Difference between revisions of "World History Homework Five Answers - Student Five"

Revision as of 16:59, March 5, 2009

DeborahB.

1.) List the "Five Pillars of Islam." The "Five Pillars of Islam" are as follows:

1. Submission is to one god, Allah, whose prophet was Muhammad. This is simple and powerful: submit. It is easy for everyone to understand quickly.

2. Prayer is to Allah five times a day while facing Mecca. This is more than many Christians pray.

3. Fasting is expected for the entire month of Ramadan, whereby no food is eaten during daylight hours in that month. Fasting strengthens the body and soul.

4. Almsgiving: Muslims must donate to the poor.

5. The Hajj or pilgrimage is made at least once during a Muslim's lifetime to Mecca, where Muhammad himself made a hajj from A.D. 629 to 632.

2.) How is Islam different from Christianity? The main difference between the two religions is love. In Islam, there is absolutely no trace of love for anyone,. The word love is not even mentioned in the Koran once. Christianity, on the other hand, is entirely based off of the love that Jesus had for the world and dying for everyone's sins, and the love that we as Christians are supposed to have for our neighbors, as seen by the Golden Rule. "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." Found in 1 John 3:16, this scripture demonstrates perfectly what Christianity is all about. Definitely the complete opposite of the violent religion of Islam, where suicide bombings are the highest form of honor!

There are several other differences as well, besides the main point. Islam is different from Christianity because it is based of off works, not getting to heaven because there is a God in heaven who died for the sins of the world and thus paved a way to heaven for any and all who will accept Him as their Savior. For someone following Islam, they might have a large level of confidence in where they are going to end up one day, and this confidence could come only from the fact that they feel they are good Islam's because they perform the Five Pillars of Islam every single day. Christianity is not like this at all - works solely do not get you to heaven. Another difference between Islam and Christianity is that Islam's have basically no assurance of whether they are going to end up in heaven or hell. The one thing that supposedly "guarantees salvation" is dying of martyrdom for Allah. (i.e. suicide bombers, or the terrorists who died on 9-11 in the plane crashes).

3.) Charles the Hammer, Pepin the Short, and Charlemagne: which one is your favorite, and why? My favorite is Charles Martel, because he was the one who saved Christian Europe by crushing the Muslim invasion at the Battle of Tours in 732. His motivation for being a brilliant leader was for a very worthy cause!

4.) Replaced with H6: Do you think the term "faith" properly applies to any religion other than Christianity? No - the very fact that faith is a Christian idea removes the possibility of it applying correctly to any other religions. That is the simple, concise answer!

5.) Explain the difference between the Sunnis and the Shiites, and give examples of one country controlled by each. Sunnis is considered to be a lot more moderate and friendly toward Western countries like the United States, whereas the Shiites are a lot more extreme and hostile. Sunnis rule Saudi Arabia and Iraq, and the Shiites rule Iran and Iraq.

6.) I am replacing this with: H3. What is your view of "chivalry"? Chivalry is an absolute necessity in the world today! If people, especially men, were more courteous towards women, a lot of problems would be solved. Simple gestures such as holding a door open for someone at Shop Rite, helping a woman with a lot of kids and an arm full of groceries: all of these things would make every day life a lot easier and more enjoyable for people! The very meaning of chivalry is a very praiseworthy thing - there is nothing wrong with men honoring women and being polite to them. In this day and age, when there is road rage and heated arguments over a few dollars at the Returns Counter at any store - if men would only realize that they should be practicing chivalry, peoples lives could be changed!

For perhaps a less broad answer, chivalry is also a necessity in our small group of students attending your World History Class! If the boys would only demonstrate acts of kindness like carrying the girls' book bag to the car for them, or holding the door open, the entire class could be transformed. Friendships could be made that no one would have ever thought could happen, only because the boys are taking initiative and helping the girls, and perhaps people would mingle more who tend to stay to themselves, because they see the acts of kindness being shown their way.

Overall, chivalry is a very respectable thing that should be practiced more!

7.) Briefly describe four major civilizations or tribes in South America, as discussed in the lecture.

1. The Maya - Living from A.D. 300-900, the Maya lived in the land of Maya in Central America which was located on the Yucatan peninsula, which totaled aprox. 5-16 million people. Many historians have called the Mayans the "Greeks of the New World" because they had some knowledge of mathematics, astronomy, ritual ballgames for entertainment, and the use of their own pictographic language. Mayans actually understood the concept of zero similar the Indians in South Asia did, unlike Europeans at the time. They used a solar calendar, and also built temples very simple to the ziggurats used in Mesopotamia, which has puzzled many historians.

2. The Toltecs - Living from A.D. 900-1200, the Toltects, living in a city called Tula, were a northern Mexican nomadic tribe that ruled about 50 miles north of present-day Mexico City. They helped conquer the city of Teotihuacan in the 8th century and were valiant fighters. Eventually, the Toltecs fell at the hands of northern Chichimec tribes, and in the end, they fell by their sword.

3. The Aztecs - Living from A.D. 1200-1521 were more warlike then their predecessors, yet still adopted many of the legends, ballgames, calendar and customs of their predecessors. Pursuant to a prophecy, they built their capital named Tenochtitlan in 1325 in central Mexico on an island in Lake Texcoco and in that place constructed three causeways to connect it to the mainland. Featuring splendid pyramids and temples, the capital city was magnificent. Acquiring their wealth through trade and tributes, the Aztecs trade with far-away peoples, yet intellectually they did not advance in knowledge or civilization.

4. The Incas - The Incas, or sometimes known as the Quechua, living from A.D. 1250 to 1537, is considered to be the largest civilization in all of the Americas because of their development of a massive empire in the Andes Mountains in South America. Along the Andes mountain range, in the Moche civilization that thrived in South America in the first millennium, were its beginnings. Based on a system of "reciprocity", whereby people traded favors and work in a cooperative manner, and on "verticality", whereby people exploited the advantages of different altitudes in the mountains for jobs like growing different crops, their culture thrived.