and that his idea are not been valued so he might decided not to write such write up again which will be to the disadvantage of the entire public and the said author. Post your response to the following: What are other ways in which you can make use of the wealth of Web-based information and still guard against plagiarism? These involves many method that one can gain from the web without committing plagiarism offence, this include ensuring that the original word of the author are not used, when doing any work, it should be followed by jottings and one should avoid making reference from the authors statement, but after the extensive reading and understanding then one can now sit with it and pen down in ones idea. We should avoid summarizing and paraphrasing because they are forms of plagiarism

Personal Income Tax Administration In Nigeria Economics Essay

Personal Income Tax Administration In Nigeria Economics Essay The success achieved by Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) in meeting the targets set for its integrated tax offices nationwide is no doubt a challenge to its state counterparts (SBIRS). Personal income tax that is supposed to be paid by self employed individuals in Nigeria constitutes a major source of revenue accruable to various state government of the nation. Unfortunately, the correct assessment and collection of taxes from these groups of taxpayers remains a mirage due to myriad of factors. Prominent among these factors is the failure of majority to register with revenue authority as revealed in this study. This paper therefore recommends various strategies that can be adopted by government to bring into the tax net of the government numerous self employed persons in the society which can impact positively on increased revenue generation and the attendant quantity and quality of infrastructural facilities that can be provided by the government. Introduction Tax is defined as money that has to be paid to the government by the people according to their profits on goods and services provided. Chris and Elizabeth (2001) also defined taxes as a forced proportional contribution from persons and property levied by the state by virtue of its sovereignty for the support of government and for all public needs. Other definitions can also be gleaned from judicial precedents. In Matthew V. Chikory Marketing Board of Victoria Australia, Latham, C. J. defined tax as a compulsory exaction of money by a public authority for public purposes. Tax in this regard is seen as a means of raising money from the public by the government by means of contributions from individual persons. In the American case of United States V. Butler, Justice Robert defined tax in the general understanding of the term as exaction money from members of the society for the support of the government expenditure (Chris and Elizabeth 2001). In summation therefore, according to Chris and Elizabeth (2001) tax has three basic features namely; a compulsory levy imposed by government, or local authority, for public purpose and to encourage social justice. A tax according to Ayua (1996) is not a voluntary payment but a compulsory pecuniary burden placed on taxpayers for the benefit of the society. Generally, taxation can be described as a form of levy imposed on all residents living and non-residents doing business within a tax jurisdiction. It is a civic and patriotic responsibility of citizens to pay taxes imposed which also come to the government as income or revenue yielding device to finance the provisions of socio-economic and infrastructural amenities and also to enhance industrial efficiency. The aim of this paper is to look into various constraints faced by tax authorities in assessing and collecting taxes from self-employed taxpayers and proffering solutions as regards strategies to be adopted by revenue authorities for expanding the Nigerian tax net to improve tax collection drive covering the self-employed. Review of related literature Under the review of literature the history of taxation in Nigeria, the objectives of taxation and the use of taxation as an instrument of economic regulation or control have been treated. 2.1 The history of taxation in Nigeria The history of taxation in Nigeria dates back to the pre-colonial period. According to Lekan and Sunday (2006) before the colonization of the different entities which were later amalgamated under the name Nigeria, there were different systems of taxation existing in the form of compulsory services, contribution of goods, money, labour and so on amongst the various kingdoms, groups and tribes controlled by the Obas, Emirs, Ezes, Attah of Igala, Tor Tiv, Ohinoyi of Ebira and so on in order to sustain the monarchs. The various taxes levied by the different ethnic groups by the kings according to Ola (2004) took several forms such as Zakkat levied on Moslems for educational, charitable and religious purposes, kudin-kasa, a form of an agricultural tax levied on utilization of land, shuka-shuka levied on the ownership of cattle based on the member of cattle, Ishakiloe- contribution of farm products as a form of land tax in exchange for the use of land for agricultural purposes payable to Obas, chiefs and family community heads, community tax payable by all adults in order to execute projects beneficial to the community; Oko-ane payable to Attah Igala for hunting in a particular forest, Osusu Imachi-Nkwu payable to Ezes in Igbo land by those who harvest palm fruits and are expected to contribute proportion of the harvested palm oil. In Tivland in Benue state certain taxes are paid by couples during marriage ceremonies which are used for various community development projects. The present form of taxation in Nigeria could be traced to the establishment of a British colony in Lagos on August 6, 1861 and subsequent amalgamation of the Southern and Northern protectorates of Nigeria in 1914. During the colonial era according to Yerokun (1997), the imposition of any type of tax on citizens (individuals and corporate) took the form of promulgation of laws by the colonial authority. Examples of such law include Native Law ordinance cap 74 of 1917 applicable to Western Nigeria. The re-enactment of the same law in 1929 according to Ola (2004) which for the first time imposed taxes on women resulted in the Aba women riot of 1929. Another law was that of non-natives protectorates tax ordinance of 1931. The ordinance was later repealed and incorporated into the taxation ordinance No. 4 of 1940 and subsequently re-enacted as the Income Tax Ordinance (ITO) 1943. The above tax laws according to Yerokun (1997) were administered on individuals and corporate entities by various tax and revenue officers in the different provinces and regions. In order to promote uniformity in the incidence of taxation throughout the geographical entity called Nigeria according to Lekan and Sunday (2006), the colonial government in 1958 set up the Raisman Commission. The commission at the end of its work recommended the introduction of uniform basic income tax principles for application in all regions of Nigeria. This recommendation was accepted by the government which incorporated the same into the 1960 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This led to the promulgation of the Income Tax Management Act (ITMA) 1961 and Companies Income Tax Act (CITA) 1961. The taxation of individuals as opposed to companies is governed by the ITMA 1961, the main purpose according to Ariwodola (2000) is to regulate the imposition of personal income tax throughout the Federation so that internal double taxation of incomes by the Federal Government and State Government will be avoided. The Act sets up a Joint Tax Board (JTB) which is charged with the responsibility of determining technical and other issues in which interests of those Government might otherwise be in conflict. Each government has sole Jurisdiction to impose personal income tax on individuals resident or deemed to be resident in its territory and the 1961 Act does not seek to encroach upon the right of each government to decide upon the appropriate level of taxation of those individual who under the provisions of the Act, fall within its jurisdiction. The ITMA determines such questions as to what is taxable income, what deductions may be allowed against gross income to arrive at the taxable income and the period over which assessable income is to be determined. The above legislations (ITMA and CITA) 1961 were later repealed and re-enacted as the Personal Income Tax Act (PITA) 1993, and the Companies Income Tax Act CAP 60 LFN, 1990 respectively. As a result of the work of the Tax Laws Review Commission, these laws have been reviewed and updated and are included in the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2004. The current law that governs the administering of Personal Income Tax (PIT) is the Personal Income Tax Act Cap. P8 LFN 204 which imposes tax on incomes of individuals and corporations. 2.2 Objectives of Taxation Tax is generally regarded as a pecuniary burden laid upon individuals or persons or property to support the government and it is a payment exacted by legislative authority. Tax according to Nightingale (2000) under any jurisdiction is discriminatory in the sense that it is assessed on persons or property based on profits/incomes or gain, the benefit derived by citizens from tax payment is without reference to the contribution of individual tax payers. In line with this therefore, according to Ariwodola (2005) it is accurate to say that the primary objective and purpose of taxation in most nations of the world is essentially to generate revenue for government expenditure on social welfare such as provision of defense, law and order, health services and education. Revenue from taxation can also be spent on capital projects otherwise called consumer expenditure, creating social and economic infrastructure which will improve the social life of the people. Quite apart from this primary purpose, taxation as the most potential source of revenue to government of any nation has played very prominent roles as an instrument of governments economic, social and fiscal policy. Other major objective of taxation in any economy of a nation are as follows: The use of taxation as an instrument of economic regulation or control: For the purpose of discouraging certain forms of anti-social behaviour in the society. Taxation according to Musgrave and Musgrave (1984) can be extensively used in regulating the consumption pattern resulting in economic stabilization. Anti-social behaviour such as drinking of alcohol, smoking and pool betting can be controlled by imposition of higher taxes on production of such goods. Investment promotion: The resource allocation dimension of taxation policy is its role in promoting investment as a critical measure of ensuring a healthy economy through creation of new wealth. In Nigeria, government sometimes introduces tax incentives and attractive tax exemptions as an instrument to woo and induce local and foreign investors in areas such as manufacturing of goods, export processing, oil and gas and utilities, which are critical and necessary for the economic development and growth of the nation. Income and wealth distribution: The use of transfer payments and benefits to those members of the society who are less well off according to Musgrave and Musgrave (1980) is to promote social equality. Taxation as a mechanism for income and wealth distribution holds that the burden of taxation should be heavier for the rich in the society than for the poor so that taxes collected are used to pay for social services for the less fortunate. Harmonization: Harmonization according to Lekan and Sunday (2006) is said to be the modern objective of Economic community of West African States (ECOWAS). The idea of a single market in ECOWAS member nations is to provide for the free movement of goods/services, capital and people between member states. The philosophy behind this single market therefore suggests that these tax systems of member states should be harmonized. Generally, according to Ola (2004) taxation is a powerful and potential fiscal stabilizer employed by government of nations to plan development policies. It is a device according to Nightingale (2004) to induce economic development and favourable balance of payments. 3. Method The study employed a survey design and data was collected from the Adamawa State Board of Internal Revenue and using convenient sampling, 90 self employed persons in Jimeta-Yola metropolis in Adamawa State were interviewed. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics made up of simple percentages. 4. Discussion Self-employed tax payers are unincorporated individuals or body of individuals engaged in their own businesses either as sole traders or in partnerships. Such persons include individual contractors, traders, professionals, consultants, market women, artisans and all other entities that are not liable to tax under the Companies Income Tax Act (CITA), but under the Personal Income Tax Act (PITA). This means such persons are taxable on income accruing to them personally. In the study conducted among the self-employed in Jimeta-Yola metropolis in Adamawa State, it was discovered that just very few individuals registered with the state Board of Internal Revenue (SBIR) for 2010 and 2011 tax year as indicated in the table below. Table 1: Rate of Registration of Self-Employed Persons with Tax Authority (Adamawa State Board of Internal Revenue) 2010 2011 2010 2011 Self-Employed Group Registered Unregistered Total Registered Unregistered Total 1 14 15 2 13 15 Electricians 15 15 15 15 Mechanics 2 13 15 4 11 15 Painters 3 12 15 5 10 15 Vulcanizers 1 14 15 15 15 Welders 15 15 15 15 07 83 90 11 79 90 Source: Field Survey, 2011. Out of 90 self-employed groups interviewed in Jimeta-Yola metropolis regarding whether they have registered with Adamawa State Board of internal revenue for the purpose of paying tax on their income for 2010 and 2012 Assessment year, only 7 of them in 2010 indicated that they have registered representing about 12.2% registered with the State Board of Internal Revenue (SBIR) while the remaining 87.8% failed to register. The above scenario is likely to be a total reflection of what is happening through out the entire country, where there is wide trend of tax aversion by the self-employed group in the country. Given a whole gamut of self-employed persons in the society as enumerated above, a huge amount of revenue can be generated by various state tax authorities if self-employed individuals are properly brought into the tax net of the government. It is the requirement of the law PITA Cap P8 LFN 2004 that all self-employed tax payers are required to file self-assessment tax returns with their respective relevant state tax authorities every year within 90 days of the commencement of a new tax year. Such tax return is expected to disclose transactions relating to the individuals income for the year. Unfortunately according to Ariwodola (2000) a large sum of money by way of revenue that suppose to have been generated from these group of tax payers (self-employed) by the government remain uncollected year in year out due to the following factors. Lack of Taxpayers Data/Information: There is no detailed information on or database for the self-employed in Nigeria, thus bringing them into the tax net is different. This is a very serious problem in personal taxation as it often difficult most a times to determine the residence of individuals which is vital for the purpose of identifying the relevant tax authority of a tax payer. A lot of time is often spent in residence determination especially where there is dispute between two or more tax authorities leading to loss of revenue that would have accrued. Inefficient Utilization Tax Revenue: There is a general apathy to voluntary compliance with the provisions of the tax laws because of the level of decay in basic infrastructure such as light, water and good roads. This problem has always called to question the need for continued payment of tax in Nigeria. Lack of Experienced and Qualified Personnel: Most tax officers lack the requisite experience and knowledge of the tax laws required to appropriately assess the self-employed to tax. Inadequate Penalties/Absence of Enforcement: In Nigeria, the penalties for non-compliance with relevant tax provisions are too lenient to compel the self-employed to pay tax. There is also a general lack of enforcement of existing penalties. Inadequate Records: Most self-employed persons do not maintain adequate records of their income and expenditure. In most cases, they mix their business activities with their private affairs thus making it difficult to determine the income taxable. Lack of Public Enlightenment: Most of the self-employed tax payers do not know what tax to pay, when to pay, who to pay to, where to pay and what relief and allowance they are entitled to. Government is faulted here because a good tax system should be certain and easy to administer. It is the responsibility of government at all levels to educate the public on their responsibility with respect to tax at all times. Level of Corruption: Some tax officials collude with would be tax payers to defraud the government of her taxes. A large chunk of revenue that is suppose to come into government coffers ended up in private pockets compounding problems of governments inability to provide the basic infrastructure needed for the orderly development of the society. Level of Poverty: This is directly linked to the problem highlighted above. Several self-employed persons are struggling to survive due to the unconducive operating environment. The society according to Ariwodola (2000) has been impoverished by the elite so much that paying tax will further deepen the level of poverty among the low income earners. Over-Dependence on Oil Revenue: For a very long time now, Nigeria has been depending on revenue from oil. The discovery of oil and very huge revenue accruing from it according to Yerokun (1997) has led to the neglect of all other non-oil revenue yielding sources to the government. Having enumerated the constraints/challenges facing the tax authorities in assessing and collection of taxes from self-employed tax payers in our society, there is however prospects for improved revenue generation from these group of persons if certain strategies are evolved. Strategies for Expanding the Nigerian Tax Net to Improve Tax Collections Drive Covering the Self-Employed: Public Enlightenment and Education: Revenue authority should embark on aggressive public enlightenment and education of tax payers on the various taxes payable by all self-employed individuals in the society. Revenue authority in various states should endeavour to equip their staff to enable them carry out this duty. Requirement for Presentation of Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC): By providing and insisting the TCC be produced by individuals for any form of transaction with government, more self-employed persons will be compelled to pay their taxes. Stiffer Penalties for Non-Compliance: If the consequences of failure to comply with any of the provisions of the tax laws are made stiffer, more tax payers will be willing to comply with little or no stress on the part of the revenue authorities. Encouragement of Cooperative Unions: By encouraging artisans in particular to form associations through which government can reach their members, improvement in tax generation from this category of self-employed persons can be achieved. Similarly, all other category of self-employed individuals are encouraged to form unions in their respective localities. They can always hold government accountable for non provision of infrastructure necessary for their operation through their respective unions and they will be heard only and if only they can live up to their own civic responsibility by paying their taxes promptly. Effective Utilization of Tax Revenue: Improvement in the level of basic infrastructural facilities will encourage voluntary compliance with the provisions of the tax laws as they will show that the Revenue is being utilized effectively. In Nigeria today, it is no news that the level of decay in basic infrastructure is alarming. If government effectively utilizes tax revenue for the provision of infrastructure, the citizenry will be motivated to pay taxes . Promulgation of Anti-Avoidance Provision: Making provisions to block the several loopholes in the tax laws will enhance further compliance with the tax laws and increase tax revenue. The two possible forms of anti-avoidance legislation are specific legislation to block voluntary avoidance device and general anti-avoidance legislation which vests the revenue authority with power to disregard all transactions entered into that could be proved to have been entered into solely for tax avoidance purposes. Empowerment of Investigation and Intelligence Unit: The investigation and intelligence unit of the Revenue authorities should be empowered and made vibrant and effective. It is the responsibility of this unit to trace self-employed persons in the society who have not been paying their taxes. This can be done by going through the Land Registry and Vehicle licensing offices. Information about the self employed can also be obtained from banks by requiring banks to file returns of all their new customers with the Revenue authorities. Engagement of Experienced and Qualified Personnel: Employing qualified personnel and paying competitive remuneration will further enhance dedication to duty which will impact positively on increased revenue generation especially from the self-employed personal where the rate of tax evasion is high. Regular Amendment to the Tax/Laws: The tax laws should be regularly up-dated and provision should be such that are reasonable and easy to comply with. It is known according to Yerokun (1997) that the existence of wide spread tax avoidance and evasion is in any society is an evidence that the tax system requires a radical reform. 5. Conclusion Generally, taxation is a monetary charge imposed by government on her citizens to yield revenue for her numerous statutory responsibilities to the people. It is also civic and patriotic responsibility of the citizens to pay taxes as at when due which is a means by which government can finance the provisions of socio-economic and infrastructural amenities for the orderly development and growth of the society. Reduction of the high rate of tax evasion by the self-employed individual in Nigeria and the resultant high revenue that can be generated there from requires a conscious efforts and definite roles to be played by both the government and the governed.