Dream Log!

Last night I had a dream that related to the tale of Prometheus. I was bound to a tree (similarly to how Prometheus was bound to a rock), and I was viciously attacked by a dog, which was absolutely horrifying. I found that this was too similar to Prometheus to be a coincidene so I may have been thinking about the myth. I also wonder what the significance of this dream is, if any at all. Also, I dreamt of oceans surrounding me, however I could not find any similaritites between this event and Prometheus. In general I found this dream to be interesting and relatable to greek myth.

Response to Prometheus Bound Homework

As assigned for class on Monday, I read and interpreted Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound. This piece went through a dramatic tale involving Prometheus, Zeus, and Chorus. In this tale, after Prometheus disrespected Zeus by stealing fire for human beings, Prometheus was punished by being chained to a rock. The only way he would be released from the rock is if he exposed the secret of the marriage. Throughout the entirety of the text, Prometheus' character showed through. More specifically, Prometheus showed the readers that he is very stubborn but also wise nonetheless. He continuously was stubborn to Zeus by not exposing the secret, and was also very taunting to him. As learned from class, taunting and making a God like Zeus upset is not a wise thing to do.

Different themes were found throughout the read which I found to be interesting. The notion of friendship was brought up along with the idea of tyranny, which Zeus encompasses. Prometheus constantly brings up the idea of friendship with Zeus. Hephaestus has trouble binding Prometheus to the mountain because he values his friendship with Hephaestus over Zeus' rule.

The Chorus, despite counseling obedience throughout the play, quickly changes at the conclusion of the story to announce that friendship is a greater value. Furthermore, at least one main reason for Prometheus's punishment is that he values his friendship with human beings above reverence for Zeus. The reason Zeus cannot understand the concept of friendship resides in his self-confidence and the accompanying belief that all must obey his rule. Prometheus's insistence and persistency on the importance of friendship, which is emphasized by the Chorus, suggests that obedience is only secondary. Zeus's tyranny appears as evil and misguided rather than deserved and just. In terms of morality, Prometheus believes it is better to be loved than feared [1].

[1] Aeschylus, and Deborah H. Roberts. Prometheus Bound. Hackett Publishing, 2012.

Hesiod's Theogony

Also assigned for homework was to read Hesiod's Theogony. I reflected on this read below:

Delving into Hesiod’s Theogony,  I found that this is a cosmogony,  as stated in the text itself.  prior to this I have never heard of a cosmogony.  this meant that the physical universe was itself made up of gods and Hesiod’s poem describes how the universe came into existence.

The poem started out with chaos the space in which creation takes place. Then Gaia (Earth),  is formed along with Tartaros which played the role as the underworld.  Gaia then produced Ouranos which was the sky then the mountains and the sea. Therefore 110 trace the development of the physical features of the universe by the success of gods that came into being.  it is different for the Greeks however who is universe isn't just filled with places but with unseen forces and different ideas. The audience learns the creation of everything between day and night to truth and pain.

Interestingly enough the main figure of the Theogony is Zeus and this whole poem could be read as a collective biography of the greatness of this God. Although the world is created prior to this is birth Zeus is the one to put the stamp of the final impression on to the world that the Greeks knew and was also able to destroy and keep off all those who threaten his authority in order to show this eternal rule.

For homework, we were assigned to read Hesiod's Works and Days. This read was a didactic poetry that contained instructional and informative qualities. As seen from the title, this read embodied daily life and work and formed a shepherd's calendar. It may have been written against a background of an agrarian crisis in mainland Greece, which inspired a wave of documented colonizations in search of new land[1].

After an introduction from Zeus and the Muses, the initial portion of the poem is an ethical enforcement of true labour and guidance from idleness and strife. The second section consisted of rules and tips regarding agriculture and farming. The final portion is a religious calendar of the months, with remarks on the days most lucky or the contrary for rural or nautical employments.

I found this read to be extremely intriguing as it emphasized that God’s prefer labor over idleness, which makes complete sense. Those who voluntarily work hard are favored over those who stay stationary and do not contribute to society. I also found it interesting how early in history this societal notion was expressed, and ideally I realize that our society is based off of this idea. We find hard workers to be favored over those who are idle, and this is a result of ideas from around 700 BCE.

Again it is seen where greek myth has played a role in our society today, and this discovery is rather remarkable. It is interesting that the thought was that God’s sought after hard work, while in modern society it is high business executives, experienced medical professionals, and other high achieving positions which contain this similar quality which God had on ancient civilizations.

Works Cited: Mastin, Luke. "Works and Days - Hesiod - Ancient Greece - Classical Literature." Works and Days - Hesiod - Ancient Greece - Classical Literature. Accessed March 07, 2016


 [1] Mastin, Luke. Works and Days

Reflecting on Common Time Today

Today in our FYS common time we focused on the notion of public presentation. With this, we learned the steps of how to present ideas publicly due to the necessity of public presentation in the real world.

I took away a plethora of information from the presentation given by the communication professor. Her aim was to inform us of the process of successfully putting together and executing a presentation with the use of Powerpoint, a universal presentation tool. She took us through the various steps and compared the formation of a presentation to cooking a hamburger, which I found to be extremely helpful.

She stated how the meat of the burger must be cooked first before you can put the toppings and bun on, thus the body or content of the presentation must be created first before the introduction, conclusion, and everything in between, is added to the presentation. To me this information is something I’ll take with me throughout the future, not only as a Marist student but throughout my professional life as well.

The Professor also made many valuable points regarding what NOT to do when executing powerpoints. This included putting too much text on one slide, including too many bullets on one slide, and ultimately, having a presentation with too many slides. All of which will bore an audience to the point where they may lose interest in the presentation. The Professor went into further detail about formatting and backgrounds and made a few very wise points that I did not know before. One being the fact that not everyone can see fonts sized below 20, therefore all font sizes should be 20 or above. Backgrounds play a similar role, where colors should contrast with words for easy viewing.

Overall, I found commontime to be extremely helpful in a variety of aspects which I will carry with me through my professional life. I hope to learn more on the topic of public presentation as I, in contrast to popular belief, enjoy giving presentations and being in front of a crowd.

Reflecting on Class 2/28-Odysseus

Odysseus exhibited god-like qualities in The Odyssey through the use of his intelligence and ability to inspire his men. For example, he fooled a Cyclops by telling him his name was “nobody”, then disguised his men as sheep so that Polyphemus would let them out of his cave.

He also has the ability to keep his men together by earning their loyalty and devotion. Although they faced many dangers,  such as Scylla and Circe, the men continued to show their loyalty to Odysseus and stuck with him.

Odysseus also finds a way to trick his suitors by doing what no other man except Odysseus can do: string his famous bow. By doing so, he has given himself the weapon with which to defeat the suitors and taken them by surprise. His reward? Getting his wife and getting the opportunity to kill his suitors who planned on taking over Odysseus' kingdom. 

However, his wise character does not end there. In efforts to avoid the Sirens, women who lured in sailors by singing beautiful songs, he had his crew put wax in his ears and strap him down so he would not jump off the ship.

I found this to be extremely fascinating as mortals typically do not possess the qualities of a God, as that level is typically almost unreachable. However the tales of Odysseus changes that. So far throughout this First Year Seminar course, Odysseus seems to be the only mortal which possesses such incredible characteristics. This makes him extremely unique and fascinating to learn about.

Works Cited: 
Homer, and Richmond Lattimore. The Odyssey of Homer. New York: Harper & Row, 1967.

Portfolio Prompt #3

1. Slogan: “ Everyday Americans need a Champion. I want to be that champion” -Hillary Clinton

Hilary is telling Americans that she wants to be the champion or winner of America. Typically a champion gives the connotation of a figure who is looked up to and someone who achieves something out of the ordinary and above everyone else.

This slogan is mythic due to her use of the word champion in the slogan. In Greek Myth, a champion is glorified and could be considered a leader. Hillary Clinton wants to be the superior leader from what was said in her slogan. The purpose of chariot racing in mythological times was to see who was the mightiest and most brave of all the Greeks. The notion of “champion” puts an image of a victorious individual who has fought their way to superiority against another. The diction Hillary Clinton uses in the beginning of her slogan- “Everyday Americans”- implies that being a champion is out of the ordinary, which is completely valid. Again, this implies that being a champion is rare.This concept is due to greek myth, and is clearly present in modern society.

In relation to Joseph Campbell's Hero archetype, this fits his definition in regards to the Call To Adventure, where Hillary is taking the challenge and stepping up to compete against her other political competitors.

2. Slogan : "Defeat the Washington Machine. Unleash the American Dream."- Paul Rand

By Paul Rand's political slogan, he is stating that the "Washington Machine", meaning U.S. Government in the White House located in Washington D.C., needs to be taken over and transformed into something preferable to Americans. 

This slogan contains mythic qualities due to the use of the word "Defeat", which is commonly seen in greek mythology. The idea of war and battle is so abundant in mythological tales and plays a huge role in society today. 

This slogan also fits into the pattern of the hero archetype that Joseph Campbell speaks of in various ways. First, the slogan mentions "Unleash the American Dream", which is a distinct Call To Adventure. It makes the hero rise up and tackle a task they are about to face. Second, this slogan fits with Campbell's "Reward", which is releasing the great American Dream to the US Government. 

The diction of the slogan as a whole is very clear and distinct while also relaying a forceful, and almost violent, message. According to Plato's Euthyphro, the Gods always fought and it caused much distress in the heavens and reflected negatively on the Gods who fought with each other. Violence is a commonality among Greek Myth, however it displays power, which is yearned for in Rand's slogan. Citizens (typically) hold respect for individuals of high power.

3. Slogan : "Ready for change, ready to lead"- Hilary Clinton

This slogan stated by Hillary Clinton has a few different meanings that aim to promote her campaign. She first makes note that the time is now for a change, then follows her statement with talking about how she wants to lead. Her slogan encourages people to agree with this notion of change while also displaying to people that she is willing to lead the charge.

The slogan contains mythic qualities. This notion of change and a new leader hints at the idea of revolution, which is a very common topic in greek myth. The country is ready for a change due to possible hardships or struggles that took place during the course of the term of a ruler (in our case a president). Due to the poor judgment and ruling of the leader, the country may call for a change and a new leader would be searched for. Clinton is exhibiting ideas of revolution, where a bad leader is removed from office and is replaced with a good one (implying herself). This is found in many mythological tales such as Cronos, where Cronos overthrew his own father and ruled until his son, Zeus, overthrew him. Hillary Clinton hints at revolution as seen in mythological tales.

4. Slogan: "A political revolution is coming"- Bernie Sanders

By this slogan, Bernie Sanders is stating that with a change of president, there will be an alteration within the government and political office. He could be implying that if he is voted president then a change in government will take place, which is what many, if not most Americans, wish to see.

The slogan is indeed mythic in regards to the verbiage of Sanders' slogan. Sanders stating that "..revolution is coming", provides an image in the audience's head of a destructive and violent change. Similarly to slogan #3, the roots of greek mythology provide us with these mental images which we so effortlessly relate words to, like the term 'revolution' in this case. 

Ritual theory is also present in Bernie Sanders' slogan. One of the characteristics of a ritual is a pattern or behavior that exhibits regularity or repetition. The theme of political revolutions is found in mythological tale when a leader is driving the country into a bad state. In response of a poor leader, citizens look for a change, and ultimately the removal of that leader in exchange for a new and better leader. This also follows another characteristic of ritual which is expression of meaning. American's would not go out of their way to vote for a new political leader if they did not wish for a change. This ritual of change as expressed in Bernie Sander's slogan as well as the action of Americans during this time of political campaigns.

5. Slogan: "Reigniting the Promise of America"- Ted Cruz

Ted Cruz is saying the "promise of America", meaning the greatness of our country when compared to other countries, will be "reignited" or rekindled. He is encouraging his campaign by firing up American's with patriotism.

In regards to being mythic, this slogan has mythological aspects. The word 'Reignite' as used in Cruz's slogan creates a victorious image in the minds of his audience. An event like the Olympics, which originated from the Greeks, a flame is used to light a giant cauldron which signals the start of the Olympics. Therefore, it could be implied that Cruz meant to put this victorious image in our mind that signaled the start of the "Promise of America" which is present in his slogan. 

Ted Cruz's slogan connotes triumph for America (in the context), which is found everywhere in Greek Myth. The purpose of many, if not most, mythological tales revolves around the idea of a triumphant victor. This is similar to politics in the United States, as the purpose of running for a government position is to win. In Cruz's slogan, he is emphasizing this triumph for America, that is, if he is voted for president. As a result of greek myth, civilizations yearn for triumph, and in American elections, that is the ultimate achievement.

Works Cited: 
Plato, and Chris Emlyn-Jones. Euthyphro. London: Bristol Classical Press, 1991.

Sasha Shivers. "MYTH & RITUAL." Prezi.com. Accessed February 28, 2016. 
         https://prezi.com/p07outtxqnzx/myth-ritual/.

Shwartz, Hunter. "The 2016 Presidential Slogans, Ranked." Washington Post. May 8,                    2015. Accessed March 01, 2016. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-                        fix/wp/2015/05/08/the-2016-candidates-slogans-ranked/.