In the first three chapters of the text, the term infanticide is mentioned several times. How was this practice depicted in various societies and how did these ideas influence children's roles?
Answer: Infanticide Throughout this first reading, Lascarides & Hinitz (2000) describe various viewpoints relating to the practice of infanticide. According to Holt (2005), “Infanticide -- the deliberate killing of newborns with the consent of the parents and the community -- has been common throughout most of human history.” Lascarides & Hinitz (2000) described this practice when discussing Spartan, Athenian, and Roman societies. In addition, the authors briefly mentioned infanticide in their discussion of medieval times as well as Pestalozzi’s writings on this topic. According to Spartan law, a group of elders in the community inspected all newborns to determine if each child met physical criteria deemed important by this society. If a child did not meet these standards, then the child was left exposed. After this approval process, the parents took responsibility for educating the child the first seven years however was still considered property of the state. This focus on physical fitness reflected in the education of Spartan children where boys trained to become soldiers and girls participated in various contests that tested these abilities. In Athenian society, children were considered a valued part of the family and great lengths were taken to protect them. Despite this fact, this society still practiced infanticide. The father decided if a child would be accepted into a family. Similar to Spartans, Athenian children developed different roles depending on their gender. Girls married as young as fourteen or fifteen years old when their husband became in charge of their life instead of their father. Men on the other hand did not get married until they were thirty. These differences in power may have influenced which children a father accepted into the family and which fell to the dismal fate of exposure. Roman society also engaged in infanticide. Lascarides & Hinitz (2000) mention four reasons for this practice including physical deformity, the child was conceived out of wedlock, money concerns, and “evil omens and despair” (p. 17). Romans that exposed children because of financial concerns made sure to leave the child in a prominent place to increase the chances that someone would find and raise the child. These rescues occurred in Athenian and Spartan society too. Sometimes families without children would raise these children however other times rescued infants would be slaves, prostitutes, or beggars. As Roman society aged, their view on infanticide changed and by 374, a law made this crime punishable by death. According to Miller (1998), this practice not only occurred during these societies of antiquity but also in times that are more modern. In these first three chapters, Lascarides & Hinitz (2000) mentioned this practice two more times. The first instance the authors included when describing the medieval period. During this time, there were not many occurrences of infanticide among parents partly because of a focus on the importance of training children and the multiple books to support parents with this task. The last reference of infanticide the authors make includes a discussion about Pestalozzi’s book On Legislation and Infanticide: Facts and Fancies, Investigations and Portraits (1783). Pestalozzi wrote this book to help inform the public of this practice and to encourage the need to educate young women to help prevent infanticide. Since these women were ashamed of their illegitimate children, they often turned to killing their newborns. To combat this problem Pestalozzi suggested supporting these women by having the state take charge of the child. Infanticide is something that humans have practiced and debated the morality throughout various times in history (Holt, 2005; Milner, 1998). In this first section of the text, Lascarides & Hinitz (2000) helped the reader to understand not only how this practice was implemented but also how a particular society’s views about infanticide reflected in a child’s role in the society.
References Holt, J. (2005, July 10). Euthanasia for babies. New York Times. Retrieved June 11, 2008, from http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/10/magazine/10WWLN.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1 Milner, L. S. (1998). A brief history of infanticide. Retrieved June 11, 2008, from http://www.infanticide.org/history.htm
In the first three chapters of the text, the term infanticide is mentioned several times. How was this practice depicted in various societies and how did these ideas influence children's roles?
Although the Greeks believed a family without children was imperfect and saw children as the future of their culture and society, a child must first be accepted by the father before he/she is part of family and community life. The father based this on several factors such as gender or size of the family. Lascarides and Hintz (2000) defined infanticide the willful exposure of infants to harsh conditions as a means to regulate the size of the family. However, according to Ingalls (2002), the practice of infanticide among Greek families may be questionable.
Greek families were generally small but this fact may be due to epidemics, war, or diseases and not infanticide as previously mentioned. In Spartan society the practice of infanticide was known as eugenics. In Rome it has been written it infanticide was practiced regardless of handicaps or illegitimate birth. It was later abolished during the Christian movement (Lascarides and Hintz)
Ingalls (2002) suggested the high mortality rate was due mainly to disease. Until germ theory was discovered at the end of the nineteenth century infant mortality rate was high across all cultures. He further explains modern scholars have suggested the Greeks were unlikely to have practiced infanticide except under the most extreme cases such as deformity, illegitimacy, or poverty because so many children died during infancy due to childhood illness and disease. Another argument against infanticide included viewing children as the keepers of the old. Lascarides and Hintz (2000) also suggested children were valued as supporters of their parents in old age and were taken to safety during war. Ingalls suggested in many countries the practice of dowry giving may be one cause of female infanticide, but he suggested the evidence has not proven this. In the writings of ancient authors it was suggested the head of the household was most happy when a son was born to bear the culture and values of the family. The early Europeans kept accurate records of births and deaths. As modern scholars examine these records the statistics revealed one out of every two died in early infancy. The remains of infants and young children found by archeologists suggested in ancient Greece the mortality rate to be 500 out of 1000 births, further adding credence to records kept by the early Europeans. The Greeks believed a child’s spirit or oikos is the living organism being renewed each generation. (Ingalls).
Finally, Ingalls suggested there was no definitive proof the Greeks and Athenians practiced infanticide except in extreme cases. An examination of research suggests infanticide was much less frequent than previously thought. A child’s role in antiquity is much the same as today. Children are both a source of joy and a means to carry on the family name, and also ones to be discarded.
Ingalls, W. (2002). Demography and dowries: Perspectives on female infanticide in classical greece. Phoenix, 56(3/4), 246-254.
In the first three chapters of the text, the term infanticide is mentioned several times. How was this practice depicted in various societies and how did these ideas influence children's roles?
Roman law allowed or encouraged the exposure of infants. It was a primary means of controlling the population. In Athens, the father had the right of life and death over the children but once the child was accepted into the family the father's right to life and death over the child ended.
During the middle ages many children did not live past their first days. Between 900 and 1400 a child's fate often depended upon his station in life. Infanticide and abvandonment were common practices.
The influence of the Jewish and christian teachings began to shift the thinking in a different direction where every child was to be regarded as a valued life.
4 comments:
Answer:
Infanticide
Throughout this first reading, Lascarides & Hinitz (2000) describe various viewpoints relating to the practice of infanticide. According to Holt (2005), “Infanticide -- the deliberate killing of newborns with the consent of the parents and the community -- has been common throughout most of human history.” Lascarides & Hinitz (2000) described this practice when discussing Spartan, Athenian, and Roman societies. In addition, the authors briefly mentioned infanticide in their discussion of medieval times as well as Pestalozzi’s writings on this topic.
According to Spartan law, a group of elders in the community inspected all newborns to determine if each child met physical criteria deemed important by this society. If a child did not meet these standards, then the child was left exposed. After this approval process, the parents took responsibility for educating the child the first seven years however was still considered property of the state. This focus on physical fitness reflected in the education of Spartan children where boys trained to become soldiers and girls participated in various contests that tested these abilities.
In Athenian society, children were considered a valued part of the family and great lengths were taken to protect them. Despite this fact, this society still practiced infanticide. The father decided if a child would be accepted into a family. Similar to Spartans, Athenian children developed different roles depending on their gender. Girls married as young as fourteen or fifteen years old when their husband became in charge of their life instead of their father. Men on the other hand did not get married until they were thirty. These differences in power may have influenced which children a father accepted into the family and which fell to the dismal fate of exposure.
Roman society also engaged in infanticide. Lascarides & Hinitz (2000) mention four reasons for this practice including physical deformity, the child was conceived out of wedlock, money concerns, and “evil omens and despair” (p. 17). Romans that exposed children because of financial concerns made sure to leave the child in a prominent place to increase the chances that someone would find and raise the child. These rescues occurred in Athenian and Spartan society too. Sometimes families without children would raise these children however other times rescued infants would be slaves, prostitutes, or beggars. As Roman society aged, their view on infanticide changed and by 374, a law made this crime punishable by death.
According to Miller (1998), this practice not only occurred during these societies of antiquity but also in times that are more modern. In these first three chapters, Lascarides & Hinitz (2000) mentioned this practice two more times. The first instance the authors included when describing the medieval period. During this time, there were not many occurrences of infanticide among parents partly because of a focus on the importance of training children and the multiple books to support parents with this task.
The last reference of infanticide the authors make includes a discussion about Pestalozzi’s book On Legislation and Infanticide: Facts and Fancies, Investigations and Portraits (1783). Pestalozzi wrote this book to help inform the public of this practice and to encourage the need to educate young women to help prevent infanticide. Since these women were ashamed of their illegitimate children, they often turned to killing their newborns. To combat this problem Pestalozzi suggested supporting these women by having the state take charge of the child.
Infanticide is something that humans have practiced and debated the morality throughout various times in history (Holt, 2005; Milner, 1998). In this first section of the text, Lascarides & Hinitz (2000) helped the reader to understand not only how this practice was implemented but also how a particular society’s views about infanticide reflected in a child’s role in the society.
References
Holt, J. (2005, July 10). Euthanasia for babies. New York Times. Retrieved June 11, 2008,
from http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/10/magazine/10WWLN.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
Milner, L. S. (1998). A brief history of infanticide. Retrieved June 11, 2008, from
http://www.infanticide.org/history.htm
In the first three chapters of the text, the term infanticide is mentioned several times. How was this practice depicted in various societies and how did these ideas influence children's roles?
Although the Greeks believed a family without children was imperfect and saw children as the future of their culture and society, a child must first be accepted by the father before he/she is part of family and community life. The father based this on several factors such as gender or size of the family. Lascarides and Hintz (2000) defined infanticide the willful exposure of infants to harsh conditions as a means to regulate the size of the family. However, according to Ingalls (2002), the practice of infanticide among Greek families may be questionable.
Greek families were generally small but this fact may be due to epidemics, war, or diseases and not infanticide as previously mentioned. In Spartan society the practice of infanticide was known as eugenics. In Rome it has been written it infanticide was practiced regardless of handicaps or illegitimate birth. It was later abolished during the Christian movement (Lascarides and Hintz)
Ingalls (2002) suggested the high mortality rate was due mainly to disease. Until germ theory was discovered at the end of the nineteenth century infant mortality rate was high across all cultures. He further explains modern scholars have suggested the Greeks were unlikely to have practiced infanticide except under the most extreme cases such as deformity, illegitimacy, or poverty because so many children died during infancy due to childhood illness and disease. Another argument against infanticide included viewing children as the keepers of the old. Lascarides and Hintz (2000) also suggested children were valued as supporters of their parents in old age and were taken to safety during war. Ingalls suggested in many countries the practice of dowry giving may be one cause of female infanticide, but he suggested the evidence has not proven this. In the writings of ancient authors it was suggested the head of the household was most happy when a son was born to bear the culture and values of the family. The early Europeans kept accurate records of births and deaths. As modern scholars examine these records the statistics revealed one out of every two died in early infancy. The remains of infants and young children found by archeologists suggested in ancient Greece the mortality rate to be 500 out of 1000 births, further adding credence to records kept by the early Europeans. The Greeks believed a child’s spirit or oikos is the living organism being renewed each generation. (Ingalls).
Finally, Ingalls suggested there was no definitive proof the Greeks and Athenians practiced infanticide except in extreme cases. An examination of research suggests infanticide was much less frequent than previously thought. A child’s role in antiquity is much the same as today. Children are both a source of joy and a means to carry on the family name, and also ones to be discarded.
Ingalls, W. (2002). Demography and dowries: Perspectives on female infanticide in classical greece. Phoenix, 56(3/4), 246-254.
In the first three chapters of the text, the term infanticide is mentioned several times. How was this practice depicted in various societies and how did these ideas influence children's roles?
Roman law allowed or encouraged the exposure of infants. It was a primary means of controlling the population. In Athens, the father had the right of life and death over the children but once the child was accepted into the family the father's right to life and death over the child ended.
During the middle ages many children did not live past their first days. Between 900 and 1400 a child's fate often depended upon his station in life. Infanticide and abvandonment were common practices.
The influence of the Jewish and christian teachings began to shift the thinking in a different direction where every child was to be regarded as a valued life.
Technohound
Thank you for a different perspective relating to this issue.
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