Elizabeth+Mattson

Assignment 7:

The Aeneid has some similarities to another patriotic work, the musical [|1776]. Each tells the story of the nation's founding; The Aeneid tells the story of how Rome came to be, and 1776 is about the creation of the United States of America via the Declaration of Independence. Each story has the protagonists sacrifice love for the sake of their nation and duty. Aeneas has to abandon his love Dido, because of the will of the gods and fate. The Founding Fathers have a similar problem; Thomas Jefferson nearly has a breakdown after needing to spend almost a year away from his wife because of patriotic duty and the will of his comrades, and John Adams misses Abigail terribly throughout the movie. Also, both have a war as an important background element that is not directly shown. The Aeneid takes place right after the end of the Trojan War, and Aeneas takes several opportunities to ruminate on how terrible it was. In 1776, the founders write the declaration while the nation is already at war. It adds a sense of urgency to the mission. Adams and Jefferson also receive letters from George Washington, in which he describes the harsh and terrible conditions of the war and army. Also, neither of them are straightforward histories. The Aeneid was written as propaganda, which rewrites history to justify Rome's power. 1776 also takes some liberties with history, such as reversing the positions of some Congressmen for dramatic effect and to make it more palatable to modern sensibilities. Finally, both are in a format that is fun for the common man. 1776 is memorable because of humor and catchy songs, and the Aeneid generates interest by being an exciting epic journey.

Assignment 6:

The story of Iphis is similar to that of the antagonist Akito from the manga “[|Fruits Basket].” Akito is born as the sole heiress to the rich, powerful, cursed Sohma family. However, when she is born her mother Ren is jealous of her status and the love her father has for her. Thus, she decrees that Akito must be raised as a boy. Despite this Akito falls in love with a man named Shigure, but the lie about her gender prevents her from being with him. This, coupled with her mother’s abuse, drives her insane. Eventually, Akito escapes from her mother’s influence with the help of the main character and chooses to live life as a woman. She gets together with Shigure, helps to break the family curse, and lives happily ever as a more benevolent family leader. In the tale of Iphis, she is raised as a boy because her father only wanted a strong male heir. She falls in love with the girl Ianthe but cannot be with her due to her true gender. Luckily, Iphis is transformed into a man in order to have her love fulfilled.

The most obvious element in common is that both girls are raised as men. In each story, there is one parent who refuses to have a daughter—Iphis’ father threatens to kill a female baby, and Akito’s mother threatens to have her daughter aborted. The other parents must intervene to save their children’s lives. Each heroine falls in love while in her disguise and is prevented from being with her beloved. The key difference is that in the myth, the deception is a good thing that allows Iphis to get close to Ianthe. In the manga, it is presented as a form of emotional abuse that keeps Akito away from Shigure. In the end, both heroines undergo a transformation that grants them strength and lets them have a happy ending with their beloveds. The difference between the two endings, however, speaks to the difference in culture over time. In the ancient tale, Iphis gains strength and happiness by shedding all form of femaleness. It is shown that being male gives her power and joy. Her father is never punished, or even indicated to be in the wrong. In the modern story, Akito gains stability, love, and the strength to lead by embracing her feminine side and accepting her life as a woman. She symbolically transforms from a ruthless, miserable “male” tyrant to a happy, confident female leader, thus sending a message about embracing one’s true self and the power of women. He mother is shown as a thwarted villainess for trying to remove her daughter’s female identity. Thus, these tales have many similarities. The most drastic differences come from their origins in eras with very unalike views of strength and the value of women. Akito

Assignment 5: The story of Echo can be compared to that of Jeanne in the web-comic “Gunnerkrigg Court.” Jeanne is first introduced as a spirit dwelling on the banks of a river, and the protagonists must solve the mystery of her past. It turns out that she was a warrior living in the human and technology based Court, which was in constant conflict with the Forest, inhabited by magical beings and animals. Despite this, Jeanne fell in mutual love with an elf from the Forest. Because of this, she spurned the affections of the mechanist Diego. Diego responded by sending her to the river that separates the two factions, and then killing her lover with a special arrow when he came to meet her. The arrow’s power would prevent the river from being crossed. However, Jeanne would not leave the place where her lover died, and thus was caught in the magic as well. She lost her body and became a guardian spirit who kills all who come near the river. Echo is a nymph who was cursed to only repeat words. She fell in love with Narcissus, but lost her body from grief after being spurned by him. Echo stayed by his side as he died by the pool of water.

One similarity is that both Jeanne and Echo end up losing their bodies due to grief over a lost love. Echo’s rejection by Narcissus caused her body to waste away, just like Jeanne’s loss of her unnamed love did. As a result, each changed from being a normal woman/nymph to an incorporeal spirit, remaining on the world in anguish. Both also watched helplessly while the men they loved died, even if Echo’s love was unrequited. The deaths also both take place by the water, which has major symbolic meaning in both stories. The stories also have a spurned lover taking revenge in common-Diego, and the unseen girl who calls Nemesis down upon Narcissus. Even though the stories are wildly different, they have these elements in common.

Assignment 4:

There are several similarities between Horace 2.10 and the Beatles’ “Let It Be.” Both pieces are inspirational words of advice with a similar message. “Let It Be” advises the listener to not stress their problems or panic over the ups and downs of life, but rather to accept them and know that things will get better. Horace also advises this, noting that the most superficially successful people are not the happiest and that all good things must come to an end, but so must all bad things. Horace notes that a wise person “sperat infestis,” “hopes in adversity.” Similarly, the song claims that in troubled times “there will be an answer.” Both of these statements are designed to convey a sense that the bad times will end. Both also acknowledge that bad times will come. The Beatles call it an “hour of darkness,” but Horace uses the similarly poetic “informes hiemes,” or “nasty winters.” These metaphors are both used to convey the same point; neither an hour nor a winter lasts for long, and both come naturally in the cycle of a year or day.

Both works utilize symbolism and metaphor heavily. For an example beyond the one listed above, both use imagery to illustrate the contrast between good and bad times. To Horace, bad times are when Apollo “tendit arcum,” or “stretches the bow.” To the Beatles, troubles exist “when the night is cloudy.” Each has a contrasting image in the poem. Apollo will sometimes do things “cithara,” or “with the lyre.” Even during the cloudy night, “there is still a light that shines on me.” The contrasts between light and darkness and music and warfare are both very poignant. Both are an inevitable part of the writer’s life, but will never always be there. Comparing happiness and sadness to these things definitely adds a dimension to each work. Also, each work claims that its message is wise and that the audience should heed it. Horace uses “sapienter,” meaning “if you are wise,” before dispensing a piece of advice. The Beatles refer to the message as “words of wisdom,” implying that a listener should heed it. They are both trying to convey a moral to their audience in hopes that it will help them, and their morals are very similar. media type="youtube" key="0714IbwC3HA?fs=1" height="385" width="480"

Assignment 3: Catullus 77 is somewhat similar to the song “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi. Although the song refers to a lover and the poem refers to a friend, there are several parallels between the two. For example, the singer expresses his pain and disillusionment by stating that he was “shot though the heart.” Catullus accuses his friend using a similar metaphor, “intestina perurens” or “consuming my entrails.” Both of these lines equate the betrayal of a loved one to the pain of drastic physical violence. They state that their partners are hurting them from the inside with their actions. Catullus accuses Rufus of betrayal by saying that he was “frustra…credite,” “trusted in vain.” The singer of the song bemoans his girlfriend with the reason stated as, “I play my part and you play your game.” These phrases both hint at their subjects’ betrayals. Also, they imply that the narrator is blameless, and it is entirely the fault of the one the work is addresses to. The singer notes that he respected his girlfriend by “playing his part,” and Catullus states that he trusted Rufus just as any friend should. The others acted needlessly and out of malice.

They each state that the effect of the narrators’ loved ones is irreversible and terrible- Catullus by saying “malo petio,” or “with an evil price,” and Bon Jovi by bluntly stating, “the damage is done.” This shows the anger and pain that both feel, as well as the fact that the injuring parties will probably not be able to undo the pain and heartbreak that they caused. The bad feelings of the narrators are so great that they state that the positive form of the relationship that they once had is forever tainted. The poem shows this with the words, “pestis amicae,” or “plague of friendship.” The song says more simply, “you give love a bad name.” The extremely postitive forces of love and friendship are corrupted by the actions of the companions. Friendship becomes a harmful disease; love is seen as a negative. Clearly, the authors of both wish to express an extreme amount of pain and sadness brought about by a person they care about. The relationships are different, but the hurt if betrayal and the chosen methods of expressing it are very similar. media type="youtube" key="LkIyp69bEQ0?fs=1" height="385" width="480" Assignment 2:

Catullus 85 is similar to the song “I Hate Everything About You” by Three Days Grace. Both works express conflicting feelings of love and hate. The song repeatedly asks, “I hate everything about you; why do I love you?” Catullus begins his poem with “Odi et amo,” or, “I hate and I love.” This emphasizes the contrast and conflict in the emotions of the writers. The simple, powerful words “hate” and “love” are repeated in both, to show the strength of the feelings and the way that they oppose each other. The stark difference in emotion is clearly demonstrated in each poem. The disconnect between feelings is the driving force behind both works. Both stress it in the most memorable ways they can, such as by putting the words in the first line and the chorus and using the blunt, emotional language.

Both the song and the poem also express confusion about the emotions. The song wonders, as mentioned above, “Why do I love you?” Catullus says, “nescio,” or “I do not know,” when “quare id faciam,” or “how I do it,” referring to holding the opposite emotions. The works share this questioning about how hatred and love can be so closely tied to each other. They question the feelings and the reason for their existence. The singer seems to believe that he is feeling love when he should be only experiencing hate, and does not understand why. Catullus states that "excrucior," or "I am tortured," at the emotional difference and seems to wish that he could end the love he feels.

Another similarity is that both tend to use minimalistic, almost incomplete language. The poem uses no nouns or adjectives, with verbs as the main focus. The song tends to use fragments in place of complete sentences, such as simply stating, “Only when I stop to think about it.” It also becomes remarkably similar to Catullus 8 in this regard at the end, singing, “I hate/You hate/I hate/ you love me.” This emphasizes the brokenness of the relationships being described in each. It also points to the incompleteness of each individual feeling due to the existence of the other, and the emptiness of the conflict-based relationships.

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Assignment 1: The song “All About Us” by Tatu is similar in some ways to Catullus 5. Each of them has a theme of a member of a forbidden relationship assuring their lover about their feelings and the actions that they wish to take. Both discount the opinions of those judging the speakers' relationship. Catullus says, “Let us value the rumors of the strict old men at one penny.” The song similarly states, “It’s all about us… There’s a theme that they can’t touch.” Another common theme is a desire to continue the relationship because of the affection felt for the partner, with Catullus saying, “Let us live, Lesbia, and also let us love” and the singer of the song claiming “If they hurt you, they hurt me too/So we’ll rise up, won’t stop.” Both lines express that the speaker loves their partner and refuses to abandon the relationship. They ask for romantic reassurance from their partners as well. Catullus asks Lesbia to “give me a thousand kisses” just as a singer asks her partner to “hold on to me.” The works each have a tone of love for their partner, almost selfish in the way that they block out the opinions of all others. It is clear that the writers of each place their partner and the love that they feel high above all else.

Another element that both works have in common is the repetition that both utilize. Catullus’ poem uses anaphora of the word deinde/dein, and repeats the words “mille” and “centum” in the same sentences. “All About Us” makes heavy use of repetition as well, repeating “It’s all about, all about us” and variants of it multiple times even within the same verse. Also, both mainly use the first person plural to emphasize the connection that the lovers feel and that the two in each will act as one. media type="youtube" key="TMbJIktpFHI?fs=1" height="385" width="480"