The duality of snow

The dangers of winter

Walkin’ in a winter wonderland plays over my kitchens stereo system and I hate it. It’s a late Sunday morning, and the weather outside is biting. I always ask myself, “Why do New Englanders, of all people, romanticize winter”. We know better than anyone else how bad the weather can get, but year after year we praise the beauty of snow and then proceed to regret ever existing, holed up in our homes, trying to forget life itself. Maybe I’m biased. I know there can be some good side to snow, but when I’m trying to walk my dog, and the windchill is dropping the temp below zero, I’m not buying into the magic of winter. The one good in all the evil of snow lies in a very expected place. One that I would call my third favorite place in my whole house behind my bed and my computer. The candy cabinet, meaning that of course the redeeming quality of winter is the hot chocolate that follows. The sweet sugary taste, the warmth spreading through your body after being outside in the harsh weather. A good hot chocolate can warm any mans heart, and that’s why I keep a stash ready, especially at this time of year. It may not be a trip away from the cause of the cold, but it’s a pretty damn good alternative. So if anyone’s feeling the winter blues, stop by me, and I’ll hook you up with some of that sweet chocolate cure.

Pride in The Iliad

Achilles almost fatal flaw

       As a growing teenager, in a school full of moody boys, I know a thing or two about pride. Through my knowledge of pride though, The Iliad by Homer has somehow managed to show me its application through time and in the world. I started reading this book because of my own pride. I wanted to prove to myself that I could read this book and enjoy it, but The Iliad’s use of pride, on and off the battlefield have helped to show me how dangerous pride can be. The character who I feel most exemplifies this pride to me is Achilles. In the long fight against the Trojans, moral is running low among the Achaeans. They have been pushed back against their ships and as I read each line of Achaean sacrifice and hard fought battle I could hardly think of anything else. And then the story turned to Achilles, the one person who could save everyone, who was sitting on the sidelines eating grapes because of his pride. When I started this book I never expected to read about anything other than constant battle; I didn’t expect to understand the faults of the characters; but most of all I didn’t expect to learn a lesson from them. I said last week that reading The Iliad was like doing a chore, and that you needed to take it as your responsibility, and nearing the end of the book, I wouldn’t disagree. If there would be one thing I could add though, it would be that these chores should also be a lesson, and you shouldn’t do it mindlessly. You should take pride in your work, and make sure you can grow and learn from it.

School Essays

     Whew. School essays. For those of you who are currently going through them like me, you know what I’m talking about. That feeling of your brain slowly turning sour as you sit and write for hours on end. Before I started I was skeptical of that statement, “you’ll be writing for a couple hours per day”. I was thinking “How could I work for several hours everyday, and not finish within the week?” To be honest I’m still asking myself that question now. It’s like midterms. Except it’s over the course of around a month and you can’t make up bad work with your next test and your writing could shape your future and what it holds and your parlantes are sitting behind you the entire time criticizing you. To be short, it sucks, but to be honest, I still think it’s good for me. It’s my “healthy” dose of panic for the year. It’s my driving force that gets me up in the morning. It’s that voice in the back of my head saying “if you don’t do well on this essay than you won’t be successful in life” which maybe isn’t a completely healthy way of going about things but it gets me moving. It has forced me to look at my writing through someone else’s eyes and think about just how bad it is, and then make it better. And sure, maybe I won’t ever have to write about “why I’m diverse” ever again in my life but at the same time I can now tell you why I think I am. These essays are a mixed bag. Like most things in life, you can take them with stride, and learn a lesson from them, despite it being a less than ideal situation, or you can moan and groan and not work your hardest and learn nothing. So as we continue moving forward through the year. Whether applying out or not, I invite everyone who reads this to learn from bad situations, and grow stronger through the pain.

The Iliad reading experience

    Reading the Iliad, in my experience, is like taking care of a dog. Everyone talks about great dogs are, and you always have wanted to own a dog. Once you get the dog though, you realize that you can’t just own a dog and be happy. You have to take care of it, feed it, let it outside, exercise it. Reading The Iliad has been a lot like that. Don’t get me wrong. I love dogs, and I would do anything for mine, but much like The Iliad, if you want to enjoy either of them, you must treat them as your responsibility. Although I know a book isn’t a dog, while reading The Iliad I still felt it required similar attention. I had to think about what I was reading and not just absorb it mindlessly. Once you get into the state of focus that you need to be in to truly read this book nothing can stop you. As the Gods of Olympus watched down at the battle at Troy, I could feel myself watching alongside them. I could feel the pain of every soldier as they fell, leaving behind their wives, children and their nation. It was hard for me to not to feel these emotions once I got into the book, and I feel that anyone else who really took the time to read the Iliad could too. So invite anyone reading this to take time when they can. Get into some comfy clothes when you have the time. Sit down by a fire, or get in your bed. Take a minute to clear your head and don’t just read. Experience. Place yourself in the heads of the characters. Fight on the fields. Push back the Trojans from your ships. Attack a goddess if you want. Whatever you do, immerse yourself in a way that you aren’t just reading The Iliad you are experiencing it.