First of all, Akhenaten is known to be the first homosexual man that has ever been recorded in the history. It is also believed that he had a disorder called the Froehlich’s syndrome which caused him to have female body characteristics such as wide hips, round thighs etc. In a great deal of the artwork from ancient Egypt; Akhenaten is identified with wide hips, a round buttocks and even large breasts. This shows how his figure was something the citizens actually admired about him because all the artwork that is made of him possesses a high amount of details and it has been worked very hard upon. Another thing that really stands out about Akhenaten is the fact that he is known to be the first homosexual man in the history. In the time of akhenaten’s
While the focus of the Symposium is homosexual relationships, it should be noted that Plato would have been aware of Alcibiades’ inability to have a productive heterosexual relationship. Alcibiades was married to Hipparete, daughter of Hipponicus, and had at least one son by her; however, the couple lived separately for most of their wedded life and Hipparete even attempted to divorce Alcibiades. Alcibiades also unsuccessfully attempted to have a productive sexual relationship by impregnating Timaea, the wife of Agis, so that his descendants would become kings of the Lacedaemonians, but Agis realized that the son was not his and subsequently refused the royal succession. Gregory R. Crane (ed. The Perseus Project: Plutarch, http://www.perseus.tufts.
Polykleitos of Argos, was a renowned Ancient Greek sculptor from 5th Century BC. He was considered by many as one of the most important sculptors of his time. During his century, Greece went through many wars (e.g. Persian War) and soon rose to become one of the world’s greatest powers. The Greeks recognised the naked male figure to represent strength, power and all that were important in the perfect Greek man. Many of Polykleitos' works reflect this idea of the male perfection and were therefore usually displayed in public areas to remind the Greek people of male perfection. His work Doryphorus, is shown as highly masculine and is correctly proportioned to further show the male perfection. Polykleitos' works, were however ahead of his time as he was one of the fathers of what is now recognised as the Classical Greek style. His works incorporated contropposto (the sculpture places one leg forward to portray movement) to try and emphasise the athleticism and strength of the male figure. Another of his works (Apollo of Mantua), reflects the beliefs of the Ancient Greek civilisation. Apollo, is in Greek mythology the messenger God, and is therefore sculpted to once again show, what the Greeks believed to be the male perfection. The sculptor is shown as fierce, well-built and...
world. It is evident through her descriptions that she is more in favor of the androgynous
We are all sinners in God’s eyes. No sin is too great for God to forgive and no one has fallen too deep for God’s forgiveness. God hates homosexuality, but He does not hate homosexual people. He offers his grace and forgiveness to all who come to him in repentance and faith. Christopher Yuan’s life is an example of how God’s grace and mercy is displayed in his conversion from a homosexual lifestyle to a committed Christian. In his book, Out of a Far Country, Yuan explains his journey to Christ. From his youth, Christopher realized he was gay because he was attracted to other boys. His homosexual behavior led him into different gay relationships, addictions to drugs, a diagnoses of HIV positive, and eventually ended up in jail for dealing drugs.
In order to see how Akhenaten is considered a revolutionary and how his reign is different from those before his a look at the role of earlier “traditional” kings is needed. Then we will examine the royal house in Egyptian society during Amenhoten III's reign. What did he believe in? What of the relationship was there between father and son, a co-regency? And what of his mother, Tiye? What influence did she have on him, if any?
Unlike sex, the history of sexuality is dependant upon society and limited by its language in order to be defined and understood.
The young girl is stripped down and presented nude before the two leaders. Lysistrata uses the young girl’s body in place of a map of Greece. The men cannot control themselves and are visibly aroused. The young girl has no shame standing naked before these men. A woman’s body was something religious at that time, especially that of a virgin. The play depicts a bold girl who can proudly stand nude amongst men. In actuality, women were expected to be modest creatures. Ancient Grecian men have often been depicted in the nude through art, especially athletes of the time. Women were typically depicted clothed. Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, was typically clothed in her depictions. In mid-fourth century B.C., Praxiteles depicted a nude version of the goddess. Though she was nude, the goddess presented modest behavior; “the position of the goddess ' hands may be meant to show modesty or desire to shield the viewer from too full a view of her godhead” (Sorabella) There was also a large emphasis on the value of virginity in women. A virgin wife was valued much higher than non-virgins. A women of the time would not be so willing to present herself nude in front of people so easily. By including the full naked form of a woman, Aristophanes continues to make a mockery of the sexuality of women. Giving the woman control of who she
The pharaoh Amenhotep IV did not just change his name to Akhenaten and the religion of ancient Egypt from polytheistic to monotheistic, but the artistic style made immediate conversion from traditional Egyptian style of depicting people with ideal physiques, to a unique and rather unsettling form. It would suggest that the artists were seeking to depict Akhenaten with brutal veracity, to the extent that the figures became caricatures. Since such portrayal of Akhenaten could only have been forged with his sanction, it might be that his somatic image figured prominently into his religion. He placed a great deal of significance on the exclusive essence of
In Africa, the act of homophobia is supported by a vast number of Presidents. There has been an increase in the protests against people who are involved in these same-sex relations in Africa because it is viewed as a taboo that could ruin family values. Political leaders have strongly stood against homosexuality because they view it as un-African and something that could harm the traditions of Africa (Msibi, 2011:56). But by saying that homosexuality is un-African, is to support an act that is aimed at hiding the truth about homosexuality behind the deception and the use of male authoritative figures. The term homosexual is a term that does not originate from Africa. It is a Western term. This term controlled relations on a social scale in the west and also gave a label to those people who were involved in same-sex relations. Being known as a gay or homosexual person allowed people to feel a sense of collective identity. It made people involved in same-sex relationships feel like they had their own communities and gave them a sense of belonging.
...ly male and all early nude art shows males, an ideal of female beauty rapidly gained ground in the century around Plato. In the three phases we can distinguish in the decoration of the Parthenon, the female figures are shown with progressively more diaphanous and revealing clothing. One of the earliest complete female nudes was a statue of Aphroditê that the great sculptor Praxiteles did for the island of Cos. He used as a model a famous courtesan named Phrynê (the scene of Phrynê posing at right is by the National Geographic painter H.M. Herget in Everyday Life in Ancient Times [National Geographic Society, 1961]). This was all rather shocking for the good people of Cos, who asked Praxiteles to do a more modest statue. He did, but the original went to the island of Cnidos, where it became a major local attraction. In Vamps and Tramps, Camille Paglia mentions that male visitors were so excited by the statue that they sometimes embarrassed themselves after the fashion of Pee Wee Herman. Eventually, the goddess herself was quoted as saying, "Alas, where did Praxiteles see me naked?" By the Hellenistic Age, female nudes were as common as male nudes.
The articles for this week relates to sex and gender and politics. The first article is The Invention of Bad Gay Sex by Scott De Orio. This article focuses on the history of lesbian and gay rights. The article especially focuses on gay rights history in the context of Texas and the 2003 decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in Lawrence v. Texas which nullified all remaining sodomy laws in the United States. The research looks at how the court case changed sexual rights for gay people. The De Orio article talks about the history of sex and how it used to be heavily restricted and illegal for both homosexual and heterosexual men. He also talks about the 1970s through 1990s where a fight by against pedophilia ended up negatively effecting
ABSTRACT: As Michel Foucault describes it, the homosexual paideia in classical Greece was an erotic bonding between a boy who had to learn how to become a man, and a mature man who paid court to him. In many of his dialogues, Plato plays with this scheme: he retains the erotic atmosphere, but he inverts and purifies the whole process in the name of virtue and wisdom. In the Republic, however, Socrates' pupil forsakes this model in favor of a bisexual education for the shepherds and shepherdesses of the State. Aristotle resolutely opposes this move. He thus reverts to a kind of homosexual paideia for the future citizens of his ideal state, but this choice fosters many unspoken problems.
“All men are created equal, No matter how hard you try, you can never erase those words,” Harvey Milk. A homosexual, as defined by the dictionary, is someone of, relating to, or characterized by a tendency to direct sexual desire toward another of the same sex. Homosexuality is ethical, and I will provide rational arguments for, and irrational arguments against the topic. A few objections are as follows: It is forbidden in the Bible and frowned upon by God; It is unnatural; Men and women are needed to reproduce; There are no known examples in nature; and the most common argument that concerns homosexuality is whether it is a choice or human biology.
Western and Eastern civilizations have always been be incompatible with their thinking and teachings; especially when looking at certain topic such as Gender, sex and religion. Gender is defined as the cultural, behavioral, or psychological characteristics, typically belonging to one sex. Sex is the behavioral, functional and Structural characteristics that distinguish males from females; it is also the act of people (or animals) attempting to sexually reproduce. Western civilizations and religions have always been strict and less accepting when it comes to the conversation of gender and sex. It is usually something that is not discussed at all. They’re topics that are considered to be taboo. As time has progressed Western cultures are becoming more open to the conversations. In my Sociology & Psychology class, I was introduced to the concept of a third sex, meaning that the person is classified as neither male nor female. This subject was brought up in a film called “The Codes of Gender” that was created by a sociologist named Erving Goffman. Goffman stated that the third sex has its own set of gender traits and that it’s most popular on the Indian subcontinent. Western cultures only operate with a two sex/ two gender notion. Eastern cultures are more open to other possibilities. In Eastern cultures there is a form of acceptance of a third sex and in Western cultures there is little to no acceptance of a third sex.
Society today has become more accepting of homosexuality. There are single gender couples in the media, and gay rights, such as marriage, have become a political standpoint. In this class we have discussed how society today is changing, and how important it is to be accepting of others who are different. In a heterosexual society, it is a big deal that we are becoming more accepting of people who like the same sex. The problem is, some people aren't just heterosexual or homosexual. Similar to the gender binary, there is a sexual orientation binary being created by the media. The black and white view is damaging to people who like both genders. Society tries to put labels on people, causing people to question their own identity. In the time of adolescence this can be very damaging to someone, male or female. Education about bisexuality could be the step society needs to take to create a more accepting society. Right now, a bisexual is seen as someone who cannot make a choice, but society should not pressure people to choose. People should not have to label themselves heterosexual or homosexual. The media has become more accepting of same sex couples, however, it exploits bisexuality.