omnI abeo.
vIve solus nam tU.
nOn sum tristis
(We) all die.
Live only for you.
Do not be sad.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Epicurus vs. 3/5 passages
The three passages that I chose to relate to Epicurean philosophy were A List, by Arnold Lobel; If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Numeroff; and 
Verdi, by Janell Cannon. First I will start with A List:
In this story, Toad makes a list of things to do for the day and shows his friend, Frog. However, in the story he loses his list and becomes confused as to what to do. He tells his friend Frog that he cannot do anything because he doesn't remember if it was on the list or not! When Frog suggested to go to sleep, Toad remembered that that was on the list, and he said "Now my day is crossed out", and went to sleep. This is relevant to Epicurean philosophy because it is saying that when we don't have a set schedule for ourselves or live spontaneously, as most of us do not, we don't know what to do with ourselves. I think that Epicurus would not want us to live so painfully scheduled to the point where we have no breathing room for ourselves. Just because our plans have changed, does not mean we cannot do anything; instead, it simply means that instead of becoming stressed about not doing what we had crammed our day with, we should relax for once. Relaxing allows us to feel less pain and stress than when we are running around all day. Personally, when I run errands all weekend or cram my day with things, when I go to bed at night there's so much to think about that I put off thinking about all day that it becomes stressful. The overall point of the story, I think, is to throw the plan out the window sometimes.
Secondly, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie can relate to Epicurean philosophy because I think it describes people in general. This story was about a mouse whose day was never-ending, it seemed, a perpetual cycle. "If you give a mouse a cookie, He'll probably want a glass of milk," was the first line of the book. Then the mouse goes about his day doing everything because he'll get carried away (such as washing the floor); at the end of the day, he'll get thirsty and want a glass of milk, with a cookie...the cycle, as mentioned. I think that this story can describe humans in general because it can be looked at from 2 different ways: that if you give people an inch, generally they want a mile; and/or that we cram way too much into our days. Going off from the busy day side of it, I think Epicurus would definitely think that that is why some of us live an unbalanced life - we live a life full of things that keep us busy, but never remember that we deserve a break sometimes. We've got school and work and work to do, as well as the running around we have to do for the house or for other things - it can become very stressful! Every day seems to be the same as the day that came before it: wake up, school, work, home, work, bed, repeat. You go to bed at night thinking about how in 6 hours you'll be doing the exact same thing, maybe an extra activity or two thrown in there. It is not always a bad thing to be busy, but to be happy, we need to give ourselves a break in between. When we are stressed and thinking about too many things at once, we get "superstitious fears" such as fear, which we act on instead of acting on what is real; this can also cause imbalance/lead to more pain, according to Epicurus. This is how I think the story relates to his philosophy.
Lastly, I chose to relate the story Verdi to Epicurean philosophy. This one was my personal favorite, because I think it describes how we all feel at every major milestone, year, event, etc in our lives. It was about a snake, Verdi, who was yellow and young and did not want to become green because every snake he knew that was green seemed boring to him. Thus, he tried to do everything he could to stay yellow, including his "fancy figure eight", resulting in him falling from the sky and hurting himself. After he had healed, with some unexpected help from his "boring" green acquaintances, Ribbon, Umbles, and Agie, they reminisced with each other about their own days of being yellow. Verdi was very overcome with confusion, wondering how snakes that were so boring now could have been as lively as himself. However, after getting hurt, Verdi realized that it was okay to sit back and enjoy watching the other yellows enjoying their time being yellow. He even said, "I may be green, but I'm still me." I say that anyone can relate to this story because through any milestone we go through or any major birthday, I think we reflect more than any other day on how much time has gone by and how quickly it has gone by. We reflect on choices we have made and things that have happened to us, and things we've even overcome. For example, I am turning 18 years old this year, and it scares me a lot. I'll be an adult and for some reason I feel like I'm not ready to be that old yet. I still remember like it was yesterday the day all the neighborhood kids played out in the giant rain storm in the street when we were 8. When I think about that day or my childhood and how simple it was, or how fast high school has gone by, it makes me miss the "old days". But I am old enough to appreciate my childhood for how great it was, and be happy for kids that are enjoying it just as much as I did. I believe Epicurus would not want us to dwell on the past; we need to appreciate the feelings it gave us, whether it be a childhood, or a school we graduated from, or a boyfriend, and then we need to leave the past in the past and move on. It will leave you with a more balanced life by not carrying around the pain of what used to be.
Verdi, by Janell Cannon. First I will start with A List:In this story, Toad makes a list of things to do for the day and shows his friend, Frog. However, in the story he loses his list and becomes confused as to what to do. He tells his friend Frog that he cannot do anything because he doesn't remember if it was on the list or not! When Frog suggested to go to sleep, Toad remembered that that was on the list, and he said "Now my day is crossed out", and went to sleep. This is relevant to Epicurean philosophy because it is saying that when we don't have a set schedule for ourselves or live spontaneously, as most of us do not, we don't know what to do with ourselves. I think that Epicurus would not want us to live so painfully scheduled to the point where we have no breathing room for ourselves. Just because our plans have changed, does not mean we cannot do anything; instead, it simply means that instead of becoming stressed about not doing what we had crammed our day with, we should relax for once. Relaxing allows us to feel less pain and stress than when we are running around all day. Personally, when I run errands all weekend or cram my day with things, when I go to bed at night there's so much to think about that I put off thinking about all day that it becomes stressful. The overall point of the story, I think, is to throw the plan out the window sometimes.
Secondly, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie can relate to Epicurean philosophy because I think it describes people in general. This story was about a mouse whose day was never-ending, it seemed, a perpetual cycle. "If you give a mouse a cookie, He'll probably want a glass of milk," was the first line of the book. Then the mouse goes about his day doing everything because he'll get carried away (such as washing the floor); at the end of the day, he'll get thirsty and want a glass of milk, with a cookie...the cycle, as mentioned. I think that this story can describe humans in general because it can be looked at from 2 different ways: that if you give people an inch, generally they want a mile; and/or that we cram way too much into our days. Going off from the busy day side of it, I think Epicurus would definitely think that that is why some of us live an unbalanced life - we live a life full of things that keep us busy, but never remember that we deserve a break sometimes. We've got school and work and work to do, as well as the running around we have to do for the house or for other things - it can become very stressful! Every day seems to be the same as the day that came before it: wake up, school, work, home, work, bed, repeat. You go to bed at night thinking about how in 6 hours you'll be doing the exact same thing, maybe an extra activity or two thrown in there. It is not always a bad thing to be busy, but to be happy, we need to give ourselves a break in between. When we are stressed and thinking about too many things at once, we get "superstitious fears" such as fear, which we act on instead of acting on what is real; this can also cause imbalance/lead to more pain, according to Epicurus. This is how I think the story relates to his philosophy.
Lastly, I chose to relate the story Verdi to Epicurean philosophy. This one was my personal favorite, because I think it describes how we all feel at every major milestone, year, event, etc in our lives. It was about a snake, Verdi, who was yellow and young and did not want to become green because every snake he knew that was green seemed boring to him. Thus, he tried to do everything he could to stay yellow, including his "fancy figure eight", resulting in him falling from the sky and hurting himself. After he had healed, with some unexpected help from his "boring" green acquaintances, Ribbon, Umbles, and Agie, they reminisced with each other about their own days of being yellow. Verdi was very overcome with confusion, wondering how snakes that were so boring now could have been as lively as himself. However, after getting hurt, Verdi realized that it was okay to sit back and enjoy watching the other yellows enjoying their time being yellow. He even said, "I may be green, but I'm still me." I say that anyone can relate to this story because through any milestone we go through or any major birthday, I think we reflect more than any other day on how much time has gone by and how quickly it has gone by. We reflect on choices we have made and things that have happened to us, and things we've even overcome. For example, I am turning 18 years old this year, and it scares me a lot. I'll be an adult and for some reason I feel like I'm not ready to be that old yet. I still remember like it was yesterday the day all the neighborhood kids played out in the giant rain storm in the street when we were 8. When I think about that day or my childhood and how simple it was, or how fast high school has gone by, it makes me miss the "old days". But I am old enough to appreciate my childhood for how great it was, and be happy for kids that are enjoying it just as much as I did. I believe Epicurus would not want us to dwell on the past; we need to appreciate the feelings it gave us, whether it be a childhood, or a school we graduated from, or a boyfriend, and then we need to leave the past in the past and move on. It will leave you with a more balanced life by not carrying around the pain of what used to be.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Horace, I.9
Horace's I.9 relates very well to what we learned last week about Epicurus and his philosophy. So then let's start with what Epicurus' philosophy even is! He is all about getting rid of the negative pain in your life (caused by greed, ambition, the want of things we cannot have); he tells us to focus on what we can have in our lives and what makes us happy. It is necessary to have a balance between the happiness and pain, because if the pain outweighs the happiness in your life, then something has to change. No one wants to live a life of regret and pain.
Epicurus' advice goes well with Horace I.9. In that poem, he tells us to stop focusing so much on tomorrow and to enjoy what we have today. The things to enjoy specifically include "sweet loves and dance". It tells us to indulge in the moment before "white old age" comes; let everything alone to the Fate/gods. Therefore, this is how the two things relate pretty well to each other.
Applying both messages to the real world, is a simple example: it is human nature to want something that we cannot have. We all have something or someone in our lives that we know we can't have, and i wonder sometimes why that is; I wonder why we want these things. Is it the thrill of the chase? Is it because no matter what we have, it doesn't seem to be good enough? Or is it that "the grass is always greener on the other side" mentality? I think at one point or another every one of us has learned that the grass isn't so green on the other side, and that, in fact, we all have our own share of problems. While a life, a family, or a person may seem put-together and fine on the outside, everyone is a little broken in some way. It may not be big; maybe something that happened years ago or a death in the family, but either way, everyone has suffered something. Epicurus said we all have pain and happiness, and many people have worked hard to get to the good places they are today. Listening to the philosophies of Epicurus and reading Horace I.9 made me think of all this.
Epicurus' advice goes well with Horace I.9. In that poem, he tells us to stop focusing so much on tomorrow and to enjoy what we have today. The things to enjoy specifically include "sweet loves and dance". It tells us to indulge in the moment before "white old age" comes; let everything alone to the Fate/gods. Therefore, this is how the two things relate pretty well to each other.
Applying both messages to the real world, is a simple example: it is human nature to want something that we cannot have. We all have something or someone in our lives that we know we can't have, and i wonder sometimes why that is; I wonder why we want these things. Is it the thrill of the chase? Is it because no matter what we have, it doesn't seem to be good enough? Or is it that "the grass is always greener on the other side" mentality? I think at one point or another every one of us has learned that the grass isn't so green on the other side, and that, in fact, we all have our own share of problems. While a life, a family, or a person may seem put-together and fine on the outside, everyone is a little broken in some way. It may not be big; maybe something that happened years ago or a death in the family, but either way, everyone has suffered something. Epicurus said we all have pain and happiness, and many people have worked hard to get to the good places they are today. Listening to the philosophies of Epicurus and reading Horace I.9 made me think of all this.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
aeneid, 2 haiku-laocoon
conor fugere
ille est decipere
anguEs vicisse
[he] tries to escape
he is trapped
the snakes have killed him
(i wasnt sure if ithad to be 5-7-5 in english too, so i only did it in latin. i originally had it in english too but the words didnt work out right. so im not sure if i did it right)
ille est decipere
anguEs vicisse
[he] tries to escape
he is trapped
the snakes have killed him
(i wasnt sure if ithad to be 5-7-5 in english too, so i only did it in latin. i originally had it in english too but the words didnt work out right. so im not sure if i did it right)
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Aeneid, book 2, question
There are elements of Sinon's story that made his lie very believable to the Trojans.
For example, he started out by saying that he was a Greek man whos father was an enemy of Odysseus. In reality, however, and what the Trojans obviously didn't know, was that Odysseus was feeding information to Sinon, telling him what to say to make the story believable.
A second piece of evidence that proves that Sinon makes his story believable is when he tells the Trojans that in order to escape Minerva's wrath (after her temple was destroyed by Ulysses), and as an offering to her, they must accept the Trojan horse inside their city walls. If they don't, their city will be destroyed and Minerva will not allow them to return home via a safe route. However, if they do install the horse inside their walls, Minerva will be on their side and they will have victory over the Greeks.
Now in reality, Sinon was trying to persuade the Trojans to allow the horse inside their city for his own devious and selfish benefit - or more for all the people inside the horse's benefit. It was quite brilliant of Odysseus to come up with this plan with Sinon to get the horse inside the city. Without it, it probably wouldn't have worked any other way. These are a few examples of how Sinon made elements of his story believable for the Trojans.
For example, he started out by saying that he was a Greek man whos father was an enemy of Odysseus. In reality, however, and what the Trojans obviously didn't know, was that Odysseus was feeding information to Sinon, telling him what to say to make the story believable.
A second piece of evidence that proves that Sinon makes his story believable is when he tells the Trojans that in order to escape Minerva's wrath (after her temple was destroyed by Ulysses), and as an offering to her, they must accept the Trojan horse inside their city walls. If they don't, their city will be destroyed and Minerva will not allow them to return home via a safe route. However, if they do install the horse inside their walls, Minerva will be on their side and they will have victory over the Greeks.
Now in reality, Sinon was trying to persuade the Trojans to allow the horse inside their city for his own devious and selfish benefit - or more for all the people inside the horse's benefit. It was quite brilliant of Odysseus to come up with this plan with Sinon to get the horse inside the city. Without it, it probably wouldn't have worked any other way. These are a few examples of how Sinon made elements of his story believable for the Trojans.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Aeneid-haiku 2
pAter dIcEre,
venus est terreruit,
Ilus venIre.
Neptune speaks,
Venus is worried,
Ascanius arrives.
venus est terreruit,
Ilus venIre.
Neptune speaks,
Venus is worried,
Ascanius arrives.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
page 63-the aeneid
What aspect of the poet's characterization of the great man in verse 151 prompts us to compare him with Aeneas himself?
The people compare this great man they catch sight of to a man with great piety and merit. This prompts us as readers to compare him with Aeneas himself because Aeneas is a great man. He has weathered storms, and his ships and men have gone through so much to finallly get to land.
By definition, piety means great respect for homeland, parents, etc.; merit means excellence. Aeneas fits these characterizations because he had great respect for the men on their boats to get to the homeland; he was an excellent man. These are the two aspects of the great man that would prompt us to compare him with Aeneas.
The people compare this great man they catch sight of to a man with great piety and merit. This prompts us as readers to compare him with Aeneas himself because Aeneas is a great man. He has weathered storms, and his ships and men have gone through so much to finallly get to land.
By definition, piety means great respect for homeland, parents, etc.; merit means excellence. Aeneas fits these characterizations because he had great respect for the men on their boats to get to the homeland; he was an excellent man. These are the two aspects of the great man that would prompt us to compare him with Aeneas.
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