Emily+Riemer

Vergil's Aeneid tells the story of pious Aeneas traveling far from his homeland of Troy to begin the Roman race. The idea of a patriot on a journey appears often in literature and movies. One movie, //National Treasure 2,// tells the story of treasure hunter and American history enthusiast Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) on his search to discover the truth about Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Aeneas was fated to escape from the Trojan war alive and go on to sail to Latium and bring his culture and gods to Italy. Ben Gates is a third generation treasure hunter whose grandfather and father had been accumulating research for decades, so some might say that Gates was fated to put the clues together and solve this mystery. Upon his escape from Troy, Aeneas traveled far and wide until he reached his ultimate destination. He encountered many obstacles, including storms, distracting women,and the wrath of Juno. Ben Gates also traveled far and wide in search of answers, stopping in France, England, Washington D.C and Mount Rushmore. Like Aeneas, he has people working against him, this time in the form of black market dealer Mitch Wilkinson. Finally, both Aeneas and Ben Gates show a tremendous amount of patriotism. Aeneas is known for his devotion to duty, and leaves his wife behind in order to carry on the customs of his people. Ben Gates searches endlessly to find the truth about the assassination of one of America's greatest presidents. He also shows his patriotism through his love for American history and culture. Overall, although the journeys of Aeneas and Ben Gates vary in time and place, they were fundamentally the same. Both men faced obstacles and hardships, but pushed onward out of love and devotion for their country.



Ovid's //Metamorphoses// contain the story of Arachne and Minerva in Book 6. This story reminded me of the last book in //The Chronicles of Narnia// series by C.S. Lewis entitled //The Last Battle.// In Ovid's tale in Book 6, Arachne is both arrogant and disrespectful of Minerva's talents and status. While she ought to be honoring Minerva, the immortal weaving master, instead she scorns her. Disguised as an elderly woman, Minerva visited Arachne and advised her to "give way to the goddess." Upon hearing this, Arachne grew angry and dismissed the advice, which she perceived to be useless. Referring to the old woman as "weak minded" and "worn out by tedious old age," Arachne questions where this goddess is, and why she will not compete. Minerva then reveals herself, and challenges Arachne to a spinning contest. This is very similar to the actions of Shift, the tricky and arrogant ape in //The Last Battle.// Shift has grown complacent because while Narnia was once often visited by Aslan (the lion which is similar to a god in the series) frequently, lately he has rarely come at all. Shift strives for the same fame and power that Arachne seeks; this is the fame and power that accompanies proving oneself better than a god or outsmarting a god. Shift tricks a naive donkey named Puzzle into dressing up in a lion's skin, and proceeds to convince the Narnians that Aslan has returned. While Arachne challenging Minerva to a spinning contest does not directly parallel Shift using a guise to trick the Narnians into thinking their "god" had returned, both incidents are driven by similar emotions and motives. Both Arachne and Shift were secretly envious of the god/goddess, which is while they felt the need to put themselves on a level equal to that deity. For Arachne, that meant proclaiming her talents equal to those of Minerva, and for Shift that meant disguising a being lower than him as a god which he himself controlled. Both Arachne and Shift were arrogant and foolish. Moreover, both lost in the end and were punished for their impiety. Arachne, after losing the spinning match to Minerva, was transformed into a spider. Shift, after being discovered by Aslan, was swallowed up by another terrible god, and all animals who had been loyal to Shift had their gift of speech revoked. Ultimately, the two stories have the same theme. This is the idea that one must respect the power of the gods, and if one does not, they will be punished.



The story of Daphne and Apollo by Ovid, from Book 1 of his //Metamorphoses,// was captured by the masterful Baroque artist Gian Bernini. Bernini, who lived from 1598 to 1680, was a multi-faceted artist most famous for his sculptures //David// and //The Ecstasy of St. Theresa,// as well as being the architect behind St. Peter's Basilica. In 1622-1625, Bernini was working on his Ovid-inspired depiction of Daphne's transformation. His marble sculpture is a sculpture in the round, meaning it is viewable and complete from all viewpoints. Bernini's piece is incredible because it captures the swiftness of Daphne's metamorphosis. Her fingers (close up shown in middle image) are already beginning to turn into laurel boughs. Her left leg has already begun to transform into bark. The closeness and intertwining of the figures shows Apollo's love for Daphne. Apollo's facial expression (shown up close in far left image) is one of longing, while Daphne's is one of breathless terror. It is as if there is an invisible plane across the sculpture. On one side, the love-struck Apollo, whose energy is pushing forward. On the other, the desperate, virgin Daphne, whose energy is pushing out, up, and away Despite the lack of movement in the medium itself, Apollo's raised leg and slight curve in his abdomen indicate rapid movement. Book 1 of Ovid's //Metamorphoses// tells the same story of a one-sided passion. The juxtaposition of desire and disgust are clear in not only Bernini's sculpture, but also in Ovid's story. As told by Ovid, the story of Daphne and Apollo begins when Apollo spots Daphne, daughter of Peneus, and is immediately infatuated by her. This presents a conflict of interests, for while Apollo wishes to marry Daphne, Daphne wishes to remain a virgin forever, just as Diana did. The scene portrayed by Bernini is when Ovid describes Apollo's chase. Desperate for her love, he chases the nymph throughout the forest, just as the movement in the sculpture suggests. As Daphne grows tired and realizes she will not be able to outrun Apollo, to whom Love has given wings, she begs her father to save her. Peneus then transforms her into a laurel bough, and Ovid's words are directly tied to Bernini's art. Ovid describes her arms turning into branches, and bark and roots enveloping her torso, both of which can be seen above.
 * Bernini's Apollo & Daphne vs. Ovid's Metamorphoses (Book 1) **

Horace 2.10 has similar ideals as the triptych painting The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch. In his ode, Horace warns against living in ostentatious and lavish excess. By referring to "ingens pinus" (the huge pine) and connecting it to the verb "agitatur" (is shaken), Horace is saying that the more excessive one's lifestyle, the more they are likely to experience misfortune, or at the very least, they are unable to escape it. "ingens" is a strong adjective that highlights the idea of indulgence and excess. By using a passive verb, Horace proves that the rich are not exempt from or in control of destructive forces. Bosch's painting speaks a similar warning. A triptych is a painting that is composed of three separate panels. This composition allows Bosch to tell a continuous narrative and show the dangerous possibilities that Horace speaks to. The far left panel shows the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. This panel symbolizes the negative consequences of giving in to temptation and the desire to indulge. Instead of following the rules and living a modest yet happy life, Adam and Eve give in to temptation, and therefore are kicked out of the Garden of Eden. Their eating of the fruit is Horace's huge pine; both were man's attempts to overindulge, and in both cases, an outside force (hence passive verbs) placed the subjects in worse positions than they set out with. Horace and Bosch therefore both warn: enjoy what you have, for striving for extravagance only places one in a worse position.

Horace advises the "praeparatum pectus" (prepared heart) to "metuit secundis" (fear in prosperity). Essentially what he's getting at is the idea that one should never grow too comfortable with the way things stand. In order to maintain success, constant vigilance and preparation is necessary. In his center panel, Bosch an extremely sexual and over indulgent lifestyle. The abundance and fruit and sexual activity in the painting speak to the greedy and pleasure driven minds of humans. They have clearly grown far too comfortable in their "secundis," and would be thoroughly unprepared for any danger that might befall them. Horace also warns that one should not always be "urgendo altum" (sailing the deep sea), which really means that one should not be taking huge risks, pushing their luck, or be overly pretentious. The people in Bosch's middle panel are extremely self indulgent, and are not content with living in moderation. Instead, they prefer to figuratively sail the deep sea, or live their lives so as to include as much as extravagance and pleasure as possible without being mindful of the risks. Bosch's third and final panel finishes the story he was trying to convey. As a result of the overindulgence and lack of moderation, humans have created a chaotic hell for themselves. This is the equivalent of the "turres decidunt" and "ingens pinus agitatur," or towers toppling and pines shaking, that Horace is referring to. Overall, both Hieronymus Bosch and Horace try to warn their viewer or reading against living in excess. Bosch does this by depicting scenes of incredible indulgence, and then depicting the outcome as a smoldering, ruined world. Horace does this by encouraging the reader to prize the golden mean, and supporting the idea that those who fill their lives with lavish things and seek to keep building and expanding and buying and indulging are being self destructive; the pedestal they build for themselves only increases the distance they can fall.

Catullus' Poem 84 is similar in nature to author Roald Dahl 's poem about Veruca Salt. Veruca Salt is a fictional character with a substantial role in Dahl's //Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,// one of four children who had serendipitously found a golden ticket in her chocolate bar, affording her the opportunity to tour the world famous Wonka Chocolate Factory. Salt ultimately loses the race for inheriting the factory because of her snobbish and rude manner. Although initially the poems and subjects of criticism seem very different, the two poems have much in common. Both Veruca Salt and Arrius (the subject of Catullus' insults) act in a certain manner in order to give the impression that they educated (in Arrius' case) or highly privileged (in Veruca Salt's case). Both Catullus and Dahl identify these actions, and both address the actions in a superior tone, implying the idiocy of Arrius and Veruca Salt. Dahl laments "...she's spoiled, and dreadfully so," which is a blow to the most prominent element of Salt's personality. By including the adverb "dreadfully" Dahl makes it clear that he believes her snobbish nature to be both abrasive and "below him" so to speak. Catullus also does little to mask his implications of Arrius' falsely eloquent bravado when he says " mirifice sperabat se esse locutum" (Catullus 84,3) or "he hoped that he had spoken remarkably." By expressing shock at the fact that Arrius believes he had "spoken remarkably," Catullus implies that in reality, Arrius sounds very foolish and that Catullus himself would never speak in this manner. But while both poets discuss the faults of their subjects with an almost haughty tone, they also donned more humorous tones in other areas of their poems. Dahl spends many lines mockingly describing the "rather different set of friends" that Veruca will meet on her descent into the garbage chute. He uses rhyming and comical images of "fish head"s, etc to truly insult Veruca and contrast her new surroundings with what she is typically used to. Similarly, Catullus uses a jesting tone in lines 10-11 when he says "cum subito affertur nuntius horribilis..." He feigns surprise and sets up the line similar to how an announcer would broadcast an intriguing news event, which highlights his mocking tone: "when suddenly a messenger brought horrible news..." The "horrible news" that Catullus is referring to is that upon his arrival to the Ionian Sea, Arrius had called it the "Hionian Sea." This is clearly not "horrible news," so Catullus' hyperbolic build up to it shows his sarcasm. Both Dahl's and Catullus' use lighter tones in certain places throughout the poems only further accentuate their belief that they are //better// than the victims of their criticism. Finally, both poets invoke their subject's upbringing in a half-hearted attempt to offer some kind of excuse as to why these people are the way they are. "//A girl can't spoil herself, you know//.///Who// spoiled her, then? Ah, who indeed?///Who// pandered to her every need?...Her loving parents, MUM and DAD." Here Dahl shows that although Veruca Salt is a spoiled brat, it was inevitable seeing as how her parents raised her. Catullus also blames Arrius' family, musing " Credo, sic mater, sic liber avunculus eius, sic maternus avus dixerat atque avia." Here Catullus shares that he "believes" Arrius' "mater," "avunculus," et al. "dixerat" or "spoke that way."

Veruca Salt - Roald Dahl "Veruca Salt, the little brute, Has just gone down the garbage chute, (And as we very rightly thought That in a case like this we ought To see the thing completely through, We've polished off her parents, too.) Down goes Veruca! Down the drain! And here, perhaps, we should explain That she will meet, as she descends, A rather different set of friends To those that she has left behind– //These// won't be nearly so refined. A fish head, for example, cut This morning from a halibut. 'Hello! Good morning! How d'you do? How nice to meet you! How are you?' And then a little further down A mass of others gather round: A bacon rind, some rancid lard, A loaf of bread gone stale and hard, A steak that nobody could chew, An oyster from an oyster stew, Some liverwurst so old and gray One smelled it from a mile away, A rotten nut, a reeky pear, A thing the cat left on the stair, And lots of other things as well, Each with a rather horrid smell. //These// are Veruca's new found friends That she will meet as she descends, And //this// is the price she has to pay For going so very far astray. But now, my dears, we think you might Be wondering–is it really right That every single bit of blame And all the scolding and the shame Should fall upon Veruca Salt? Is //she// the only one at fault? For though she's spoiled, and dreadfully so, //A girl can't spoil herself, you know//. //Who// spoiled her, then? Ah, who indeed? //Who// pandered to her every need? //Who// turned her into such a brat? //Who// are the culprits? //Who// did that? Alas! You needen't look so far To find out who these sinners are. They are (and this is very sad) Her loving parents, MUM and DAD. And that is why we're glad they fell Into the garbage chute as well."

Not to be repetitious in my use of another Disney reference, but Catullus 43 really reminds me of the song "A Girl Worth Fighting For" from the movie Mulan. In the song, the weary soldiers try to pass the time by singing of their ideal women. They use love and infatuation as an escape from the issues plaguing them, in the same way that Catullus latches on to Lesbia as a welcome distraction in his life. Both the song and Catullus 43 have a playful nature about them: Catullus highlights the defects of Mamurra's girlfriend in order to indicate his idea of the perfect woman ("provincia narrat esse bellam?"), and therefore the poem takes on a joking, satirical tone. The singers of "A Girl Worth Fighting For" also has a mocking tone, for when one man claims to "have a girl back home who's unlike any other," the others respond "the only girl who'd love him is his mother." A majority of the qualities that Catullus describes in Poem 43 are physical attributes, such as "minimo naso," "nigris ocellis," "longis digitis," etc. In "A Girl Worth Fighting For," they also pick physical qualities and ones they admire most. One solider sings "I want her paler than the moon, with eyes like shining stars." When Mulan tries to add "How 'bout a girl...who always speaks her mind?" The men join in with a chorus of "Nah!", indicating that mental and intellectual qualities are inferior to looks. Another theme that crops up in both Poem 43 and the song "A Girl Worth Fighting For" is the idea of taste. Catullus is shocked that Mamurra's girlfriend could even be considered pretty at all, let alone "comparatur Lesbia." Clearly, Mamurra and Catullus have different ideas of what constitutes "beauty." In "A Girl Worth Fighting For," after one solider speaks of the girl with "eyes like shining stars," another (very chubby) soldier replies "I couldn't care less what she looks like...it all depends on what she cooks like!"

"A Girl Worth Fighting For" lyrics - Mulan For a long time we've been marching off to battle In our thundering herd We feel a lot like cattle Like the pounding beat Our aching feet aren't easy to ignore Hey, think of instead A girl worth fighting for Huh? That's what I said A girl worth fighting for

I want her paler than the moon with eyes that shine like stars My girl will marvel at my strength, adore my  battle scars I couldn't care less what she'll wear or what she looks like It all depends on what she cooks like Beef, pork, chicken Mmm

Bet the local girls thought you were quite the charmer And I'll bet the ladies love a man in armor You can guess what we have missed the most Since we went off to war What do we want? A girl worth fighting for

My girl will think I have no faults That I'm a major find How 'bout a girl who's got a brain Who always speaks her mind? Nah! My manly ways and turn of phrase are sure to thrill her He thinks he's such a lady killer

I've a girl back home who's unlike any other Yeah, the only girl who'd love him is his mother But when we come home in victory they'll line up at the door What do we want? A girl worth fighting for Wish that I had A girl worth fighting for A girl worth fighting

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media type="youtube" key="jMLKTtTzR7I?fs=1" height="385" width="480" In my opinion, Catullus 5 is similar to the story of Pocahontas, specifically the romanticized Disney version. John Smith and Pocahontas are in love, despite the warnings and opposition posed by their respective friends and family. Similarly, Catullus and Lesbia are in love, despite the "rumors of strict old men." The theme of a 'forbidden love', so to speak, is prevalent in both stories. In line 6, Catullus says "One continuing night we must sleep", therefore implying that he wants her to disregard the judgements of others and make a commitment to him. Pocahontas and John Smith also do not spend a night together for fear of being caught by Powhantan, Pocahontas' disapproving father. I believe that both relationships are hindered by the fact that characters cannot fully and openly love each other. Another theme present in both Catullus 5 and Pocahontas is the idea of value. Catullus warns Lesbia to **value** the rumors at a penny, then goes on to discuss the number of kisses they will share, which implicates he values love above all else. This contrasts the values of many of the patrician men of the time, which would have prioritized politics, status, and money above love. In Pocahontas, the settlers and Native Americans are also torn apart by their different value systems. John Smith's men only want to take the land and cultivate it, while Pocahontas' people want to preserve the land. Finally, although not specific to poem 5, Catullus envokes a muse in Poem 1 to ensure that his poetry will last and as a source of support while writing the poems, and in Pocahontas, Grandmother Willow functions as a spiritual support system for both John Smith and Pocahontas.