It’s still a bit mind-boggling that I can read and understand ancient texts in their original language. Coming to college, I wasn’t initially planning on taking Ancient Greek, but now I can’t imagine not following it through until I graduate. It was also just so much fun to read these interesting texts in a small, casual environment. I was worried at the beginning of the semester that the summer had made me rusty, but this class felt incredibly low-stakes and I was able to leave some of my insecurities behind.
The part of this class that stands out the most is all of the opportunities for creativity. I had so much fun doing my Apodeixis, and it was clear that everyone else felt the same way about theirs. The openness of the prompts meant that every Ergon and every Apodeixis was completely different, and I found myself going through the Erga tab in awe at the ingenuity of my classmates. When Frank told me that they were going to do their Apodeixis on Dungeons and Dragons, I realized that I could talk about whatever I wanted to as long as it could be connected to the theme of the class. (I’m still kind of stunned that I was able to talk about David Cronenberg twice, rant about goth music for over five minutes, and have it all tie into what we were learning.) As I watched the other Apodeixis presentations, I really enjoyed learning what my peers were interested in and how it tied to Greek.
Along the same vein, tying things like D&D and goth music to the theme of the class felt similar to learning all of the ways that the absurd creatures in Lucian’s True History mirrored Ancient Greek life. Lamptown in particular fascinates me because Lucian walks the fine line between absurd fiction and social critique. When taken at face value, the lamps are no stranger than the horse-vultures with cabbage wings but what makes them so interesting is the fact that Lucian is playing with the real fear of tools taking over and, more specifically, a loss of control over slaves. It was usually the job of an enslaved person to make sure the lamps burned all night, meaning they were more likely to see or overhear something private. Lucian writes that the inhabitants of Lamptown all belong to people on Earth, but by making this the only time that his character feels scared, he toes the line of commenting on the class structures. Right when he’s about to make a hard and fast critique, he changes the subject by sailing off to a place called ‘Cloudcukooland.’ These small glimpses into life in Ancient Greece were so fascinating because they made me look deeper into the meanings behind the absurdity.
This entire class experience has given me a new perspective on comparing Ancient Greek ideas, tropes, and themes to the present. I’m very glad I had the opportunity to take this class.
