12/9/11 Final Thoughts:
And just like that, the first semester of college is all but complete and I’m writing my final journal entry for Honors 201. To start things off, Dr. Hartman, I’m not sure how far into grading the papers you are, but I would like to save you a little time by pointing out an epic failure contained within mine. I regretfully must admit that (and this will come as a shock to anyone who knows me even a little because I’m usually not at all like this [ß sarcasm font]) I procrastinated on the essay, and as such, even having completed the rough draft the week prior, was up all night Tuesday finishing the paper. I’m usually pretty good on little to no sleep from a lot of practice over the past four years, but I’ve been doing it more than ever lately and sleep deprivation was beginning to kick in. Because of this, there is a giant flaw in my bibliography which brings me great embarrassment, for apparently I no longer even know the alphabet. My epic fail for this paper was listing “Holland” after “Homer’. What makes this even sadder is that I did not realize my mistake; rather, a friend who was reading the paper Wednesday night pointed it out to me. It’s a good thing we didn’t have to say our ABCs as part of our application to the Honors College, or I may just not have been in this class in the first place. Moving past this blunder, I did learn something quite intriguing while typing up my paper. Well, obviously I learned plenty from my research, but this is something I learned that isn’t related to the topic or the substance of the paper. I was revising my word choice in my opening paragraph when I decided to insert the word “dilemna”. You may realize right away that that is misspelled, but I did not. When spell check underlined it in red, I figured there must be some mistake, but sure enough it advised that I replace “dilemna” with “dilemma”. I was very taken aback by this, because I had been taught to spell the word with a silent n, and I knew that because I always remember saying “di-lem-na” in my head so I wouldn’t leave it out. Still flustered at this discovery, I decided to do what any educated person of the 21st century would do: I turned to Google for answers. Upon a small amount of research, I found that there truly is a dilemma with the word dilemna. The correct spelling is dilemma, but for some strange reason unknown to scholars and those who have researched the topic, millions of people across America, England, and the English speaking portions of France were incorrectly taught to spell the word with a silent n as I was. I found this to be quite fascinating, and it definitely made me want to figure out why this was, but to no avail. This may be my final 201 journal, but I have a feeling I will be returning shortly as a part of 202 next semester. Until then, live long and prosper.
12/2/11 Danny's Rough Draft:
First off, I really liked Danny’s paper, Suicide in Ancient Times and Cultures: Accepted or Not? Although the topic itself may not be lighthearted exactly, he somehow found a way to keep the paper from being overly depressing and dragging the reader down, which I found quite impressive. One piece of advice I might offer up is to possibly reorganize slightly the section where he looks at how different cultures throughout time view society. It may flow better as a section if the examples were given in chronological order. This way readers could see how (or if) attitudes changed between cultures and over time in general without having to try to jump forward and backward along the timeline for each example culture given. Another thing you may want to consider is adding more citations, whether that is adding more information to the paper from these or other sources, or simply adding information to the facts already given to aid in supporting the arguments made. One more thing I noticed was the extreme repetition of the word suicide in the opening paragraph. If this was done intentionally as a rhetorical strategy to pound the idea of the paper into the readers head then it may work, but unless this was the case you may want to reword it somehow here and there so as to diversify the language. Lastly (and this isn’t a criticism, just something I found interesting from the paper), I must admit that I never knew that the famous “To be, or not to be…” was referencing the taking of one’s life, so I thought that was pretty cool to learn. Overall, great paper Danny!
11/18/11 Art Museum:
As per our instructions for next week, I visited the art museum yesterday in preparation for Monday's class visit to said establishment. Thursday was my second visit to the art museum, the first being during Honors 100 when my group toured it with our peer instructor. While I understand the importance of art and can see why others are so drawn to it (pun intended), I cannot really say that I am a huge fan. I simply do not feel all that much appeal to it. Granted, there are definitely pieces, both within and outside of the museum, that I do appreciate, but as a whole I would not really say that I would ever go to an art museum, exhibit, etc. unless it was for a specific reason, as were my only two visits to Ball State's museum. Moving on, I did look for some of the thing mentioned while I was there. For example, you asked about how lighting and wall color affect the way the art is displayed in each room. Going through, it is pretty clear to me that it both were designed specifically throughout the entire museum so as not to distract visitors from the actual pieces (wall color) and ensure that they remain the focus of attention.(lighting fixtures). Another topic was the exterior of the building and what it said to those nearing it. This one clearly said “No Smoking”. Just kidding, but it does give off a feeling of time past, not to say that it comes off as old or ancient, but that you can tell it houses memoirs from a time long passed, and it’s construction and exterior design stand to ensure that it is taken seriously, but not necessarily in a manner that could be taken as stuffy.
11/11/11 Random thoughts on Psychology and my critical essay proposal:
This week has served as yet another example of why this class is so great, and why I like the Honors setup in the first place. Personally, I love seeing how people think, the methods they use to reach whatever beliefs they have, and just seeing how their thinking processes go in general. Luckily I’m minoring in Psychology, so I should have plenty of chances to look into this farther, but for now I take what I can get. Actually, before deciding to enter the legal field, I had previously considered Psychology as a major and looked into being a psychologist. For many reasons my aspirations have changed, but I still love to try to dissect thoughts and see why people think what they do. This is why the Honors style of teaching used here is so appealing to me because it often takes advantage of the Socratic method of teaching and learning, and this allows me to not only witness the thought process of my peers as we all work to come to a mutually agreeable solution, but I can also look inward during this process and see how I go through things in my own mind.
As for the proposal for my critical essay, I know a few others have brought this up throughout the semester, but I find myself questioning literary devices over and over and over, spanning almost all texts we have covered thus far. I, in general, enjoy seeing how authors use these devices to enhance their work, but I fear that it often gets lost in the translation. For my essay, I would like to compare multiple translations of a number of different works. In doing so, I hope I can find which translations are the “best” in the literary element, because I feel that the style, form, etc. of writing can be just as important as the words that are written, so I think it is only fitting that I research how certain elements are carried across languages while some simply cannot or will not make the transition.
11/4/11 Daoism:
The majority of the discussions we had in class this past week were concerned with Daoism and how we feel it is (or could be) reflected in society. I am fairly certain that my own beliefs are such because of the American culture within which I was raised, but I can’t help but view Daoism as almost, and I hate to put it this way, but for lack of a better term… lazy. They (Daoists) are so set on inaction and the belief that if good is meant to happen it will and if bad happens they must merely think it good. I cannot help but wholeheartedly disagree with this method of thinking and considering life. It actually reminds me of an old joke I once heard. A man, lost at sea and drifting endlessly, comes upon a boat. The passengers of the boat yell out to the man and try to rescue him, but the man says “No thanks, God will save me.” This boat drives off, and soon another boat approaches the man in the water, again offering him assistance out of the ocean. “No thanks, God will save me” repeats the man. A third boat comes along the man drifting ceaselessly and offers to rescue him. Once again, the man says, “No thanks, God will save me.” After this third boat leaves, the man drowns. When he gets to Heaven, the man says, “God, why didn’t you save me?” and God replies “I sent you three boats, what more could you ask for?!” The man in this story reminds me of Daoists. They believe that inaction is the only correct course, yet sometimes you have to take control of your own fate. People should be in charge of their own destiny, not leave it in the hands of time.
The Daoist would probably be floating in his giant gourd! [MH]
10/28/11 The Good Life:
The majority of this past week in class has been spent discussing the “good life”, and what exactly that means (both to society and to the individual). The presentations were both very good, and I thoroughly enjoyed the talks that ensued on both Monday and Wednesday. This is a hard topic to discuss because, as was discovered very early on in the discussions, just about every single person can come up with their own unique idea of what the good life consists of, and when you add in the opinions of those past and present it merely adds fuel to the fire in terms of how varied the talks can become. Not only does it open the door for everyone to voice their opinion, but they can also jump to what they think about the thoughts of their peers and historical figures alike. Even though everyone seems to disagree, even if only on the finer points, it was pretty clear that a rather common theme was present in the majority of opinions: happiness is a very important part of living a good life. Some said that if, at the time of your death you are happy, then you have lived a good life, while others argue that you must be happy for the majority of your life if you consider it to be a good one. My argument to that last point, however, was best summed up by Robert Frost when he said that “Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length”. I think that this is very true and perfectly summarizes my point on that matter. Overall, I feel that one would be right in saying that, at the time of one’s death, if they can look back on their life as a whole and say that they are happy with it, then they have lived a good life. Some, in making a similar argument, stop there. I, however, also feel that you can make that judgment not just on your deathbed, but at any point during your life as well; you simply must realize the possibility that that could all change in a moment’s notice. In closing, I feel that when all is said and done, the only person who can determine if a life truly was the good life is the person who lived it, and for every single person there will be a different answer for that.
10/21/11 Midterm Report:
This week's journal, rather than following the usual format of the journal entries, is to follow a review-esque pattern for the midterm. We have been asked to reflect on both the class as a whole and our own personal performance in such. Of these two topics, I have two very strong, yet very different opinions. Looking at the class as a whole, I could not be much happier. The environment you (as the instructor) and we (as the students) have created is, in my mind, absolutely ideal for learning, especially when considering something like the Humanities. The Socratic stylings often seen in class combined with the chosen texts and willingness to share and debate ideals are the fundamental basis for an exceptional classroom experience. In fact, I am so fond of the manner and stylings of the course that I have changed my course requests so as to accommodate me requesting the follow-up of this course, 202 in the spring semester, and I hope that we will be able to carry all of the great aspects of this class on to the new semester when the time comes. Now for the reverse side of the coin, for what is good without evil, light without dark? As happy as I am with the overall class, I am even more disappointed in my own performance. I have missed this class four times, enough to begin to impact my grade, and I know, even if I don’t realize it all the time, that the effort I give in class could definitely be higher. Through no one’s fault but my own, I have slipped up and am now finding myself appalled with the effort I have given, if I can even call it effort. My goal is to improve this. Many steps need to be taken, but unless I wish to utterly disappoint myself even farther, they are completely necessary. I would like to apologize to you, Dr. Hartman, and I can only hope that my attempts at improved effort are successful, and, if so, carry on into the next semester.
10/14/11 Class Parodies:
I know I'm posting this one over a week late, but I completely forgot to do it on the Friday before Fall Break and then I never realized that I hadn't done it, so my apologies for that. Moving on, I wanted to use this post to discuss the parodies (including my own) that were presented in class on Monday, Oct. 10th. Going into the class on that Monday I was content, to say the least, with my parody project. By the end of the class, however, I felt that it was highly inadequate. Standing alone, I think that my project was fairly well done, but when seen compared to some of the others presented by my classmates, I feel that I did a … well, not sub-par job, but I definitely felt that my project was dwarfed by theirs in creativity, originality, and as a whole. Some of those I saw in class were simply stellar, especially the collaborative effort that was the Facebook project. Absolutely inspiring! I would like to give a shout-out to Adam and the rest of the members who took part in that. I loved the blending of the historic text with the epitome of the modern time. I have yet to do a thorough search, but as of now I’ve been unable to locate the profiles of Odysseus and his fellows, but hopefully I will find them eventually. Many other projects, none of which spring to mind at this singular moment in time, were also very well done and I would like to congratulate their creators as well. As for my parody, looking back it is clear that I feel it was not as god as its peers, but I do not think that it was bad, either. I did enjoy parodying the poems, even though some did prove themselves to be quite a challenge, simply because I had to tell a story that was similar to that of Sappho while simultaneously giving it a modern twist, all while fitting within the parameters of the original work. They proved just how hard it can be to find that one perfect word among the sea that is our language. In closing, I apologize again for the tardiness of this post, and kudos to everyone for their outstanding parodies! Parody:
I parodied the poems of Sappho, all of them that were in our book, and I kept the syllable count throughout each line of every poem to mirror her work.
Prayer to my goddess of Pop
Parody of: “Prayer to my lady of Paphos”
In this revised version of the Sappho classic a big change has occurred. It has shifted from the lady seeking council from a God (Aphrodite) to a young teenage girl begging for the help of a celebrity (Britney Spears) in her changing love affairs.
Prayer to you, my Goddess of Pop.
Sweet, sweet voiced Britney Spears,
princess of Pop, then and now;
enchantress! Don’t let me down,
nor let my tears fall. Come,
like when you saw me at your
show, crying; you came to me
from the backstage area,
dressed beautifully as ever.
Your voice, sounding angelic,
flowed through the air to my open ears
as you approached and beckoned
me to follow you backstage.
Smiling your immortal smile,
you asked what the cause of those
tears happened to be, for why
had I been so sad again?
What did my heart ache so
longingly for? What could you
do to cease my pain? And I
acquired a signed shirt, one sure
to draw the attention of
the target of my love. Once
again, I am lost, and I
need nothing short of magic.
Do what only you can do,
Help me, join me! Allow me
this bit of happiness now,
and forever have my
undying gratitude. But
for now, we must join forces!
Don’t ask me what to lift
Parody of: “Don’t ask me what to wear”
Don’t ask me what to lift.
I have no special tips.
about good lifting to
give you, son, such as
I got
and my father
always said that in his
day a four fifty lift
from the bench was thought to
be quite impressive, indeed
but we worked arms
a guy
who works his leg muscles
a lot should not do
bench presses, but squats.
Lament for a profit
Parody of: “Lament for a maidenhead”
First voice:
Like a Men’s Wearhouse,
selling the finest suits
in North Dakota
not once entered by
citizens or if
entered, no sales are made
Second voice:
Like a Rolex store in
Detroit City, robbed
and looted until
only walls and counters
remain in the shop
He is more than a hero
Parody of: “He is more than a hero”
He is more than a hero.
He is a god in my eyes –
the one that is allowed
to sit upon you – he
who listens intently to
the quiet driver, feels
your soft surface below,
that which I myself crave.
My heart beats fast. If I
were suddenly able
to reside above you,
I would be unable
to speak… too excited.
Ignorant to the rest of
the world, just ecstatic.
Could I handle the pressure?
Pale, I’d sit deathly still.
The joy, Oh joy! of…
riding in the front seat.
To a customer in Wal-Mart
Parody of: “To an army wife in Sardis”
To a customer in Wal-Mart:
Some say a television,
some DVDs, some, again,
argue for any and all
to hear, that games are the most
important aspect of tech.
But I say the choice is yours.
Here, I will show you. Look at
Helen, from the trailer park.
She looked through this entire store,
and her first choice was by far
a TV, fifty-five inches
in size, and she adored it.
But once she experienced
Blu-ray for the first time ever,
she changed her mind; see how it goes?
As for my old Xbox system,
it is long gone, sold but
not forgotten, not by me.
It may be used by someone
else, but the mention of it will
move me more than beauty or threat.
You know the place, then
Parody of: “You know the place: then”
You know the place, then.
Leave your house; meet up with
us, to where Heaven is
served. Pleasant, wonderful
to your senses; steam rolls
up off the grills; the
smell of delicious,
savory happy meals,
the fresh brewed coffee with cream.
and oh those McGriddles!
The grilles are fired up,
fryers ready to go,
the crew ready to serve.
We must go; we must order.
Bring us our food! Delight
our tastes, oh, McDonald’s!
Half an Oreo
Parody of: “I have had not one word from her”
I have had not one word from her
What is the point of going
on alone, without her?
I saw her go, none too
happy. She yelled and screamed,
She was my other half, I am now
incomplete, a cookie torn
in two. One Oreo,
two sides. Well, it used to be. Not
anymore. I am the
sole survivor, my other
half viciously torn away from me.
She did not want to go. She said,
as she unwillingly
detached herself, her side from mine,
“Remember me for
who I was, not what I
am. A full, chocolaty cookie,
not the soggy mess I will soon be.”
And that was the end of
our time together, not
ever to hear the other again.
10/6/11 On Heroes:
This week's classes had two different presentations, both of which were on the subjects of heroes, whether they be mythical, epic, tragic, super, or even just everyday ones. I thought that both groups did a very good job presenting and that both presentations were very well done. The second talk about heroes, the one in today's class, spurred the question of just what, exactly, a hero is, what he (or she) has that makes them heroic, what they do, and how they are perceived by the overall public. There was also discussion today of who could be a hero; is a hero born or are they made? I believe that anyone can be a hero, but I do not believe that everyone is a hero. Thus, clearly heroes are made in my opinion rather than born. This seemed to be the general consensus in class, but I thought I'd elaborate on my own opinions and reasoning for this belief. More often than not, heroes are simply ordinary people put in extraordinary situations. As Rob Lowe said, "I like the tradition of ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances and how they react to events which force them to be heroic in a way that is not in their natures." (Allow me to interrupt myself for a moment. I've never understood the term "extraordinary”. By definition of the prefix, shouldn't it mean even more ordinary, rather than not ordinary? But I digress...). This is not always the case, though. As pointed out in class, a hero could even be someone like a school janitor. This exact scenario is played out in the film "Knockout", where a new kid at school decides to join the boxing club, but is bullied by the members and ends up being trained by the school janitor who first told him about the club. It is both of these types of people, those who are faced with extreme situations and manage to overcome them, and those that selflessly sacrifice part of themselves for the betterment of others, that can make anyone a hero, whether it be a hero too millions and millions of people the world over, or simply a hero to one individual. "Explore your mind, discover yourself, then give the best that is in you to your age and to your world. There are heroic possibilities waiting to be discovered in every person." -Wilferd A. Peterson
Also, I thought this song was very fitting, and I've loved it for years, so I hope you enjoy! It's "Somebody's Hero" by Jamie O'Neal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_uMQTw7v2g&ob=av2e
9/30 Group Talk:
In class on Monday we broke off into our small groups to discuss the two sections we had read (Genesis and Exodus), both of which are originally found in the bible. Unlike the other three members of my group, I was not raised in any sort of religious setting. I did not attend Sunday school nor did I go to church on a regular basis. In fact, the only times I attend church were the rare occasions when I would spend the night at my grandma’s house in a different city. This would always be a big change because, quite opposite me, she is very religious and extremely involved within her church. What makes the differences among our group most interesting is that it allows us to examine things from two very different aspects. When our discussion reached the section in which Moses received the ten commandments and God proclaimed that he was a jealous God, it caused a little bit of inquiry in my own head because, even with the limited exposure to religion that I had, it seemed a little strange, a little hard to wrap my head around. How was I supposed to see this omnipotent, great God as jealous? As the talk progressed, it was noted that all three of the other members had had a similar feeling upon their first encounters of the passage, and we went through how each of us originally interpreted it and how we viewed it now, after letting it sink in, allowing time for contemplation and hearing the thoughts of others on the matter. That is what I love about this particular class setting, even when the group consists of the whole class, because I believe that it is this constant exchange of ideas that truly fosters the growth of thinking.
9/23 Thoughts on Saphos:
I enjoyed reading the poems of Sappho this past week. It was definitely very interesting to see how much raw emotion and human feeling she put in to her work. This was much different than the epics we have been reading in the class because it wasn't some big tale about heroes and battles, but just life in general. It is very sad indeed that more of her work could not have survived to be read today, and a true tragedy that so much of it was destroyed, based almost solely on the gender of the author. It would be amazing to be able to know what her other writings contained, especially since there was supposedly such a large amount of it. I also enjoyed the rewording of the poems that we did in class. It was a little odd, because while a lot of the original poems were already pretty clear cut, meaning little changed in essence in our retellings, others were very deep and contained hidden meanings and references, making the translations of the class even more unique and interesting.. I must say that I loved the "gangster" version of one of her poems. I highly doubt Sappho ever imagined her work sounding like that! Whereas Sappho took the writing style of her time and completely changed it for her own uses, we took the writing style of our own time and used it to modify her work, which I thought was a pretty interesting concept. Oh, and as far as the group that presented on Wednesday, I think that they did a really good job as well. The presentation was very informative and led to what I thought was a pretty good discussion afterwards. I can only hope that when my group presents, others will feel the same.
9/16 The Family That Slays Together...:
I really liked our conversation in Wednesday's class about the building of the relationship between Odysseus and Telemachus in the latter part of The Odyssey. It was great to see that after twenty long years, they were still able to forge that bond, which may not have been possible had the events not played out in the manner which they did. I believe that the slaying of the suitors together was the true connection they shared, and finished Telemachus’' journey into manhood, and for Odysseus to be present in that moment ensured the continued growth of their relationship as father and son. Another thing that we talked about in class on Wednesday was the drawn-out nature of the last set of books, basically from the time Odysseus reaches Ithaca until the end of the story. As a whole, the class seemed to be against the drawn-out nature. I however, disagree. I liked the way the story was stretched because I think that it really helped to build the suspense for the epic battle scene. Had it not taken so long to come, people would have been excited for it, but not at the level of excitement that they were at after having waited so long for it. On an unrelated note, I really liked the description on page 514 of how Athena lengthens the night so that Odysseus and Penelope may savor it. Some would point out that this description of the coming dawn does not mention the "fingertips of rose" which I hold so dear, but I'll let it slide because it isn't talking about the dawn occurring, but rather the delaying of it. On yet another completely unrelated note, I was reading an article concerning Harry Potter the other day in which the author described what he believed to be the "rape of Dolores Umbridge by a gang of centaurs" that was alluded to within the fifth book of the series. He stated that author J.K Rowling intentionally hinted at it, and it was clear to anyone who knew the mythology of centaurs. I had never heard of any such thing, so it was interesting to read about that. What was really weird is that even though I had never heard tell of the myth that the nature of centaurs was to rape women until reading that article, the very next day, while finishing reading The Odyssey, one of the suitors mentioned a centaur and in the footnote, the same tale of centaurian rape was mentioned. I found it very ironic that I would stumble upon these two oh-so-similar things, having absolutely no previous knowledge of such, within twenty four hours of each other. (Weird how that happens. MH)
9/9 Change of Heart:
I am sad to discover that as I continue reading The Odyssey, my fondness of Odysseus is constantly declining. I've read it before without this feeing, but for some reason the farther I get into the story this time around, the less I like and admire his character. I understand that the journey is very difficult and has really begun to take a toll on him, but I truly believe that a large portion of it is his own doing, albeit unintentional for the most part. The entire reason that his journey has been so long is because Poseidon was determined to keep him at bay [literally :)] for as long as possible. Poseidon is doing this because Odysseus blinded his son, the Cyclops. Had Odysseus simply fled the island as his men urged he could have been home safely in such a shorter time, and yet Odysseus felt the need to brag his "accomplishment" to the world and tell the Cyclops that he had fooled him. Had Odysseus' pride not got the best of him, the Cyclops would not have known his name, and thus would have been left unable to bring down the wrath of Poseidon on the crew. This, along with many more examples, is making me feel less and less bad about the king of Ithaca being kept from home for such duration. While I will gladly admit that it is not his fault, it cannot be denied that he must accept some responsibility for his actions and in turn suffer the consequences. One thing that is weird about me thinking this is that I did not get this sense of him the first time I read the story. It could be that I have changed as a person, thus changing the way I view things, since last reading it, or I simply may be paying more attention to smaller things this time around.
9/2 The Beginnings of an Odyssey:
This is the second time that I have read The Odyssey, but the first time that the first four books were included. I enjoyed the story the first time I read it for school, but this time it is even better and thus far I must attribute that to the inclusion of Telemachus’ venture for truth in the opening passages of the epic. Overall, I love that the story displays heroism through many characters in many different fashions. Odysseus is the obvious hero of the tale, being the great ruler and heroic soldier, but he is not alone. While he may be the biggest hero of the story, it seems as if he has shared this quality with his family. Penelope, dear wife of Odysseus, shows admirable heroism in her struggle to fend off all suitors that attempt to take her from the husband she is so longingly waiting for. Her wit and cunning in the face of so many threats to her desired way of life can be viewed as nothing less than traits of a heroine that all can look up to. Between the hero Odysseus and the heroine Penelope, it is no wonder that these traits have been passed on to their only child Telemachus. Despite his young age, Telemachus shows bravery and courage in the face of danger when confronting those who wish to take his mother and his land from him. Not only does he finally begin to take a stand against the men he now despises, but he goes on his own Odyssey of sorts in search of news of his father, the man whom so many respect beyond compare, even a large number of the gods. It could almost be argued that Telemachus, more so than either of his parents, is quite possibly the most heroic, simply due to his young age and seemingly larger obstacles to which it is thought he must overcome. All combined, it is this great mix and diversity of opinions and uses of the term “hero” throughout the story that make it truly great and one that will always be able to captivate readers of very diverse backgrounds the world over.
8/26 Thoughts on the Epic of Gilgamesh:
We are reading The Epic of Gilgamesh, but we are also using exterior materials to examine the text. I for one am grateful for this, because it really changes the story for me. Well, I shouldn't say that it changes the story, but rather the translation that we are using. I like the story itself and think that it is a great tale, but I feel as if the translation that in our book is lacking in a number of ways. Throughout the video on the Invitation to World Literature website, the speakers were so emotional about the tale that they so loved. They spoke of the feelings that were provoked upon reading the line depicting the worm falling from the nose of Enkidu; they talked about the forty days that Gilgamesh and Enkidu battled one another; they illustrated the important symbolism used by translators by including ellipses and gaps to show that material was not present or was unable to be translated. However, these elements are all missing from within the chosen translation (or at least lacking in detail). The worm that crawls from Enkidu’s face seems to be merely brushed over with what appears as highly lacking literary effort, the battle between the brothers is depicted as little more than an arm wrestling match, and all ellipses are omitted. Normally, I would understand a translator doing these things, and understand that differences will appear among different versions, but these elements are deemed so highly important and characteristic of the tale by those who have studied the work that to leave them out seems a real tragedy, and it is only because of my added knowledge of these things that I can truly enjoy the version of the story that we are using in class from the World Literature book.
Joshua Arter
12/9/11 Final Thoughts:
And just like that, the first semester of college is all but complete and I’m writing my final journal entry for Honors 201. To start things off, Dr. Hartman, I’m not sure how far into grading the papers you are, but I would like to save you a little time by pointing out an epic failure contained within mine. I regretfully must admit that (and this will come as a shock to anyone who knows me even a little because I’m usually not at all like this [ß sarcasm font]) I procrastinated on the essay, and as such, even having completed the rough draft the week prior, was up all night Tuesday finishing the paper. I’m usually pretty good on little to no sleep from a lot of practice over the past four years, but I’ve been doing it more than ever lately and sleep deprivation was beginning to kick in. Because of this, there is a giant flaw in my bibliography which brings me great embarrassment, for apparently I no longer even know the alphabet. My epic fail for this paper was listing “Holland” after “Homer’. What makes this even sadder is that I did not realize my mistake; rather, a friend who was reading the paper Wednesday night pointed it out to me. It’s a good thing we didn’t have to say our ABCs as part of our application to the Honors College, or I may just not have been in this class in the first place. Moving past this blunder, I did learn something quite intriguing while typing up my paper. Well, obviously I learned plenty from my research, but this is something I learned that isn’t related to the topic or the substance of the paper. I was revising my word choice in my opening paragraph when I decided to insert the word “dilemna”. You may realize right away that that is misspelled, but I did not. When spell check underlined it in red, I figured there must be some mistake, but sure enough it advised that I replace “dilemna” with “dilemma”. I was very taken aback by this, because I had been taught to spell the word with a silent n, and I knew that because I always remember saying “di-lem-na” in my head so I wouldn’t leave it out. Still flustered at this discovery, I decided to do what any educated person of the 21st century would do: I turned to Google for answers. Upon a small amount of research, I found that there truly is a dilemma with the word dilemna. The correct spelling is dilemma, but for some strange reason unknown to scholars and those who have researched the topic, millions of people across America, England, and the English speaking portions of France were incorrectly taught to spell the word with a silent n as I was. I found this to be quite fascinating, and it definitely made me want to figure out why this was, but to no avail. This may be my final 201 journal, but I have a feeling I will be returning shortly as a part of 202 next semester. Until then, live long and prosper.
12/2/11 Danny's Rough Draft:
First off, I really liked Danny’s paper, Suicide in Ancient Times and Cultures: Accepted or Not? Although the topic itself may not be lighthearted exactly, he somehow found a way to keep the paper from being overly depressing and dragging the reader down, which I found quite impressive. One piece of advice I might offer up is to possibly reorganize slightly the section where he looks at how different cultures throughout time view society. It may flow better as a section if the examples were given in chronological order. This way readers could see how (or if) attitudes changed between cultures and over time in general without having to try to jump forward and backward along the timeline for each example culture given. Another thing you may want to consider is adding more citations, whether that is adding more information to the paper from these or other sources, or simply adding information to the facts already given to aid in supporting the arguments made. One more thing I noticed was the extreme repetition of the word suicide in the opening paragraph. If this was done intentionally as a rhetorical strategy to pound the idea of the paper into the readers head then it may work, but unless this was the case you may want to reword it somehow here and there so as to diversify the language. Lastly (and this isn’t a criticism, just something I found interesting from the paper), I must admit that I never knew that the famous “To be, or not to be…” was referencing the taking of one’s life, so I thought that was pretty cool to learn. Overall, great paper Danny!
11/18/11 Art Museum:
As per our instructions for next week, I visited the art museum yesterday in preparation for Monday's class visit to said establishment. Thursday was my second visit to the art museum, the first being during Honors 100 when my group toured it with our peer instructor. While I understand the importance of art and can see why others are so drawn to it (pun intended), I cannot really say that I am a huge fan. I simply do not feel all that much appeal to it. Granted, there are definitely pieces, both within and outside of the museum, that I do appreciate, but as a whole I would not really say that I would ever go to an art museum, exhibit, etc. unless it was for a specific reason, as were my only two visits to Ball State's museum. Moving on, I did look for some of the thing mentioned while I was there. For example, you asked about how lighting and wall color affect the way the art is displayed in each room. Going through, it is pretty clear to me that it both were designed specifically throughout the entire museum so as not to distract visitors from the actual pieces (wall color) and ensure that they remain the focus of attention.(lighting fixtures). Another topic was the exterior of the building and what it said to those nearing it. This one clearly said “No Smoking”. Just kidding, but it does give off a feeling of time past, not to say that it comes off as old or ancient, but that you can tell it houses memoirs from a time long passed, and it’s construction and exterior design stand to ensure that it is taken seriously, but not necessarily in a manner that could be taken as stuffy.
11/11/11 Random thoughts on Psychology and my critical essay proposal:
This week has served as yet another example of why this class is so great, and why I like the Honors setup in the first place. Personally, I love seeing how people think, the methods they use to reach whatever beliefs they have, and just seeing how their thinking processes go in general. Luckily I’m minoring in Psychology, so I should have plenty of chances to look into this farther, but for now I take what I can get. Actually, before deciding to enter the legal field, I had previously considered Psychology as a major and looked into being a psychologist. For many reasons my aspirations have changed, but I still love to try to dissect thoughts and see why people think what they do. This is why the Honors style of teaching used here is so appealing to me because it often takes advantage of the Socratic method of teaching and learning, and this allows me to not only witness the thought process of my peers as we all work to come to a mutually agreeable solution, but I can also look inward during this process and see how I go through things in my own mind.
As for the proposal for my critical essay, I know a few others have brought this up throughout the semester, but I find myself questioning literary devices over and over and over, spanning almost all texts we have covered thus far. I, in general, enjoy seeing how authors use these devices to enhance their work, but I fear that it often gets lost in the translation. For my essay, I would like to compare multiple translations of a number of different works. In doing so, I hope I can find which translations are the “best” in the literary element, because I feel that the style, form, etc. of writing can be just as important as the words that are written, so I think it is only fitting that I research how certain elements are carried across languages while some simply cannot or will not make the transition.
11/4/11 Daoism:
The majority of the discussions we had in class this past week were concerned with Daoism and how we feel it is (or could be) reflected in society. I am fairly certain that my own beliefs are such because of the American culture within which I was raised, but I can’t help but view Daoism as almost, and I hate to put it this way, but for lack of a better term… lazy. They (Daoists) are so set on inaction and the belief that if good is meant to happen it will and if bad happens they must merely think it good. I cannot help but wholeheartedly disagree with this method of thinking and considering life. It actually reminds me of an old joke I once heard. A man, lost at sea and drifting endlessly, comes upon a boat. The passengers of the boat yell out to the man and try to rescue him, but the man says “No thanks, God will save me.” This boat drives off, and soon another boat approaches the man in the water, again offering him assistance out of the ocean. “No thanks, God will save me” repeats the man. A third boat comes along the man drifting ceaselessly and offers to rescue him. Once again, the man says, “No thanks, God will save me.” After this third boat leaves, the man drowns. When he gets to Heaven, the man says, “God, why didn’t you save me?” and God replies “I sent you three boats, what more could you ask for?!” The man in this story reminds me of Daoists. They believe that inaction is the only correct course, yet sometimes you have to take control of your own fate. People should be in charge of their own destiny, not leave it in the hands of time.
The Daoist would probably be floating in his giant gourd! [MH]
10/28/11 The Good Life:
The majority of this past week in class has been spent discussing the “good life”, and what exactly that means (both to society and to the individual). The presentations were both very good, and I thoroughly enjoyed the talks that ensued on both Monday and Wednesday. This is a hard topic to discuss because, as was discovered very early on in the discussions, just about every single person can come up with their own unique idea of what the good life consists of, and when you add in the opinions of those past and present it merely adds fuel to the fire in terms of how varied the talks can become. Not only does it open the door for everyone to voice their opinion, but they can also jump to what they think about the thoughts of their peers and historical figures alike. Even though everyone seems to disagree, even if only on the finer points, it was pretty clear that a rather common theme was present in the majority of opinions: happiness is a very important part of living a good life. Some said that if, at the time of your death you are happy, then you have lived a good life, while others argue that you must be happy for the majority of your life if you consider it to be a good one. My argument to that last point, however, was best summed up by Robert Frost when he said that “Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length”. I think that this is very true and perfectly summarizes my point on that matter. Overall, I feel that one would be right in saying that, at the time of one’s death, if they can look back on their life as a whole and say that they are happy with it, then they have lived a good life. Some, in making a similar argument, stop there. I, however, also feel that you can make that judgment not just on your deathbed, but at any point during your life as well; you simply must realize the possibility that that could all change in a moment’s notice. In closing, I feel that when all is said and done, the only person who can determine if a life truly was the good life is the person who lived it, and for every single person there will be a different answer for that.
10/21/11 Midterm Report:
This week's journal, rather than following the usual format of the journal entries, is to follow a review-esque pattern for the midterm. We have been asked to reflect on both the class as a whole and our own personal performance in such. Of these two topics, I have two very strong, yet very different opinions. Looking at the class as a whole, I could not be much happier. The environment you (as the instructor) and we (as the students) have created is, in my mind, absolutely ideal for learning, especially when considering something like the Humanities. The Socratic stylings often seen in class combined with the chosen texts and willingness to share and debate ideals are the fundamental basis for an exceptional classroom experience. In fact, I am so fond of the manner and stylings of the course that I have changed my course requests so as to accommodate me requesting the follow-up of this course, 202 in the spring semester, and I hope that we will be able to carry all of the great aspects of this class on to the new semester when the time comes. Now for the reverse side of the coin, for what is good without evil, light without dark? As happy as I am with the overall class, I am even more disappointed in my own performance. I have missed this class four times, enough to begin to impact my grade, and I know, even if I don’t realize it all the time, that the effort I give in class could definitely be higher. Through no one’s fault but my own, I have slipped up and am now finding myself appalled with the effort I have given, if I can even call it effort. My goal is to improve this. Many steps need to be taken, but unless I wish to utterly disappoint myself even farther, they are completely necessary. I would like to apologize to you, Dr. Hartman, and I can only hope that my attempts at improved effort are successful, and, if so, carry on into the next semester.
10/14/11 Class Parodies:
I know I'm posting this one over a week late, but I completely forgot to do it on the Friday before Fall Break and then I never realized that I hadn't done it, so my apologies for that. Moving on, I wanted to use this post to discuss the parodies (including my own) that were presented in class on Monday, Oct. 10th. Going into the class on that Monday I was content, to say the least, with my parody project. By the end of the class, however, I felt that it was highly inadequate. Standing alone, I think that my project was fairly well done, but when seen compared to some of the others presented by my classmates, I feel that I did a … well, not sub-par job, but I definitely felt that my project was dwarfed by theirs in creativity, originality, and as a whole. Some of those I saw in class were simply stellar, especially the collaborative effort that was the Facebook project. Absolutely inspiring! I would like to give a shout-out to Adam and the rest of the members who took part in that. I loved the blending of the historic text with the epitome of the modern time. I have yet to do a thorough search, but as of now I’ve been unable to locate the profiles of Odysseus and his fellows, but hopefully I will find them eventually. Many other projects, none of which spring to mind at this singular moment in time, were also very well done and I would like to congratulate their creators as well. As for my parody, looking back it is clear that I feel it was not as god as its peers, but I do not think that it was bad, either. I did enjoy parodying the poems, even though some did prove themselves to be quite a challenge, simply because I had to tell a story that was similar to that of Sappho while simultaneously giving it a modern twist, all while fitting within the parameters of the original work. They proved just how hard it can be to find that one perfect word among the sea that is our language. In closing, I apologize again for the tardiness of this post, and kudos to everyone for their outstanding parodies!
Parody:
I parodied the poems of Sappho, all of them that were in our book, and I kept the syllable count throughout each line of every poem to mirror her work.
Prayer to my goddess of Pop
Parody of: “Prayer to my lady of Paphos”
In this revised version of the Sappho classic a big change has occurred. It has shifted from the lady seeking council from a God (Aphrodite) to a young teenage girl begging for the help of a celebrity (Britney Spears) in her changing love affairs.
Prayer to you, my Goddess of Pop.
Sweet, sweet voiced Britney Spears,
princess of Pop, then and now;
enchantress! Don’t let me down,
nor let my tears fall. Come,
like when you saw me at your
show, crying; you came to me
from the backstage area,
dressed beautifully as ever.
Your voice, sounding angelic,
flowed through the air to my open ears
as you approached and beckoned
me to follow you backstage.
Smiling your immortal smile,
you asked what the cause of those
tears happened to be, for why
had I been so sad again?
What did my heart ache so
longingly for? What could you
do to cease my pain? And I
acquired a signed shirt, one sure
to draw the attention of
the target of my love. Once
again, I am lost, and I
need nothing short of magic.
Do what only you can do,
Help me, join me! Allow me
this bit of happiness now,
and forever have my
undying gratitude. But
for now, we must join forces!
Don’t ask me what to lift
Parody of: “Don’t ask me what to wear”
Don’t ask me what to lift.
I have no special tips.
about good lifting to
give you, son, such as
I got
and my father
always said that in his
day a four fifty lift
from the bench was thought to
be quite impressive, indeed
but we worked arms
a guy
who works his leg muscles
a lot should not do
bench presses, but squats.
Lament for a profit
Parody of: “Lament for a maidenhead”
First voice:
Like a Men’s Wearhouse,
selling the finest suits
in North Dakota
not once entered by
citizens or if
entered, no sales are made
Second voice:
Like a Rolex store in
Detroit City, robbed
and looted until
only walls and counters
remain in the shop
He is more than a hero
Parody of: “He is more than a hero”
He is more than a hero.
He is a god in my eyes –
the one that is allowed
to sit upon you – he
who listens intently to
the quiet driver, feels
your soft surface below,
that which I myself crave.
My heart beats fast. If I
were suddenly able
to reside above you,
I would be unable
to speak… too excited.
Ignorant to the rest of
the world, just ecstatic.
Could I handle the pressure?
Pale, I’d sit deathly still.
The joy, Oh joy! of…
riding in the front seat.
To a customer in Wal-Mart
Parody of: “To an army wife in Sardis”
To a customer in Wal-Mart:
Some say a television,
some DVDs, some, again,
argue for any and all
to hear, that games are the most
important aspect of tech.
But I say the choice is yours.
Here, I will show you. Look at
Helen, from the trailer park.
She looked through this entire store,
and her first choice was by far
a TV, fifty-five inches
in size, and she adored it.
But once she experienced
Blu-ray for the first time ever,
she changed her mind; see how it goes?
As for my old Xbox system,
it is long gone, sold but
not forgotten, not by me.
It may be used by someone
else, but the mention of it will
move me more than beauty or threat.
You know the place, then
Parody of: “You know the place: then”
You know the place, then.
Leave your house; meet up with
us, to where Heaven is
served. Pleasant, wonderful
to your senses; steam rolls
up off the grills; the
smell of delicious,
savory happy meals,
the fresh brewed coffee with cream.
and oh those McGriddles!
The grilles are fired up,
fryers ready to go,
the crew ready to serve.
We must go; we must order.
Bring us our food! Delight
our tastes, oh, McDonald’s!
Half an Oreo
Parody of: “I have had not one word from her”
I have had not one word from her
What is the point of going
on alone, without her?
I saw her go, none too
happy. She yelled and screamed,
She was my other half, I am now
incomplete, a cookie torn
in two. One Oreo,
two sides. Well, it used to be. Not
anymore. I am the
sole survivor, my other
half viciously torn away from me.
She did not want to go. She said,
as she unwillingly
detached herself, her side from mine,
“Remember me for
who I was, not what I
am. A full, chocolaty cookie,
not the soggy mess I will soon be.”
And that was the end of
our time together, not
ever to hear the other again.
10/6/11 On Heroes:
This week's classes had two different presentations, both of which were on the subjects of heroes, whether they be mythical, epic, tragic, super, or even just everyday ones. I thought that both groups did a very good job presenting and that both presentations were very well done. The second talk about heroes, the one in today's class, spurred the question of just what, exactly, a hero is, what he (or she) has that makes them heroic, what they do, and how they are perceived by the overall public. There was also discussion today of who could be a hero; is a hero born or are they made? I believe that anyone can be a hero, but I do not believe that everyone is a hero. Thus, clearly heroes are made in my opinion rather than born. This seemed to be the general consensus in class, but I thought I'd elaborate on my own opinions and reasoning for this belief. More often than not, heroes are simply ordinary people put in extraordinary situations. As Rob Lowe said, "I like the tradition of ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances and how they react to events which force them to be heroic in a way that is not in their natures." (Allow me to interrupt myself for a moment. I've never understood the term "extraordinary”. By definition of the prefix, shouldn't it mean even more ordinary, rather than not ordinary? But I digress...). This is not always the case, though. As pointed out in class, a hero could even be someone like a school janitor. This exact scenario is played out in the film "Knockout", where a new kid at school decides to join the boxing club, but is bullied by the members and ends up being trained by the school janitor who first told him about the club. It is both of these types of people, those who are faced with extreme situations and manage to overcome them, and those that selflessly sacrifice part of themselves for the betterment of others, that can make anyone a hero, whether it be a hero too millions and millions of people the world over, or simply a hero to one individual. "Explore your mind, discover yourself, then give the best that is in you to your age and to your world. There are heroic possibilities waiting to be discovered in every person." -Wilferd A. Peterson
Also, I thought this song was very fitting, and I've loved it for years, so I hope you enjoy! It's "Somebody's Hero" by Jamie O'Neal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_uMQTw7v2g&ob=av2e
9/30 Group Talk:
In class on Monday we broke off into our small groups to discuss the two sections we had read (Genesis and Exodus), both of which are originally found in the bible. Unlike the other three members of my group, I was not raised in any sort of religious setting. I did not attend Sunday school nor did I go to church on a regular basis. In fact, the only times I attend church were the rare occasions when I would spend the night at my grandma’s house in a different city. This would always be a big change because, quite opposite me, she is very religious and extremely involved within her church. What makes the differences among our group most interesting is that it allows us to examine things from two very different aspects. When our discussion reached the section in which Moses received the ten commandments and God proclaimed that he was a jealous God, it caused a little bit of inquiry in my own head because, even with the limited exposure to religion that I had, it seemed a little strange, a little hard to wrap my head around. How was I supposed to see this omnipotent, great God as jealous? As the talk progressed, it was noted that all three of the other members had had a similar feeling upon their first encounters of the passage, and we went through how each of us originally interpreted it and how we viewed it now, after letting it sink in, allowing time for contemplation and hearing the thoughts of others on the matter. That is what I love about this particular class setting, even when the group consists of the whole class, because I believe that it is this constant exchange of ideas that truly fosters the growth of thinking.
9/23 Thoughts on Saphos:
I enjoyed reading the poems of Sappho this past week. It was definitely very interesting to see how much raw emotion and human feeling she put in to her work. This was much different than the epics we have been reading in the class because it wasn't some big tale about heroes and battles, but just life in general. It is very sad indeed that more of her work could not have survived to be read today, and a true tragedy that so much of it was destroyed, based almost solely on the gender of the author. It would be amazing to be able to know what her other writings contained, especially since there was supposedly such a large amount of it. I also enjoyed the rewording of the poems that we did in class. It was a little odd, because while a lot of the original poems were already pretty clear cut, meaning little changed in essence in our retellings, others were very deep and contained hidden meanings and references, making the translations of the class even more unique and interesting.. I must say that I loved the "gangster" version of one of her poems. I highly doubt Sappho ever imagined her work sounding like that! Whereas Sappho took the writing style of her time and completely changed it for her own uses, we took the writing style of our own time and used it to modify her work, which I thought was a pretty interesting concept. Oh, and as far as the group that presented on Wednesday, I think that they did a really good job as well. The presentation was very informative and led to what I thought was a pretty good discussion afterwards. I can only hope that when my group presents, others will feel the same.
9/16 The Family That Slays Together...:
I really liked our conversation in Wednesday's class about the building of the relationship between Odysseus and Telemachus in the latter part of The Odyssey. It was great to see that after twenty long years, they were still able to forge that bond, which may not have been possible had the events not played out in the manner which they did. I believe that the slaying of the suitors together was the true connection they shared, and finished Telemachus’' journey into manhood, and for Odysseus to be present in that moment ensured the continued growth of their relationship as father and son. Another thing that we talked about in class on Wednesday was the drawn-out nature of the last set of books, basically from the time Odysseus reaches Ithaca until the end of the story. As a whole, the class seemed to be against the drawn-out nature. I however, disagree. I liked the way the story was stretched because I think that it really helped to build the suspense for the epic battle scene. Had it not taken so long to come, people would have been excited for it, but not at the level of excitement that they were at after having waited so long for it. On an unrelated note, I really liked the description on page 514 of how Athena lengthens the night so that Odysseus and Penelope may savor it. Some would point out that this description of the coming dawn does not mention the "fingertips of rose" which I hold so dear, but I'll let it slide because it isn't talking about the dawn occurring, but rather the delaying of it. On yet another completely unrelated note, I was reading an article concerning Harry Potter the other day in which the author described what he believed to be the "rape of Dolores Umbridge by a gang of centaurs" that was alluded to within the fifth book of the series. He stated that author J.K Rowling intentionally hinted at it, and it was clear to anyone who knew the mythology of centaurs. I had never heard of any such thing, so it was interesting to read about that. What was really weird is that even though I had never heard tell of the myth that the nature of centaurs was to rape women until reading that article, the very next day, while finishing reading The Odyssey, one of the suitors mentioned a centaur and in the footnote, the same tale of centaurian rape was mentioned. I found it very ironic that I would stumble upon these two oh-so-similar things, having absolutely no previous knowledge of such, within twenty four hours of each other. (Weird how that happens. MH)
9/9 Change of Heart:
I am sad to discover that as I continue reading The Odyssey, my fondness of Odysseus is constantly declining. I've read it before without this feeing, but for some reason the farther I get into the story this time around, the less I like and admire his character. I understand that the journey is very difficult and has really begun to take a toll on him, but I truly believe that a large portion of it is his own doing, albeit unintentional for the most part. The entire reason that his journey has been so long is because Poseidon was determined to keep him at bay [literally :)] for as long as possible. Poseidon is doing this because Odysseus blinded his son, the Cyclops. Had Odysseus simply fled the island as his men urged he could have been home safely in such a shorter time, and yet Odysseus felt the need to brag his "accomplishment" to the world and tell the Cyclops that he had fooled him. Had Odysseus' pride not got the best of him, the Cyclops would not have known his name, and thus would have been left unable to bring down the wrath of Poseidon on the crew. This, along with many more examples, is making me feel less and less bad about the king of Ithaca being kept from home for such duration. While I will gladly admit that it is not his fault, it cannot be denied that he must accept some responsibility for his actions and in turn suffer the consequences. One thing that is weird about me thinking this is that I did not get this sense of him the first time I read the story. It could be that I have changed as a person, thus changing the way I view things, since last reading it, or I simply may be paying more attention to smaller things this time around.
9/2 The Beginnings of an Odyssey:
This is the second time that I have read The Odyssey, but the first time that the first four books were included. I enjoyed the story the first time I read it for school, but this time it is even better and thus far I must attribute that to the inclusion of Telemachus’ venture for truth in the opening passages of the epic. Overall, I love that the story displays heroism through many characters in many different fashions. Odysseus is the obvious hero of the tale, being the great ruler and heroic soldier, but he is not alone. While he may be the biggest hero of the story, it seems as if he has shared this quality with his family. Penelope, dear wife of Odysseus, shows admirable heroism in her struggle to fend off all suitors that attempt to take her from the husband she is so longingly waiting for. Her wit and cunning in the face of so many threats to her desired way of life can be viewed as nothing less than traits of a heroine that all can look up to. Between the hero Odysseus and the heroine Penelope, it is no wonder that these traits have been passed on to their only child Telemachus. Despite his young age, Telemachus shows bravery and courage in the face of danger when confronting those who wish to take his mother and his land from him. Not only does he finally begin to take a stand against the men he now despises, but he goes on his own Odyssey of sorts in search of news of his father, the man whom so many respect beyond compare, even a large number of the gods. It could almost be argued that Telemachus, more so than either of his parents, is quite possibly the most heroic, simply due to his young age and seemingly larger obstacles to which it is thought he must overcome. All combined, it is this great mix and diversity of opinions and uses of the term “hero” throughout the story that make it truly great and one that will always be able to captivate readers of very diverse backgrounds the world over.
8/26 Thoughts on the Epic of Gilgamesh:
We are reading The Epic of Gilgamesh, but we are also using exterior materials to examine the text. I for one am grateful for this, because it really changes the story for me. Well, I shouldn't say that it changes the story, but rather the translation that we are using. I like the story itself and think that it is a great tale, but I feel as if the translation that in our book is lacking in a number of ways. Throughout the video on the Invitation to World Literature website, the speakers were so emotional about the tale that they so loved. They spoke of the feelings that were provoked upon reading the line depicting the worm falling from the nose of Enkidu; they talked about the forty days that Gilgamesh and Enkidu battled one another; they illustrated the important symbolism used by translators by including ellipses and gaps to show that material was not present or was unable to be translated. However, these elements are all missing from within the chosen translation (or at least lacking in detail). The worm that crawls from Enkidu’s face seems to be merely brushed over with what appears as highly lacking literary effort, the battle between the brothers is depicted as little more than an arm wrestling match, and all ellipses are omitted. Normally, I would understand a translator doing these things, and understand that differences will appear among different versions, but these elements are deemed so highly important and characteristic of the tale by those who have studied the work that to leave them out seems a real tragedy, and it is only because of my added knowledge of these things that I can truly enjoy the version of the story that we are using in class from the World Literature book.