Down Write Funny

Confessions of 1st semester College Student “You never really appreciate something until it is gone”. This is a very well-known quote that I never fully understood until now. High school was so easy for me. It was a piece of cake and I breezed right through it easily never having to study for anything while also being involved in so many extracurricular activities as well as working two jobs at one point. Oh how easy and simple life was for me only a few months ago...and yet I thought i had it rough then. I have always had a little of an immortal attitude about me and I am just used to flying through life feeling unstoppable, that is until I entered my Freshman year of college. Do not get me wrong, when I first started I had the same High School mindset as before, and in the beginning I did very well. Life was going good for me. I had a boyfriend whom I undoubtedly loved with all of my heart. I had a new college church group who was very supportive. I had great friends who really ...

Happiness: Subjective Versus Objective     When I think of happiness, I think of the feeling a parent gets the first time they see their newborn child, or the first time a parent introduces their kid to the new family pet, or when I make a good grade on a test I stressed over for days while studying for. All of these examples have something in common, it is something that happens to you, or something that you get and as the end result, you feel the emotion of being happy. So, before reading this book, this is how I would have described happiness. As an adjective or a way of feeling. I would have described it as an emotion, and I would have left it at that. I also would have told you that I believe that everyone aspires to reach a level of happiness at some point in their lifetime. We see that Aristotle would agree with this statement, because he says “ As for its name, then, it is pretty much agreed on by most people; for both the many and the refined say that it...

The Just Versus the Unjust     Throughout the first two books, it is very evident that there is a disagreement on a particular subject. This is the subject of the Just and the Unjust and which is the superior of the two. There are two characters debating this subject both arguing that their side is best, however, both sides cannot be correct in this matter. If they were, then they would contradict themselves. The character Socrates is all for Justice and believes that it is a noble and virtuous way of living that will be better for you in the long run. However, the character Thrasymachus is all for the Unjust way of living and all that it can accomplish for you in the present. They talk about whether it is good for a body to just be a body, or whether it needs something else to be satisfactory. This is mentioned in reference to a body needing a way of life, whether just or unjust and which would be better for the body to survive.     Thrasymachus’ outl...

Relationship Between the Gods and the Fates     The gods of Olympus, who control all elements of the physical world and manipulate humans to act in their interest, are not strangers to their hierarchy of authority. Their control of earth and sky portrays an image of all-encompassing might, but in reality they, too, are subject to a higher power. Throughout the Aeneid, the Fates are referenced repeatedly as the beings that establish the deaths and ultimate destinations of humans. These three beings possess the authority to write the end of a story, but the gods are able to interact with the process, changing the course of events to fulfill their individual wants on the path to fated destinations. Although we see that the gods and Fates are always working together, it is evident that the gods are aware of the higher power that the Fates possess. Therefore, whatever destinies the Fates have chosen for the people are never altered leaving the end result the will of ...

Does Aeneas Really Love Dido?      The Aeneid contains multiple instances of conflicting emotions, one of which is a struggle between loyalty to a nation and commitment to relationships. This is emphatically demonstrated in Aeneas’ relationship with Dido when Jupiter commands him to leave his wife to found Alba Longa. Aeneas unquestioningly obeys, showing that his love for Dido is second to his mission to found a second Troy. In addition, many question whether Aeneas genuinely felt affection for her due the fact that Juno and Venus manipulated “ Aeneas and lovesick Dido” (4.146) during a hunting trip, which culminated in their marriage. While Dido’s infatuation with Aeneas is already established, the text gives no indication that the king has mutual feelings prior to this interference. However, regardless of his love for Dido before their marriage, Aeneas possesses deep love for his wife even after her suicide. Aeneas truly loves Dido, and although this a...

My name is Cidney Daugherty and this is my Great Books blog. I will be posting about the books we read in class, topics we discuss, things I do not understand, things I find interesting, things I find funny and much more! I am a freshman here at Faulkner and this is my first time experiencing Great Books, however I have a sister who is a senior here at Faulkner who is entering her last year of Great Books and I have heard so many good things about it from her over the past few years that she has been in the class. I cannot wait to experience all of the good novels we will read and all the new things I will learn from them!