Gods, But Not Heroes.

I asked three students the five questions given in the instructions to the blog post.

1. Michael V., Sunday morning, via text.

a) yeah, sure.

b) yes, i’m Jewish.

c) yes

d) yes, there’s a story about King Solomon, King of Israel who died in the 900s BC. the story goes that two women came to home fighting over a baby which each women claimed to be hers. to solve issue, king Solomon proposed an idea: they could split the baby in half an each women would get half the baby. when one women readily agreed and the other did not, the king knew write away who the real mother was.

e) the major thing to learn from this story is his wisdom. he was known all around             the world for it. not much of a value, but rather holds historical value.

2. Rahel S., Monday afternoon, In the library.

a) yeah

b) yes, i’m Israeli.

c) yes

d) yes, someone very important to our people is the former prime minister of                   Israel,  Golda Meir. Meir was born in the Ukraine and then moved to the United States with her family. Golda’s parents did not support her education so she moved away and completed high school on her own. she later moved to Israel and became their first female prime minister. She was a political activist almost her whole life and was extremely influential.

e) Growing up, Golda Meir had always been an inspiration to us girls. so many people told her she couldn’t achieve what she did because of her gender and she proved them all wrong. she was an incredible feminist icon to so many of us and opened up so many minds about the capabilities of women.

3. Sammie D., Monday afternoon, in the libary

a) yes

b) Yes, im from Haiti

c) yes

d) yes, Toussaint Louverture. He was one of the main leaders of the Haitian Revolution. he was partially responsible for the independence of my country. even throughout slavery, he encouraged the people and never gave up.

e) it teaches us to never give up and to always be positive and have hope, which is something we need in this day and age and looking back at this hero gives us hope even today.

In all three interviews, the students spoke about someone who was great among their people because of what that person had done for others. Golda Meir for women, King Solomon for the Israelites, and Toussaint Louverture for the Haitian people. In the Greek mythologies, the gods are portrayed as selfish, and do thing that benefit themselves without any care for anyone else. they act impulsively on emotion and do not consider the consequences of their actions on others. “Even furious Juno, now plaguing the land and sea and sky with terror: she will mend her ways and hold dear with me
these Romans, lords of the earth, the race arrayed in togas” (Virgil, 3). In this quote, it shows how the goddess Juno acted out of her own anger and emotions, against the benefit of the people, and very selfishly.

Gabriella, Team Hestia

People are different in their own ways..

For this last blog I interviewed my friends that are not in our classics class with me. And asked them these given questions

1. Are you comfortable if I ask you some questions about you ethnicity and origins?  Can I write about your answers on a public class blog?
2. Do you identify yourself with an country or ethnicity beyond the United States of America?  If so, which one?
3. How have you learned about the origins/history/past/importance of that place? (If they feel no strong connection to other place or identity, then ask them to talk about being American.)
4. Is there one person, maybe a hero or ‘wiseman’ or king or law-giver, that is important to your people–someone people tell stories about, maybe legendary, maybe true?  Can you tell me a story?
5. What values do you think that story teaches?  Are those values important in the traditions of your people?  how?

The first person I interviewed is my best friend Temurbek. I talked to him front of James Hall at 1:30 on Monday afternoon. He was comfortable with me asking questions about his ethnicity and origins. He was also ok with his answers being written in my blog. The country he identify himself with other than America is  Uzbekistan. He learned about the origin, culture from his parents and from the school he went to in Uzbekistan. He talked about a legend who is a leader called Amir Temur who conquered half of Asia and was respected by many people for being a wise king. The story taught him how even if you are small and not powerful; you can still achieve great things. Its all about believing in yourself.

The second person I interviewed was Maria. We were having lunch Tuesday afternoon around 3 Pm. She was comfortable with me asking questions about her ethnicity and origins. She was ok with me posting it on my blog as well. The country she identified herself with other than America is Mexico. She was born there but was only one years old when she moved to United states. She did not learn about her culture or went to school there. Her parents did not teach her much either. She is Americanized and when I asked her about a hero from united states or a story. She talked about Alexander the Great. She said how she learned about him in high school and knows how he did great things for people and remembers him as a good military leader.She was having a hard time coming up with any story. She just said how he taught her the true definition of a leader. Someone who suppose to take actions for his country and really prove himself.

The third and the last person I talked to was my friend siam through Instagram. We talked on Monday night around 11 pm. The country he identify himself as other than America is Bangladesh. He said that he does not have strong connection with his origin, mostly because his entire family lives in the United states and never really had chance to connect with his culture. He likes being American because there is more acceptance and more room to grow for an individual. There are not forced rules that one has to follow. If he could talk about a story then he described Bangladesh independence story. He did not remember the name of the president but he does remember that the president of Bangladesh during a war against Pakistan gathered massive amount of people to fight for their country. It was a time when they had no military or any help from any country or economic stability. The president had done the impossible and my friend will always remember that. He finds that impressive. The lesson that he learned from that victory story is that when there is a will, there will always be a way. He learned that hardwork and dedication towards a goal can make anyone achieve great things.

The quote that I’m using today is ”But Aeneas, dusty-bound, his mind restless with worries all that night, reached a firm resolve as the fresh day broke, out he goes to explore the strange terrian” (Vergil). This shows how dedicated he has been. He is a warrior, a leader who shows his identity in his actions. His ability to accept his destined path even being unhappy in doing so makes him a graceful hero. He cared for the people and showed his heroism with his actions. He obeyed faith which is one of the reasons behind him being a good leader. He relates to the leader described by my friend Temur and Siam. They both described leaders who putted their people and jobs first. Just like Aeneas, they were determined and respected then and now. Fizza Saeed, Team Hermes

Global Heroes

Hussain, Basement 11pm

Hussain is from Puerto Rico and Egypt. He doesn’t know too much of his countries’ past/history but he does know of the story of President Mubarak. He learned of this story through family conversations and watching television broadcasts. President Mubarak began governing Egypt in 1981. His rule began to crumble as police brutality arose. Online protests began and soon after, marches, civil disobedience, and demonstrations caused the spark of the 2011 revolution. Hussain, while watching all of this occur from America, learned that anything is possible when people come together with a common goal.

Aline, Basement 11pm

Aline is from Mexico. She has learned of her country’s history through family and school. One significant story she has learned is about the Mexican War of Independence. Spanish conquests in Mexico ended with bloodshed and territorial expansion. Mexican independence movements began soon after and war broke out in 1810. Many Mexican commanders sacrificed their lives to help Mexico achieve independence. Aline learned from this story that nothing in life is handed to you. She learned that she must work hard to get what she wants.

Elliot, Basement 11pm

Elliot is from Latvia. He learned of his country’s history through his family. A great story he learned of his country is the rise of Kristaps Porzingis. Surrounded by crime, his mother worked all day to put food on Porzingis’ table. Skinny and constantly fatigued due to anemia issues, Porzinigs’ path to NBA fame was not easy. Porzingis would constantly be underestimated by his Spanish league coaches. “He’s too skinny to have an impact” was a sentiment he heard throughout his basketball life. How could a fatigued skinny 7-footer be able to affect a game of basketball? Porzingis answered this question quickly. He proved himself to be able to lead an NBA franchise, the New York Knicks, and have a global impact. He is now the star of New York and has transformed the perception of Latvia. From a crime-ridden country to a now prospering nation, Porzingis has truly transformed Latvia. Press reports and media stepped foot into his hometown, Liepaja. He showed how his country truly is and has even been discussed in NATO discussions. Porzingis has shown Elliot that no matter where you come from, you can make it big. Elliot learned to not limit himself and to reach for the stars, the same way Porzingis did.

Analysis

During Ceasar’s rise, he allied with Crassus and Pompey. In the Lives of Illustrious Men Excerpts, Pompey’s death is described in great detail. “The head was cut from the lifeless body; such an action had been unknown before this time. The rest of the body, thrown into the Nile and burned on a funeral pile by Servius Codrus, was buried in a tomb with this inscription: Here lies Pompey the Great.” This relates to the death of many Mexicans during the Mexican War of Revolution. Mexicans were slaughtered by the masses at the hands of the Spanish. Similarly, Egyptians were killed at the hands of the police during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. These stories all have similar themes of unity. With a common goal, many people join forces to achieve something considered impossible.

-Ahmed, Team Mars