Journal Entries

Miahje Williams
Sep 6, 2018 · 7 min read

Date: August 30, 2018

Location: Alaine Locke Hall

Time: 1 hour 20 minutes (11:10 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.)

Today I finally took the test on Narcissus and Oedipus Tyrannus that I have spent the majority of the week preparing for. Surprisingly the test was not as hard as I anticipated it to be. However, I am certain that I got two questions wrong that required me to write the names of some of the characters in the stories. To ensure that this does not happen again and that I score a one hundred percent, I plan to focus more on the character list of a story in the future. The questions that I got wrong were questions regarding the two names of specific characters in the story Oedipus Tyrannus. In the next myth that we read and analyze, I will write down the names of all of the characters as well as specific characterization details that pertain to them. This will be done as I read the stories. Various scientific studies suggest that by writing down notes, ones memory can be boosted as well as their ability to retain and understand the information being read. By doing this I am certain that I will not experience forgetting the names of characters ever again on a test.

After taking the test, as a class we all engaged in productive conversation regarding the biggest philosophical questions that we as humans have. In addition, we also discussed how the philosophy of these questions explores the role that questions play into our everyday lives. During the class discussion, we were able to conclude that these questions of our deepest collective intellectual endeavors is simply a demonstration of our insatiable human curiosity, something that all individuals have in common. We ask questions to seek explanations even if those very same explanations go well beyond our immediate practical concerns or what we can fathom. In class, we had the opportunity to thoroughly explore this notion and determine exactly why it so important to find answers to such philosophical questions about life and the human experience. Towards the middle of the class period, we then delved into the topic of what is our life purpose and why were humans placed on the earth in the first place?

Some people live life with a purpose while some people just respond to what the world delivers them. A life purpose is not something you do, or something you have. What specific actions an individual decides to take is an expression of a life purpose. Having a life purpose guides all your choices and helps to distinguish what life path you should take. It is the compelling reason to be who you are. As I stated previously, although I understand what it means to have a life purpose, I had a hard time determining what exactly our life purpose is during the class discussion. “What is our life purpose?” is such a complex question due to how specific the question is. A life purpose is something that is unique to each individual because each individual was placed on planet earth for a different reason. I believe that this is not a question that can be addressed once and for all humans collectively but rather each person. However, attentively listening to the class discussion made me realize that discovering ones life purpose is something worth doing due to the many benefits that it provides.

When an individual knows their life purpose, they tend to live a more meaningful existence than those who do not. They tend to live each day of their lives to the fullest because they know they are, where they come from, and where they are heading in the future. People who do not /know their purpose in life are not clear about what they want, and often times waste their time on fruitless things. People who know their true purpose in life usually shape their life accordingly. Furthermore, when you have a purpose in life, you express it constantly and base your decisions, thoughts, feelings and actions around that life purpose.

Date: August 30, 2018

Location: Shower

After class I thought of a few life philosophical questions that I have of my own that were not discussed in class and that I did not include in last weeks homework assignment. They are listed below:

  • What is the single most important issue the world needs to address?
  • Does a person’s name influence who they become as an adult?
  • Why do we dream?
  • Does hardship really make a person stronger?

Date: September 3, 2018

Location: Desk in dorm room

Time: 3 hours (7:00–10:00 p.m.)

In order to prepare for tomorrows class period, I spent my night completing my mythology homework. My homework consisted of reading the first few pages in the classical mythology textbook, completing the corresponding questions, and working on my journal that needs to be completed later on during the week. The questions assigned were mainly based on the reading and dealt with determining what is classical mythology, what is it importance, and why should we explore it. At first glance this seems like to be a very easy assignment. But the complexity of classical mythology really made me think about this genre of literature as a whole and how it is such a staple in the American English curriculum. I have discussed the weight of classical mythology and its momentous impact in previous text, but I begin to understand this more and more as I explore the world of ancient mythology. In the following paragraphs I have drafted my response to each area of this question after reading and analyzing the text.

Classical mythology can be defined as the study of myths from the ancient Greek and Roman culture. They are vivid stories that were often used or transformed by cultural reception and passed down from generation to generation. All classical myths share one thing in common which is the presence of supernatural beings such as Gods or Goddesses, monsters, and heroes that interacted with human beings. Classical myth cover a vast area of subject material ranging from poetry, drama, and science.

Classical mythology is extremely important. These myths were an integral part of ancient Greek culture because this was how they passed down life lessons from one generation to another generation. It is a reflection of a civilizations past, and provides insight on actual historical events. There are a number of historical truths presented to society as traditional myths. Classical myths are often times used to account for the present, to make sense of the past, to explain a geological phenomenon, for entertainment, and for identity purposes. (All of these are examples that are present in both the text Narcissus and Oedipus Tyrannus) It is for these very reasons that classical myths should be studied and explored because it can provide one with a great deal of knowledge.

Date: September 4, 2018

Location: Alaine Locke Hall

Time: 1 hour 20 minutes (11:10 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.)

American culture encompasses the customs and traditions of the United States. It is defined as our religion, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, the holidays we celebrate, and a plethora of other things. Today we discussed American culture and the many parallels that existed between that and classical myths. Americans, or human beings for that matter, experience and participate in stories and myths in various ways. This is most present today through ritual, reenactment, or engaging in sacred customs and traditions. One common example of this is during Thanksgiving when we prepare and eat a formal dinner and during Easter when we attend church plays and participate in affirmations such as prayer and thought. Although I have discussed this before, it is mind boggling to me how influential classical mythology is to American society and pop culture. Whether we agree or not, it is impossible to refute that certain aspects of classical mythology is embedded into our everyday life. This is most notable in the customs and rituals that we have on various holidays like Thanksgiving and Easter. This is also present in modern day films as they often demonstrate themes and archetypes from Greek and Roman mythology. The movie Star Wars is a primary example of this. The Titans, Hercules, and Homer and Troy are some other key examples.

Towards the end of the class period we had the opportunity to briefly go over The Trojan War cycles and the corresponding literature. I really enjoy the story of The Trojan War as I studied it a lot in my middle school years therefore I am elated to revisit the topic this semester. What intrigues me the most about The Trojan War is that is still subject to debate on whether or not this was a true event or a complete fabrication of the human mind. Throughout my academic career I was always under the impression that The Trojan War was based on a historical event of a Greek expedition against the city of Troy. However, it is debatable whether or not the Homeric poems were accurate representations of the actual events of the war. The events of the Trojan War were portrayed in many works of Greek literature but there is not a single shred of authoritative text that exists which tells the entire story of the war. Instead, the story is complied from many different sources, which sometimes report contradictory versions of events.

Date: September 5, 2018

Location: Desk in dorm room

Time: 3 hours 39 minutes (6:42- 10:21 p.m.)

In order to prepare for the next class period I read book eleven in the Odyssey. Contrary to the myth Oedipus Tyrannus, I did not enjoy this myth as much. This was mainly because I had a harder time understanding the text. I had to reread several parts of the text in the very beginning and even then I was sometimes unsure of what exactly was occurring and the author’s purpose of writing the story. One reason for this may because again similar to Old English literature, the language in classical mythology is so much different from todays language both phonologically and semantically. Additionally, the book mentioned of other myths that I have very little to no knowledge on so it was harder for me to make the various connections. I made sure to take notes while reading and look up stories or concepts that I was unfamiliar with, but it is my hope that I will be provided with some clarification in tomorrows class period. In addition to completing the assigned reading, I finalized my weekly journal by creating this last entry and checking the other ones for grammatical and spelling errors and cohesiveness.