ecphrasis

Sara's mother died when she was born. All of her life she felt guilt about being the reason her mother died and she wished that she had the chance to know her. One day, Sara was in her attic finding the box with the Christmas decorations and she came across a box titled "Jennifer". Time stopped. She was paralyzed in her spot. She didn't know how long she stared at that box, but she decided to open it.
Inside, Sara found a wedding dress and she pulled it out. A tiny picture of a woman on her wedding day fell to the ground. Sara picked it up and recognized the woman as her mother, Jennifer. She closed her eyes and smelled the wedding dress. When she opened her eyes she wasn't in her attic anymore. She saw Jennifer sitting in front of a vanity so Sara called out to her, "Mom!". Jennifer didn't turn. Then the door opened and a woman told Jennifer that it was time for her to go. She got up and followed the woman, Sara followed. Then she saw her grandpa take Jennifer's arm. The organs began playing the familiar bridal tune and the old, wooden doors opened to the church's congregation. She looked down the isle and saw her father and how excited and in love he looked. She decided that she was invisible because no one was answering her calls, so she stood next to her parents as they exchanged vows. Later, at the reception Sara saw how much her parents loved each other and how excited they were to share their lives. Jennifer was so lively, she danced the whole time. Soon the reception was over and her parents were leaving to catch the plane for their honeymoon. As soon as the doors shut, Sara was transported back to her attic at her house.
She was curious to see what else would be in the box. She found a children's book when she looked in. Another picture fell out, it was also of her mother, but this time she was with her family as a little girl.

Change

I feel like the inauguration of Barack Obama ushered in a new era of hope for the American people. There were so many people at the inauguration itself (over 1.2 million people), which just proves how many people are excited about the new presidency.

The two references that I found were:
1. The columns of the Capital building were influenced by Classical columns
2. The very word inauguration comes from Latin words such as in- meaning

Winnie Ille Pu

There are several modern children books that have been translated into Latin.
Here are a few that I wish my parents had gotten for me when I was little...

part ii

PART II

7. (100 points) for this part, you may use the Latin Library site, but no dictionaries. Answer the following in a five paragraph academic essay: Using the Book of Job from the Vulgate Translation, explain: if God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good, then why do bad things happen to good people? Your answer must cite the Latin text no less than 10 times or you will not receive ANY credit for your answer. You do not have to translate the Latin.

Maybe the reason that God allows bad things to happen to good people is to instill a deeper love of him, an unconditional love. Job mistook the bad things that happened to him as being a punishment from God. Too often in life people do the same thing that Job did. They question God and ask, “Why me?” They immediately think that when bad things happen to them that they are being punished, but when one has nothing to be punished for, and is called by God to be “mea servo” then why is he punished?

It seems a bit contradictory that humans admit to God being “omnipotens”, yet they still question his actions. If they really believed that he knew all then why would they even attempt to understand his mysterious ways? God became angry with Job when he questioned Him, saying, “uis est iste qui celat consilium absque scientia ideo insipienter locutus sum et quae ultra modum excederent scientiam meam”.

God’s actions in the story of Job may be a metaphor for life and the after life. God gives Job all of his possessions back twofold after he endured all the suffering. “ Dominus autem benedixit novissimis Iob magis quam principio eius et facta sunt ei quattuordecim milia ovium et sex milia camelorum et mille iuga boum et mille asinae
13 et fuerunt ei septem filii et filiae tres”. The end of the story may be a metaphor for what will happen in Heaven if one is a good follower of God.

God is saying that things that happen in this life are not given on terms of good behavior, they are given through reasons that only God can know and understand.

If God is all powerful, all knowing, and all good then why would a mere human even attempt to try to understand why bad things happen to good people?

midterm

PART I

1. (10 points) Translate the following.
Please write your translation next to or under the poem.

Vivamus mea Lesbia, atque amemus,
rumoresque senum seueriorum
omnes unius aestimemus assis!
soles occidere et redire possunt:
nobis cum semel occidit breuis lux,
nox est perpetua una dormienda.
da mi basia mille, deinde centum,
dein mille altera, dein secunda centum,
deinde usque altera mille, deinde centum.
dein, cum milia multa fecerimus,
conturbabimus illa, ne sciamus,
aut ne quis malus inuidere possit,
cum tantum sciat esse basiorum.

Let us live, My Lesbia,

And let us value all of the rumors of the old senators at one penny!

Give me a thousand kisses, and then a hundred, and then another thousand, and then a second hundred, and then another thousand, and another hundred

Then, after we have made many thousands of kisses


2. (10 points) In a five paragraph academic essay, answer the following question: Some scholars believe that although this poem is addressed to Lesbia, Catullus actually wrote it with the intention of criticizing the publicly espoused mores of the Republican Roman aristocracy. Explain how these scholars get this idea and then argue either in defense of the theory or argue against it. You must cite no less than 2 examples of grammatical or syntactical evidence from the poem to back up your claim.

Catullus was a very passionate writer. He was opinionated, witty, and unafraid to expose his true desires. This poem may have a duel meaning. The first meaning is obviously seen through his expression of his devotion and love to Lesbia. However, the second meaning is his expression of his contempt for the Roman aristocracy.

He writes “atque amemus,/ rumoresque senum seueriorum/omnes unius aestimemus assis!”. He critiques the judgmental and gossipy nature of the old men in the aristocracy. He says that he values their opinion less than how much he would value a penny. Those words vividly describe his dislike of those men.

He later says that “ne sciamus,/ aut ne quis malus inuidere possit,/ cum tantum sciat esse basiorum.” He is openly admitting that he does not care what those men think of him because he thinks that they are petty. It is almost like a slap in the face to the old men. He is disregarding what those men think


3. (10 points) Translate the following.
Please write your translation under the text.

Catullus I.I

Cui dono lepidum novum libellum
arida modo pumice expolitum?
Corneli, tibi: namque tu solebas
meas esse aliquid putare nugas
iam tum, cum ausus es unus Italorum
omne aevum tribus explicare cartis
doctis, Iuppiter, et laboriosis.
quare habe tibi quidquid hoc libelli
qualecumque; quod, patrona virgo
plus uno maneat perenne saeclo.

Who should I give this lovely little book to?

Cornelius,

4. (10 points) Some scholars have argued that Ovid's story of Europa and the Bull is a metaphor for the Augustan Era. Do you agree or disagree? Write your response in a 5 paragraph academic essay.

Ovid’s story of Europa and the Bull can serve more purposes than mere entertainment. He may have written the story as a metaphor for the Augustan Era. It is an arguable theory, but not necessarily true.

The stories that Ovid wrote served purposes, normally teaching the importance of good morals or just for entertainment. Many of his stories were passed down through tradition. Europa and the Bull was a story about open to new ideas and not being combative and to tell the story of how Europe got its name. Europa became friends with the bull, when all the other girls were afraid of it. The Augustan Era was host to the Pax Romana, arguably the most prosperous and peaceful time in the history of the Roman Empire. However, the idea of being peaceful and open was not necessarily a new idea.

One could make the story of Europa and the Bull into a metaphor for the Augustan Era through relating the peaceful beginning and harsh end of Europa to the peaceful beginning and harsh end of the Pax Romana, but does that mean that was the conscious intention of Ovid when he was writing the story? If all of his other stories were simply stories that had simple meanings, then this story is probably no different.

“Some scholars” could argue that all of Ovid’s stories were metaphors for something because metaphors can be made from any situation, time period, or event relatively easily. Therefore, it is a great assumption to say that he was making that metaphor. If all of Ovid’s other stories were metaphors for events in Roman history then it would be more plausible that the story of Europa and the Bull is also a metaphor. However, his other stories were fables meant to be a metaphor for whatever the good moral that the story describes is or they were stories about the gods that were passed down through tradition.

While it is possible that he made the story into that metaphor, it is a stretch to say that was his intention. Scholars are right in saying that Europa and the Bull could be a metaphor for the Augustan period, but they are most likely wrong in saying that it was his purpose to make it into that metaphor.

Stay Classy Planet Earth

Since the weather in Northern North America has been record- breakingly cold, I thought that I would blog about the weather forecast coming up tomorrow for Rome.

The high tomorrow is 51 degrees Fahrenheit and the low is 41 degrees Fahrenheit with a 40% chance of precipitation.

Seacreast Out

I saw this video when I was posting my own Latin class video on YouTube. This video is also fitting because the show "American Idol" premires tonight and last night.

Video

42- Job

42

But responding to God, Job said

I know that you are able to know all and nothing can escape your thought

That which is concealed by your intelligence, without knowledge I therefore foolishly speak and the method o f your manner passes beyond my knowledge

You hear and I speak and ask and you reveal me

Your ear, hearing, I hear you now therefore my eyes see you

Therefore, in person, I blame myself and I urge you to change your mind from ashes and embers

But after you speak is God words which from Job said the anger of Eliphaz Themaniten is my passionate love in you and two friends because you are not in the presence of me you are just as my virtuous servant Job

Therefore, You take up 7 bulls and seven rams and march to my servant Job and offer burning sacrifice on behalf of you therefore my servant Job will beg on behalf of you I will accept his face even if you do not charge him with stupidity nor speak namely he is honest to me just as my servant Job

Therefore, Eliphaz Themanites and Baldad and Sophar Naamathites depart and did just as God said and God accepted Job's presence

Likewise God cleared away Job's sins seeing that Job asked for penance that is on behalf of his friends and God gave Job double of all he had.

Therefore he comes to all his brothers and all his sisters and all he was earlier familiar with and seeing that, they consumed the same bread in their house and moved above his head and they comforted and consoled him for all of the bad that God brought upon him and they each gave him a sheep and one golden earring.

Therefore the Lord blessed Job with more than that which he had previously with 40 thousand sheep and 6 thousand camels and a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand she- donkeys

And with seven sons and three daughters

And he said that the name of the first day and the name of the second Cassia and the name of the third horn antimony

Therefore, they were not finding women more beautiful than Job's daughters in all of the region and their father gave an inheritance among their brothers

Then Job lived for 4 hundred years and his sons and his son's sons for 4 generations and then he died, full of days

liber iobi; caput I

In the land of Uz there lived a man named Job and he was a simple and righteous fearing God and avoiding evil and born unto him were seven sons and three girls.

And in his possession were seven thousand sheep and three thousands camels

Likewise, 500 yoke of oxen and 500 female asses and a exceedingly large family and this man is greater than any of the men in all the east

And he walked with his sons and they made a feast throughout their home, each one his own day, and his men sent and summoned three of his sisters to put away the banquet and drink when they at any time they went over around the day of the banquet they were sent by Job and sanctified that who they ambushed at dawn he offered burnt scarifices even though he said that his sons were sinnersburned the sacrifice for every sin and they indeed, truly my sons have sinned and they praise God with their hearts thus they make Job (all day) but with the day the sons came God appeared before them

and on that particular day the sons of God were sent to appear before God and with them came Satan