Greek Discources

will deal with the first traces of the word ostracize, and how the prefix alone reveals its complex history, and one will also delve into how centuries later, the word ostracize has maintained its meaning, a meaning that will signify instant exclusion.

2. Etymology

e first traces of the word ostracize in the English language can be found less than four hundred years ago, and after reading through countless passages, the word ostracize has always had a, relatively similar meaning; all that has visibly shifted would be the context in which it’ s used. In the seventeenth century, the English poet Andrew Marvell published “Upon e Death of e Lord Hastings” where he wrote to the young Lord Hastings, a supporter of Charles I, that “ erefore the Democratick Stars did rise, And all that Worth from hence did Ostracize.” At this point, one must note the interesting spelling of the word “democratic” which the ending being out of the ordinary to any, present day, English speaker, yet, the spelling of the word ostracize is still intact centuries later. Not only so, but the meaning of the word, when it comes to the notion of excluding an individual due to them being out of the ordinary, has remained nearly identical centuries later. About two hundred years after the publication of “Upon e Death of e Lord Hastings,” British Radical and Liberal statesmen, John Bright, published “Speeches on Questions of Public Policy” which is a collection of speeches he gave in countries such as India, Russia, and even Ireland. In volume one of “Speeches on Questions of Public Policy,” Bright discusses how “Your newspapers...denounced and ostracised hundreds of good men,” when speaking about some sort of, what he seems to think, oppressive government. John Bright uses the word ostracize to indicate how these “good men” have been deprived of some sort of knowledge that would be pivotal to their life and well being. ese examples are roughly two hundred years apart,

but worthy to acknowledge is how their use of the word ostracize is very similar, one might even say far too similar; Andrew Marvell would use ostracize as a way to signify how the “Democratick stars” caused the “Worth” to be separated from where it previously stood, and John Bright used ostracize to mean that the “good men” had been forced to part ways, with yet again, the value of a healthy newspaper, not the one that belongs to whoever the speech was directed to. Most of the examples seen when looking at the context of the word ostracize will be in Modern English, but the history of the word itself dates back to the Ancient Greeks. According to Ancient History, “Ostracism was a political process used in the 5th century BCE Athens [...]” where individuals “considered too powerful or dangerous to the city were exiled for 10 years by popular vote.” Under the Athenian Democracy in the fifth century BCE, the ordinary people, otherwise known as the the demos, would hold the power of banishing individuals who held far too much power. e process of ostracism, if successful, would force these individuals into exile from the city for at least ten years. e process of ostracism would first begin in the hill of Pnyx where the ekklesia, or popular assembly, would consist of 6000 male citizens who would pass around a piece of pottery, ostrakon, in which they would scratch the name of the individual at risk of ostracism. e boule, or executive council made up of 500, would announce which candidate had amassed the most votes, and with no hesitation, were given ten days to gather their belongings and leave the city. e first person to be exiled under the system of ostracism was Hipparchus, son of Charmus, in the year 487 BCE who, most likely, was guilty of supporting Persia, or opposing the democratic government of Athens. e word ostracize came to be after taking an Ancient Greek prefix, but when looking back at how the Greeks would use it compared to its usage in writings done by English writers in the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, ostracize has always meant to forcefully move others away due to them posing some sort of threat. Without a doubt, the word ostracize has come a very long way,

and seen many different times, but it has always maintained its meaning of exclusion, and attributes which cause the conversation held to turn intellectual and insightful.

In the twenty-first century, the word ostracize will still signify the exclusion of others, however, it will not hold the same repercussions as it once did, and with the meaning having been preserved, theprefixofthewordisalsowhathaskeptitsocloselyknit with its origins. e prefix of the word, “ostra”, is derived from the Greek word “ostrakizein,” literally meaning “to banish by voting with potsherds” which goes back to the political process of ostracism held in the fifth century BCE. e word ostracize has been used for centuries on end, and the meaning of the verb hasn’t experienced any major shifts in its meaning; when comparing the works of authors from the nineteenth century to works more recently, the manner in which the verb is used and the meaning it holds has not been modified. Typically, ostracize issued during conversations that should be taken seriously, but also when one is trying to lead the conversation; using the word ostracize during a conversation could also help someone assert themselves as well educated on whatever the conversation might be on. ere isn’t a specific demographic that is known to use the word ostracize routinely, but one can assume that those with higher education, or better understanding of their surroundings, will be capable of using such a distinctive word when expressing themselves. When looking into the vocabulary of the Greeks, the word “ostrakon” can be found which is far too similar to the word “ostracism,” and “ostrakon” is even related to the practice of ostracism, with it meaning “shell” or “potsherds”; yet, the English language has obtained the word “oyster” from this latter Greek word, and has nothing to do with what we not as ostracize today. e distinct background of the word ostracize, including the complex history, managed to keep the meaning of the word intact for centuries later, and makes the word stand out in an ordinary conversation.

3. Predictions

Personally, I do find myself using the word ostracize every now and then, but usually when I’ m writing for history class, or in some sort of assignment; I don’t tend to bring it up in the conversation or in random notes I take in class. e word ostracize isn’t held on some pedestal in my personal vocabulary, but there is a sense that it shouldn’t be randomly brought up in a casual conversation because others are simply not used to hearing it on a daily basis. e chances of the word losing its meaning are quite slim, and far-fetched, since the meaning of the word ostracize has been kept, nearly identical, for centuries on end; the style of writing in the eighteenth century to the twenty first century is very different but the use of the word, and the context in which it’ s seen, are very similar. is then means that the word has gone through countless writing styles, and multiple moments in history, and yet, it has remained the same. Referring back to the origin of the word will always remind people of how it’ s used, and the Greek word isn’t very different so there won ’t be any far fetching connections between the way it’ s used now to then. Although both ostracize and “oyster” have similar roots, they couldn’t get confused with each other because they’ re in completely different fields; the only way it could lose its meaning would be if there was a great shift in how people look at prefixes. Meaning that if all English speakers were to suddenly forget, or choose to ignore, prefixes then there could be the possibility that the word ostracize could lose its meaning. Again, it seems far-fetched.

Your Ideal Society: Utopia

A P, C R, L R

Utopia. is astonishing word made its first appearance in the English language around 1516, first used to describe a fantastical imaginary place that is relatively perfect. It is very similar to utopie (French) and utopia (Italian), which also came about in the early 1500s. e word utopia has several different meanings associated with it. One of those meanings is that of the imaginary island, introduced by Sir omas More, the island is described as a utopia because it is perfect all around including all social, legal and political aspects. Generally, a utopia is a place that does not actually exist but in theory it is perfect in every aspect. Another meaning given to utopia is that of a place which actually exists and is perceived as perfect. A third meaning actually associated with this word is a utopia being just a “fictional narrative” about an “ideal society”. e last known meaning for the word is “A plan for or vision of an ideal society” that is not achievable, just an unattainable thought of a “fantasy, a dream”. Utopia has quite a long history since it came up in the early 1500s. roughout its long history the meaning of utopia changes slightly but the basis still is that an utopia is or has something to do with a fantasy of an ideal place. Because the meaning of this word invokes a sense of a perfect society, it is often used po-