Samson-Keefer

T 7th wiki: Virgil’s writings in the //Aeneid// tell of a man who sailed to Italy from Troy and his arduous journey, which eventually landed him in Italy, as the founder of the Romans. Virgil’s //Aeneid// displays a sense of nationalism, similar to the one found in //Braveheart//, directed by and starring Mel Gibson as William Wallace, a revolutionary trying to help liberate his people from the suppressive rule of the British. After periods of political unrest, Scotland is vulnerable to an invasion, and the English decide to do so. In //Braveheart//, after declaring the land his, King Edward I of England imposes unfair rules to the Scots, such as the right for him to sleep with newly married Scottish women. Wallace grows up in an atmosphere of unease and general anxiety, as the English soldiers are constantly in his village, doing whatever they want to. He decides to fight in the front lines of the First Scottish War of Independence, fighting against King Edward’s men. To this day, there is still a clear distinction between Scots and Englishmen, and it stems from the nationalism 8 centuries ago in the wars that they fought. This relates to the Aeneid. After fighting in the Trojan War, Aeneas ended up in Italy, and founded a race that is still around today, just as the conflict displayed in //Braveheart// is still around.

The Sixth Wiki:

//Heartburn// by Nora Ephron is similar to book 10 of Ovid’s //Metamorphoses//. In book 10, Eurydice is bitten by a viper and dies in the underworld. Her lover Orpheus begs and pleads the gods to revive her, and after much debate they eventually decide to grant Orpheus his request, but under one condition: on the way up from the underworld, Orpheus is not permitted to look back over his shoulder to see Eurydice; if he does, she will die forever. In //Heartburn//, Rachel Samstat, the main character, finds out that her lover cheated on her and she must make a decision whether or not to accept him back, at the time carrying his baby. Much like the gods’ pondering over Orpheus’s plea to revive his wife, Rachel has a decision to make- should she let the inevitably philandering man back into her life or should she have compassion and let her lover back into her life? Appalled by her friends’ lack of compassion, Rachel is reluctant to follow their advice, biased as it is. They tell her to stay with Mark and have little empathy for Rachel’s situation, and so she decides to give Mark another chance. When it is clear that his ways will never change, Rachel takes her newborn to New York to move back in with her father for good, which is similar to the gods declaring Eurydice dead for good, a final fortune that can not be and will not be reversed.


 * The Fifth Wiki:**



Ovid’s story of Narcissus is similar to the play //Julius Caesar//. Caesar, an affluent politician, was known for his excessive hubris. In an infamous act against the senate, Caesar crossed the Rubicon River on his way to returning his troops to Rome, much to the chagrin of the senate. This action has led some to say ‘alea iacta est’- the die has been cast (essentially any action that can not be taken back). Caesar’s arrogance fueled his political desires, to become sole leader of the largest empire in the world and to expand that empire. His rise on the //Cursus Honorum// was among the quickest Rome had seen.

Narcissus was born incredibly gorgeous, attracting much female attention wherever he went. As the story goes, he began to depart from his assigned role as hunter in order to gaze at his beautiful reflection in the local lake. While everyone has started to wonder where he has departed to, Narcissus wastes away to his death.

Much like Narcissus’s beauty leading to his death, Caesar convinced himself that he was invincible. Crossing the Rubicon while defying the senate was just one act. Another was when he decided to attend a meeting on the Ides of March in 44 B.C. There have been historical indications that he knew that his fellow politicians were conspiring against him. His wife tried to convince him not to go and possibly so did some of his fellow politicians who were aware of the conspiracy. Both Narcissus and Caesar had attributes that helped them achieve temporary success or happiness, but the result was a death by the very things that had helped them previously.


 * The Fourth Wiki:**

'If':

If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or, being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise; If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with triumph and disaster And treat those two imposters just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to broken, And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools; If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breath a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on"; If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch; If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run - Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling is like Horace 1.11. The entire premise of Horace’s poetry is that by acting moderately in whatever activity one chooses, he will avoid the turbulent ups and downs in his life. By ‘straining the wine’ (vina liques) (6), Horace encourages his reader to ‘prune’ out the undesired parts of his life, and to focus solely on what is happening in the present. ‘Seize the day’, he says’, and ‘trust the future…little’ (carpe diem, minimum credula postulo) (8); In accordance with his philosophy, Horace expresses a sentiment of divine fate, where everyone’s fate will be decided, and therefore he personally wants to make the best of it. “//If it’s not in my control, why not make the best of the situation?”// ‘Tu ne quaesieris, scire nefas’ (you shouldn’t have asked, knowing is nefarious) (1) tells the reader to let whatever is bound to happen anyway to run its course, and to try to make the best of it. Rudyard Kipling expresses a similar tone in his poem:

//'If you can keep your head when all about you// //Are losing theirs and blaming it on you’// (1-2) sounds identical to when Horace told the reader to maintain an even keel through circumstances both favorable and daunting, living moderately. The ending of 1.11, //‘seize the day, trusting the future as little as possible’ sort// of sums up not only poem 1.11 and all of Horace’s beliefs but also ends the poem with a powerful sentiment- nothing is for certain, so take control of the moment and do what makes you happy. Kipling ends with:

// ‘If you can fill the unforgiving minute // // With sixty seconds' worth of distance run - // // Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, // // And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!’ //

He too ends with an emphatic statement that sums up his philosophy- that if one can keep an even keel no matter which extreme he is facing, then he will own material possessions (‘yours is everything on the Earth’) and become a man (two things that Kipling’s society valued greatly).

// ‘If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, // // Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch’ // is another example of Kipling’s contrasting extremes- not acting with too much arrogance around those less well-off but showing humility, yet acting candidly towards royalty and still showing humility.

// ‘If you can meet with triumph and disaster // // And treat those two imposters just the same’ // again shows the philosophy shared by the two. Kipling (and Horace) urges his reader to keep an even keel, no matter what the circumstances (now doesn’t that sound familiar?).


 * The Third Wiki:**

// We cheered you // // We worshipped you // // We spent our hard-earned bucks // // And you betray your birthplace on national TV? That sucks! // // As Cavaliers fans hearts may bleed from festering sores // // At least he's not our problem now, Miami. He's YOURS. //

// Rufus, trusted friend to me, in vain and to no avail // // In vain? Rather with a great cost and with great trouble // // Thus you have crept under me, and consuming my guts // // have you snatched away all our good things from miserable me? // // You have snatched away, alas cruel poison of our life, // // alas plague of our friendship. //

The Miami Herald recently held a contest to see who could come up with the best haiku describing LeBron James’s departure from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Catullus 77 relates to the poem above, one of the six finalists in the contest.

The first reason why Catullus 77 and the haiku are similar is the direction of the each author’s attack. The author of the haiku, Jason R., starts out by saying “We cheered/ worshipped you” (1-2), which not only implies a prior relationship, but shows just how much they cared for Lebron, hence “worshipped" (2). In poem 77, Catullus starts out by saying “trusted friend”, showing how much Rufus meant to him. Additionally, addressing him by his name makes the poem more personal, as one would not call a stranger by his first name.

In line 5, “bleed from festering sores” gives a macabre image to the reader. Suffice it would be to say “we miss you” or “we fans are hurt because you left us”, and so Jason’s hyperbole makes what Lebron did seem so much worse than him merely signing with another organization, something that is perfectly legal and happens routinely. Catullus 77: “cruel poison” (5). Again, it would be sufficient to say “you made me unhappy” or even “you ruined our friendship”, but by employing “cruel poison”, he gives the depiction of a contagious disease, one that would not only affect Rufus’s relationship with Catullus, but also those with others. Also, “snatched away” (4/5) is a more intense form of “grab” or “take”; this depicts Rufus as a conniving thief with a malicious intent instead of someone who committed an honest mistake, as could be implied with a verb of less severity. Catullus further cements this image of Rufus being conniving by saying that he “snuck under him” (3). Similarly, Lebron leaving was “betraying his birthplace” (4), and not viewed as him leaving his city, just as many have done before him.

For any of you that don’t know, Lebron’s departure from Cleveland might just be the most tragic thing to ever happen to the city, and he has received a lot of criticism for not only leaving, but also for how he did it. Regardless, some fans, like Jason, are not letting go of what has happened to them, and may not for a long time: “He’s YOURS” (6). By ending a poem with a word that has all letters capitalized, the message becomes a little more emphatic. It is not only a “here you go” or “take him and don’t remind me what happened”, but it is a message that Jason as a former fan is so distraught over the departure that he is yelling to vent his frustration. Now, it wasn’t Catullus’s style to write in capital letters, so the ending of poem 77 is not exactly like the ending of Jason’s haiku, but it is somewhat similar, as he too ends it on a sour note: “plague of our friendship” (6). Perhaps the most dismal insult of the poem, Catullus chooses to end on this because it gives the reader food for thought, (especially if the reader is Rufus): //“Not only did we lose our friendship, but I caused it, and I am a plague, capable of spreading to others.”//

**Wiki duo**:

You're dangerous 'cause you're honest You're dangerous, you don't know what you want Well you left my heart empty as a vacant lot For any spirit to haunt

Hey hey sha la la Hey hey

You're an accident waiting to happen You're a piece of glass left there on the beach Well you tell me things I know you're not supposed to Then you leave me just out of reach

Hey hey sha la la Hey hey sha la la

Who's gonna ride your wild horses Who's gonna drown in your blue sea Who's gonna ride your wild horses Who's gonna fall at the foot of thee

Well you stole it 'cause I needed the cash And you killed it 'cause I wanted revenge Well you lied to me 'cause I asked you to Baby, can we still be friends

Hey hey sha la la Hey hey sha la la

Who's gonna ride your wild horses Who's gonna drown in your blue sea Who's gonna ride your wild horses Who's gonna fall at the foot of thee

Oh, the deeper I spin Oh, the hunter will sin for your ivory skin Took a drive in the dirty rain To a place where the wind calls your name Under the trees the river laughing at you and me Hallelujah, heavens white rose The doors you open I just can't close

Don't turn around, don't turn around again Don't turn around, your gypsy heart Don't turn around, don't turn around again Don't turn around, and don't look back Come on now love, don't you look back

Who's gonna ride your wild horses Who's gonna drown in your blue sea Who's gonna taste your salt water kisses Who's gonna take the place of me

Who's gonna ride your wild horses Who's gonna tame the heart of thee

Catullus 8 is like the song “who’s gonna ride your wild horses” by U2. After their respective breakups, both Bono and Catullus are trying to forget about what has happened but it becomes hard to forget such a passion they each had for their lovers. In the second verse:

// Well you stole it 'cause I needed the cash // // And you killed it 'cause I wanted revenge // // Well you lied to me 'cause I asked you to // // Baby, can we still be friends //

Bono reminisces about his past relationship with his lover, and how she seemingly always did anything that he wanted, after he asked her, just to appease him. Lesbia also tried to appease Catullus, acknowledging how much social/political power he had. Catullus mentions how Lesbia was not necessarily unwilling, but still did whatever he wanted (lines 6-7):

//Then there took place those many jolly scenes// //which you desired nor did your sweetheart not desire//.

Both of the authors had some sort of control over their lovers, enough to ultimately decide what went on in the relationship. What Bono and Catullus thought was a good for both of them (Bono receiving the money he needed/“getting revenge” or Catullus’ “many fun jokes”) was evidently not felt by Bono’s lover or Lesbia, as this led to their breakup(s).

Another aspect of these pieces of literature is the rhetorical questions asked by the authors, almost in a delusional state. The main theme behind the author’s questions seems to be; “//Who will take my place in your life//”? In the last paragraph, Bono asks:

// Who's gonna taste your salt water kisses // // Who's gonna take the place of me //

Catullus asks his questions to Lesbia at the end of the poem, comparable to an interrogation:

// What life lies in store for you! // // Who will come to you now? Who will think you pretty? // // Whom will you love now? Who will people say you are? // // Whom will you kiss? Whose lips will you bite? //

Catullus’ questioning at the end comes after him saying that she will be missed when she will no longer be called for (line 14):

// At tu dolebis, cum rogaberis nulla. //

At this point, one could imagine him pausing for a minute while writing and thinking, “//She might actually be gone for good”//, which could have conceivably lead him to his rant of rhetorical questions from lines 15-18. It only seems logical that such a rant would be the result.

Catullus 8 and “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses”, by U2, share many connections. Both are written by tormented lovers who have just lost someone dear to them, and this leads to a barrage of rhetorical questions to their respective lovers, comparable to “Who will now take my place in your life”? Bono and Catullus secretly acknowledge that it will not be them who will fill that void, and as a result, Catullus’ poem now has a strong sentiment of anger towards his former lover, and Bono’s one of regret for the things that he made her do, ultimately ending their relationship.

media type="youtube" key="EN2_psVlgnQ" width="425" height="350" I am comparing Catullus 7 to “Can’t get enough of you baby” by Smash Mouth. In this song, Smash Mouth clearly can not have enough of his partner, which is similar to Catullus’ situation, where Lesbia’s kisses “are never enough and more than enough for mad Catullus”. Catullus and Smash Mouth share a sentiment of perpetual dissatisfaction. Catullus says that he needs as many kisses are there are Libyan grains of sand (quam magnus numerus Libyssae harenae), while Smash Mouth says that he can never get enough of his loved one, or that he wishes there were more of her. Both authors also make a point of mentioning the nighttime. “Aut quam sidera multa, cumm tacet nox, Furtivos hominum vident amores. Also, Smash Mouth says that he wishes “the night were twice as long”. Usually, the nighttime connotes love and romanticism, each of which is portrayed in the works. Both Catullus and Smash Mouth love their respective partners so much that they can not have enough of their love.

I can't get enough of you baby I can't get enough of you baby Yes it's true Baby yes it's true Whenever we kiss I get a feeling like this I get to wishin that there was two of you My heart crys out more baby It feels so nice I want your arms to wrap around me twice I can't get enough of you baby I can't get enough of you baby Right or Wrong Baby Right or Wrong When you had to go I hated the thought I always wish the night was twice as long My heart crys out more baby I love you so much I wish that there was more of you to touch I can't get enough of you baby Can't get enough of you baby I can't get enough of you baby YAAAAA Whenever we kiss I get a feeling like this I get to wishing that there was two of you My heart crys out more baby I love you so much I wish that there was more of you to touch I can't get enough of you baby Can't get enough of you baby I can't get enough of you baby Can't get enough of you baby I can't get enough of you baby Can't get enough of you baby I can't get enough of you baby Can't get enough of you baby I can't get enough of you baby