The Importance Of Being Earnest free essay sample

You have left London to go back to the Country. Write your thoughts. I heave a sigh of relief as I plop myself in the creaky carriage. I glance back at the congested city, and watch it turn into a minuscule black dot. The image of breezy winds, fresh green grass and the acres of beautiful land have quite faded from my hassled mind. It has been forever and a day since I felt the warmth of my home; alongside my dear Condoled, toasting ourselves lying on the satin-like fields. The dispiriting grey backdrop will soon bloom into stunning heavenly meadows.Sunny folk music plays in my mind as I feel my bones laze into my skin. Farewell Ernest, salutations Jack. I tally the stones we pass by as the carriage progresses along the rocky road; all the weight and worries of the city fade one at a time into the distance along with them. We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance Of Being Earnest or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Gushes of cold wind began to pat gently on my face; nothing says welcome to the country more than the sweet singing ether. I begin to envision Condoled frolic into my arms with Joyous strains In the background, infatuated butterflies release endlessly Into my stomach.Love Is a force more remediable than any other, and offer you more Joy than any material possession could. The untainted atmosphere has now overtaken my lungs; which were filled with Impure air from the befoul city. Beaming stars begin to appear one by one on the sapphire skies. In the city, one Is not able to spot one single lustrous star. My mind wanders Into the precious moment when Alga, Cecil, my love and myself; set ourselves on the fresh meadow, counting the luminous darlings In the sky. Oh how they bear a resemblance to Condoled; radiant, heavenly, and soulful. The stars med tedious that night when she gazed Into eyes.All of a sudden the grating carriage comes abruptly to a halt, my heart pummels ungovernable. My consciousness Is racing, and my stomach Is galloping. I grab hold of my luggage and cast my eyes back up to the entrance of my humble home. There she stands gracefully, her dimple visible on her left cheek accentuates her ministering smile. The love of my life, first and my last; my dear Inamorata. Essay (CEQ) Jack Worthington, The Importance Of Being Earnest. By steps_Christy envision Condoled frolic into my arms with Joyous strains in the background, infatuated butterflies release endlessly into my stomach.Love is a force more impure air from the befoul city. Beaming stars begin to appear one by one on the sapphire skies. In the city, one is not able to spot one single lustrous star. My mind wanders into the precious moment when Alga, Cecil, my love and myself; set ourselves on the fresh meadow, counting the luminous darlings in the sky. Oh how seemed tedious that night when she gazed into eyes. ungovernable. My consciousness is racing, and my stomach is galloping. I grab hold ministering smile. The love of my life, first and my last; my dear inamorata. The Importance of Being Earnest free essay sample The Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is a satire based on Victorian society in the late 1800’s. Everything about this play is a satire; from marriage to social class, and even the play’s name. Wilde criticizes these aspects of Victorian society with the use of witty puns and unusual, awkward situations. Wilde brings to light the fact that late Victorian society cared more about a person’s name and wealth than their personality. This debases the sanctity of marriage by putting emphasis on social advancement rather than on holy matrimony. It also locks a person within the confines of his or her social class. For example, in Act One when Gwendolyn tells Jack that she is absolutely in love with the name Earnest, Jack tries to convince her that Earnest is not a good name. He makes and effort to bring up other names like his real name, Jack, but Gwendolyn simply states that she could never love somebody named Jack like she could someone named Earnest. We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of Being Earnest or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Because Jack is a lower class name, it is subpar in comparison to a powerful name like Earnest and is therefore rejected. Another example of Wilde’s satirical wit is also in Act One. Algernon is speaking with his butler Lane about marriage. Lane says that he believes marriage to be a pleasant state and follows that by saying that his own marriage happened because of a misunderstanding between himself and a young girl. This suggests that marriage of the time was not treated as a righteous act before God like it should be, but rather a tool for social wealth. Wilde went so far as to even make the name of the play true to his satirical intent.

Free Essays on Notre Dame Cathedral

Notre Dame Cathedral The architect of Notre Dame was Maurice de Sully, the Bishop of Paris. He decided to build it for the growing population of Paris. He dedicated Notre Dame to the Virgin Mary. Even though construction started in 1163, it wasn’t complete until about 180 years later in 1345. The whole cathedral tells stories of the Bible in its paintings and stained glass. Every part of Notre Dame was constructed very widespread all through the years. The choir was completed in 1183 and in that same year work on the nave started. They finished the nave around 1208. The west front towers were started in 1225 and finished in 1250. Throughout 1235 and 1250 a bunch of chapels were added to the nave and the apse around 1296. Notre Dame has a huge history. Crusader used to pray there before leaving on their holy wars. Polyphonic music also developed in this cathedral. Notre Dame was torn up during the French Revolution just like a lot of the other cathedrals in France. One of the controversies that Notre Dame had was that some of the citizens of Paris thought that some of the statues of saints that were located on the west front were representations of their kings, so they decided to behead them and take them down. Actually, a lot of those statues were found around the 1970’s which was about 200 years later. Many of the cathedrals other treasures were destroyed or taken down. One of the only things that avoided being melted down were the great bells. Notre Dame was dedicated to the cult of Reason and then the cult of Supreme Being at one time. The cathedrals interior was used as a warehouse for food. It was also at Notre Dame that Napoleon crowned himself emperor and then crowned Josephine, his wif e, his empress. An archbishop should have organized this whole thing, but since Pope Pius VII was attending, there were no objections. During the Commune of 1871, the Cathedral was nearly burned by the Communards. Some stories say that a... Free Essays on Notre Dame Cathedral Free Essays on Notre Dame Cathedral Notre Dame Cathedral The architect of Notre Dame was Maurice de Sully, the Bishop of Paris. He decided to build it for the growing population of Paris. He dedicated Notre Dame to the Virgin Mary. Even though construction started in 1163, it wasn’t complete until about 180 years later in 1345. The whole cathedral tells stories of the Bible in its paintings and stained glass. Every part of Notre Dame was constructed very widespread all through the years. The choir was completed in 1183 and in that same year work on the nave started. They finished the nave around 1208. The west front towers were started in 1225 and finished in 1250. Throughout 1235 and 1250 a bunch of chapels were added to the nave and the apse around 1296. Notre Dame has a huge history. Crusader used to pray there before leaving on their holy wars. Polyphonic music also developed in this cathedral. Notre Dame was torn up during the French Revolution just like a lot of the other cathedrals in France. One of the controversies that Notre Dame had was that some of the citizens of Paris thought that some of the statues of saints that were located on the west front were representations of their kings, so they decided to behead them and take them down. Actually, a lot of those statues were found around the 1970’s which was about 200 years later. Many of the cathedrals other treasures were destroyed or taken down. One of the only things that avoided being melted down were the great bells. Notre Dame was dedicated to the cult of Reason and then the cult of Supreme Being at one time. The cathedrals interior was used as a warehouse for food. It was also at Notre Dame that Napoleon crowned himself emperor and then crowned Josephine, his wif e, his empress. An archbishop should have organized this whole thing, but since Pope Pius VII was attending, there were no objections. During the Commune of 1871, the Cathedral was nearly burned by the Communards. Some stories say that a...

How to Use the Italian Verb Piacere

How to Use the Italian Verb Piacere Indirect object verb subject. Not your usual sentence structure, but in the case of piacere (to please, to like) thats the way it works in Italian, and heres why: In English, you say that A likes B. In Italian, though, the same meaning is understood in different terms: B pleases A. Here are some examples: Agli italiani piace il calcio. (Italians like soccer. Literally: Soccer is pleasing to Italians.)Ai professori piace insegnare. (Professors like teaching. Literally: Teaching is pleasing to professors.)Mi piacciono le carote. (I like carrots. Literally: Carrots are pleasing to me.) Note that in these examples, piacere is conjugated to match the subject of the sentence; in the first example, agli italiani piace il calcio, piacere is conjugated in the third person singular form, to match with calcio (soccer) and not with agli italiani (all Italians). Other verbs that follow this construction of inversion and behave similarly to piacere are listed below. Verbs That Act Like Piacere bastare- to be sufficient, to sufficedispiacere- to displease, to upsetmancare- to be lacking, to missoccorrere- to require, to needservire- to serve, to be of use More on Italian Verbs When studying Italian verbs, though, avoid the temptation to make absolute comparisons to English. Although there are many similarities between the two languages, there are also many fundamental differences. In addition, there are always exceptions to the rule. So while taking an organized approach to Italian verbs is a terrific way to improve your Italian, think of it like ordering in an Italian restaurant: be prepared to order a different primo if your favorite dish isnt available. When learning Italian, students naturally tend to look for grammatical patterns. Studying Italian verbs in a programmatic fashion is a wise idea because its an efficient use of time, and Italian verbs are classified in a variety of ways. When studying Italian verbs, though, avoid the temptation to make absolute comparisons to English. Although there are many similarities between the two languages, there are also many fundamental differences. In addition, there are always exceptions to the rule. So while taking an organized approach to Italian verbs is a terrific way to improve your Italian, think of it like ordering in an Italian restaurant: be prepared to order a different primo if your favorite dish isnt available. There are three primary groups of Italian verbs, classified according to the ending of their infinitives: first conjugation (-are verbs), second conjugation (-ere verbs), and third conjugation (-ire verbs). Most Italian verbs belong to the first-conjugation group and follow a highly uniform pattern. Once you learn how to conjugate one -are verb, youve essentially learned hundreds of them. And what about those Italian verbs that dont end in -are? Second-conjugation (-ere) verbs account for approximately one-quarter of all Italian verbs. Although many have some sort of irregular structure, there are also many regular -ere verbs. The final group of Italian verbs is those that end in -ire. Workbook Exercises Questions | AnswersAdjectivesA. Complete the following with the correct form of the italicized verb. Mi ________________ dieci dollari. Puoi prestarmeli? (servire)Ti ________________ quel ragazzo? (piacere)Mi ________________ le forbice. (occorrere)________________ dopo dieci pagine per un saggio. (bastare)Quanti fogli vuoi? Me ne ________________ due. (occorrere)Ci ________________ il tuo aiuto. (servire)Ci ________________ molto che tu non sia potuto venire. (dispiacere)Ai Rossi ________________ molto la figlia. (mancare)Non mi ________________ il pesce. (piacere)Mi ________________ molto i miei genitori. (mancare) Other Resources for Learning Italian Italian Language Audio LabItalian Language Lessons for Beginners with AudioHow Not To Learn Italian

Your father runs a small auto body shop. He has decided to computerize Essay

Your father runs a small auto body shop. He has decided to computerize his records and has asked you to explain the basics of accounting - Essay Example Assets in the balance sheets include money, financial records, notes receivable, catalog, prepaid operating cost, office materials, equipment, apparatus, vehicles, structures, and real estate. The law for asset accounts shows that they ought to augment with a debit entry and reduce with a credit entry. The standard balance for an asset account is debit. The standard balance of any financial credit is the entry type, debit, or credit. This augments the account when saving transactions in the periodicals and redistributing to the ledger. Liabilities, on the other hand, include debts and obligations, which may include accrued expenses, salaries payable and sales tax payable in the balance sheet. For the equation to balance, recording of the liability account increases in an opposite way of the assets. Stakeholders’ equity is the net assets after deductions have been made. The deductions depend on the company. Depending on spending, the stakeholders’ equity either increases or decreases. Income statements reflect on revenue expense activity. In the balance sheet, retained earnings make part of the stakeholders’ equity. These earnings remain after deductions have been made on all the expenses and net income. Journal entries that would affect the balance sheet are any item that is related to assets, owner’s income, and liability. Examples are machinery, creditors, and stakeholders income. Journal entries that would affect the income statement are any expenses, and revenues. Assumptions that have done include entity concepts, principle of reliability, principle of cost, principle of going-concern and the concept of stable-monetary unit (Agtarap-San,

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Journal - Essay Example When asked about my proposed research topic, which is bilingual education, all respondents, except James, disclosed that they do not know anything about it. James, on the other hand, indicated that awareness on the topic was in terms of recognizing that by being bilingual, you can communicate with the other people easily. When asked if they have any opposition to the topic, all responded none. Likewise, their responses to my question: â€Å"what experience, knowledge, and background do they have in my field including both positive / negative experiences†, they all responded none. The audience analysis thereby revealed that the proposed research topic on bilingual education could provide ample opportunities for the audience to enhance their awareness and knowledge on this. Further, since there were no significant oppositions to the subject matter, it is therefore a viable topic. Their demographic factors further indicated that the topic could generally appeal to various ages, status, and

Improving personal and professional skills to meet goals

Improving personal and professional skills to meet goals To achieve the personal goals and organisational goals each individual needs a set of certain skills to carry out his / her duties and responsibilities. The improved level of skills the organisation employees have, the more the chances of getting goals and objectives achieved. So for both individual and organisation the personal and professional skills advancement always remains of high importance. The requirement from this assignment is to produce a Personal Development Plan for medium term and demonstrate the steps taken within the plan. Explain methods to improve personal and professional skills to meet organisational and own goals and objectives. Personal and professional skills are those skills which are owned by individuals, personal skills are commonly by nature, but can be developed through certain processes and activities, when an individual use his personal skills for his organisational or professional goals / objectives, then it is referred as professional skill. The most common personal and professional skills are communication skills, management skills, interpersonal relations, innovative skills, analytical problem solving, decision making, social skills, pro activity and much more. Skills development method Skills development methods and techniques are the activities or actions taken by an individual or an organisation to explore the hidden potential of their employees and make their capacity more for performing certain task and activities to achieve the organisational goals and objectives. Through skills development methods and techniques increase the knowledge and skills through a consistent process of learning and education. A professional development program boosts the individuals career, through travel, research, workshops and seminars and by working with professionals who are experienced. People take up a professional development course to build their expertise in business, teaching and nursing and contribute to organizational development. Following are the details of various personal and professional skills development methods use in different organizations to achieve the organizational and individual career goals. Class room Courses / Certificates this method widely used now days at almost all good organisations, to provide their employees the opportunity to enhance their skills and learn the latest knowledge through formal class room courses and they are awarded certificate which may help them in getting better positions in future. Crew Development Program is use by the different multi-national organisations, in which they train their current employees working at operational level in order to take some management position at tactic level or strategic level. For example Mc Donalds, has a very structured program in which they train their crew member for future leadership and management of the company, and is also a very successful one because 40 % of the top 50 mangers of Mc Donalds worldwide join this organisation as crew member. Training and Development is a key method to improve skills of employees, to improve the employees basic skills initially the pre job training is provided and to enhance the capabilities of employees on job training is provided also a series of skill development activities is carried out. Leadership Development Program is an important program in practice in good and well structured organisations. In this program they select the potential employees for taking over the future management positions and then provide them training, and educate them on how to carry out management activities. Social Gatherings is also an important activity through which these companies try to socialise their employees, and provide them opportunity to attend these gatherings alongside with their families to give them insight on how to socialise with different people and for their company they value the most. College / University Placement is the method of skills development in which different organisation arrange different courses for their employees in collaboration with good universities or other degree awarding institutes to cope them with latest knowledge and skills of their field. Award Winning: To have a healthy competitive environment among their employees which may result in the personal and professional skill development, the method of award winning strategy in which the employees producing good results are awarded benefits (both financial and vertical movement in the management hierarchy) is very helpful. For example Mc Donalds have award winning scheme, employees producing better results are awarded benefits as financial, promotions etc. while to provide their employees an opportunity for distance learning they also have e-learning strategy and online resources. Personal Skill Audit Skills audit is a process that can be used to identify the skill gaps for an individual. The outcome is a training and development needs analysis that identifies where training and development programs are needed. Skills audit results in An understanding of the skills required and the gaps the organization currently has. A targeted analysis of development needs. A listing of skills which need development. Information that can be used for dynamic succession planning. Skills Audit Form I have developed the following skills audit form, after completion of this form this provides me clear understanding of my current skills level, my strengths and weaknesses and will definitely help in identification of the Skills Audit Form 1 = wide experience 3 = a little experience 5 = dont know 2 = some experience 4 = no experience Name: Date: Work as part of a team 1 2 3 4 build and develop working relationships with academic staff, peers and colleagues work effectively with others to complete tasks and achieve results empower others to work together as part of a team or group recognise and understand when compromise and accommodating others is necessary interact well with others and work co-operatively as a team member understand how to gain the attention of others in a team or group when required understand how to contribute effectively and co-operatively with others even if they do not share the same ideas and ways of working express self effectively in a group and in one-to-one situations have an understanding of team roles Use your problem solving abilities 1 2 3 4 use an appropriate approach to questioning in order to gain information from which to draw conclusions use an objective approach to relate to others in order to achieve goals make good use of verbal reasoning skills, able to handle complex data and make selective use of information explore more than one solution in order to solve a problem consider the ideas of others to help solve problems manage the process of problem solving over a period of time demonstrate resilience and lateral thinking abilities when applied to problem solving Apply your communication skills, both orally and written, and use ICT 1 2 3 4 5 understand the differences in presenting types of documents, e.g. reports, essays, dissertations, summaries check written work for errors before submission use a range of ICT packages to support work express and convey ideas appropriately and accurately in writing successfully give a presentation or demonstration demonstrate that information being received is understood by using a range of verbal and non-verbal signals understand when people have taken account of your views and you of theirs Reflect upon and review your own personal and career development 1 2 3 4 5 recognise and develop skills and competencies required for learning and future employment develop opportunities for learning activities through current and future roles recognise the importance and value of activities outside the curriculum, e.g. work experience, sports, clubs identify when extra support and help may be useful understand the importance of actively reviewing and maintaining your own development plan in order to set appropriate learning targets maintain positive attitudes to work and understand when a task has not been completed well and identify changes for the future understand how to gain feedback on work or performance Work autonomously and set your own goals 1 2 3 4 5 aspire to and maintain a results-driven approach where appropriate focus on results and performance indicators and use different strategies to achieve targets apply suitable approaches and put in extra effort if required in order to meet tight deadlines work without close supervision and use own initiative identify resources required to complete a set task harness motivation and hard work to assist in the completion of work objectives Plan, monitor and evaluate in order to influence change 1 2 3 4 5 make use of effective planning and preparation in order to anticipate and overcome problems maintain effectiveness in changing environments make appropriate adjustments when undertaking tasks set own goals and review these systematically adjust to meet different work styles work alongside colleagues in different environments Develop time management and organisational skills 1 2 3 4 5 establish a course of action for self and others to achieve goals plan and prepare effectively for assignments, including use of appropriate resources plan day in order to manage time more effectively prioritise own and others work meet set deadlines and understand the process required to meet project outcomes keep track of work schedules and deadlines by applying multi-tasking abilities Creatively apply your academic knowledge in work and non-work related settings 1 2 3 4 5 generate and recognize best practice and apply imaginative ideas to different situations work out a preferred course of action think laterally and encourage others to do so and consider how they approach an unconventional task present complex and unusual ideas to friends and colleagues Understand business environments and other organizations 1 2 3 4 5 understand what is entailed in working in an organization understand the perspectives and expectations of employers, customers, suppliers and employees appreciate business activities such as selling and marketing, budgeting and finance and how these interrelate with one another have an understanding of business issues, such as profit, revenue, productivity, company image have an understanding of own personal budget and awareness of financial trends, e.g. interest rates understand how the significance and impact of an organizations internal politics and business strategy can affect everyday work keep up to date with current affairs affecting businesses

Contributions of Ancient Greece and Rome to the Western World Essay

While both Roman and Greek cultures greatly influenced Western Civilization, Greeks contributed more to the western world than the Romans. The Greeks used their own ideas and thought of new ways to add to their culture, while the Romans mostly mixed and matched ideas from other civilizations and cultures to make their own. The Romans took up the inheritance of the Greeks adapted it to their own language and national traditions. (Grant 2)The Greeks introduced many new ideas and traditions, the most important being democracy – Athenian democracy in particular. After the Dark Age, the population in Greece grew so quickly that soon, there were way too many free peasants. These peasants realized that nobody could stop them if they tried to make some changes because there was so many of them, so they insisted on having their voices heard by the government. Their wish was granted, and democracy in its simplest form became known. Now that the peasants had more freedom, some of them started to earn higher wages, and soon were rich enough to purchase hoplite armor. (Hoplites made up the majority of the army and fought on foot.) The peasants were also placing strong demands on the elite class, also known as the oligarchy. The system of citizenship in Greece was established as a result, during the late 7th century BCE (Martin 82), and enabled the peasants to have more influence on their leaders and protection under the law. There were three kinds of citizens the rich, the hoplites, and the poor. Only males were citizens. All citizens could attend open meetings in the Assembly, elect archons (leaders) each year, and were protected under the law. The peace of Greece had been slowly deteriorating, and in 621 BCE, it only got worse. The rich, elite class had been accumulating farmland from the poor farmers, who had to pack up and leave once a rich person took their land. A poor farmer had a hard time gaining wealth because any wealth they did gain would be in the form of surplus grain. Extra grain was not permanent, and could not be converted into money since coins were not invented yet. Then in 621 BCE, Draco was appointed to establish a code of laws to help bring stability by changing the situation. But his laws were so harsh that they only destabilized the people more. Civil war threatened to break out until 594 BCE when the Athenians gave Solon power to revise Dracos  laws and deal with the crisis. His new laws steered a middle course (Martin 84) between the demands of the rich and the demands of the poor. He introduced the right of appeal to the Assembly, forbade the selling of Athenians into slavery, and sorted male cit izens into four classes based on income. Overall, Solon helped to make democracy more peaceful. After a short period of tyranny, the democratic system was reinstalled and new rules were made yet again. Cleisthenes organized villages in Athens into trittyes according to location, and each of the trittyes was divided into phylai, or tribes. He also started to keep track of which males were old enough to vote and join the Assembly, with the voting age at eighteen. The Assembly would choose fifty representatives by lot from each tribe. Each representative would get to serve for one year on a council of five hundred men. Also, ten men were selected by officials with the highest military authority to serve as strategoi, or generals, in the army. (Martin 88)Another reform was made after an earthquake near Sparta in 465 BCE created tension between Sparta and Athens, and a crisis in formal affairs took place. Athens sent military help to Sparta that was rejected in a complicated series of events. As a result, in 461 BCE, Ephialetes convinced the Assembly to limit the influence of Areopagus the highest judicial and legislative council of ancient Athens that met on a hill west of the Acropolis. (Martin 110) A new judicial system was created with juries of males over thirty years old chosen by lot to serve for one year. Ostracism was also established. If the general public submitted over six thousand ballots, the man who had his name on the most ballots was exiled for ten years. In general, democracy rested on the belief that the cumulative political wisdom of the majority of the voters would outweigh the eccentricity and irresponsibility of the few. (Martin 113)In addition to democracy, the Greeks most important contribution to Western civilization, many elements of modern culture are rooted in ancient Greece. Philosophers, especially Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates impacted the way people thought about the world around them. Greek architecture is still commonly used today, as evidenced by our use of pillars and columns. The ancient Greeks also excelled in sculpting. They figured out how to make graceful, emotional, and realistic statues which needed no additional support. Poetry,  theatre, and drama also made up an important part of Greek culture. Some Greeks studied science, math, history, and their studies form the basis of many of todays theories. Science helped others understand a little more of these subjects. In Greece, as in todays world, science was based on observation, not myth, even though myths were considered an important part of life to every Greek. The Greeks are also considered to be the first people who recorded history only after consulting witnesses, forming the base of modern history. One exceptionally significant custom of the Greeks still observed today is the Olympics. These ancient games incorporated a concept of free athletic competition without bloodshed. If the Greeks were engaged in war at the time the Olympics were to take place, they would pause for three days and compete in many different events. At first, there were only a few competitions, but as the Olympics became more popular, additional sports were included. The four main contests of the ancient Olympics were the long jump, the javelin throw, the discus throw, and wrestling. At one time, the Olympics were for male Greek citizens only, but today people of various nationalities, men and women, can take part in this unique Greek custom. The Olympics were also very different from the Roman sport games, such as gladiator fighting or the Roman form of wrestling, where humans and animals were killed. Even though Romans did use many ideas and designs from Greeks and other cultures, they also thought of their own. A considerable contribution of the Romans to the Western World is their system of government a Republic. Republic comes from the word respublica, which means a matter for the people. (Corbishley 15) Officers in the Republic included consuls, praetors, censors, quaestors, adiles, and the senate. Consuls had the same powers as a king, but unlike a king, they were elected each year by the citizens and had to serve in pairs. The praetors were the chief judges, the censors kept track of who could vote, the quaestors looked after the state finances, and the adiles were in charge of public works. The senate was a body made up of ex-officials that formed a parliament to discuss matters and advise the other officials. As in the Athenian democracy, only male citizens could vote, but the people of ancient Rome were glad they had a republic, and they  hated the word rex, or king. The Romans excelled in literature, poetry, law, engineering, state organization, military training and organization, painting, sculpture, and architecture. They also had games in the amphitheater sports like chariot races, gladiator fights, fake battles in ships, and fights with wild animals. The Romans had a complex law system that was the foundation for Italian, German, French, and Spanish law. The Roman techniques of interpreting the law and their legal system of lawyers and judges were also incorporated into many other cultures. There were three kinds of laws. Civil law was for Roman citizens only, and there were laws for those people who were not citizens, but lived in Roman provinces or on the outskirts of Roman towns. The third type of law was natural law, deciding between right and wrong. Civil law and the other laws could be created by the Assembly, praetors, senate, emperors, and jurists. They created many different laws. They made sure there was a variety of laws, to deal with every situation, and these multiple laws helped the kingdom of Rome run smoothly. The Romans were also great engineers. They paved roads wide enough for the whole army, built walls around their cities for protection, and even had apartment buildings. They also had aqueducts, built high above the ground to carry water to the cities. Arches, a very important Roman invention, helped the aqueducts to stand strong without collapsing. Arches were also used in buildings like the Coliseum, the Forum, and basilicas. Many early churches were built using the plans of the Roman basilicas. Other buildings had vast domes. Roman engineers did not want these magnificent domes to collapse, either, so they thought of coffering as a solution. Coffering is also known as placing decorative, sunken panels in a ceiling to make it lighter. Romans added other things to buildings to make them more attractive, like fountains, pillars, and sculptures. The Roman civilization made many of their buildings out of brick and mortar, and even concrete. Engineering is, indeed, the most noticeable Roman influence on Western civilization, seen in many public buildings and even houses. Beyond arches and coffers, Roman people did not focus so much on the structure of their buildings as the facades and interiors. They combined Greek columns with fancy arches to make majestic entrances, and painted splendid pictures on walls of mythical characters and nature scenes. Roman sculptors copied Greek masterpieces, adding to the collection of Greek works in existence. They learned how to sculpt faces more realistically and how to make better portraits, and as a result made some pretty remarkable portrait busts of famous people. In addition, the Romans developed a continuous sculpture relief, something like a comic strip that wound around pillars, the most famous of which is known as Trajans column. Many great rulers governed Rome, including Trajan, and over time helped develop an extremely organized empire. At one time, the Roman administration was split into four levels. Two emperors ruled over four prefectures, who in turn governed three or four vicars each. Each vicar presided over one diocese, and each diocese was split up into many provinces. Early Christians saw how organized this system of government was, that it was one of the reasons Rome was so powerful, and based their own leadership system on this Roman model. The Greeks and the Romans both contributed much to Western Civilization, but the Greeks seem to have contributed more. The Romans took many ideas from the Greeks and even copied sculptures and other artwork for their own houses and public places, so that much of what they had was Greek. Thus, without the Greeks, the Romans would not have been as impressive of a civilization. This quote best describes the influence of the Greeks and Romans on the world today: we ourselves, whether we like it or not, are the heirs of the Greeks and Romans. In a thousand different ways, they are permanently and indestructibly woven into the fabric of our own existences. The Romans intertwined Greek culture with other cultures and added their ideas to make what they called their own culture. They then showed it to the rest of Europe through conquering the people, who adopted it and blended it into their civilizations. These civilizations developed into strong European societies, and eventually the ideas and traditions became known as Western civilization. So, really, it all started with the Greeks. Bibliography Corbishley, Mike. Cultural Atlas for Young People: Ancient Rome. New York: Facts on File, 1989. De Fabianis, Valeria Manferto, ed. Ancient Rome: History of a Civilization that Ruled the World. New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1996Grant, Michael. The Founders of the Western World: A History of Greece and Rome. New York: Charles Scribners Sons, Maxwell Macmillan Int., 1991Martin, Thomas R. Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times. New Haven, Eng.: Yale University Press, 1996. Pomeroy, Sarah B., Stanley M. Burnstein, Walter Donlan, and Jennifer Tolbert Roberts. Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Powell, Anton. Cultural Atlas for Young People: Ancient Greece. New York: Facts on File, 1989.