The main reason this was my favorite part of the story is because I didn't like how obsessive Apollo was being. I know that he could not control how he felt because he was shot by Cupid's arrow, but still I felt really bad for Daphne. All she wanted was to remain virginal and to be left alone and Apollo just didn't take the hint (either that or he did and just didn't care). When I first heard that Daphne was going to turn into a tree, my thoughts were, well thank god she is FINALLY escaping Apollo and his madness!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Daphne and Apollo; Favorite Part of Story
My favorite part of Daphne and Apollo is when Daphne is turned into a tree. I can say that I truly sympathized with Daphne when Apollo was following her and trying to pursue her when she made it very clear that she was NOT interested. Daphne being turned into a tree was the best way she could escape Apollo and his obsessiveness and I also thought the way her transformation was described was quite interesting. I found the image of "heavy sluggishness" when she was first starting to transform to be interesting, and also I found it to be cool when it said that her "soft breasts are surrounded by gentle bark", because I can just imagine how that would feel - standing there with my body becoming surrounded by bark, with my arms turning into branches.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Reflection 5, 10/18/09
This week there were two main topics covered in class. One of them was the IA. Our class went up to the library to look for IA sources and to start typing up our outlines that are due on the 23rd. I got mine finished, because when we went up to the library several weeks ago to gather sources, I found several. I also have been told that one ancient source to look for is Cicero. My IA topic is about the influence of Julius Caesar on Roman politics at the end of the Roman Republic and the start of the Roman Empire, and Cicero lived during this time and wrote about it in detail. I was able to get my outline finished, and I turned that in the same day.
We also have been going over Daphne and Apollo, and we are almost to the end of the story. The dog and rabbit simile has already come up. I noted that Apollo is acting very animal like in his pursuit of Daphne, like a dog hunting its prey. Daphne, the innocent sweet virginal girl, is fleeing to protect herself, like a rabbit would flee from any animal pursuing it as prey. I also considered that the use of the dog and rabbit simile could represent that Apollo is moving in on Daphne as if he sees her as 'prey' so to speak, or someone that he wants to capture for himself. Apollo got even more creepy in these passages to me, as he is trailing behind her so close that Daphne can feel him breathing on her neck. If I were Daphne I'd be running too...fast!! We stopped where Daphne is by the river, begging the gods of the river to turn her into something else so that Apollo will not pursue her any more. At this point I change my mind from what I said a month ago (that I hope Apollo captures Daphne). I can see she is clearly bothered by it and I don't want him to capture her, who knows what he would do. I hope she finds safety from him because to me, she seems terrified.
I can't wait to translate the end of the story, even though I already know what is going to happen :)
We also have been going over Daphne and Apollo, and we are almost to the end of the story. The dog and rabbit simile has already come up. I noted that Apollo is acting very animal like in his pursuit of Daphne, like a dog hunting its prey. Daphne, the innocent sweet virginal girl, is fleeing to protect herself, like a rabbit would flee from any animal pursuing it as prey. I also considered that the use of the dog and rabbit simile could represent that Apollo is moving in on Daphne as if he sees her as 'prey' so to speak, or someone that he wants to capture for himself. Apollo got even more creepy in these passages to me, as he is trailing behind her so close that Daphne can feel him breathing on her neck. If I were Daphne I'd be running too...fast!! We stopped where Daphne is by the river, begging the gods of the river to turn her into something else so that Apollo will not pursue her any more. At this point I change my mind from what I said a month ago (that I hope Apollo captures Daphne). I can see she is clearly bothered by it and I don't want him to capture her, who knows what he would do. I hope she finds safety from him because to me, she seems terrified.
I can't wait to translate the end of the story, even though I already know what is going to happen :)
Reflection 4, 10/11/09
This week in class we went over Daphne and Apollo, like usual. We discussed how Apollo would have acted, spoke, and gestured during his speech to Daphne. I figured that Apollo would have gotten the point most effectively to Daphne that he is pursuing her as a lover and not an enemy when he said that he was Jupiter's son. Jupiter is a god and Daphne, like everyone at the time, would have known who Jupiter was. Once Daphne saw that Apollo was Jupiter's son and therefore a god himself, I believe that she would be more likely to soften up to him and trust him. Of course this doesn't happen and she just continues to run, but I felt that if any part of the speech seemed like it would pacify her at all, it was that part. I envisioned Apollo's speech like a theatrical performance, with the spotlight shining on Apollo, who would be standing in the center of the stage. As he walks, the spotlight would follow him, and he'd be speaking to Daphne with his eyes wide open, in a loud, clear, and passionate voice. Meanwhile, Daphne would be fleeing and Apollo would be chasing her, and I imagined they'd be positioned on the stage in such a way that both of their facial expressions could be seen by the audience, so we would know exactly how they were feeling.
Of course I am no theater expert but this is what my mind envisioned.
Of course I am no theater expert but this is what my mind envisioned.
Outline of this past week, 10/3/09
A lot was covered this week in Latin class. One of the things discussed was the due date for the outline of our IA. The purpose of making an outline is so that you (Dr. Stewart) will know what each of us has in mind, so that we can be pointed in the right direction. I honestly could benefit from this, the IA is looming over my head and is a big cloud that I worry will rain on me, so I should start getting my IA together very soon.
We are also continuing to translate Daphne and Apollo. Daphne is running from Apollo, who is following her and trying to pacify her by telling her he is not just any man and is pursuing her as a lover and not an enemy. Personally, Apollo is starting to get creepy, although I acknowledge he can't control how he feels. I hope something exciting happens in the story, and that Apollo captures Daphne and takes me by surprise by his actions. To me, it'd be a lot more interesting than him chasing her for the large majority of the story.
We are also continuing to translate Daphne and Apollo. Daphne is running from Apollo, who is following her and trying to pacify her by telling her he is not just any man and is pursuing her as a lover and not an enemy. Personally, Apollo is starting to get creepy, although I acknowledge he can't control how he feels. I hope something exciting happens in the story, and that Apollo captures Daphne and takes me by surprise by his actions. To me, it'd be a lot more interesting than him chasing her for the large majority of the story.
Fire Simile, 9/20/09
When I read the simile that is comparing Apollo's love for Daphne to a fire that burns a field of stocks and a hedge, I realized that Apollo loves Daphne so much more than I originally imagined. He doesn't have a small crush on her, his love for her is a fiery, burning, fierce passion that engulfs all of him ("the god burst into flames, his whole chest on fire"). I think that the fire in the field is the stronger, more meaningful fire for a number of reasons. A field with stalks is a lot larger than a hedge, and the field grows grains. Grains are one of our sources of food, and if all our food is burnt, then there is no way we can survive. I saw this as representative of the fact that Apollo loves Daphne so much that she is essential to his life, in the same manner that grains are essential toward humans as food. Without Daphne, Apollo is nothing and his life means nothing, because she is all he can think about. Another reason I felt that the fire in the field is the more meaningful one is because it is much harder to put out a fire in the field than it is to put out a fire burning a hedge - and symbolically it would be near impossible to put out Apollo's love for Daphne.
Reflection on Daphne and Apollo, 9/13/09
I find the story of Daphne and Apollo, by Ovid, to be very interesting. While reading I have made a number of observations, both about the plot/characters and about Ovid's writing style.
Apollo is very arrogant and conceited, for example in line 456 where he refers to Cupid as "naughty boy" (lascive puer). Cupid's personality is the exact opposite - he is childish and immature as can be seen when he tells Apollo he is about to shoot him with his arrows. I feel that these two characters represent opposite ends of the spectrum, with a spoiled, bratty child on one end and an arrogant, overly proud adult god on the other. I prefer Apollo to Cupid and I am sure anyone reading this story would be inclined to prefer one character over another, especially the one that they are more similar to in personality.
I have noticed two reoccuring trends in Ovid's writing. The first is that he tends to use the 'royal plural' (nostra(s)) a lot in quotes from Apollo and Cupid. It seems that he uses it when a character is saying something and is trying to exclude the person that they are speaking to by lumping everyone else in with himself. An example of this is line 465, "your glory is less than ours" (tanto minor est tua gloria nostra). I've also noticed that Ovid uses a verb once and when translating in English, the verb is said twice, but in the Latin text, the verb only appears once in the sentence. This is different from English con structions, where we say the verb as many times as we use it. Lines 463-464 of the text are an example of this in Latin.
I am excited to read the rest of the story, as the plot is getting very interesting!
Apollo is very arrogant and conceited, for example in line 456 where he refers to Cupid as "naughty boy" (lascive puer). Cupid's personality is the exact opposite - he is childish and immature as can be seen when he tells Apollo he is about to shoot him with his arrows. I feel that these two characters represent opposite ends of the spectrum, with a spoiled, bratty child on one end and an arrogant, overly proud adult god on the other. I prefer Apollo to Cupid and I am sure anyone reading this story would be inclined to prefer one character over another, especially the one that they are more similar to in personality.
I have noticed two reoccuring trends in Ovid's writing. The first is that he tends to use the 'royal plural' (nostra(s)) a lot in quotes from Apollo and Cupid. It seems that he uses it when a character is saying something and is trying to exclude the person that they are speaking to by lumping everyone else in with himself. An example of this is line 465, "your glory is less than ours" (tanto minor est tua gloria nostra). I've also noticed that Ovid uses a verb once and when translating in English, the verb is said twice, but in the Latin text, the verb only appears once in the sentence. This is different from English con structions, where we say the verb as many times as we use it. Lines 463-464 of the text are an example of this in Latin.
I am excited to read the rest of the story, as the plot is getting very interesting!
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