Saturday, January 25, 2020

History Of The Olympics :: essays research papers

History of the Olympics   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 776 BC a foot race was run. The winner was the first Olympic hero ever. From that very first race to today, the Olympics have always been a way for nations to come together in friendly competition and international goodwill.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The conditions of the first Olympics were not anything like they are today. The events were held in an open space in which a track had been paced off, areas for the javelin and discus had been laid out, etc. The spectators did not have stands to sit in; instead, they occupied the sloping areas around the track; sitting on blankets and sleeping in tents if they were wealthy enough to have one.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Because the games were held during the hottest time of the year, flies were a terrible problem. The problem was so pervasive that an offering, in the form of a sacrifice, was made to Zeus, asking him to keep the flies away from Olympia.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As time went on different features and structures were added to the site. A hippodrome was built for the chariot races, a gymnasium and bathhouse for the athletes, and even a hotel for the wealthiest of spectators.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Vendors were there, selling wine that the spectators drank along with the cheese, bread and olives they ate. Sanitation was basically nonexistent. Water was always in short supply until Herodes Atticus of Athens built an aqueduct and a water system. This did not occur until the games had been taking place for 900 years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The contests consisted of foot races, horse and chariot races, boxing, wrestling, discus, javelin, broad jump, and horse races. The horse races were unique in that the prizes were given to the owner of the horse, not the rider. The discus, javelin and broadjump were part of the pentathlon event which also included a 200-meter dash and a wrestling match. The winner had to have taken three of the five events.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the fifth and final day of the festival, the athletes marched to the temple of Zeus to collect their winnings, the coveted victor’s olive wreath. The winner of an Olympic event won much more than just the olive wreath however. He was often awarded a cash bonus by his townspeople; sometimes a pension for life. Additionally, he was welcomed as a contestant at other festivals where the prizes were often large amounts of cash.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the beginning the athletes were aristocrats, as they had the free time necessary to train for the games.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Books and Music

How do books and music influence our life today? I decided to compare and contrast the differences and similarity's of books and music. They both influence our life today in more ways then I think most people know. They are great things that are very helpful in life. Books are written to tell a story in depth and with a lot of detail, telling everything that happens when, where, and why, but with a longer time. They take time to understand whats going on and what problems or greatness the character(s) are facing in the story.You read and interpret the books  meaning, that the books are set to be more of a one meaning kind of thing, the writer had the idea of what the lesson of the story's are going to be. They also have more a basic outline of how to read and write books to make them good and successful. Music is written to tell a story in a much shorter amount of time. Also instead of reading the story you listen to them. Music is also very influential and it can influence people in many different ways depending on how people decide to take the meanings in. Music can change moods at any given moment depending on the lyrics and sounds they portray. They inspire people and can also be  depressing.They have a wide range of ways they can go on. One big thing about music is that music doesn't really have to have a set layout, meaning, or even make any sense at all. Music and books have some good similarity's also. They are both meant to tell story's of how people feel at certain times and hardships. You can interpret them in your own ways even if thats not how they are meant to be interpreted. You can write either of them any way you would prefer, and its not up to anyone else how you write about them and what you write in them. They are great ways to express your feelings and thoughts to get them out in the world.They can be in different perspectives, teach you things and life lessons, tell about history or past events, and even tell how to handle a situation. They both influence people their own way, they both are good to help learning and comprehension. There are many different kinds that people prefer and enjoy more. Books and music have a lot of likes and dislikes. They both have their ups and downs and both are preferred for their own reasons and by their own people. That is why I compared and contrasted the likes and dislikes, the benefits and disadvantages, and the way the help people and society express themselves in their own way.