Alex+Sarappo

Vergil's //Aeneid// When I was given the assignment to compare the //Aeneid// to a more contemporary piece of nationalism, my interests immediately gravitated to music. I decided to eschew my more traditional tastes and go with the Trey Shore-esque pick of Aaron Copland's "Lincoln Potrait." I love Copland's music in general, and while most of it centers of themes of Americana, "Lincoln Potrait" is perhaps his most outstanding example of this patriotism. First, some background. Copland was asked by famous conductor André Kostelanetz to write this piece much as Vergil was asked to write the //Aeneid// by Augustus. The year was 1942, and Aaron Copland felt compelled to help his country in the best way he could. He used Kostelanetz's suggestion to compose his "Lincoln Portrait." However, Copland did more than just pen a typically uplifting, inspiring masterpiece. He actually wrote out a script to be read over the performance of "Lincoln Portrait." This script draws largely from the personal writings of Abraham Lincoln, with its climax coming during a partial reading of the Gettysburg Address. Copland perfectly matches the eloquence and passion of Lincoln's words with rising brass lines, coupled with visceral swaths of orchestral shimmer. To me, the comparison between the //Aeneid// and "Lincoln Portrait" is natural. Both were written to buoy the spirits of great nations in need of powerful leadership. Even more so, both pieces evoke historical champions (Aeneas and Abraham Lincoln respectively) to remind the citizens of both Rome and the United States of what has made their nations what they were in the first place. Both served as a necessary rallying cry, but also functioned (and still function) as a piece of art worth appreciating. Perhaps this is the innate mastery in both Vergil and Aaron Copland's work. One can look into their work solely for national inspiration, or one can just simply enjoy the beauty and power of their creations.

This specific rendition of "Lincoln Potrait" was performed by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and featured the tremendous Gregory Peck (of //To Kill a Mockingbird// fame) as the narrator. Enjoy! media type="youtube" key="2vJLJdrS_Go" height="349" width="425"

Ovid's "Narcissus" Upon reading Ovid's rendering of the tale of Narcissus from his //Metamorphoses//, I looked into similarities that this myth shared with more contemporary pieces of art. What I found was a painting and a corresponding poem both created by Salvador Dali, both entitled, //The Metamorphosis of Narcissus.// In typical Dali fashion, the piece of artwork (copied below) is ridiculously difficult to interpret, laden with minute symbolism and downright bizarre imagery. Before getting into the analysis, a little background. Dali painted the picture, and then wrote the poem to help explain his painting. In my analysis, I'll try to use his poem as a basis for my conclusions about the piece of artwork. To start things off, I'll give a brief background of the actual Narcissus myth, as written by Ovid. Essentially the story goes that there was a youth who was extremely beautiful, so beautiful that upon gazing into a crystalline pond he promptly fell in love with himself. With this in mind, Dali's painting begins to make a tiny bit more sense. On the left side of Dali's painting is the actual, non-reflected Narcissus. On this left side the colors chosen by the artist are clearly warmer and more inviting, perhaps symbolizing Narcissus' innocence. This is furthered by the nature of the people on the left side of the painting. They are in open conversation, and appear to be enjoying one another's company, again making clear the naive beauty of Narcissus at the beginning of Ovid's poem. On the right side stands the reflection of Narcissus. Dali intentionally chose a more muted color palate. In my mind, his reasoning behind this was to convey a lack of substance, and a definite presence of superficiality. The left side of the painting has depth and breadth, while the right is nothing more than it's mirror image leeched of the passion and vitality of, to be frank, //being alive//. Furthermore, the right side of the painting does not feature any human interaction. In fact, the only features that present themselves are a lone, pitiful looking dog and a statue averted from the viewer's direct gaze. Both of these images suggest loneliness, and further the sense of isolation present in Narcissus' reflection. How does this relate to Ovid's "Narcissus"? Well, to me, the myth of Narcissus is one of intense sorrow. It is a tale of a love that is absolutely, undeniably unachievable. Narcissus will never actually be fully content, because he is fundamentally unable join with himself. Also, the lack of color on the right side of Dali's painting can represent the leeching of substance from Narcissus' life in Ovid's poem. When Narcissus discovers his passion for himself, he becomes lost in his own beauty. He loses his grasp on reality, and Dali's use of surrealism (in both his painting and his poem) serves as a fitting parallel.

 ==="Metamorphosis Of Narcissus" (courtesy of authenticsociety.com) === by Salvador Dali (1937)

Narcissus, in his immobility, absorbed by his reflection with the digestive slowness of carnivorous plants, becomes invisible. There remains of him only the hallucinatingly white oval of his head, his head again more tender, his head, chrysalis of hidden biological designs, his head held up by the tips of the water's fingers, at the tips of the fingers of the insensate hand, of the terrible hand, of the mortal hand of his own reflection. When that head slits when that head splits when that head bursts, it will be the flower, the new Narcissus, Gala - my Narcissus  Ovid's "Pygmalion" The first connection that came to mind upon reading Ovid's "Pygmalion" was Mary Shelley's //Frankenstein//. However, this comparison is a a very small jump, so I decided to compare "Pygmalion" to one of //Frankenstein's// innumerable copies: John Hughes' 1985 film //Weird Science.// In this film, the two main characters, Gary and Wyatt, are unpopular high schoolers who are ignored by girls and picked on by bullies. The two feel that they are more mature than the general population of their high school, and decide to prove it and remedy their romantic issues with one fell swoop. The boys create a model of a beautiful woman (note woman and not high school girl, showing the boys' reach for maturity) and watch her transformed into an actual woman by means of a freak lighting storm. On an obvious level, Pygmalion's myth also contains the spontaneous gift of life. A more interesting connection however, can be found between the protagonists in the stories. Both, at least partly, created their ideal woman because of a desire to escape the conventions of society. The boys of //Weird Science// wanted to avoid their awkward high school years, while Pygmalion was, "shocked at the vices [of the women of his time]." Another connection is the emotion of both sets of protagonists at the conclusions of their respective stories. Not to spoil any wonderful plot points, but at the conclusion of //Weird Science//, Gary and Wyatt find themselves happy and content solely because of the woman they created. The same goes for Pygmalion. After Venus brings his ideal woman to life, he is so ebullient that he cannot thank the goddess because, "no words are good enough." Below is a clip/trailer from //Weird Science.// I would recommend watching this movie if and only if you either a) need a good "this is absurd" laugh or b) every other dvd within a 17 mile radius of your viewing location of choice has been, for some reason, inexplicably destroyed. media type="youtube" key="gl5KUY_Wl_M" height="390" width="480"

Horace 2.3 All year long I have been waiting for an opportunity to use the song that I will soon attempt to connect to Horace 2.3. I don't really have a favorite song, per se, but if I were forced to pick one, it would be Neil Young's "Thrasher" from the album (which ranks in my Top 5) "Rust Never Sleeps." The song has been called one of Young's most cryptic compositions, quite a distinction considering the nature of much of his other work. The lyrics read like poetry, and I believe the understated acoustic background throughout the piece serves to strengthen its similarities to a poem. Enough of that... time for the comparison... On a purely descriptive level, both Neil Young's, "Thrasher" and Horace's Ode 2.3 are quite similar. While taking a closer look at both, I was struck by the lush portraits of nature painted by both poets. The strongest reference to nature in "Thrasher" can be found in the first stanza, when Young sings, "And the waters shone like diamonds in the dew." Interestingly, Horace uses a similar image in Ode 2.3. As I read the poem for the first time I noticed the commonality in, "lympha fugax" (12) meaning rushing clear water. Both images reflect upon the beauty of nature, which is a driving, integral part within both compositions. There are commonalities on a more analytical level as well. Both deal with the concept of the insignificance of worldly possessions. In "Thrasher" (which Neil Young has called semi-autobiographical) Young became so fed up with his current circumstances that he, "Burned my credit card for fuel/Headed to where the pavement turns to sand." with a, "One way ticket to the land of truth/with my suitcase in my hand." In numerous interviews, Young has stated that this song was a response to the breakup of his former band Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. It is obvious that at this juncture in his life, under the emotional duress that he was, Young would retreat within himself to produce a veiled account of what went wrong and why it did so. While Horace certainly was not writing about the break up of a band, Ode 2.3 still bears similarities to the ideas that Neil Young explored in "Thrasher." In the 5th stanza Ode 2.3, Horace says, "Cedes/coemptis saltibus" (17) translated as "you will depart bought up mountain pastures." What Horace meant by saying this is that in death, items that held worldly significance will no longer matter. He continues to say that your heir will receive all of your possessions, while you head to heaven without the material possessions that were probably your life's focus at one point. Nature is also an important component to the quotes I excerpted from the texts. Both writers suggest an escape from the endless cycle of consumption and waste by means of a retreat to nature. Young was fed up with his band-mates and their addictions to substances ("Lost in crystal canyons..." often thought to be a reference to heroin use) and Horace was frustrated by those who thought there was little more to life than receiving things you didn't really need.

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Thrasher Lyrics (courtesy of elyrics.net) They were hiding behind hay bales, They were planting in the full moon They had given all they had for something new But the light of day was on them, They could see the thrashers coming And the water shone like diamonds in the dew.

And I was just getting up, hit the road before it's light Trying to catch an hour on the sun When I saw those thrashers rolling by, Looking more than two lanes wide I was feelin' like my day had just begun. Where the eagle glides ascending

There's an ancient river bending Down the timeless gorge of changes Where sleeplessness awaits I searched out my companions, Who were lost in crystal canyons When the aimless blade of science Slashed the pearly gates.

It was then I knew I'd had enough, Burned my credit card for fuel Headed out to where the pavement turns to sand With a one-way ticket to the land of truth And my suitcase in my hand How I lost my friends I still don't understand.

They had the best selection, They were poisoned with protection There was nothing that they needed, Nothing left to find

They were lost in rock formations Or became park bench mutations On the sidewalks and in the stations They were waiting, waiting.

So I got bored and left them there, They were just dead weight to me Better down the road without that load Brings back the time when I was eight or nine I was watchin' my mama's T.V., It was that great Grand Canyon rescue episode.

Where the vulture glides descending On an asphalt highway bending Through libraries and museums, galaxies and stars Down the windy halls of friendship To the rose clipped by the bullwhip The motel of lost companions Waits with heated pool and bar.

But me I'm not stopping there, Got my own row left to hoe Just another line in the field of time When the thrashers comes, I'll be stuck in the sun Like the dinosaurs in shrines But I'll know the time has come To give what's mine.

Catullus 77 Through my study of Catullus 77, I have found it to be very similar to the Bob Dylan composition entitled, "Positively 4th Street." While both obviously place a heavy focus on betrayal by a close friend, the strength of the language used is similar in both cases. In Catullus 77, the poet states that Rufus has "burned my guts." While this statement seems somewhat hyperbolic as read by a third party, Catullus truly meant it. By going behind his back with Lesbia, Rufus has "torn away all good things" from Catullus. Up to this point in my study, each poem written by Catullus has either used Lesbia as its focus (in either a literal or, in some cases, a metaphorical manner). This provides strong evidence to the contention that Lesbia eclipses all other things in Catullus' mind, strengthening his direct need for caustic language. Dylan similarly attacks his adversary in "Positively 4th Street." When Dylan warbles, "Yes, I wish that for just one time/You could stand inside my shoes/You’d know what a drag it is/To see you," his passionate hatred is clear. While his language is not as vividly anguished as Catullus, one must note Dylan's cannon before debunking this argument. Throughout his career, Bob Dylan has earned the reputation of perhaps the most cryptic songwriter on the face of the planet. On very few occasions does he actually make a statement that cannot be analyzed on a multitude of levels. This is why the downright candidacy of "Positively 4th Street's" last line is so significant. While Catullus traveled to the extreme recesses of his metaphorical hatred to channel venomous Poem 77, Dylan did just the opposite by breaking down his typical mystifying complexities to add an equivalent punch to, "Positively 4th Street." Dylan and Catullus both also express desire for termination of the friendship they refer to in "Positively 4th Street" and poem 77, respectively. In Dylan's song, he sings, "Do you take me for such a fool/To think I’d make contact/With the one who tries to hide/What he don’t know to begin with." This line makes it clear that, because of the song's target's actions, Dylan wishes to cut ties. He explains that he does not want to associate himself with someone who is as fake as the attack's intended recipient. Catullus concurs in poem 77. He writes, "alas the death of our friendship." By saying this, Catullus has made a definitive statement. There is no room for negotiation from Rufus. Catullus has decided to remove Rufus from his life, definitively and certainly in poem 77, as Bob Dylan would do to an unnamed party in his 1965 composition, "Positively 4th Street." media type="custom" key="7752063"

Positively 4th Street Lyrics (courtesy of bobdylan.com) You got a lotta nerve To say you are my friend When I was down You just stood there grinning

You got a lotta nerve To say you got a helping hand to lend You just want to be on The side that’s winning

You say I let you down You know it’s not like that If you’re so hurt Why then don’t you show it

You say you lost your faith But that’s not where it’s at You had no faith to lose And you know it

I know the reason That you talk behind my back I used to be among the crowd You’re in with

Do you take me for such a fool To think I’d make contact With the one who tries to hide What he don’t know to begin with

You see me on the street You always act surprised You say, “How are you?” “Good luck” But you don’t mean it

When you know as well as me You’d rather see me paralyzed Why don’t you just come out once And scream it

No, I do not feel that good When I see the heartbreaks you embrace If I was a master thief Perhaps I’d rob them

And now I know you’re dissatisfied With your position and your place Don’t you understand It’s not my problem

I wish that for just one time You could stand inside my shoes And just for that one moment I could be you

Yes, I wish that for just one time You could stand inside my shoes You’d know what a drag it is To see you

Catullus 70 Catullus 70 instantly called to mind Biz Markie's 1989 magnum opus, "Just a Friend." While on the surface, the two appear to share very little common ground, upon deeper analysis, they are in fact very common. Both pieces of art share a central theme. That theme is the unreliability of a lover's promises. In "Just a Friend," this topic can be most frequently found in the chorus when Biz croons, "You, You got what I need/But you say he's just a friend." Throughout the course of this song, Biz repeatedly intimates that his romantic interest does flirt with him, but does not follow through on her actions. Mr. Markie suspects this is because she perhaps has another boyfriend and she replys, "Oh, he's just a friend." Her statement can be recognized as a blatant lie by the end of the song when Biz catches his beloved in the midst of making love to her, "friend." While Catullus 70 does not apply the central theme in the same way Biz Markie did, the poet does manage to convey the similarities. When he says, "but what a woman says to her eager lover/should be written in the wind and rapid water," one knows that Catullus is frustrated by Lesbia's relative lack of commitment. She says she loves him, and would "prefer to marry no one rather than me [Catullus]." However, when the time comes for Lesbia to make good on her word, Catullus repeatedly finds himself disappointed with what he recieves. In both Catullus 70 and Biz Markie's, "Just a Friend" the well-intentioned narrator is essentially shut down by the whims of a woman who refuses to make a steadfast commitment. While the two artists express their frustration over their romantic situation through different scenarios, the essential focus remains. media type="custom" key="7454249"

Just a Friend Lyrics (courtesy of sing365.com) Have you ever met a girl that you tried to date But a year to make love she wanted you to wait Let me tell ya a story of my situation I was talkin' to this girl from the U.S. nation The way that I met her was on tour at a concert She had long hair and a short miniskirt I just got onstage drippin', pourin' with sweat I was walkin' through the crowd and guess who I met I whispered in her ear, "Come to the picture booth So I can ask you some questions to see if your hundred proof" I asked her her name, she said blah-blah-blah She had 9/10 pants and a very big bra I took a couple of flicks and she was enthused I said, "How do you like the show?" she said, "I was very amused" I started throwin' bass, she started throwin' back mid-range But when I sprung the question, she acted kind of strange Then when I asked, "Do ya have a man?" she tried to pretend She said, "No I don't, I only have a friend" Come on, I'm not even goin' for it This is what I'm goin' sing

You, you got what I need but you say he's just a friend And you say he's just a friend, oh baby You, you got what I need but you say he's just a friend But you say he's just a friend, oh baby You, you got what I need but you say he's just a friend But you say he's just a friend

So I took blah-blah's word for it at this time I thought just havin' a friend couldn't be no crime 'Cause I have friends and that's a fact Like Agnes, Agatha, Germaine, and Jacq Forget about that, let's go into the story About a girl named blah-blah-blah that adored me So we started talkin', getttin' familiar Spendin' a lot of time so we can build a A relationship or some understanding How it's gonna be in the future we was plannin' Everything sounded so dandy and sweet I had no idea I was in for a treat After this was established, everything was cool The tour was over and she went back to school I called every day to see how she was doin' Everytime that I called her it seemed somethin' was brewin' I called her room, a guy picked up, and then I called again I said, "Yo, who was that?" "Oh, he's just a friend" Don't gimme that, don't even gimme that Jus' bust this

You, you got what I need but you say he's just a friend And you say he's just a friend, oh baby You, you got what I need but you say he's just a friend But you say he's just a friend, oh baby You, you got what I need but you say he's just a friend But you say he's just a friend

So I came to her college on a surprise visit To see my girl that was so exquisite It was a school day, I knew she was there The first semester of the school year I went to a gate to ask where was her dorm This guy made me fill out a visitor's form He told me where it was and I as on my way To see my baby doll, I was happy to say I arrrived in front of the dormitory Yo, could you tell me where is door three? They showed me where it was for the moment I didn't know I was in for such an event So I came to her room and opened the door Oh, snap! Guess what I saw? A fella tongue-kissin' my girl in the mouth, I was so in shock my heart went down south So please listen to the message that I send Don't ever talk to a girl who says she just has a friend

Catullus 5 In reading both Catullus 5 and 7, I found similarities in the concepts that the Roman poet was trying to present and the Beatles song, "Here, There and Everywhere." Both pieces of artwork, for one thing, include descriptions of specific occasions spent together with one's lover. In "Here, There and Everywhere" it's the lyric, "There, running my hands through her hair," and in Catullus 5 it is the line in which Catullus implores Lesbia to, "Give me a thousand kisses..." The inclusion of specific acts strengthens the listener's connection to both pieces. Because of this specific imagery, one can insert themself into the context of the artwork as a whole and hopefully draw a deeper, more personal connection. Another similarity between "Here, There and Everywhere" and Catullus 5 and 7 is the complete devotion to their particular lover that each narrator displays. Catullus even goes as far as to declare himself without sanity, because of his fanatic devotion to Lesbia in Poem 7 (for insane Catullus...). Paul McCartney, the author and composer of, "Here, There and Everywhere" does not go to such an extreme, but still displays extreme passion nonetheless. In the first line of the song Paul states, "To lead a better life/I need my love to be here." From these confessions, one can be certain of Catullus' love for Lesbia and Paul's love for Jane Asher (his girlfriend to whom he wrote "Here, There and Everywhere") Finally, both Catullus and Paul McCartney express a desire for their love to be everlasting. In Catullus 5, this hope manifests itself in the last line, "When who knows how many kisses there are." While this line can be considered a retrospective look towards the previous lines in the poem, I also consider it a hope for the future. Catullus hopes that his kisses with Lesbia will be countless is number, and therefore continue throughout the rest of his days. McCartney's statement is somewhat more obvious. He sings, "Each one believing that love never dies/ Watching her eyes and hoping I'm always there."

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Here, There and Everywhere Lyrics (courtesy of lyrics.com) To lead a better life I need my love to be here...

Here, making each day of the year Changing my life with a wave of her hand Nobody can deny that there's something there

There, running my hands through her hair Both of us thinking how good it can be Someone is speaking but she doesn't know he's there

I want her everywhere and if she's beside me I know I need never care But to love her is to need her everywhere Knowing that love is to share

Each one believing that love never dies Watching her eyes and hoping I'm always there

I want her everywhere and if she's beside me I know I need never care But to love her is to need her everywhere Knowing that love is to share

Each one believing that love never dies Watching her eyes and hoping I'm always there

To be there and everywhere Here, there and everywhere