Corbeill - Political Humor In The Late Roman Republic Essays

Corbeill - Political Humor In The Late Roman Republic Anthony Corbeill. Controlling Laughter: Political Humor in the Late Roman Republic. Anthony Corbeill is an Associate Professor of Classics, and holds a degree in Classical Languages and Literature from the University of Michigan and the University of California, Berkeley. Professor Corbeill teaches Greek and Latin at all levels, Roman Civlilization, and Greek and Roman Mythology. He is a member of the American Philological Association, the American Classical League, and the Society of Fellows of the American Academy in Rome. Controlling Laughter is a well-organized study which utilizes an original approach to a significant topic. Corbeill categorizes the uses of humorous invective in the political speeches of Cicero and then argues that the efficacy of these jibes depended on certain attitudes and biases found in Roman society during the Late Republic. This book fits within the minor recrudescence of original work on Ciceronian oratory, a well-trodden subject that might seem to have exhausted its scholarly potential long ago. A number of recent works, however, have found fresh material by moving away from strictly textual analysis and focusing on more performative aspects of Roman rhetoric and on how orators such as Cicero may have appealed to contemporary audiences. These speeches were, after all, originally meant to be delivered as public performances, not merely read. Corbeill organizes his book around four broad categories of verbal abuse found in Cicero's speeches: mockery of physical peculiarities, jokes about names, and insults focusing on the mouth and on effeminate behavior. A final chapter briefly considers other Late Republican politicians' attitudes towards humor. Chapter 1, Physical Peculiarities, is based on Corbeill's interpretation of the Roman willingness to equate physical abnormalities with moral deficiency. In his theoretical works Cicero argues that a man's appearance is a reflection of his character and that nature provides these deformities as warnings. Such attitudes are perhaps not surprising in a society where deformed babies could be exposed, and disfigured people barred from holding office. If an opponent of Cicero was unfortunate enough to bear any unpleasant physical abnormality, it quickly became the object of a storm of insults and jokes. The most notable example of this concerns Publius Vatinius, who suffered from some nasty pustular facial swellings. Corbeill nicely illustrates how Cicero exploits these swellings so that they nearly become the focus of Cicero's oration and inspire his use of metaphorical language even when he is not directly describing them. Chapter 2, Names and Cognomina, turns to one of the peculiarities of Roman society, that members of certain office-holding families in Rome possessed a third name, the cognomen, which often were physical descriptions. Some of the more obvious examples of this include: Strabo cross-eyed, Verrucosus warty, Caesar hairy, Clodius gimpy, and of course, Cicero the chickpea. As Corbeill notes, it is odd that what seems to have been a badge of distinction was frequently irreverent. These cognomina offered fertile ground for an orator. How could Cicero not make use of the happy coincidence, for example, that at a famous trial for embezzlement and greed, the defendant was named Verres, the pig? Corbeill amply demonstrates the exploitation of such names by Cicero, and also attempts to offer some explanations for this curious Roman naming custom. Chapters 3, Moral Appearance in Action: Mouths, and 4, Moral Appearance in Action: Effeminacy, turn to the area of sexuality and to physical signifiers of immorality. The mouth was the focal point for an entire range of potentially negative activities, from drinking to sex, and therefore figures prominently in Ciceronian rhetoric. Corbeill builds on these associations by beginning Chapter 4 with a look at debauched behavior at feasts by effeminate male banqueters, and proceeds to consider effeminate behavior in general. Rhetorical jibes on these topics were focused as much on defining what was the proper appearance and behavior for an aristocrat as on identifying deviance. The final chapter, A Political History of Wit, broadens the scope of the study by attempting to trace the attitude towards political humor of other major Late Republican figures, in particular Pompey and Julius Caesar. Most interesting in this chapter is how Corbeill charts variations in Caesar's opinion of and tolerance for political humor as his

Biography of James Naismith, Inventor of Basketball

Biography of James Naismith, Inventor of Basketball James Naismith (November 6, 1861–November 28, 1939) was a Canadian sports coach who, in December of 1891, took a soccer ball and a peach basket into the gym at the Springfield, Massachusetts YMCA and invented basketball. Over the course of the next decade, he worked to refine the game and its rules and build its popularity. In 1936, basketball had become an official event at the Olympic Games in Berlin. Fast Facts: James Naismith Known For: Inventor of the game of basketballBorn: November 6, 1861 in Almonte, Ontario,  Province of CanadaParents: John Naismith, Margaret YoungDied: November 28, 1939 in Lawrence, KansasEducation: McGill University, Presbyterian College, YMCA Training School, Gross Medical College (M.D.)Published Works: A Modern College  in 1911;  Essence of a Healthy Life  in 1918; Basketball  - its Origins and Development in 1941 (posthumous)Awards and Honors:  Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame, Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, McGill University Sports Hall of Fame, Basketball Hall of FameSpouse(s): Maude Evelyn Sherman, Florence B. KincaidChildren: Margaret Mason (Stanley), Helen Carolyn (Dodd), John Edwin, Maude Ann (Dawe), and James ShermanNotable Quote: The invention of basketball was not an accident. It was developed to meet a need. Those boys simply would not play Drop the Handkerchief. Early Life James Naismith was born in Ramsay township near Ontario, Canada in 1861. It was during his childhood years that he developed a love of sports and learned to play a neighborhood game called Duck on a Rock, which later influenced the development of basketball. According to the Naismith Basketball Foundation: Duck on a Rock which was a game that combined tag with throwing. Players formed a line from a distance of 15-20 feet from the base stone. Each player used a fist-sized stone. The object was to dislodge the â€Å"guards† stone from the top of the base stone, by throwing, taking turns. The guard would be positioned in a neutral area away from the thrower. If one succeeded, they would go to the back of the line. If you missed the guards’ stone, the â€Å"chase† would be on and if tagged before the stone was recovered, the players would trade places. Over time, they discovered that if the stone was hurled like a baseball it would bound far away and increase the likelihood of being caught by the guard. The players developed a lobbed arcing shot that proved to be more controllable, more accurate, and less likely to bounce away, thus increasing their chance of retrieval. As a young man, Naismith attended McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, followed by theological training at Presbyterian College. After serving as McGills athletic director, Naismith moved on to work at the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891. Invention of Basketball At the YMCA Training School, athletes found themselves at loose ends between the end of the football season and the start of the baseball season. Several trainers were asked to develop a sport to keep students physically active during the down season; the new game was to have two stated objectives: â€Å"make it fair for all players, and free of rough play. After considering the balls and rules of play for several popular sports including rugby, lacrosse, football, and soccer, Naismith developed a basic game that involved throwing a soccer ball into peach baskets. The larger soccer ball, he felt, would slow down play to avoid collisions. After a few experiments with the game, Naismith realized that rough play was inevitable near the goals and that players carrying the ball would be tackled. He also placed the goals overhead, and opened the bottom of the nets to allow the ball to drop out; in addition, remembering his childhood experience with Duck on a Rock, he developed a new kind of lobbing toss for the game. Ultimately, he established 13 basic rules for the new game he dubbed basketball: The Ball may be thrown in any direction by one or both hands.The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands (never with the fist).A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for the man who catches the ball when running if he tries to stop.The ball must be held by the hands; the arms or body must not be used for holding it.No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping, or striking in any way the person of an opponent shall be allowed; the first infringement of the rule by any player shall count as a foul, the second shall disqualify him until the next goal is made, or if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole game, no substitute allowed.A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violation of rules 3, 4, and such as described in rule 5.If either side makes three consecutive fouls it shall count a goal for the opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the meantim e making a foul). A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the grounds into the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal.When the ball goes out of bounds it shall be thrown into the field of play by the person first touching it. In case of a dispute, the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds; if he holds it longer it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on that team.The umpire shall be the judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have the power to disqualify men according to rule 5The referee shall be the judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made, and keep account of the goals, with any other duties that are usually performed by the referee. The time shall be two 15-minute halves, with 5 minutes rest between.The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner. In case of a draw, the game may be by mutual agreement, be continued until another goal is made. First College Basketball Game Following his time at the YMCA, Naismith went on to work for the University of Kansas, initially as a chaplain. At that time, basketball was played at the college level, but competition was usually between YMCAs. It was Naismith and other Kansas coaches who helped push the game into greater prominence, though Naismith himself did not seek the spotlight. The first-ever college basketball game was played on January 18, 1896.  On that day, the University of Iowa invited student-athletes from the new University of Chicago for an experimental game. The final score was Chicago 15, Iowa 12. Naismith lived to see basketball adopted as an Olympic demonstration sport in  1904  and as an official event at the  1936 Summer Olympics  in  Berlin, as well as the birth of the  National Invitation Tournament in 1938 and the  NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Championship in 1939. College basketball games were first broadcast on national TV in 1963, but it wasnt until the 1980s that sports fans ranked basketball as high as football and baseball. Death James Naismith died of a brain hemorrhage in 1939 and was interred at Memorial Park Cemetery in  Lawrence, Kansas. Legacy The  Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame  in  Springfield, Massachusetts, is named in his honor. He was an inaugural inductee in 1959. The  National Collegiate Athletic Association also rewards its top players and coaches annually with the  Naismith Awards, which includes the  Naismith College Player of the Year, the  Naismith College Coach of the Year,  and the  Naismith Prep Player of the Year. Naismith was also inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame, the  Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, the  Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, the  Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame, the  McGill University  Sports Hall of Fame, the Kansas State Sports Hall of Fame, and the FIBA Hall of Fame.   Naismiths hometown of Almonte, Ontario hosts an annual 3-on-3 tournament for all ages and skill levels in his honor. Every year, this event attracts hundreds of participants and involves over 20 half-court games along the main street of the town.   Sources â€Å"Dr. James Naismiths Life.†Ã‚  Naismith Basketball Foundation, 13 Nov. 2014.Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. â€Å"James Naismith.†Ã‚  Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Inc., 1 Feb. 2019.

Affects of Domestic Violence in Disrupting Family Unity Essay

Affects of Domestic Violence in Disrupting Family Unity - Essay Example This discussion will examine the negative effects of domestic violence on the family unit first interjecting statistics to substantiate the claims that children are the victims as well as the wives. These indicators show that violence within the family so vastly affects children that a major disruption of the family unit is the consequence in every occasion. In homes where domestic violence has been reported against wives, the children are 15 times more likely to have been abused and/or neglected. â€Å"Over 3 million children are at risk of exposure to parental violence each year† (McKay, 1994). The majority of women who have been forced to seek a shelter to escape their tormentor report that their children are also being abused. These children are â€Å"three times more likely to have been abused by their fathers† (McKay, 1994). Research that has been conducted regarding how the prevalence of family violence affects the lives of children suggests that this phenomenon is a critical public health concern. In 1992, state agencies across the U.S. reported over 200,000 incidents of child abuse and half that number of child sexual abuse cases. â€Å"It has been estimated that about 1 in 5 female children and 1 in 10 male children may experience sexual molestation. At least 1,200 children died as a result of maltreatment† (Regier & Cowdry, 1995). Incidences of domestic violence, a growing problem in the U.S., affect the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral development of children, produces disharmony in the family unit and instigates harmful lifetime problems for all concerned. When exposed to threatening or brutal emotional and/or physical treatment, wives and children experience traumatic stress disorders that require exceptional coping skills. Instances of domestic violence are usually unanticipated and uncontrollable which serve to devastate a family