Hoop-Jumping Champion of the World...

Quote of the Day/Week/Millenium:

I would rather have a nod from an American, than a snuff-box from an emperor. ~Lord Byron

If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.

About me

Name: Sian
I paint, write, and dance. Also cook vegetarian food.

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Thursday, 08 September 2005

Hoop-Jumping Champion of the World...

I'm beginning to realize that part of the reason I'm not in graduate school at this very moment is that I do not jump through hoops well. I don't like doing things just because someone told me to. The reason that I didn't take more Latin while I was an undergrad is because--and I'm probably the only Classics major in the world who believes this--ancient Greeks did not speak Latin. I want to study ancient Greece. (As opposed to modern Greeks, who are an entirely extracurricular interest) I have very specific reasons for this, and very specific areas I want to study, but the major deciding factor in all graduate admissions is whether you speak Latin. Never mind my GPA, recommendations, or GRE scores (Psych. Major friend, who's already in grad-school --evidentally, schizophrenics don't speak Latin, either--informs me that I rock, by the way) they want Latin. So, now, I am taking Latin. Hoop of the year, I think.
Day one? Okay. Day One: Professor goes over some basic Roman Cultural stuff. Short version? The Romans' main areas of innovation were civil engineering and bureaucracy. If you want to study literature, art, music, or anything else which is good and holy, study the Greeks. He assigns the introduction to the book (yes, that book) and about two paragraphs of the actual text. Three for those of us who enrolled in the 400 level class.
Oh, good. Nobody else speaks Latin, either.
So, then, he gives us instructions on the correct way to take notes--he's going to check up on this, by the way-- he wants a modified cornell note thing, with three columns instead of just two. Naturally, I looked at his system, added a column, and then wrote the whole thing out in mirror image.
I was being facetious.
Now, my general annoyance at being told how to take my notes is beginning to wear off, so I'll probably re-copy the damned thing with the appropriate number of columns this evening.
It's not that his way doesn't work, it's just that I've been doing translations in one, particular way since I was eleven, and I have no real intention of switching to humor one, transitory professor. Plus, I have a tendency to be very, very syntax oriented, and now, he's doing the vocabulary thing, with a slash-and burn-attitude toward syntax. So, I'm doing it my way, banging out something to keep him happy--is five words enough for his vocab list? No? Well, I'll add a few more.
And, I guess that the general idea--to make students comfortable with reading latin--is sorta... well, not horrible. But I want precision.
At least I want a dictionary that doesn't look quite so cute next to my Giga Liddel.
Hell, this thing even looks cute next to my Little Liddel.

P.S. For those of you who are completely out of touch with all things classical, Liddel and Scott compiled the most brilliant Greek Lexicon ever created. It comes in three levels of abridgement--Giga, Middle and Little.