My Academic Blog

If Not, Winter Fragments of Sapho

Kristen Louise — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 07:05:48 +0000

Summary: If Not, Winter Fragments of Sappho, translated by Anne Carson, is a book full of clips and phrases of Sappho, the Greek song-writer, on love and beauty.

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Sappho had a special way of describing things that she loved. Different adjectives that she used to describe things were flowery, silver, young, delicate, and beautiful, but most of her words that I found related to royalty. Although Sappho seemed to have had a large heart full of love, love seemed to be stemmed out of goods, gold, and of a royale nature. This could have been because she wrote poems and songs for royal entertainment.

Sappho was one of the greatest song writers of her time, which is obvious since she was called “the tenth Muse” by other Hellenistic poets (ix). Her poems and lyrics filled nine books. Books and literature were meant for royalty only during the Greek times, as it gave them power over their empire. Sappho’s face was also on the coinage of Mytilene, showing that she was one of the sought (if not the most) leaders of Mytilene.

Living in the on the Island of Lesbos, women ruled. Women praised the goddesses Kypris, Nereids, Eros, Aphrodite, Thyone, Atreus, and Artemis, as they were are who they worshipped. The fragment

“my darling one” (163)

was found in a letter attributed to the emperor Julian, and also addressed to a philosopher. Having sent a letter with such sentimental words and not much sophistication indicates a closeness. Sappho had a relationship with the rulers of the island of the Lesbos, as friends and maybe even lovers. The fact that she was involved with the Emperor indicates her high-up position because of her musical talent.

Many words that indicate royalty such as the color violet (185), gold (15), crowns (168C) , noble (39), chariots (44), queen (173), and valuable gifts (201).

She also writes of Helen, the daughter of Zues, who married and lived amongst the royal, many times. She speaks of “silvery” attributes and references it to the moon several times throughout her lyrics, which is a reference towards Helen (and royalty). Sappho also mentions “youth” several times, which is also another reference towards Helen, as Roman authors imagined Helen in her youth, as a young princess. The references made towards Helen could be a general reference towards the queens, princess, and kings of the empire.

Sappho puts the dagger in deeper in her fragment on pg. 148:

“wealth without virtue is no harmless neighbor

but a mixture of both attains the heigh of happiness”

Virtue is found amongst the royal (or the wealthy), as the Empire is supposed to be a prime example of virtue amongst their land. Sappho is not afraid to mention that wealth will bring many great things. Her name being on the coinage of the island of the Lesbos also indicates her wealth.

Although she is a songwriter, has talent amongst the the island of the Lesbos, and writes of many virtuous things, the songs and lyrics are meant to please the literate, the educated, and the royale. Her words, being so easy to remember as they were in lyric or poetic form, were very influential amongst royalty along with great entertainment.

The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault

Kristen Louise — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 06:03:22 +0000

Summary: Mary Renault’s The Last of the Wine follows Alexias, son of Myron, through his many endeavors including war, love, and truth, and his search for ultimate goodness.

Reading register: In past readings, reproduction (in giving birth, and other in sharing ideas and wisdom) is a way that humans come closest to immortality, or divinity. Divinity is seen as the ultimate good, truth, and love. through Renault’s story about Alexias, she shows that he is always searching for this ultimate divinity.

As a child, Alexias’ father, Myron, teaches him to not love a woman yet, for he is to0 young, but in loving a man to look for courage, wisdom, and truth. Myron exposes Alexias of this knowledge as an extension of himself, to reach complete divinity. This knowledge is something that Alexias can’t wrap his head around quite yet, as he has not felt that he has found a lover yet.

After Alexias won a race, his status of the men of Athens rose, and he became someone that most men looked up to. He knew that this was a great feet, but there was something more.

“The truth was I was getting to an age that one wishes for love, and has one’s own ideas of what it ought to be; and I was ceasing to believe that what I sought what anywhere to be found.” (74)

Advice and ideas were spread amongst men, for each individual cast their knowledge on youth in order to carry on their name, and become close to immortality. In taking Sokrates’ advice, Alexias took the price of an honourable lover, and was honourable to himself in choosing Lysis as a lover. (75)

Alexias speaks to Lysis “…that while you are my friend I shall ever come to dishonour; for rather than be a shame to you I will die.” (83)

As Alexias gives Lysis his honourable love (or reproduction of wisdom), he is in seek of the ultimate truth, goodness, and ultimately divinity.

As Alexias and Lysis grow together and seek for each other’s wisdom, true love arises. “As a true lover seeks knowledge of the beloved, to learn entirely what he is and what he needs.” (89)

Throughout their whole relationship, Alexias and Lysis grow, learning more of each other as they face war together, “Lysis would leave visiting my post till late, and stay with me talking quietly before he slept.” (116)

After Lysis’ death, Alexias still remains faithful to him, in marrying his widowed wife, Drosis. It is said that the wives of a man’s lover would most likely also be very compatible with them as well (as was true in this story). Alexias, still on his path to love, truth, and goodness, continues to reproduce his love and wisdom that he shared with Lysis with his widowed wife, and also with his new born child.

After the reproduction of wisdom and knowledge was no longer able to happen after Lysis’ death, Alexias had to continue on his path to goodness by reproducing a child with Drosis, in hopes to become closer to immortality.

At the end of the story, once we are left with Alexias’ eternal search for wisdom, there is a short passage explaining that this story was found, and bound by Alexias, son of Myron, son of Alexias. Alexias the boy is a decendent of Alexias (lover of Lysis), and therefore is another son that has been reproduced to keep the family name and the continual progression to immortality for Alexias (lover of Lysis).

This story was a reproduction from another person’s point of view, and the search for goodness, truth, and divinity still lives on in the name of Alexias.

Gilgamesh by Stephen Mitchell

Kristen Louise — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 03:29:06 +0000

Gilgamesh, interpreted by Stephen Mitchell, is about a tyrant king who falls in love and meets his equal in Enkidu (as he is as big, courageous, and loud as Gilgamesh, but also carries opposite qualities such as humbleness, innocence, and unselfishness), who ends up being sent by the gods to free Gilgamesh of his tyrant, selfish, and unfair ways.

Although the love between Gilgamesh and Enkidu consume the reader, it diverges us from what I feel the real message behind it all was, which is to live in peace with yourself. ”When there is no way out, just follow the path in front of you”. At the very beginning of the story, the people of Gilamesh’s city complained to the gods about his tyrant ways, and the gods responded with Enkidu. Enkidu was meant to, in the long run, cure Gilgamesh of his selfish ways, and finally be able to rule his town in peace.

Before the two men had met, they both had immortal qualities, and might have actually been immortal. The fact that Enkidu explores his sexuality with Shamhat, allows him to come out of his primal world and enter into civilization. This act was the first step of making Enkidu more like a man, and less immortal. When Enkidu enters into Gilgamesh’s civilized town, it seems that sex is all there is. Sexuality IS civilization. Gilgamesh indulged in his practice of sexuality so much that it effected his people in a negative way, like taking the virginity of new married wives. It was his way of ruling. When thinking of how he ruled his city, it seems very uncivilized (by gaining reign and power with sex).

Enkidu hears of the acts of the King and is outraged by the selfishness of his acts, and challenges him to a fight. In the end, they feel that they have found their match. The mens love and respect for each other is the beginning of their manhood and end of their immortality, which means that death is inevitable.

Enkidu and Gilgamesh bask in each other’s strength, pride, good-looks, strength, and fame. They go through life loving and be loved, but always act in a very selfish manner. Everything they did was for themselves, and not for the city that Gilgamesh ruled. The death of Enkidu brought fear and confusion to Gilgamesh, which consumed him into his old age. Gilgamesh searched and searched for the answer on how to escape death, or how to become immortal (after all the gods had given him hope that it could be possible to become immortal). For so long Gilgamesh could not find an answer, when it was always right in front of him. Failures happened one after the other, in fate, and in order of the divine, that lead Gilgamesh to the realization that he will start living once he accepts death.

Gilgamesh came to peace with death, and accepted the death of his lover, gained internal peace, and finally reigned his city in peace.

In order to be able to act kindly to others, you must act kindly to yourself. When you let true love and happiness enter into your life, that is when it will be passed along to others to genuinely be experienced.

basket weaving

Kristen Louise — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 04:56:22 +0000

When I first saw the instructions on how to basket weave, I thought that I was going to pick up on it fairly fast, but that didn’t end up being the case. Starting it ended up being pretty simple, but after that it wasn’t so easy. When I first started to weave, to be honest it looked pretty ugly. Once I got past the first couple of rows it started to fall into place and looked more like a basket. In the end, my basket wasn’t the prettiest, but I had figured out how to do it eventually which is what mattered. It is interesting because the Indian Tribe that actually make and use these baskets could do it in there sleep. It just shows that different cultures make and use all sorts of different things. In our culture, we don’t necessarily have a need for baskets, so we don’t make them, therefore aren’t very good at making them.

authentic

Kristen Louise — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:13:33 +0000

Authenticity within a culture is the originality and the understanding of whatever the thing or action is. To me, wherever something originates is authentic to that culture. Something was made with a specific meaning and understanding to help that culture specifically given their surroundings. The thing that is authentic to my camp culture are the moon necklaces that are received. At your first year of camp, you get a copper crescent moon on a necklace to represent the beginning of your time at camp. When you have gone for five years, you receive a silver full moon to represent your growth. At ten years, you get a gold full moon to represent even more growth… and so on. These moons are 100% authentic to camp, because you can’t find them anywhere else. They have a specific meaning and purpose behind it and it originated at camp. The word “authentic” is used rhetorically all over the US especially for drawing people into restaurants, clothing stores, or anything for that matter. It is used to make people think they they are eating/buying the “real thing”, which they probably aren’t.

proposal for first project

Kristen Louise — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:37:39 +0000

For my first small paper in my WRA class, I plan to write about in my field of work we use copies of papers, sentences, presentations, products, just about everything is used over and over again. I work with a health and wellness company called Symmetry Direct. We sell products that increase your health and reduce risk of age related diseases if not eliminating the risk completely. My main focus is going to be how the material of how to sell the product is passed down from the top of the ladder all the way to the bottom. The whole point of my company is that everyone who works within the company is there to help each other out, not compete. If we help others sell the product and make money, then we make more money for ourselves, and so on. In order to complete this project I will go into detail of what exactly is passed down to ensure that the new sales representatives know how to sell the product, such has having a consultant which gives you information and helps with presentations. I will also add in more about how it is more helpful to be given a copy to learn how to sell the product and learn exactly what to say to people to make them understand where you are coming from. The only clarification question I might have is… does the overall major point of our paper have to deal with making copies? Or can we MENTION how we are using copies but have a different major focus? I know my focus now is about how copies helps me with my job, but if I start writing and my focus veers towards another direction I just want to make sure. Other than that, I hope it turns out well!

culture

Kristen Louise — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:36:08 +0000

I think that the definition of culture shown in class sums up culture as a whole. It’s interesting because for example, as American’s, we have an American culture, but our culture involves different languages and beliefs and practices. You would think that one culture would only have one language, one religion, and etc. It is so interesting how you can’t really pinpoint a certain culture because they vary so much. I feel like the numerous words to describe culture are kind of unnecessary, and it should just be made known that everything people do that define a group of people is culture. The list could go on forever, and so there really isn’t a need to try and put in words that could almost be interchangeable anyway, such as “practices” and “traditions”.

Yup, I made a copy…

Kristen Louise — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 21:17:16 +0000

For Christmas this year I wanted to get something for my sister for her room in West Virginia to make it homier and, well, more like her. Basically anything found at Urban Outfitters online found in the apartment section would do, which is our favorite store of all time. My sister is a really free-loving, high-spirited, down-to-earth human being, and I found a wall painting that was just perfect. It was a painting of a quote that wrote, “If you aren’t standing on the edge, you are taking up too much space”. Unfortunately it was about $40.00, which with shipping and tax was NOT working out for me. So of course I had a brilliant idea, why not make it myself? I went and bought a canvas about the same size, and used some old paints I had stored away in a cupboard in the basement. I added some cool corner decorations to make it more of my own, but for the most part I had created an almost identical copy of the painting I had found online. I was so proud of my work, even though it technically wasn’t original, but putting the time and effort into it made it feel like it was my own anyway. I saved about 30 dollars, and made the painting more meaningful and more of my own, and my sister absolutely loved it! I must say it was probably one of the best Christmas gifts I’ve ever made!