Re-Introduction, Because it Seems Fitting

 It's been an incredibly long time since I last wrote on this blog. 

Hello again! For those of you who did not scroll back to the beginning of the blog (I don't blame you at all), my name is Erica, and I'm a student in a class where we sit around a table and try to use the matter between our ears in a way that is productive to society. I must honestly say that I... lost this page, there for a little while. I just couldn't find my way back to it! Apparently I was typing the wrong URL when I tried to view it as a reader, and I couldn't remember which email the account was stored under, so I wasn't able to get back in for quite some time. I put in a renewed effort recently with the start of my first official semester in Great Books, and here I am, so apparently I figured it out at some point. What I was doing wrong before still escapes me.

Anyhow, I am now a year older and perhaps a year wiser, although most of my old introduction still stands. I just wanted to re-introduce myself and put something neutral here before I launch right into an interpretation of part of a 2000-year-old book. Hope you enjoy that as well, by the way. 

And that is all. Thank you for viewing!

(Sorry for the outdated use of the English language. I've been reading too much Sherlock Holmes.)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Metamorphoses: Proserpina, Ceres, and The Transforming of a Family

Ovid’s Metamorphoses is a very complicated book. It is dated within the text as being written during the reign of Augustus Caesar (15.1095-1098), whose reign began in 27 BC. This would have been post-Roman Republic, which does explain most of the worldview in the text. Historical timing aside, however, Metamorphoses focuses on the consequences of evil actions and the rewarding of good ones. Some stories stand out from the rest. One particularly interesting story is the account of Proserpina, her mother Ceres, and her whole family. Its focus is not evil actions or good actions, although they are both present. The focus is the love between a mother and her daughter, which then creates meaningful change for them, their family, and two very different worlds. Proserpina’s story begins with Venus speaking to her son, Cupid. “You govern the gods and their ruler; you rule the defeated / gods of the ocean and govern the one who rules them, too” (5.536-537). She then expresses a desire to take o...
Read more

Meditations: In the Interest of Others

 B efore reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, a personal journal written almost 2000 years ago by a man who was once the leader of the Roman Empire, it’s easy to assume that the book will contain nothing relevant to the average modern human being. Aurelius writes it for himself, as a reminder of how he should act on a daily basis, without ever intending for it to be read by anyone else. It isn’t designed to be read by college kids 2000 years later. Wisdom, however, stands the test of both time and social class. What is wise for a great emperor is also wise for a full-time university student. One problem that the world seems to have today is that people constantly disagree and rarely use civil discourse to come to any sort of understanding of one another. Aurelius addresses this issue as far back as the 2 nd century. In his journal of meditations, Marcus Aurelius provides himself with a list of ways to think and act; his suggestions at the beginning of book 2 especially carry o...
Read more

All the Names That Weren't There - September 11, 2001

Darkness and thick smoke surrounded Jacob Muller as he stood in the deep wreckage. He didn't have time to think. It didn't necessarily come down to the fact that this was his job. It surely didn't come down to the idea that he would be considered a hero after this. It most certainly didn't come down to him having a huge desire to run further into a burning skyscraper. It came down to that one faint word that he heard coming from the caved ceiling above him.  "Help." Jacob ran up the stairs; the hollow concrete column survived the impact much more easily than the rest of the building. Even past all his fire gear, he was having trouble breathing. That made him more concerned than he probably should have allowed himself to be. He remembered the television being on in the fire station when the North Tower was hit. He was in the break room, chatting with Nick Wells, when he heard the crash coming through the TV speakers.  People jumped up, staring. No one shouted. ...
Read more