Barbarism or Civilisation: Aztec Culture
Recommendations
*Get a good defintion for the concepts barbarism and civilisation. Quote.
*Identify various indicators of a barbaric and civilised societies.
*Represent the similarities and differences in a graphic organiser like the one below.
The organiser must be different from Jaron's.
*Discuss briefly these indicators in your introduction.
Based on your knowledge:
Determine what factors highlight the Aztecs' barbarity or lack thereof.
*Comprise your thesis statement.
Feel free to end intro with a quote that reinforces the thesis statement.
Awaiting draft by October 15.
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ReplyDeleteI assume this is your thesis statement:
DeleteA civilised society can be characterised by nine key markers, social structure, a stable food supply, organised religion, a government system, writing, culture, technology, industry and education. Thus, the lack of these things may render a society barbaric.
I love it !!!
Arnelle good introduction Arnelle but a few recommendations:
ReplyDelete--Do not start with a definitonn from the Internet.Feel free to paraphrase or use your own words or cement it with a defintion from an authoritative source. For example, state what immediately comes to your mind when you hear the word barbarism. What images the concept conjures up and then find a solid defintion.
--Get the defintion of civilisation from a History, Sociology or Anthropology text rather than on the Internet. For example Conrad Phillip Kottak (2002)in Anthropology: The Exploration of Human Diversity said civilisation is a 'complex society with a government and social classes.' This is just one example but can you add to the defintion.
--State how students of history and even Mel Gibson's Apocalypto portray the Aztecs. Feel free to describe briefly a scene and use pictures from the movie to illustrate.
--Always remember to strive for balance. Despite the scary portrayal and critique of this indigenous group as barbaric, tell us about the other side of the coin that shows the "understandble" side of the so-called Aztec barbarity.
Remember to Aztec videos. See if you can quote from them.
The following is a sample of a student's introduction on the Aztecs. See if you can better it.
The Aztec civilization represented the highest point of human development that had begun over a century earlier in 1376 with the establishment of their monarchy and Acamapichtli as their first king. In the center of the great empire was their capital city Tenochtitlan, an elaborate metropolis that Bernal Diaz in 1520 described as “an emblem of civilization.” To appreciate the gravity of Diaz’ statement it is crucial that there is a common understanding of the concept civilization and according to the contemporary view; it is an advanced stage of human development that is marked by scientific progress and an interrelated set of social institutions: class stratification, political and religious hierarchies, as well as a complex division of labour. The Aztec’s superiority could be seen in all aspects: infrastructure, agriculture, industries, social and religious life as well as politics
ReplyDelete