David+Suh

//__NCIS__// __and Aeneid__ media type="youtube" key="vZ0mCaknb7A" height="349" width="560" media type="youtube" key="yfOA82z1opc" height="349" width="425" The character Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs of //NCIS// has a lot in common with Aeneas from //The Aeneid//. Both exhibit strong feelings of nationalism and sacrifice their lives to protect their people.The first video (sort of) reveals Gibbs' complex past before he became an NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) agent.
 * __Assignment 7__**

__A quick summary of GIbbs' past:__ He joined the Marine Corps at the age of 18, became a Scout Sniper, and fought in the Gulf War. He married Shannon and together they had a daughter named Kelly (this can be seen in the first video, and it's mentioned in the second video). During one of his deployments, his wife and daughter were murdered by a Mexican drug cartel. NCIS Special Agent Mike Franks covered the case and "accidentally" left out the case file for the drug cartel, whom Gibbs tracked down and shot with his sniper. Inspired by Mike Franks, he joined NCIS to serve those serving the country.

Just by knowing Gibbs' past, one can quickly relate it to the way Virgil describes Aeneas. They "both endured much both in war." In addition, both set aside their personal desires in order to fulfill their duties. Aeneas has a love affair with Dido, but later breaks off the relationship to found a new city for his people. In the same way, Gibbs marries three times (after Shannon's death), and throughout the series, it is revealed that at least one of his ex-wives left him because he was so devoted to his work. Aeneas' destiny is to establish a safe, new land for the Trojans. He therefore puts his responsibilities above himself, making sure every action he takes is not for his betterment, but for the betterment of the Trojans. Fundamentally, nationalism shapes his choices and sacrifices. Special Agent Gibbs also makes decisions, sometimes even controversial ones (illegal actions), just to catch a murderer and bring closure to a family. But just like any human being, even great leaders make mistakes. One can only imagine the guilt Aeneas might have felt for the losses of Trojans' lives before and during the long journey. Gibbs definitely felt some guilt, especially after the death of Special Agent Kate Todd (not shown in the videos). In the second video one could see his fervor for protecting the innocent, disregarding the politics. Both heroes suffer the losses of their loved ones but continue protecting and serving their nation, even at the cost of personal sacrifice.

__Rape of Persephone__ media type="youtube" key="ZTDSd0jQ5PQ?rel=0" height="390" width="480"
 * __Assignment 6__**
 * I thought Igor Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" had striking similarities to the story of Persephone as told by Ovid. **

=
Ovid's story starts with Persephone playing in a beautiful field of various flowers. I believe the bassoon in the beginning of "The Rite of Spring" captures this this mood of innocence. Yet starting from 1:21, there seems to be something eerie and sinister hidden under the surface. Indeed, in the myth, Persephone is being watched by Dis. At 3:04, it is like Dis' lust for Persephone grows and by 4:02, there is a sudden change in the feeling due to the heavy and low notes from the string section. This is perhaps when Dis begins to approach Persephone. At 6:53, the strings' short notes makes me think of Dis chasing after Persephone. Steadily as the tension rises (both in the story and in the piece), one can imagine Persephone crying out "to her mother, to her friends, most of all to her mother, with piteous mouth." I feel like I'm getting repetitive and too detailed with each precise change in the tone in the piece, but all in all, the first quarter of Stravinsky's piece gives off a similar voice as Ovid's story of Persephone's rape - innocence with something evil and sinister growing until it eventually overtakes the peaceful mood that was set in the first minute. Interestingly, the first quarter of the piece does not end with a big climax. Instead, it abruptly changes from a heavy brass section to the light woodwind section at 9:11. This best shows the change of events in Ovid's story - after Persephone is kidnapped and swallowed by the earth, the ironic scenery is of the beautiful field.===== __Ceres Searches for Persephone__ media type="youtube" key="NVQnvYy0jes" height="390" width="480" The beginning of the second quarter of "The Rite of Spring" is very dramatic and depressing. This is analogous to Persephone's dramatic change from a beautiful, young girl into a lifeless, unwilling wife of Dis. I can imagine Ceres, Persephone's mother, going around looking for her daughter. At first, she may not think anything of Persephone's absence. At 2:28, there is calmness while at 2:51, it is as if Ceres grows anxious and worried. But there is a back and forth between this feeling of calmness and anxiety until about 5:10, which is what must have been going inside Ceres' head. Is she overreacting, or is her daughter really in danger? Later, Ceres finds Persephone's ribbon in a sacred pool. I find that that scene is similarly reproduced in "The Rite of Spring" at around 5:33. There is silence with the exception of some instruments. It is like Ceres is taking in all the facts and finally accepting what's happened to her daughter. Finally she erupts into anger and she pours her wrath onto the earth, ravaging the fields and destroying life throughout the lands. The orchestra similarly explodes with rage at 6:07. __Ceres Asks Jupiter's Help__ media type="youtube" key="fJbWGsSR1Xk" height="390" width="480" The beginning of this quarter (or the beginning of the second part of the piece) makes me think of the aftermath of Ceres' fury, and eventually, Aresthusa pleading Ceres to heal the earth. For the bulk of this section of the piece (0:36 - 6:54), I imagine Aresthusa explaining what happened to Persephone. From 6:55 to 7:34, it is like Ceres is growing with hate. From 7:35 on, the tension escalates and that is like Ceres' desperate but angry cry to Jupiter. This section of the piece does not end in a hopeful or assuring way, rather, on a dark note. Similarly, Jupiter does not promise Ceres the return of her daughter. Instead, he says that Persephone can only return if "no food has touched her lips." __Persephone's Fate__ media type="youtube" key="g5Vl0X3AWtU" height="390" width="480" Unfortunately, Persephone ends up eating seven pomegranate seeds, and the overall tone of this quarter of "The Rite of Spring" is of tragedy and despair. At 0:50, the orchestra winds down, but the listener understands that the climax is yet to come. Perhaps this is like Ceres' false assurance of regaining her daughter. Again, the tension builds (after a couple of back and forths from somewhat quiet to very loud), but unfortunately, the mood is never reset into something of peace or happiness. Instead, there's heavy dissonance which best corresponds with Persephone's ultimate fate as neither a living nor dead being. Jupiter ends up allowing Persephone to spend half a year with her mother, and the rest of the half in the underworld. This unfortunate outcome is similarly shown at 9:13, where the piccolo flute (I think) represents Persephone's time on earth, and the orchestra's final sting at 9:19 stands for Persephone's time in the Underworld.

media type="youtube" key="65aFUwUCl7s" height="390" width="480" I thought the Transformation of Arachne had a lot of similarities with Anakin Skywalker turning to the dark side. Arachne was so popular that people from all over the world came to see not only her finished products, but also her process of weaving. Anakin also had great potential in the //Star Wars// universe. He was prophesied to be the "Chosen One," who who would ultimately destroy the Dark Side. Moreover Arachne surpassed a superior - Pallas Minerva - in the art of weaving, and she did so with great hubris. Similarly, over time, Anakin believed he surpassed his master Obi-Wan. Arachne challenges Pallas to a weaving contest to prove that she is greater. In //Star Wars//, there is no legitimate //challenge//, but one can see Anakin's jealous and angry question of why he must remain as an apprentice when he is stronger than Obi-Wan. Perhaps the real challenge is after Anakin gets tempted into the Dark Side and when he fights with Obi-Wan (shown in the video). Although Arachne wins the challenge, she is nearly killed by Pallas then later turned into a spider, just as Obi-Wan leaves Anakin burning by the river of magma, who later turns into Darth Vader. Ultimately, in both stories, a "student" is humbled by their supposed inferior master as a result of his or her hubris, and both stories convey the message of how more power and skill doesn't necessarily make one the best.
 * __Assignment 5__**

media type="youtube" key="OlIBmznIjjM?fs=1" height="385" width="640" Ferris Bueller's Day Off
 * __Assignment 4__**

The movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off was definitely based off of the principal of "carpe diem" which Horace coined in Ode 1.11. Yet the similarities don't just end there. In lines 1-3, Horace tells his friend Leuconoe not to try and find out her future through horoscopes (Tu ne quaesieris, scire nefas, quem mihi, quem tibi / finem di dederint, Leuconoe, nec Babylonios / temptaris numeros). He is basically telling her to simply live life as it goes and not to look ahead at the future so much. This seems to be the guideline by which Ferris Bueller spends his senior year with his best friend Cameron and girl friend Sloane, especially on this one specific day. On the other hand, Cameron seems to be held back from "seizing the day" because of all the potential consequences he sees in Ferris' wacky ideas.

Horace says, "ut melius, quicquid erit, pati, / seu pluris hiemes seu tribuit Iuppiter ultimam" or "How much better it is to accept whatever shall be, whether Jupiter has given many more winters or whether this is the last one" (II 3-4). Ferris' "hiemes" (or storms) is the fact that college will separate him from his friends. It is obvious that he has "accepted" these storms because he outrightly says it in the film and it's the sole purpose why he created a "day off." Cameron follows but was dragged almost unwillingly. He never outwardly says it, but one can tell that Cameron does not agree with Ferris. He just wanted to lie in bed, "sick" (he didn't seem sick throughout the movie). Horace would probably scold him for not "vina liques" or "straining the wine" (II 6), which means getting rid of all the impurities in life, therefore getting the most out of it. This is a very close parallel of the tagline of the film: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop look around once in a while, you could miss it." All these philosophies are necessary for Horace's main point - "carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero" (II 8), or "seize the day, trusting in tomorrow as little as possible." Ferris and Sloane undoubtedly follow Horace's advice without hesitation, and eventually, even the doubtful Cameron takes the statement to heart.

The clip below shows Cameron accepting all of Ferris'/Horace's philosophies that are found in Ode 1.11. The Ferarri gets destroyed and the guilty Ferris offers to take the blame. Cameron refuses and says he'll "take it." This would mean he is accepting the storms that are coming his way. His "thanks" at the end means much more than the movie shows - it is Cameron's expression of gratitude to Ferris for teaching him how to live. Leuconoe possibly did the same to Horace.

media type="youtube" key="MB7XtQeaBwo?fs=1" height="385" width="480"

media type="file" key="08 Sleep Together.mp3" width="240" height="20"
 * __Assignment 3__**
 * Sleep Together (instrumental version) by Porcupine Tree**

I found that Catullus 77 and "Sleep Together" (the instrumental version) by //Porcupine Tree// had a lot in common. Before I get into the analysis with the text, in the first 13 seconds of the song, there are strange electronic sounds playing in a loop. It sets the tone of confusion - a feeling Catullus must have felt when he discovered that his close friend Rufus had essentially turned against him by having an affair with Lesbia. From 0:14 to 0:53 the mellow melody from the keyboard makes it easy to picture Catullus pacing back and forth in disbelief, trying to convert his feelings of pain and betrayal into words of hate and frustration. With the ringing of the cymbal on 0:54, the poem begins.

The entrance of the drums in the song signifies the growing anger within Catullus. " Rufe mihi frustra ac nequiquam credite amice," (Rufus, trusted friend to me in vain and to no avail) he says in the first line of the poem. Some of the tension in the song is released as the drums get louder at 1:39. This parallels the second line in the poem, when Catullus asks the rhetorical question: "in vain?" (frustra?). Also, the drums and string orchestra, two very different types of instruments, harmoniously create this song. Just as how words like "credite," "bona," and "amice" and words like "frustra," "misero," and "venenum" create this poem.

Finally by 2:30, the drums get slightly softer. I can picture Catullus trying to hold his rage in at this point. Simultaneously, in the background, one can hear the "scratchy" noises, analogous to the slight release of the immense fury residing in Catullus. With this, he discharges some of his anger, therefore answering his rhetorical question: "immo magno cum pretio atque malo" (rather with a great price and with trouble). The hard consonants found in some words such as "ma **g**no," "**c**um," and "at**q**ue" go well with the scratchy electronic noises.

Although the song is soft, heavy antipathy can be felt. It's as if //Porcupine Tree// is suppressing the exasperation. Correspondingly, Catullus seems to do the same when he accuses Rufus for crawling "under [him] and consuming [his] intestines" (II.3). "Perurens" is a powerful and harsh word that is used to describe Rufus' actions on Catullus. Nevertheless, when the word is spoken out loud, it sounds very calm. The cellos that fade in and out match well with the feeling the word gives off.

The even bigger drum fill at 3:15 is like Catullus erupting from his contained anger, asking another rhetorical question (II.4). All the instruments are slightly louder at this point of the song (a heavily distorted electric guitar is also more prominent). The tremolo starting at 3:41 from the string instruments can portray Catullus shaking in anger at the fact that Rufus "snatched away all" the "good things."

At 4:09, the band immediately gets softer. There is a brief moment of silence at this point, with the exception of the looped electronic noises. This is reminiscent of the beginning of the song when I described that Catullus was in confusion and disbelief, having nothing to say. In a similar fashion, it is at this brief moment of "silence" that Catullus repeatedly says "heu," an onomatopoeia that expresses grief and resentment concurrently.

As the song remains quiet for a while, I imagine Catullus sitting in his chair, thinking of the whole situation - wondering if he is over-exaggerating or if his anger is justified. The thoughts of his lover - the one he devoted his life to - and his "trusted friend" having an affair start to eat away at him as the song very gradually crescendoes. Catullus describes Rufus as the "plague of [their] friendship" (II.6) and correspondingly the orchestra plays a very "whiny" melody at 6:34. The orchestra personifies Catullus and Rufus' friendship. It slowly sways back and forth, affected by the "plague," until it eventually crumbles. This is shown in the song at 7:04 when the strings slide unpleasantly from a higher pitch to the lowest note they can possibly hit. Finally the drum hits at 7:20 sound like a heavy object collapsing, typifying the death of friendship that was once strong.

__**Assignment 2**__ media type="youtube" key="Zg89x5atJn4?fs=1" height="385" width="480"
 * Excuse the cheesy music video, it best summed up the back story of the love triangle in the TV show //FlashForward//**

__Back story on //FlashForward://__ For two minutes and seventeen seconds, everyone in the world blacks out simultaneously. While people were blacked out, most saw a glimpse of their future, and some saw nothing at all. The "flash forwards" took everyone's subconscious to a future April 29th, therefore it's assumed that the people who saw nothing died before April 29th. It was assumed that it would be impossible to change one's fate. __ Back story on the "love triangle": __ In Olivia's flash forward, she saw herself with another man (Lloyd). The moment she woke up from her flash forward, she told her husband, Mark. She vowed that she would never cheat on Mark and would never leave him. But as one can see in the music video, things don't stay that way.
 * //FlashForward//** was a TV show starring (only from the music video):
 * Joseph Fiennes as Mark Benford
 * Jack Davenport as Lloyd Simcoe
 * Sonya Walger as Olivia Benford

The love triangle in //FlashForward// and Catullus 70 have many in common. Poem 70 starts off with "Nulli se dicit mulier mea nubere malle," meaning "My woman says that she herself prefers to marry no one but me." This statement by Catullus closely resembles what Olivia stated - that she would not leave Mark, despite what her "future" says. In //FlashForward//'s case, the "flash forward" can parallel "Jupiter" in the poem. Even though the inevitable future showed that Mark and Olivia's marriage would crumble, Olivia attempts to go against the odds. Similarly, the woman in the poem goes against the impossible by denying Jupiter himself (line 2). Nevertheless, as time passes, both Catullus' and Mark's relationship is destroyed because of their respective lovers - the very ones who declared that they would remain faithful.

In poem 70, Catullus uses the word "dicit" three times. I believe it is to emphasize that what is said is nothing compared to what is done. Lesbia //said// a variety of things, but her actions //said// the opposite. Similarly, Olivia was basically a woman who did not take action based on her proclamations. It wasn't shown in the video, but Olivia at first successfully warded off Lloyd. However after time, she started to fall in love with him. Both women were easily tempted out of their words. Therefore, it's likely that Mark would have said something almost identical as Catullus: "sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti, / in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua" because for both Mark and Catullus, what their lovers said meant nothing as they went against their declaration of fidelity. What their lovers said might as well have been written "on the wind and on violent water."


 * __Assignment 1__**

I've been living it my way. I've been living it for myself. It's the things that you don't say about the way that I know you've felt. Everything right in my eyes. Two are one and as a whole. Pour yourself into my life. I can't feel without your soul.
 * "Evergreen" by Dark New Day**

Say that you'll find no one else. I pray that you find nothing To tarnish the shine on what we've built Beneath you and I. Living our lives Evergreen.

I've been given the one thing. I've been given the greatest gift. I've been sheltered on my way. Covered by all you give. Greater good shines in my sky. I bathe in its precious glow. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; line-height: 18px;">Grounded in the heart of life, I've got something that can grow.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; line-height: 18px;">Not affected by the ever changing world around us. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; line-height: 18px;">We're protected by the things we share so deep inside us. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; line-height: 18px;">Say that you'll stay

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; line-height: 18px;">We'll stay Evergreen

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; line-height: 18px;">media type="youtube" key="yQEwwIRnRxQ?fs=1" height="385" width="480"

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The song "Evergreen" and Catullus 45 have many parallels. "For instance, in "Evergreen," the singer can't live without his or her significant other: " <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; line-height: 18px;">Pour yourself into my life. I can't feel without your soul." Similarly Catullus writes: "ni te perdite amo atque amare porro / omnes sum assidue paratus annos, / quantum qui pote plurimum perire" ("unless I love you to desperation than I am prepared to love further for all the years constantly as much as one who is able to perish to the greatest extent"). Basically, both the singer and Catullus love their respective lovers to death. The song is called "Evergreen" because the relationship between the two people is so perfect that metaphorically, their love for each other remains "evergreen." An evergreen plant is a plant that stays green throughout the whole year. This would probably be the modern equivalent of what Catullus wrote: "Amor sinistra ut ante / dextra sternuit approbationem" ("Love on the left, as it had before on the right, sneezed approval"). In Catullus' time, Love sneezing on both the left and right was a good omen of a relationship.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">In Catullus 45 ("ut multo mihi maior acriorque / ignis mollibus ardet in medullis"), "medulla," meaning heart, is in its plural form when in Latin. However it is singular when translated in English (as to me a flame burns greater and fiercer in our heart). This could mean that their hearts become one because of their perfect love. An identical line comes up in "Evergreen": " <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; line-height: 18px;">Two are one and as a whole."

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; line-height: 18px;">Although the song is talking about a perfect love, the relationship between the singer and his lover probably isn't the way it's portrayed in the verses of the song. The singer is most likely wishing and hoping that his lover won't leave him, as seen in the chorus: "Say that you'll find no one else. / I pray that you find nothing." It is his plea to his lover that she remains with him. Comparably Catullus does the same in his poem. Since Catullus 45 is written with fictional characters (unlike Catullus 5 and 7, where Catullus himself and Lesbia are the characters), it can be inferred that Catullus' relationship with Lesbia wasn't perfect (it was already known that Lesbia wasn't Catullus' wife and that she slept around with other men). The poem showed that he craved the love that was shared between Septimius and Acme. The line, "uno in Septimio fidelis Acme / facit delicias libidinesque" ("faithful Acme finds desire and pleasure in one Septimius"), is somewhat like a cry of desperation, asking Lesbia to remain faithful to him.