Explore Dickens presentation of education in Hard Times Essay

Dickens’ presents The Victorian instruction framework in ‘Hard Times’ in an in a general sense negative way, Dickens’ communicates the possibility that having an inventive angle to our training is basic. He does this through caricaturizing the instruction framework and ridiculing the characters. All through the novel, it is a reason for Dickens being mocking towards the training framework. Dickens opens the novel with an ironical depiction of Thomas Gradgrind and his utilitarian instructive techniques as he encourages the room brimming with understudies â€Å"Facts alone are needed in life† (9) Dickens mocks Gradgrind’s responsibility to training included distinctly of realities as Gradgrind overstates that realities are the main fundamental thing throughout everyday life. â€Å"Fancy† (14) represents creative mind and marvel contrasted with realities. Dickens underline â€Å"Fact† more than he does with â€Å"Fancy† he does this by rehashing â€Å"fact† itself, sounds increasingly powerful. Gradgrind’s see on instruction is his kids are to never envision or miracle. Gradgrind rejects the idea of â€Å"fancy† or creative mind; ‘fancy’ has nothing to add to seeing; just things that can be estimated are significant. Gradgrind’s disliking bluster on extravagant â€Å"You don’t stroll upon blossoms in fact† (14) to the understudies underlines that extravagant is terrible and it ought to be â€Å"facts!† (14) In his sarcastic portrayal of Gradgrind, Dickens’ point is of what he encountered in the mechanical England during his time when instruction changed limitlessly, as indicated by area, sexual orientation, and class, implying that Dickens see on Utilitarianism is appeared in an ironical manner, and his convictions stood apart all through the novel, this demonstrates how the training framework was controlled. Dickens utilizes characters’ names to proceed with his parody of the utilitarian training framework predominant in Victorian Britain. Mr Gradgrind breaks into the word â€Å"Grind† as a way to squash, meaning his technique for pounding down the students’ independence and any creative mind they may have entered the school with. Mr M’Choakumchild, breaks into â€Å"me, stifle, child† Dickens’ misrepresents with the name as we don’t might suspect the new instructor is truly gagging the kids in his consideration, that this Fact-fixated animal will just gag creative mind and sentiments out of them. â€Å"If he had just taken in somewhat less, how interminably should be he may have shown much more!† (15) This features the utilitarianism framework would work much better, in the event that it were not all that hung on realities. On the off chance that Mr. M’Choakumchild had learnt less and been for all intents and purposes engage d with his understudies more and would have educated much better. This is reprimanding the manner in which the framework works. Dickens is proposing that in the utilitarianism framework, recommending that slamming realities into understudies probably won't be the best method of educating them. Not all things can be decreased to realities alone. Mr Gradgrind and Mr Bounderby are the principle portrayals of utilitarianism and supporters of the framework. In Louisa’s proposed union with Bounderby, Dickens shows us a heartbreaking outcome of Gradgrind’s framework that denied everything except for realities. â€Å"You have been acquainted with think about each other inquiry, just as one of substantial Fact† (97) This outlines Gradgrind, who is unequipped for communicating his feelings adequately toward Louisa, edges her into a marriage with Bounderby by expressing different realities and insights to her. Louisa is reluctant to convey her sentiments towards him â€Å"she returned, with no noticeable emotion† (96) David Lodge’s ‘How Successful Was Hard Times?’ (1981) contends that Gradgrind’s philosophy in his framework is flawed, Lodge clarifies that it is a â€Å"primary file of what's going on with his system† Mr Bounderby is additionally a character with utilitarian convictions, without a doubt one of the significant characters that has a firm confidence in the framework, â€Å"you may constrain him to swallow bubbling fat, yet you will never stifle drive him to smother the realities of his life† (23) He implies the very embodiment of his savage rules that just has space for realities and measurements. ‘Hard Times’ traces that an utilitarian way to deal with life is ineffective and costs the individuals who follow their minds become automated and lacking to the framework. Creative mind and heart is found in the bazaar where Mr Bounderby and Mr Gradgrind disdain â€Å"No youngsters have carnival masters†¦ or go to carnival addresses about circuses† (23) Gradgrind suggests that carnivals dislike a down to earth schoolroom. Dickens speaks to Sissy Jupe as a powerful character of the novel who presents the estimation of a warm heart and encapsulates sentiments and feelings. She is viewed as a total disappointment of Gradgrind’s framework. Anyway Dickens and the peruser judge her as a triumph. The youthful honest young lady ridiculed by the educator and introduced as the â€Å"dumb† young lady in the beginning of the novel, step by step ends up being the most key character in the entire novel. Since the basic criticalness of actuality and the expul sion of extravagant that Gradgrind’s training obliges, Sissy Jupe will never succeed. By and by, disregarding the training, Sissy turns into a young lady who can keep up her own standards and convictions. The differentiating portrayals of Sissy and Bitzer are appeared in their appearance. For instance Sissy is portrayed as brilliant and warm â€Å"dark looked at and dim haired† (11) alluding to her as somebody who is the essence of imperativeness. Anyway Bitzer is depicted as â€Å"what little shading he ever possessed† (11) and â€Å"His cold eyes would scarcely have been eyes† (11)) Demonstrating that he is cold and unfeeling with no heart and all estimation. Dickens utilizes Bitzer to exhibit that different understudies are affected by him, demonstrating that he is a supporter of Gradgrind’s framework, while Sissy is the outsider to the framework. The Utilitarian instruction framework identifies with the modern town ‘Coketown’ which comprises of industrial facilities and â€Å"large roads †¦ like each other †¦ individuals similarly like one another† (27) The town is connected to a â€Å"painted face of a savage† (27) that is depicted as boorish and uncultured, the kids are being denied from the â€Å"ill-smelling dye† (27) Dickens proposes the general public that the kids/laborers are living in is unsanitary â€Å"Jail† (28) showing that they have no way out from their issues. The utilitarian framework gets rid of all creative mind in the students and sets them up impeccably for the life of drudgery. Dickens portrays as their part as ‘hands’ in Coketown’s production lines. Instruction introduced in ‘Hard Times’ is appeared as ironical in Dickensian vision of Utilitarianism. This is on the grounds that Dickens can make a numb-skull out of the framework slyly. Moreover it is sure that what Dickens has introduced is comical and persuading with causing the utilitarian belief system to appear to be silly through the novel. I discover David Lodge’s contention towards Dickens conclusion as liberal and intense.

Top 8 Apps for Busy Freelancers

Top 8 Apps for Busy Freelancers From the manner in which they help with dealing with your opportunity to overseeing concurrent due-dates, from taking notes in a customer meeting to approaching late drafts in a hurry, applications are a freelancer’s closest companion. So it’s likely they can assist you with smoothing out your office life as well. Look at this rundown of the best 8 efficiency applications and see what you can make your life simpler by downloading. For Time Management1. PomodoroThis straightforward clock application is free (with paid update highlights) and lets you set an interim for â€Å"work† with a programmed crush clock to get you spirit on target afterwards.2. Schedules by ReaddleThis not just incorporates with your Google or iCalendar, it speaks to your schedule occasions as squares of time, permitting you outwardly survey where you have extra time and where you’re twofold or triple booked. The essential application is free, with paid moves up to take into account rehashed occasion planning, dialects, added daily agendas, overseeing welcomes and participants, updates, and savvy input that scans your messages for potential activity items.3. Self-ControlOf all the applications that will assist you with shutting out Twitter and Facebook sufficiently long to complete work, Self-Control is the most no-nonsense. There’s no real way to drop it! Not in any event, restarting your PC! Some of the time I need that sort of genuine affection in my life.For To-Do Lists4. WunderlistThis application is consistently a group pleaser-its best highlights are letting you bunch errands together and appoint subtasks inside a progressing venture. You can even join records so they’re simple to allude to, and share reports with groups.5. TodoistThis is a masterlist application it gathers together undertakings, planning, marking, notes, updates, venture layouts and more to cover each part of your workflow.6.Mind-NodeThis application is perfect for less s traight scholars; it permits you to make delightful diagrams by freestyle relationship between thoughts, instead of the structure of a rundown or an outline.For Document Access7. Great ReaderAlong with the works of art like Pages and Google Docs, this one of my most loved applications for record survey. It’s particularly spectacular for changing over among designs, and has the best PDF-alter interface I’ve go over. At whatever point I need to sign and return an agreement, I never need to print or sweep it anymore.8. Examining AppsGoogle Drive has another filtering highlight you may have seen, however the other top applications are Cam Scanner, Genius Scan, and the ever well known EverNote. Give close consideration to whether they permit you to import as pictures or will really put forth the attempt to change over to Word or some other editable organization!

Abraham Lincoln Essays

Abraham Lincoln Essays Abraham Lincoln Essay Abraham Lincoln Essay Abraham Lincoln BY cbailey7262 Abraham Lincolns executioner, John Wilkes Booth, was a Maryland local conceived in 1838 who stayed in the North during the Civil War regardless of his Confederate feelings. As the contention entered its last stages, he and a few partners incubated a plot to hijack the president and take him to Richmond, the Confederate capital. Nonetheless, on March 20, 1865, the day of the arranged abducting, Lincoln neglected to show up at the spot where Booth and his six individual backstabbers lay in pause. After fourteen days, Richmond tumbled to Union powers. In April, with Confederate armed forces close to crumple over the South, Booth thought of a urgent arrangement to spare the Confederacy. Discovering that Lincoln was to go to Laura Keenes acclaimed execution of Our American Cousin at Fords Theater in Washington, D. C. , on April 14, Booth†himself a notable on-screen character at the time†masterminded the concurrent death of Lincoln, Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William H. Seward. By urdering the president and two of his potential replacements, Booth and his co-backstabbers would have liked to toss the U. S. government into chaos. Lincoln involved a private box over the phase with his significant other Mary, a youthful armed force official named Henry Rathbone and Rathbones fianc?â ©, Clara Harris, the girl of New York Senator Ira Harris. The Lincolns showed up after the expected time for the satire, however the president was allegedly feeling fine and chuckled generously during the creation. At 10:15, Booth slipped into the container and terminated his . - bore single-shot derringer into the rear of Lincolns head. In the wake of cutting Rathbone, who quickly surged at him, in the shoulder, Booth jumped onto the stage and yelled, Sic semper tyrannis! (Along these lines ever to dictators! - the Virginia state adage). From the outset, the group deciphered the unfurling show as a major aspect of the creation, however a shout from the primary woman revealed to th em in any case. In spite of the fact that Booth cushioned his leg in the fall, he figured out how to leave the theater and break from Washington riding a horse.

Essay Topics For Kids - Top Tips To Help You Build Confidence

Essay Topics For Kids - Top Tips To Help You Build ConfidenceEncyclopedic topics for kids are an excellent way to build confidence. These topics can be specific or general in nature, and the format should be logical and short enough to complete within an hour. To ensure that the topic is truly useful, be sure that the essay is short, concise, and easy to comprehend. Here are three things you should be aware of when choosing topics for kids.First, parents should pay attention to the age of the children who will be reading the essays. Younger children typically have a shorter attention span, which means they are more apt to procrastinate and may not finish their assignments. Some children will even stop participating in class altogether! If this is the case, children should be given choices on the topic that they would like to read about. In general, though, they should be encouraged to participate and become involved with the topic.Second, it is important that parents seek out topics that match the needs of their children. For example, preschoolers should not be presented with essay topics for older students. This is because preschoolers are more likely to struggle with complex subject matter and may even be afraid of learning more information. Topics with difficult vocabulary are also best avoided.Last, it is important that the essays that parents give their children for topics for kids are not overly complicated or difficult to understand. Topics with complex vocabulary and heavy sentences are generally best avoided, since younger children are less likely to understand such topics. Instead, it is best to provide children with activities to help them learn and to engage them in conversation. This is much more effective than sitting down and demanding that the child memorize every bit of information.It is possible to find tons of topics for kids online, but it is wise to focus on high quality topics that have already been written by experts. Usually, these topic s are ones that are easy to understand and will provide the most benefit to the child. These include topics for kids, writing for kids, English grammar topics, and even topics for kids and learning about animals.Once the essay topics for kids are chosen, the parent should be committed to completing the project in a timely manner. A good time to do this is within a few days of signing up for the assignment. This allows the parent to get a feel for how quickly they can complete the assignment.Using the Internet is one of the best ways to find and to deliver content for children. Ensure that all of the elements in the assignment are worth the wait, and you will find that the assignment has been completed in record time!

Farce and Satire in Shakespeares Comedy of Errors Essays

Farce and Satire in The Comedy of Errors All is not as it seems in The Comedy of Errors. Some have the notion that The Comedy of Errors is a classical and relatively un-Shakespearean play. The plot is, in fact, based largely on Plautuss Menaechmi, a light-hearted comedy in which twins are mistaken for each other. Shakespeares addition of twin servants is borrowed from Amphitruo, another play by Plautus. Like its classical predecessors, The Comedy of Errors mixes farce and satire and (to a degree) presents us with stock characters. Besides being based on classical models, is it really fair to call The Comedy of Errors a serious play? Im not sure it is. Three-quarters of the play is a fast-paced comedy based on†¦show more content†¦What is it, after all, that makes one person different from another? In the case of twins, where everything physical points to identity, how can we tell one person from the other? Some of the characters even begin to doubt their own identity. Dromio of Syracuse says, I am transformed, master, am not I?, and his master wonders, Am I in earth, in heaven, or in hell?/ Sleeping or waking, mad or well-advisd?/ Known unto these, and to myself disguisd? (II.ii.195, 212-14). The play may also be taken as commenting seriously on the limits of human perception and understanding. Both in the last scene and earlier, the strange happenings raise the questions of magic and madness. Antipholus of Syracuse says he thinks Ephesus may be full of sorcerers or witches (I.ii.99; IV.iii.11; III.ii.156), and he wonders more than once if he has gone mad. Dromio of Syracuse thinks he is in fairy land (II.ii.189). The play reveals the limits of human understanding, not only through the mistakes made throughout the play, but also through the fumbling attempts to account for what is happening in the final scene. The Duke wonders if everyone is mated, or stark mad (V.i.282), and Antipholus of Syracuse wonders if he is dreaming (V.i.377). Adriana (wife of the other Antipholus) puts the matter most directly when she says that her husbands presence in twoShow MoreRelatedHello2980 Words   |  12 Pagesof ideas in the order in which things occur; may move from past to present or in reverse, from present to past. Classification (as means of ordering)—Arrangement of objects according to class; e.g., media classified as print, television, radio. Comedy of Manners—A work that deals with the relations and intrigues of gentlemen and ladies living in a polished and sophisticated society; it evokes laughter mainly at the violations of social conventions and decorum and relies on the wit and humor ofRead MoreElizabethan Era11072 Words   |  45 Pages to which tales the Italian name novella (novel) was applied. Most of the separate tales are crude or amateurish and have only historical interest, though as a class they furnished the plots for many Elizabethan dramas, including several of Shakespeares. The most important collection was Painters Palace of Pleasure, in 1566. The earliest original, or partly original, English prose fictions to appear were handbooks of morals and manners in story form, and here the beginning was made by JohnRead Morewisdom,humor and faith19596 Words   |  79 Pagesby comparison with the infirmity of others, or with our own formerly.† Conversely, Solomon thinks that in viewing folly (for example, that of the Three Stooges comedies) we can see our own tendency to unwise behavior and that it can help us become more modest and compassionate—both important steps to becoming wiser. Th e encyclopedia essay also indicates that some thinkers view humor as a form of play and that humor has â€Å"until recently has been treated as roughly co-extensive with laughter,† thoughRead MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 PagesDickens’ novels, they often serve as convenient vehicles for humour and satire. These characters and their deeds are always predictable and never vary. Flat characters are usually minor actors in the novels and stories in which they appear, but not always so. Flat characters have much in common with the kind of stock characters who appear again and again in certain types of literary works: e.g., the rich uncle of domestic comedy, the hard-boiled private eye of the detective story, the female confidante

Virtue Ethics The True Stem Of Moral Character - 1445 Words

Jiovanni Rodriguez Philosophy 103 2014 December 2nd Virtue Ethics: The True Stem of Moral Character Moral character is what dictates an individual s decision making and affects their experiences throughout their life. A person s morals can be based off one s upbringing and environmental factors. Virtue ethics is a philosophical view that greatly supports this claim that the choices a person makes and their actions follow those choices, and display their moral character. This is more likely to be true than Kantianism because this type of ethical view is based off Immanuel Kant, a philosophical thinker whose emphasizes that his writings and beliefs influence the choices people make. However, people do what is morally acceptable in†¦show more content†¦Virtue ethics, on the other hand, doesn t focus exclusively on actions, but on the character of the individual. There are a number of different perceptions of virtue ethics and many different ways to interpret the lessons behind it, but one of the first and most efficient teaching s came from Aristotle s. He argued that virtue is learned, it is a skill we acquire over time and most of the time it represents a mean or middle way between two extremes. For example, if there was an accident and a car began to burn on fire with someone trapped in it; a rash person rushes in without a care to save the person, were as a cowardly person does nothing. A sensible person weighs out the options before making any decisions, and perhaps goes in, or perhaps just waits for help to arrive. There are three main focuses when breaking down the difference between these important theories. One is based on duty and a fixed moral law (Kant), one is based on enlightened self interest, or what makes us all happy (utilitarianism), and one sees being good as an art that we learn (virtue ethics). A person will try to perform good deeds knowing they will receive a positive outcome. Same goes with a bad decision, thinking about how the result of ones actions and how it could negatively affect you may cause you think twice about your actions before you do them. Moreover, this is where our

Greek Mythology (1019 words) Essay Example For Students

Greek Mythology (1019 words) Essay Greek MythologyGreek Mythology, beliefs and ritual observances of the ancient Greeks, who became the first Western civilization about 2000 BC. It consists mainly of a body of diverse stories and legends about a variety of gods. Greek mythology had become fully developed by about the 700s BC. Three classic collections of myths-Theogony by the poet Hesiod and the Iliad and the Odyssey by the poet Homer-appeared at about that time. Greek mythology has several distinguishing characteristics. The Greek gods resembled humans in form and showed human feelings. Unlike ancient religions such as Hinduism or Judaism, Greek mythology did not involve special revelations or spiritual teachings. It also varied widely in practice and belief, with no formal structure, such as a church government, and no written code, such as a sacred book. Principal Gods The Greeks believed that the gods chose Mount Olympus, in a region of Greece called Thessaly, as their home. On Olympus, the gods formed a society that ranked them in terms of authority and powers. However, the gods could roam freely, and individual gods became associated with three main domains-the sky or heaven, the sea, and earth. The 12 chief gods, usually called the Olympians, were Zeus, Hera, Hephaestus, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hestia, Hermes, Demeter, and Poseidon. Zeus was the head of the gods, and the spiritual father of gods and people. His wife, Hera, was the queen of heaven and the guardian of marriage. Other gods associated with heaven were Hephaestus, god of fire and metalworkers; Athena, goddess of wisdom and war; and Apollo, god of light, poetry, and music. Artemis, goddess of wildlife and the moon; Ares, god of war; and Aphrodite, goddess of love, were other gods of heaven. They were joined by Hestia, goddess of the hearth; and Hermes, messenger of the gods and ruler of science and invention. Poseidon was the ruler of the sea who, with his wife Amphitrite, led a group of less important sea gods, such as the Nereids and Tritons. Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, was associated with the earth. Hades, an important god but not generally considered an Olympian, ruled the underworld, where he lived with his wife, Persephone. The underworld was a dark and mournful place located at the center of the earth. It was populated by the souls of people who had died. Dionysus, god of wine and pleasure, was among the most popular gods. The Greeks devoted many festivals to this earthly god, and in some regions he became as important as Zeus. He often was accompanied by a host of fanciful gods, including satyrs, centaurs, and nymphs. Satyrs were creatures with the legs of a goat and the upper body of a monkey or human. Centaurs had the head and torso of a man and the body of a horse. The beautiful and charming nymphs haunted woods and forests. Worship and Beliefs Greek mythology emphasized the weakness of humans in contrast to the great and terrifying powers of nature. The Greeks believed that their gods, who were immortal, controlled all aspects of nature. So the Greeks acknowledged that their lives were completely dependent on the good will of the gods. In general, the relations between people and gods were considered friendly. But the gods delivered severe punishment to mortals who showed unacceptable behavior, such as indulgent pride, extreme ambition, or even excessive prosperity. The mythology was interwoven with every aspect of Greek life. Each city devoted itself to a particular god or group of gods, for whom the citizens often built temples of worship. They regularly honored the gods in festivals, which high officials supervised. At festivals and other official gatherings, poets recited or sang great legends and stories. Many Greeks learned about the gods through the words of poets. .udb8b5b374ad90d4a29865bebe3afc096 , .udb8b5b374ad90d4a29865bebe3afc096 .postImageUrl , .udb8b5b374ad90d4a29865bebe3afc096 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .udb8b5b374ad90d4a29865bebe3afc096 , .udb8b5b374ad90d4a29865bebe3afc096:hover , .udb8b5b374ad90d4a29865bebe3afc096:visited , .udb8b5b374ad90d4a29865bebe3afc096:active { border:0!important; } .udb8b5b374ad90d4a29865bebe3afc096 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .udb8b5b374ad90d4a29865bebe3afc096 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .udb8b5b374ad90d4a29865bebe3afc096:active , .udb8b5b374ad90d4a29865bebe3afc096:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .udb8b5b374ad90d4a29865bebe3afc096 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .udb8b5b374ad90d4a29865bebe3afc096 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .udb8b5b374ad90d4a29865bebe3afc096 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .udb8b5b374ad90d4a29865bebe3afc096 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .udb8b5b374ad90d4a29865bebe3afc096:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .udb8b5b374ad90d4a29865bebe3afc096 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .udb8b5b374ad90d4a29865bebe3afc096 .udb8b5b374ad90d4a29865bebe3afc096-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .udb8b5b374ad90d4a29865bebe3afc096:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Cleopatra - Queen of Egypt EssayGreeks also learned about the gods by word of mouth at home, where worship was common. Different parts of the home were dedicated to certain gods, and people offered prayers to those gods at regular times. An altar of Zeus, for example, might be placed in the courtyard, while Hestia was ritually honored at the hearth. Although the Greeks had no official church organization, they universally honored certain holy places. Delphi, for example, was a holy site dedicated to Apollo. A temple built at Delphi contained an oracle, or prophet, whom brave travelers questioned about the future. A group of priests represented each of the holy sites. These priests, who also might be community officials, interpreted the words of the gods but did not possess any special knowledge or power. In addition to prayers, the Greeks often offered sacrifices to the gods, usually of a domestic animal such as a goat. Origins Greek mythology probably developed from the primitive religions of the people of Crete, an island in the Aegean Sea where the regions first civilization arose about 3000 BC. These people believed that all natural objects had spirits, and that certain objects, or fetishes, had special magical powers. Over time, these beliefs developed into a set of legends involving natural objects, animals, and gods with a human form. Some of these legends survived as part of classical Greek mythology. The ancient Greeks themselves offered some explanations for the development of their mythology. In Sacred History, Euhemerus, a mythographer from the 300s BC, recorded the widespread belief that myths were distortions of history and the gods were heroes who had been glorified over time. The philosopher Prodicus of Ceos taught during the 400s BC that the gods were personifications of natural phenomena, such as the sun, moon, winds, and water. Herodotus, a Greek historian who lived during the 400s BC, believed that many Greek rituals were inherited from the Egyptians. As Greek civilization developed, particularly during the Hellenistic period, which began about 323 BC, the mythology also changed. New philosophies and the influence of neighboring civilizations caused a gradual modification of Greek beliefs. However, the essential characteristics of the Greek gods and their legends remain unchanged. See Also Aegean Civilization. BibliographyGreek Mythology, Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 98 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Mythology