Eheu Postume!
Tempus fugit, mors manet
omnis ianuam.
English:
Alas Postumus!
Time flies, (and) death waits
on everyone's doorstep.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Latin Haiku - Horace, I.11
Aetas fugiet
ab celeribus alae
sic carpe diem.
English:
Time will flee
with swift wings
so seize the day.
ab celeribus alae
sic carpe diem.
English:
Time will flee
with swift wings
so seize the day.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Some more Epicurean philosophy
Arnold Lobel - A List
The most important thing in Toad's day is his list. He is lost without his list. He is simple, and takes things in stride - but he cannot do anything without his list. According to Epicurean philosophy, Toad's pleasure is completing things step by step, and the best way to achieve this pleasure is by writing down what he has to do on his list. When his list is blown away, Toad is as well - he is in so much pain that he even begins to cry! Does Toad's pain outweigh his pleasure? Yes, but temporarily. Toad's friend Frog guides him back to the practical side of things, and finally he is able to go to sleep peacefully. As he happily remembers what the last thing on his list was and carries it out as well, Toad is happily able to regain his pleasure.
Janell Cannon - Verdi
Verdi is a little vain. He is so proud of his yellow stripes and so dislikes the actions of the older snakes with green stripes that he tries to shun them and their way of life completely. To the young Verdi, the color of his stripes seems to be the source of his color - however, it is everything associated with them that truly makes him happy. His jumping and swinging and general youthfulness make him satisfied, which is why he cannot stand to be like the older snakes. When Verdi hurts himself however, it is the older snakes who take care of him and reminisce about their own green days. When Verdi hears this, he realizes that pleasure is not something that is associated with anything physical or tangible. As long as Verdi retains his youtfulness, it doesn't matter how old he gets - the real pleasure is his inner vitality. It is this life within him that allows him to finally make the large figure 8 with the new, younger snakes.
Leo Lionni - It's Mine
Milton, Rupert, and Lydia are greedy. They quarrel over the smallest of things, and continue to shout "It's mine! It's mine!" until a large toad comes over and scolds them. The greed of getting more space on the pond distracts the young frogs from the actual pleasure of having something of their own; they are only focused on obtaining more and more. When the storm comes and a large toad saves them, the frogs are able to learn their lesson. However, what they learn is not only that greed is bad - it is that sharing brings more fun and pleasure. The frogs aren't focused on unnecessary desires anymore, and that is why they have more fun when they share.
The most important thing in Toad's day is his list. He is lost without his list. He is simple, and takes things in stride - but he cannot do anything without his list. According to Epicurean philosophy, Toad's pleasure is completing things step by step, and the best way to achieve this pleasure is by writing down what he has to do on his list. When his list is blown away, Toad is as well - he is in so much pain that he even begins to cry! Does Toad's pain outweigh his pleasure? Yes, but temporarily. Toad's friend Frog guides him back to the practical side of things, and finally he is able to go to sleep peacefully. As he happily remembers what the last thing on his list was and carries it out as well, Toad is happily able to regain his pleasure.
Janell Cannon - Verdi
Verdi is a little vain. He is so proud of his yellow stripes and so dislikes the actions of the older snakes with green stripes that he tries to shun them and their way of life completely. To the young Verdi, the color of his stripes seems to be the source of his color - however, it is everything associated with them that truly makes him happy. His jumping and swinging and general youthfulness make him satisfied, which is why he cannot stand to be like the older snakes. When Verdi hurts himself however, it is the older snakes who take care of him and reminisce about their own green days. When Verdi hears this, he realizes that pleasure is not something that is associated with anything physical or tangible. As long as Verdi retains his youtfulness, it doesn't matter how old he gets - the real pleasure is his inner vitality. It is this life within him that allows him to finally make the large figure 8 with the new, younger snakes.
Leo Lionni - It's Mine
Milton, Rupert, and Lydia are greedy. They quarrel over the smallest of things, and continue to shout "It's mine! It's mine!" until a large toad comes over and scolds them. The greed of getting more space on the pond distracts the young frogs from the actual pleasure of having something of their own; they are only focused on obtaining more and more. When the storm comes and a large toad saves them, the frogs are able to learn their lesson. However, what they learn is not only that greed is bad - it is that sharing brings more fun and pleasure. The frogs aren't focused on unnecessary desires anymore, and that is why they have more fun when they share.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Horace I.9 - Epicurean philosophy
Horace's I.9 is a poem deeply infused with the Greek philosopher teachings Epicurus. The main theme in the poem is the attainment of pleasure.
In the first stanza, the poet muses over Soracte and its gleaming white snow, relishing in the aesthetic beauty of the scene, and clearly absorbing pleasure and contentment from it.
The next stanza is also one of the moment - Horace paints a wonderfully cozy picture of warming oneself by the hearth. The image is another one of contentment.
In both of these stanzas, winter is not depicted, as it often is, as a stark force that withers away everything around it. Instead, winter is seen as calm and soothing, a time to relax and enjoy oneself. This idea directly references Epicurean philosophy: the ultimate good is pleasure, therefore one should solely put all his efforts in pursuing pleasure.
In the third stanza, Horace continues to highlight Epicurean themes. He counsels his readers to not be greedy, and to not worry what will come tomorrow, but just to enjoy the present moment. He believes that the greatest amount of pleasure can only be attained during youth, so he encourages young love and passion. In the last stanza, he shows a scene straight out of a teenage love story: a young man chasing after a girl who is only pretending to not be interested. The boy snatching the bracelet off the arm of the girls is a frozen moment full of love and emotion; to Horace, pleasure is youth.
In the first stanza, the poet muses over Soracte and its gleaming white snow, relishing in the aesthetic beauty of the scene, and clearly absorbing pleasure and contentment from it.
The next stanza is also one of the moment - Horace paints a wonderfully cozy picture of warming oneself by the hearth. The image is another one of contentment.
In both of these stanzas, winter is not depicted, as it often is, as a stark force that withers away everything around it. Instead, winter is seen as calm and soothing, a time to relax and enjoy oneself. This idea directly references Epicurean philosophy: the ultimate good is pleasure, therefore one should solely put all his efforts in pursuing pleasure.
In the third stanza, Horace continues to highlight Epicurean themes. He counsels his readers to not be greedy, and to not worry what will come tomorrow, but just to enjoy the present moment. He believes that the greatest amount of pleasure can only be attained during youth, so he encourages young love and passion. In the last stanza, he shows a scene straight out of a teenage love story: a young man chasing after a girl who is only pretending to not be interested. The boy snatching the bracelet off the arm of the girls is a frozen moment full of love and emotion; to Horace, pleasure is youth.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Vergil: the Aenied - Discussion Question
What elements of Sinon's story make it an effective lie for the Trojans?
First off, Sinon plays upon the Trojans' sense of empathy. His appearance as a "frightened, defenseless" man, shackled in chains already air a sense of helplessness around him. The Trojans understandably see no threat from him, and therefore would not suspect him to be a liar. His opening lines further encourage this idea, as he laments "Oh, is there anywhere now left on land or sea where I can find refuge? No, there is no hope at all for me in this extreme of misery!"
Secondly, Sinon manipulates Trojans' hatred and fear of the Greeks. The picture he paints of them is exactly the image that the Trojans themselves must have had of their enemy. When he mentions the deceit of Ulysses, he interjects "which will be of no surprise to you." Sinon knows that the Trojans see Ulysses as a cruel trickster - by making himself look as if he has been mistreated by Ulysses, Sinon plays the age-old card of "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." He has the Trojans' sympathies now, because he tells them what they have believed all along: the Greeks are traitors to even their own kind. They are disrespectful enough to insult the gods by stealing the statue of Athena, and by sacrificing their own daughters for the sake of winning a war.
Finally, Sinon gives the Trojans false hope. He confirms their hopes by telling them that the Greeks have left Troy; and then he makes them believe that they will eventually triumph over the Greeks by accepting the wooden horse. The Trojans cannot be wholly blamed for wanting to believe that they will be the winners in this long, drawn-out war. They accept Sinon's lie and the horse that will be their undoing because it is a manifestation of all that they have been hoping for. Sinon tells them everything they want to hear, and they believe him because they are only human. While their acceptance of the horse seems foolish in hindsight, it would have seemed obvious to them. After ten years of fighting a bloody war, of course they would want to readily take a course that might give them victory. Sinon tricks the Trojans because he has an understanding of human nature.
First off, Sinon plays upon the Trojans' sense of empathy. His appearance as a "frightened, defenseless" man, shackled in chains already air a sense of helplessness around him. The Trojans understandably see no threat from him, and therefore would not suspect him to be a liar. His opening lines further encourage this idea, as he laments "Oh, is there anywhere now left on land or sea where I can find refuge? No, there is no hope at all for me in this extreme of misery!"
Secondly, Sinon manipulates Trojans' hatred and fear of the Greeks. The picture he paints of them is exactly the image that the Trojans themselves must have had of their enemy. When he mentions the deceit of Ulysses, he interjects "which will be of no surprise to you." Sinon knows that the Trojans see Ulysses as a cruel trickster - by making himself look as if he has been mistreated by Ulysses, Sinon plays the age-old card of "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." He has the Trojans' sympathies now, because he tells them what they have believed all along: the Greeks are traitors to even their own kind. They are disrespectful enough to insult the gods by stealing the statue of Athena, and by sacrificing their own daughters for the sake of winning a war.
Finally, Sinon gives the Trojans false hope. He confirms their hopes by telling them that the Greeks have left Troy; and then he makes them believe that they will eventually triumph over the Greeks by accepting the wooden horse. The Trojans cannot be wholly blamed for wanting to believe that they will be the winners in this long, drawn-out war. They accept Sinon's lie and the horse that will be their undoing because it is a manifestation of all that they have been hoping for. Sinon tells them everything they want to hear, and they believe him because they are only human. While their acceptance of the horse seems foolish in hindsight, it would have seemed obvious to them. After ten years of fighting a bloody war, of course they would want to readily take a course that might give them victory. Sinon tricks the Trojans because he has an understanding of human nature.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Latin Haiku - the Aeneid: Book I, 254-271
Venus est vexat.
Sator manet immotus;
Aeneas reget.
English translation:
Venus is worried.
The creator remains unmoved;
Aeneas will rule.
Sator manet immotus;
Aeneas reget.
English translation:
Venus is worried.
The creator remains unmoved;
Aeneas will rule.
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