FYI, the Marbles above was not displayed when I was at the British Museum last summer. What's the point of England having the marbles if they do not display it when I am there? (Don't respond to the FYI.)
Please post by Monday, November 5. .
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The Elgin Marbles are controversial items. Read the following opposing viewpoints on the Elgin Marbles and consider what England should do. Should England return them to Greece? Explain why or why not.
FYI, the Marbles above was not displayed when I was at the British Museum last summer. What's the point of England having the marbles if they do not display it when I am there? (Don't respond to the FYI.) Please post by Monday, November 5. .
27 Comments
Elliana Wu
11/3/2018 00:13:57
Greece are the rightful owners of the Elgin Marbles, which is why the British should return it back to them. Elgin did not have the right to take the sculptures because he was given permission from the Turkish government and not the true owners of the sculptures. Therefore, implying that he stole the sculptures without Greece's validation. Elgin claimed he took down the sculptures from the Parthenon in order to "save" it from the hand of the Turks, but that clearly was not true. Elgin stole the sculptures for the use of his own property, but in the end he sold them to the British government in order to get out of debt. Not only that, but the process of all of the transporting of the sculptures could have caused more damage then just simply leaving it alone. All in all, Elgin technically illegally stole the sculptures from Greece and the British should return it back because it is the right thing to do.
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Angela Z.
11/3/2018 12:45:08
Greece started making the Elgin Marbles. So if the British stole it they should return it back to the Greeks they have no right to steel someones invention unless if they want to sell it to someone.
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Angela Z.
11/3/2018 12:48:02
England should return them to Greece because it was their idea first if they want their design they should not steal but start their own design or ask the Greeks if they can have some of their product.
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Amy S
11/3/2018 17:06:24
I think that England has a rightful duty to return the Elgin Marbles. These marbles were obviously not and still are not their sculptures. They got permission from the Turkish government to take the marbles, even though Turkey really had nothing to do with giving him permission to take them. Turkey did not own the marbles, Greece did. If Greece had gave them permission to take the marbles, then they should keep them. But in this situation, Turkeys opinion and authority is completely irrelevant. Elgin was very wrong for taking the marbles because he did not own them, and he was trying to use them for his own benefits, it did not even help Greece at all. If people wanted to see the art of Greece, they should go to Greece, not to England to look at stolen art.
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Sophia G.
11/3/2018 17:42:35
England should be responsible for returning the Elgin marbles to the country that created them, Greece. These marbles are of great importance to Greece, as they resemble their culture and religion in ancient times. However, to England, the marbles have no significance at all. In addition to this, the marbles were stolen illegally by Lord Elgin meaning England has no right to still have possesion of a stolen item. Some may also think that England is keeping these marbles safe, which is not true. England was said to have damaged the marbles when molding them for plaster casts. In conclusion, the Elgin marbles should not be in the hands of England and should be returned to Greece.
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Amilcar Coutinho Amado
11/3/2018 18:33:08
I personally think that the Elgij Marbles rightfully belong in Greece and should be in Greece for a few reasons. First, they were treated poorly and were ruined in Britain. They had to be polished and it ruined the quality of the sculptures. Also, the quality of the sculptures while being kept in England was so bad that he sculptures were painted over to make it look like they were in top quality. The second reason I think they should’ve stayed in Greece or should be returned is because the conditions of transporting the sculptures from Greece to England. They were sent in ships with poor conditions and people had to actually go and look for the lost sculptures that sunk in one of the boats transporting them to England. Finally, the last reason they belong in Greece is simply because it’s Greece’s property so therefore it should be in Greece and not somewhere else.
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Stephen D
11/3/2018 22:57:49
England should in fact return the Elgin Marbles to Greece. This is because these sculptures rightfully belong to Greece. England took it upon themselves to decide to take them without Greece's consent. England was instead given permission by the Turkish government to take the sculptures, but because it was not theirs to give away it is still stealing and therefore should not be accepted by Greece. For example, if someone owns a certain possession and a person asked someone else if they can have it and they say yes, that does not make it their property and it is still stealing because the person you asked it for did not own it. If England had just asked Greece for it and they allowed it, it would be another situation but this never happened. England may argue that the had the right to steal it because it was not being treated in good shape in Greece and was getting destroyed and therefore they had to take it to save the sculptures. However, this is not for England to determine. If they felt that way that is fine and they could have told Greece to treat it more appropriately but that does not give them the right to take it as it is Greece's choice to do what they please with the painting since they own it. In conclusion, because the sculptures were stolen and were not property of England, it is only right that they return it back to Greece where it belongs.
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Emily H
11/3/2018 23:21:47
Without official consent from the Turkish government to take the sculpture, England took it anyway which is pretty much stealing. It would be one think if England were to give it back but they never did, so the Elgin Marbles are considered stolen also because they’re is no importance of it in England. For Greece, they are the rightful owners of the Elgin Marbles and therefore should have kept it that way. The marbles represent something to Greece like culture, history, traditions, etc. England really has no meaning for them because it is not theirs. Greece could be angry because England had chipped pieces off of the sculpture that they should not even be in possession of. In conclusion, Greece has lots more meaning for the Elgin marbles than England because it has originated from there. The sculpture was stolen with out official consent from the Turkish government, so something that is stolen should always be returned.
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Catherine H
11/4/2018 09:38:36
In my opinion, and the opinions of many others, I believe that England should return the Elgin Marlbes back to Greece. Without returning this property, it is considered stealing. There is no point for England to keep this sculpture, considering that there is no importantance, or meaning for it to be held there. However, in Greece, the Elgin Marbles does represent something. This sculpture represents Greece’s culture. If Greece was the oringal owners of this sculpture, they should be able to take responsibility for it and have it for themselves. England needs to learn to let go of important products and should rightfully give it back to where it belongs, in Greece.
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julia perry
11/4/2018 10:46:01
In my opinion, I believe that England should return the Elgin Marlbes back to Greece. Although they have the sculpture, it is still considered stealing, because it is not rightfully theirs. There is no reason for England to keep this sculpture, because the sculpture has no meaning to them, but in Greese the Elgin Marbles does represent something. This sculpture represents Greece’s culture and all of what has happened in Greece. When you go to see the sculpture about Greece, it would make sense to travel to Greece to see a Greek sculpture with a story behind it, not in England where the sculpture is very much irrevalent to them. England needs to return the sculpture back to Greece, where it rightfully belongs.
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Abigail Cesana
11/4/2018 11:34:51
Greece is the rightful owned of the Elgin Marbles. The Elgin marbles were stolen because Greece did not give permission for them to be removed from their country. It was as if a bugler gave someone else permission to take your T.V.
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Samantha G
11/4/2018 12:32:49
The Elgin marbles rightfully belong to Greece. The Elgin marbles represent the history and culture of Greece. England should not be the ones to showcase the marbles because they are showing someone else’s history, and not their own. Also, the marbles were stolen from Greece because they never got official permission from their government to give the marbles away. England is showing off a piece of work that, for them, represents the stealing of somebody else’s property, which is not setting a good standard for their country to live by. People who visit Greece would want to experience the culture and learn about the history, but they can’t do that if a major part of their culture is showcased in England. England should return The Elgin marbles to the rightful owners of the marbles, the Greek.
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Sarah A. T.
11/4/2018 14:08:19
The Elgin Marbles should rightfully be returned to Greece. I strongly believe that taking something without the permission of the rightful owner is stealing. The marbles are apart of Greek culture and shouldn't be taken out of Greece without their permission. Even though the pieces of the Parthenon are currently in bad shape, that doesn't give England the license to steal them. England uses the excuse of preserving history and having a better environment for the marbles as a statement to justify their actions. However, that decision is not an issue England should decide. Plus, having the marbles in Greece is the best way to preserve history because that is where they were built on the Parthenon.
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Gabriell Feole
11/4/2018 15:05:25
I believe that The Elgin Marbles should be returned to Greece, for starters it was not rightfully given to England because the Turkish government had given them the permission and because of this it is considered stealing. They had no right to do this nor should England have taken them. Although England may have better protection system, Greece is responsible for this Marble and it is their job to protect it. Also without the Elgin Marbles being in Greece people are unaware of the beauty that comes along with it and it is not displayed well in England. The history behind it comes from Greece and that is why it should be in their custody.
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lucy k
11/4/2018 16:40:44
Although the Elgin Marbles originally belonged to Greece, they should not be returned. England took them because they were being mistreated in Greece. The mistreatment of the marbles showed that the Greeks could not take care of them. Even though some could argue that maybe Greece is now ready to care for the Elgin Marbles, that does not give them automatic rights to the ownership of the Marbles. So no, England should not give back the Elgin Marbles to Greece because England took proper care of them when Greece could or would not.
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lucy k
11/4/2018 16:41:24
Although the Elgin Marbles originally belonged to Greece, they should not be returned. England took them because they were being mistreated in Greece. The mistreatment of the marbles showed that the Greeks could not take care of them. Even though some could argue that maybe Greece is now ready to care for the Elgin Marbles, that does not give them automatic rights to the ownership of the Marbles. So no, England should not give back
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Sadie Brown
11/4/2018 18:39:34
England should return the Elgin Marbles because Greece is the rightful owner of them and England doesn't deserve them. Also, England took them without permission which is stealing. The sculpture's meaning to England's history has no meaning but to Greece it has a meaning. Greece rightfully has the permission to have the Elgin Marbles.
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Julia B
11/4/2018 19:56:09
I am undecided on whether or not the Elgin Marbles should be returned to Greece. They are apart of Greek history and were made by Greeks so it makes sense that they should be in Greece. However, Greece is obviously not able to take care of them so it would not be wise to give them back. I think that once Greece is capable of taking good care of them they should be returned, but until then England should keep them. In my opinion the question should be when they get the Elgin Marbles back as opposed to if they get them back.
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Jack R
11/4/2018 20:56:45
England should keep the artifacts in their museum. If the Elgin Marbles remained in Greece they may not have stayed intact. The Elgin Marbles are being preserved in the British Museum. There is no telling what could have happened if these artifacts were still in Greece. I do agree that the Elgin Marbles should have never been taken away from where they belong in the first place, but there were permits allowing the marbles to be taken. The relocation of the Elgin Marbles was only for the better.
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Paige M
11/4/2018 21:02:40
I believe England should give Greece the marbles back. They may have been preserving them in the past, but Greece is back on their feet and can take care of them now. I do not see why England still has them. They stole the marbles from Greece.
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Armina P
11/4/2018 21:09:19
In my opinion, England should not return the Elgin Marbles back to Greece. The Elgin Marbles represent the history and culture of Greece and people from around the world should get to know them. Greece was not taking care of these really well while England has been doing a good job taking responsibility of the Elgin Marbles. England took them when Greece could not protect them really well and that means that they cannot really take care of them. In addition, the Elgin marbles can show the people who live in England, what Greece's history represents and looks like. History and culture of Greece can be sown in most of their artifacts and having at least one artifact to represent a country in other countries, makes people understand the history of other countries a lot better.
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Elizabeth Sa
11/4/2018 21:13:46
England should return the Elgin Marbles to Greece, due to Greece being its original creator, and that the marbles were basically stolen.The marbles are a monument of Greek culture that should be available to Greece's future generations to come without having to travel to England.The fact that the marbles were basically taken from were the Parthenon stood without the consent of the rulers, or whoever was in charge of the area.In conclusion, with this information the Elgin Marbles should be returned to Greece.
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nicole goho
11/4/2018 21:38:14
England should return the Elgin marbles toGreece. The marbles are a huge part of Greece unlike in England. Some people think that England is keeping the marbles safe. However, England illegally stole the marbles from Greece. Anyone who participates in illegal activity should deal with consequences. Therefore, England should not have the marbles and, they should be returned to Greece.
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maddie k
11/4/2018 22:12:54
I believe that England has every right to keep the Elgin Marbles. I think this because the Greeks did not take care of them and keeping them in place would have led to destruction of this significant sculpture. If the marbles were still in Greece today, there would most likely be nothing left of them because of past events that happened throughout history. At the British Museum, however, their story can be told to a wider audience. The marbles are also being protected and cared for everyday. The British Museum definitely deserves to keep the Elgin Marbles so their story can live on and they will continue to be preserved, opose to them being back in Greece.
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amya
11/4/2018 22:54:22
England should return the Elgin Marbles for they have no significant value to England. The marbles have a high value to Greece, showing their culture, but has no meaning to England. England wrongfully took the marbels from the Greeks, even though they weren’t taken care of there, they weren’t England’s to take.
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Mazinho Palencia
11/4/2018 23:32:16
England should return the marbles back to Greece for the simple fact that Greece is the original creator of the marbles. It is not just for someone to steal another person's property and not give it back to them. This concept applies to the marbles as well because the ancestors of Greece created the marbles and should be the ones to display them instead of England. The argument could be made that the marbles were not kept in safe conditions but still does not give England the right to "preserve" these marbles. The marbles are stolen property and should be returned to their rightful owners.
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Shawn
12/7/2018 07:59:11
England should return the Elgin marbles because they were rightfully Greek. The Greek built them and for the English to steal them I totally unfair. Greece should do something about it. England can’t preserve the Elgin marbles. Not like the Greek.
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