Abstract
The thesis of this paper is that the efforts undertaken by the senatorial aristocracy in Rome to preserve its identity between 350 and 395, were subverted by the political and religious opposition of the East Roman emperors and the Church. The paper explains that when Diocletian split the Roman Empire, he sealed the fate of the Roman West as effectively as the barbarians in 476.

From the Paper
"The thesis of this paper is that the efforts undertaken by the senatorial aristocracy in Rome to preserve its identity between 350 and 395, were subverted by the political and religious opposition of the East Roman emperors and the Church.. When Diocletian split the Roman Empire, he sealed the fate of the Roman West as effectively as the barbarians in 476. Yet, as Rome in late antiquity "was for the most part a city without an imperial presence", there is a particular poignancy to "the sacred Senate" and the Rome of that era. "The city's Senators were, for many authors, an embodiment of..."

Tags:senatorial, aristocracy, rome

Abstract
This annotation comments on and summarizes Barber's "An Aristocracy of Everyone" in the same order that the concepts are presented in the text. The paper talks about Barber's suggestion that education should be the equalizer in that it should bring everybody up, instead of playing to the lowest common denominator, while recognizing that equal does not mean identical. Also discussed in this paper are how Barber explores our society's tendency to promote the self instead of the community, issues of diversity versus unity, and how Barber explores our tendency to rewrite history. Finally, the paper touches on Barber's proposal that we teach democracy and include community service in education.

From the Paper
""An Aristocracy of Everyone" explores an important purpose of public education: the preparation of Americans as functioning citizens. In order to have a successful democracy, our citizens must be able to participate. Otherwise we must choose between a country run by ignorant citizens or instead having a system ran by the elite. The reality of our democracy actually being a representative-based system does not come into play, and it does not undermine the message being presented. Barber is trying to show that education is the great equalizer, or at least it should be, and can lead to an aristocracy of everyone."

Tags:american, book, community, culture, diversity, education, equality, nationality, native, report, review, service, summary, unity, volunteer

Abstract
This paper discusses the importance of the love between the protagonists in Aphra Behn's "Oroonoko". The paper also describes the appeal of the protagonist in the story due to his strength of character and his being honest and forthcoming with his love interest. The paper examines how these strengths of character emanate from the protagonist's privileged aristocratic status. The paper asserts that those of the aristocracy have had more time to develop and cultivate their human instincts and emotions.

From the Paper
"Oroonoko, according to Behn, tells Imoinda that he adores her relatively quickly, due to his "quality." This quality of course refers to his quality of character and nobility where he will feel very deeply and state those feelings directly. This is as opposed to playing games, faking his feelings, or abusing those feelings in any way. He respects and honors those feelings of that he expresses directly to Imoinda. This also demonstrates the love and honor he has for her, which implies he is of higher stock as an individual that values human emotions."

Tags:love romance intimacy, aphra behn, imoinda aristocracy nobility

Abstract
This paper examines the efforts undertaken by the senatorial aristocracy in Rome to preserve its identity between 350 and 395. The paper explains that these efforts were subverted by the political and religious opposition of the East Roman emperors and the Church. The paper looks at how the issue to preserve the Roman Senate's identity was fundamentally a means to restore the Senate to play a political role in the new Empire. The paper then points out that the political reality, however, and the anti-pagan religious fundamentalism made it quite clear that there was no such accommodation for the Roman West.

From the Paper
"When Diocletian split the Roman Empire, he sealed the fate of the Roman West as effectively as the barbarians in 476. Yet, as Rome in late antiquity "was for the most part a city without an imperial presence" , there is a particular poignancy to "the sacred Senate" and the Rome of that era. "The city's Senators were, for many authors, an embodiment of all that was venerable about Rome" . Ammanius says that once the interminable civil wars of the third century (235-284) had ended, "the white hair of the senators and their authority are revered and the name of the Roman people is respected and honored" . "The Eternal City" retained its symbolic resonance as the center of civilization even in defeat. "Odovacar...a German, ruled in Italy as "rex" ([and] "maintained the Roman administrative system" ."

Tags:paganisim, senators, symbolic, eternal, city, honor

From the Paper
"The purpose of this research is to examine the lives of Heian aristocrats in Japan during the tenth and eleventh centuries CE. The plan of the research will be to set forth the context for making inquiries into the period, and then to discuss the Heian aristocracy's relationship with the natural world and the relations between and among the aristocrats of the period.

An important contextual factor of understanding daily life and customs of the Heian aristocracy is that the Heian period appears to have been two things at the same time in Japan. First, it was very much a set piece, in its details and priorities different from previous and following aristocratic environments in Japanese history. Second--and almost a contradiction, as it seems--it appears to have set the tone for certain features of subsequent generations of Japanese culture and society that ..."

Abstract
A look at the important role that hunting played for the Medieval society. The author discusses the history and origins of hunting and looks at the meaning that hunting held for the Medieval aristocrat as a sign of power wealth and nobility, as a reflection of their combat prowess and as a way to prove themselves before their fellow men.

From the Paper
"When one considers the qualities that were necessary for the medieval aristocracy, hunting is the most important of these. The hunt was a way for the aristocrat to not only enjoy himself but also to prove his manhood and hone his combat prowess. The hunt become a more and more important factor of the life of the aristocrat until you have the king, like William Rufus, who devotes his entire life to hunting at the expense of the kingdom. Hunting originally began as a simple means to procure food, but the pomp and circumstance that grew around it, as is still present today with the fox hunts, formalised it into a ritual and a form of entertainment. As the nobility became more and more powerful and rich they had fewer and fewer responsibilities. This becomes evident in England, whenever a period of peace comes, the nobility, bored with their lack of action, turn to hunting as a means of escape and enjoyment, much as one does today with televised sporting events."

Tags:ages, middle, nobility

From the Paper
"Both Alexander Pope's mock-epic poem "The Rape of the Lock" (1714) and William Congreve's play The Way of the World deal in a comic and satirical fashion with the manners and behavior of members of England's fashionable aristocracy. In both works the relations between the sexes -- centering ultimately around the institution of marriage -- are the focus of attention. But, because of the differences in societal expectations of men and women and the disparities of status and power, women act very differently from men. In this world women are to be pursued and to make themselves desirable in order to encourage such pursuit. But women must also protect their own interests -- both their reputations and their financial security -- as best they can. In this world men and women meet primarily in the important arena of courtship and marriage and, otherwise, lead largely separate.."

Abstract
In this paper, the writer accentuates the fine lines between rich and poor, landowner and slave, success and failure, that emerge in the play. The politics and economy of Russia were somewhat muddied at the time, and the capitalists, who used to be serfs, were now taking over the aristocracy, whose members did not have money-managing skills. The paper shows how Lyubov Andreyevna and her brother cling to the aristocratic past, Lopakhin is the capitalist (embodiment of the present economy) and Trofimov is a sort of prophet, predicting the rise of communism (though even Chekhov would not live to see that era). Differences in culture, speech, action, demeanor and viewpoints between Firs and Lopakhin; and all the characters (even the servants) are described.

From the Paper
"After feudalism was abolished in Russia in 1861, Russia was undergoing some gradual yet drastic economic changes. The growth of entrepreneurial activity was centered around Moscow while St. Petersburg was crumbling with the tsar as he lost authority to the rising merchant class. For centuries, wealth and income had been based solely on the ownership of land. Technically, the serfs were not slaves, but their economic situations forced them into complete submission; their masters could trade them for horses or even dogs. The serfs were freed in 1861, but with no money or property, so for decades, many were still dependent on their masters. It wasn't until just before the turn of the century that these men began to find their wealth in the form of industrial capitalism (textile production being the most prominent business). Soon these old aristocratic and new capitalist worlds began to battle with each other. This is the Russian economic background of Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard." (Worrall 13) Lyubov Andreyevna Ranevskaya is a middle-aged aristocratic woman who returns from France to find her estate in danger of being subjugated by the rising merchant class, specifically Yermolay Alexyevich Lopakhin. Chekhov does not favor either the aristocrat or the merchant, but stresses the strengths and weaknesses of both groups' ideals. No one person or governmental system is perfect, and everyone's "absurd, unhappy lives' (Lopakhin " 45) fall victim to the continual change of any society."

Tags:andreyevna, aristocracy, emancipation, landowning, lopakhin, lyubov, ranevskaya, russia

Abstract
This paper examines the concept of natural aristocracy by Thomas Jefferson. This concept laid the basis for the rest of his thoughts and teachings about the ideal society of early America. The writer shows how Jefferson viewed education, society and leaders and also mentions some of his writings.

From the Paper
"Thomas Jefferson most clearly explained his views on the natural aristocracy in 1813 in a letter to longtime friend and sometime rival John Adams. Like many of the founding fathers, Jefferson despised the European aristocracy, with their notions that leadership could be earned with gold or a distinguished family name. He felt that people should rise through the ranks of society on the basis of merit, hence his "natural aristocracy." The hallmarks of the natural aristocrat, according to Jefferson, were "virtue and talents." He added that "body strength, good humor, politeness, and other accomplishments" were "auxiliary" grounds of distinction (qtd. in The Founders' Constitution). It was these natural aristocrats, he believed, who should lead a free country like the newly born United States of America ("Thomas Jefferson Biography")."

Tags:history, founding, father, natural, aristocracy, america, constitution, society

Abstract
The paper relates that the Congress of Vienna, when world leaders convened in Vienna in September of 1814, was an attempt to stabilize Europe after the chaos of revolutions, upheaval, the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and continental war. The paper discusses how the Congress ignored the pervasive liberal and nationalistic fervor by attempting to reinstate the aristocracy and royal houses, and this would prove to be an egregious error on their part and lead to future upheaval. The paper focuses on the representatives of Britain, France, Austria and Russia and how they negotiated to divide up empires and gain territories.

From the Paper
"The Congress of Vienna was an attempt to stabilize Europe after the chaos of revolutions, upheaval, the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and continental war. Napoleon was at last defeated and there had to be an understanding by the great powers, without which there could be no lasting peace. The population of Europe had witnessed the fall of the House of Bourbon and the rise and fall of Bonaparte. They had seen revolutions succeed and revolutions betrayed. Those royal houses still secure on their thrones had to change the geopolitical structure and the face of the continent as well for their own security. They put in place a system doomed to failure in the face of the rising tide of realpolitik by totally ignoring the liberal and nationalistic fervor so pervasive in the land (Neumann 1996)."

Tags:Britain, France, Austria, Russia, power, territory, alliances