Julius Caesar By Michael Parenti
Oswaldo Hernandez
Mr. Hacker
Western Civilization
9 October 2014
The Assassination of Julius Caesar: A People’s History of Ancient Rome
Author: Michael Parenti
How have the writings of famous, wealthy historians changed readers' perspective on the lower class of ancient times? The American political scientist, historian, and culture critic,
Michael Parenti, is known for his criticism of capitalism. Michael isn’t fond of how Rome’s
“democracy” attacked the lower class made up of slaves and proletariats. In the great novel The
Assassination of Julius Caesar, Parenti talks against the corrupted Roman society that condemned Caesar and made life for the lower class unbearable. Parenti was able to write his book by having multiple valuable resources, not only because of his status as a historian.
Just how modern lower class people in today's society work long hours to maintain a simple living, many lower class members in ancient rome did the same to barely maintain a roof on their and their family's head. Parenti argues that plebs were depicted as lazy criminals that were only in interested in bread. In contrast to those depictions, many of these plebs consisted of hard working laborers and slaves with living conditions that, “were prone to fire, epidemic disease, structural collapse, and high crime rate”(45). Michael wrote, “Gibbon tended to perceive reality in accordance with the position he occupied in the social structure” (14). Parenti believed that some Roman historians like Gibbon, which he referred to as “Gentlemen
Historians”, were the same as Roman patricians as far as being upper class; these “Gentlemen”
have a patrician bias that condemns and criticizes Caesar’s rule towards Rome. Parenti also argued heavily against Cicero by writing, “He(Cicero) and his Senate collaborators quashed motions designed to cancel debts, effect land distribution, and allow the offspring of those exiled by Sulla to occupy public office” (92).
Mr. Hacker
Western Civilization
9 October 2014
The Assassination of Julius Caesar: A People’s History of Ancient Rome
Author: Michael Parenti
How have the writings of famous, wealthy historians changed readers' perspective on the lower class of ancient times? The American political scientist, historian, and culture critic,
Michael Parenti, is known for his criticism of capitalism. Michael isn’t fond of how Rome’s
“democracy” attacked the lower class made up of slaves and proletariats. In the great novel The
Assassination of Julius Caesar, Parenti talks against the corrupted Roman society that condemned Caesar and made life for the lower class unbearable. Parenti was able to write his book by having multiple valuable resources, not only because of his status as a historian.
Just how modern lower class people in today's society work long hours to maintain a simple living, many lower class members in ancient rome did the same to barely maintain a roof on their and their family's head. Parenti argues that plebs were depicted as lazy criminals that were only in interested in bread. In contrast to those depictions, many of these plebs consisted of hard working laborers and slaves with living conditions that, “were prone to fire, epidemic disease, structural collapse, and high crime rate”(45). Michael wrote, “Gibbon tended to perceive reality in accordance with the position he occupied in the social structure” (14). Parenti believed that some Roman historians like Gibbon, which he referred to as “Gentlemen
Historians”, were the same as Roman patricians as far as being upper class; these “Gentlemen”
have a patrician bias that condemns and criticizes Caesar’s rule towards Rome. Parenti also argued heavily against Cicero by writing, “He(Cicero) and his Senate collaborators quashed motions designed to cancel debts, effect land distribution, and allow the offspring of those exiled by Sulla to occupy public office” (92).