Juvenal Problems Then and Now

Family disintegration
Over the last 25 years, the structure of the family has dramatically changed. A family no longer means a man and woman being married and then having it children. It is now open for a larger variety of interpretations. However, changes in families have been happening as we see in Juvenal when it says, "Besides all this, there is nothing sacred to his lusts: not the matron of the family, nor the maiden daughter, not the as yet unbearded son-in-law to be, not even the as yet unpolluted son; if none of these be there, he will debauch the grandmother. These men want to discover the secrets of the family, and so make themselves feared." This quotation displays the importance of family as being disintegrated as he proclaims that not even the "matron of the family [or any of the family or future family members] is a sacred lust. The family is no longer seen as something that is sought for and we see that today as well. The idea of family is not something that from a world view is either necessary or admirable in many cases. 

Dishonesty
There is a saying that if you want to be trusted, be honest. In our society finding people to trust is progressively decreasing. People are dishonest at home, in the workplace, and with one another. As a result as Juvenal says, "There's no joy in Rome [in our case America]." Juvenal then further explains that, people kill and bargain and "garner contract for temples, and rivers, harbours, draining sewers, and carrying corpses to the pyre" all for the sake of money and being more than the person next to them. Today there is still dishonest especially within businesses to achieve the highest profit. To earn just a little bit more than the person next door. Dishonesty was a pride issue for both eras.

Lack of work ethic
In the United States today around 40% of age appropriate workers are not working. For some it is taking care of a family that comes into play, education, or disability. However, there is also a large population that lacks the work ethic to work. They either feel they are overqualified for jobs and would rather absorb governmental checks then work for their own livelihood. Juvenal again, teaches us about this in that day and age, "For honest ability, and no reward any more for hard work. My means today are less than yesterday, and tomorrow will wear away a bit more, that's why I'm resolved..." The workers felt that they were not being paid for their "honest ability" and in return resolved to find funds in another route. Money always seems to surround these issues in both societies.

Lack of morals
Morals drive a society to accomplish good rather than evil. It is the ability to do good things for the sake of better those around you. A lack of morals is when you have more than enough and others are starving. In the world today we are confronted with an all time high of diabetes which in many ways is related to an over-consumption of calories while other people are facing starvation. Juvenal conveys this point here: " Poor Codrus had nothing, it is true: but he lost that nothing, which was his all; and the last straw in his heap of misery is this, that though he is destitute and begging for a bite, no one will help with a meal, no one offer him a lodging or shelter." This is exactly what we see in our society. This was a problem in ancient times due to class struggle and is a problem today for the very same reason.

Abuse
Abuse is the knowledgeable act of misusing another human being and at times can be for your own gain. Abuse in our world today is a silent killer. Abuse is not always seen physically, but can also impact people emotionally and mentally. Abuse often is seen when an individual gathers a false sense of possession or power of another group and/ or individual. These abuses can even be simple injustices. In Rome we learn from Juvenal that "It is no easy matter, anywhere, for a man to rise when poverty stands in the way...nowhere is the effort harder than in Rome, where you must pay a big rent for a wretched lodging, a big sum to fill the bellies of your slaves, and buy a frugal dinner for yourself." This shows the abuse of an unjust society that charges large sums for keeping an individual below class level. This is also an example of emotional abuse where the individual does not believe that they can ever rise above what they currently have. We see this over and over in our culture today. The lower class struggle to climb the ladder up in society.

Blog Post 1

Throughout history, the family unit has been an essential feature of every society. As such, certain roles and responsibilities between men and women were created. These roles differed from society to society and the power that each group held within a society was contingent on what that society deemed the most valuable.

Men in Greek Literature

Male figures in Greek literature are very dominant figures. Their primary responsibility is to acquire honor by protecting their home and family. They accomplish this by: being a strong leader (at home and in war) and by exercising self-control especially regarding emotion. In Oedipus Rex, the statement is made that “...count no man happy till he dies, free of pain at last. (Oedipus)” The Greeks believed that happiness was only achieved after constant effort in this life and then happiness could be achieved in death if you died with honor. In the Iliad, the interaction of Hector and his son as prepares to leave for war displays the qualities of male figures clearly.

“Hector reached for his child, who shrank back screaming… terrified of his father’s Bronzed-encased face…This forced a laugh from his father and mother, and Hector removed the helmet from his head… Then he kissed his dear son and swung him up gently and said a prayer to Zeus and the other immortals.

Zeus and all gods; grant that this my son become as I am… [That men may say] he is far better than his father when he returns from war… And may his mother rejoice.” (Iliad Book 6 lines 491-506)

From this tender passage, the importance of a father figure who is a strong leader and protectors is shown as Hector goes to war even when he knows that he might not return. He also shows his self-control as he “forced a laugh” and then prayed to the Gods. He knew this could be his last time seeing his son, but he remained composed. He also expressed the sentiment in his prayer to the Gods that “may his mother rejoice.” This shows that he not only cares for his son, but also his wife.

Women in Greek Literature

Women in Greek literature play very minimal roles. In both the Iliad and Odyssey the women are often portrayed as weaving or taking care of children. Even communications between women and the male characters displays that men and women are not equal. In the Odyssey, Telemachus when speaking with his mother said, “You should go back upstairs and take care of your work, spinning and weaving, and have the maids do theirs. Speaking is for men, for all men, but for me especially, since I am master of this house. (Odyssey lines 376-9)” This statement shows the very definitive role of the male as the head of household even though the male was younger than his mother. In Thucydides, women are only briefly mentioned enough to say, “A woman’s reputation is highest when men say little about her, whether it is good or evil.” In Greek society, if women were talked about it, that was not acceptable. Women’s roles in Greek literature are mainly only as side characters and rarely have depth to their character.

Males and Females in The Family Proclamation: A Proclamation to the World

In “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”, it declares that males and females have divinely inspired responsibilities and roles within their families. As the proclamation states, “Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children…Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live.” This in many aspects is similar to Greek culture as well. Parents believed that it was their responsibility to raise their children, but their concept of righteousness was different because of their theology of whom the Gods were.

The Family Proclamation directly divides responsibilities between fathers and mothers. Fathers responsibilities are to “preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.” Similar to the Greeks protection and providing for the family was something that was important, however, for the Greeks the way that they did this was through war whereas, that is not now the case.

The Family Proclamation deems mothers’ roles to be “primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.” However, this is then followed by this important statement that “In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.” The Family Proclamation declares men and women as equals.

Epithets

Family Focused
From my picture, you can easily see that I have a large family. I am the oldest of nine, and I absolutely love it! My family is full of my best friends. I would drop anything to help my family members. My family is an integral part of who I have become. Because of my family, I have learned that I am a bit bossy, talkative, and that studying without some type of background noise is extremely difficult for me. Without my family, I would not have learned and developed these things about myself, but I also would not be able to use these characteristics to my advantage either. Family is my focus of my past, present, and hopefully my future as well.

Lover of Teaching
I have always been fascinated with the idea of learning and especially the concept of school. Before I could go to kindergarten, I often played school with my friends. As I grew older, I continued to play school with my younger siblings. However, due to my experience of learning how school worked this "game of school" steadily evolved. My siblings were given worksheets, homework, and of course we did "science experiments" which mainly consisted of food coloring, baking soda, and vinegar. Yes, I was that older sibling. I love learning, but even more than learning, I love being able to teach things that I learn. The feeling that I get from learning about something that I am passionate about and then being able teach someone else is inexplainable and addicting. 

Washed Up Athlete 
All through high school, I was "the athlete." My name was seen throughout the local paper, I was interviewed by the news a several times, and most people in my town had heard of me or my family. Since coming to BYU, I was no longer "THE athlete," but rather I joined the club of the many "washed up athletes" that BYU has. I still love sports. I love to play, but things are definitely different playing intramurals and winning t-shirts as opposed to going to State Championships. As part of being a "washed up athlete" you are required to find new ways to filter your love of movement. For me, that was found through working on a college degree in Exercise and Wellness.

Laugher of Many Things 
A quote that I have always loved by Majorie Pay Hinckley says, "The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache." This describes much of my life. When I am happy...I laugh...luckily for me, I laugh a lot! If you were to talk to any of my close friends or family they would tell you that laughing at life is one of my favorite things to do. There are so many things in life to laugh about and I strive on a regular basis to find them.