Strong, powerful, and grand were the first words that came to my mind when I read the word empire. An empire, in my opinion, is an organized system in a society where everyone works together for the greater good of their empire. These empires are lead by a robust, courageous and knowledgeable leader. The first great empire that comes to mind is the Roman Empire one of the greatest and longest lasting empires known to man. Some of the best thinkers and inventors came from this empire-helping advance our world to what it is today. Not all empires are as positive, such as the Nazi empire. Hitler took advantage of and manipulated a poverty stricken society desperate for help. Millions of innocent people lost their lives and created racial tensions that still exist today.
Everyone is a part of an empire in one way or another. The government is similar to an empire; even the educational system is an empire. One self serves a purpose in their empire so that it can remain running smoothly. Each person performs a task for the greater good of the empire. Those who do not perform their functions within an empire may be considered an other because they are not helping the empire be the best that it can be.
Barbarians on the other hand, are uneducated human beings; they are violent, live in caves and hunt for their food to survive. The first humans on earth were barbarians that slowly but surely learned from the world around them and each other and were able to invent things to make their everyday lives easier leading to how we are today. I got these ideas from history and observing the world around me. There are various movies and televisions shows about empires and barbarians even empires of barbarians.
I know that your associations with the word "barbarian" are just what you think of at first, but it seems contradictory that you accept that "barbarians" could be capable of creating and running an empire. Based on your definition of barbarians, how would such primitive people be capable of such a feat? Living in a cave and hunting for food sounds like the way nomadic people live, but do you think that it is possible for nomadic people to create an empire? I don't know for sure, but I would imagine that only agricultural societies with permanent settlements could be capable of building an empire.
ReplyDeleteI think it is possible for a "barbarian empire" to exist. If an empire is an organized and powerful society, aren't nomadic cultures capable of creating an empire in some sense of the word? For example, if the group was strong enough, then they could conquer other empires along their travels. Perhaps a nomadic empire wouldn't be as stable, but exploiting resources and "recruiting" members until a strong society was created doesn't seem impossible. This would be an interesting spin on the poem we read in class. "The barbarians are coming today" could mean that the people are anticipating a battle to maintain their empire, as opposed to it becoming a part of a travelling nomadic empire.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that you related the word "empire" to a large and small scale, because I never thought about an education system as being an empire. From that perspective, New Orleans had a weak educational "empire," which was brought to light after Hurricane Katrina, where the larger state or federal "empires" saw the need to alter and strengthen it.
I will forever associate the word "government" with "empire" now. Thanks.