Helen of Troy

She was the daughter of Zeus and Leda, the wife of Menelaus, and the sister of Castor, Polydeuces and Clytemnestra. Helen of Troy appears in many accounts of Greek history, but they are not always consistent with each other in terms of accuracy. Her origins and history differ from tale to tale; however, they do all project the same image of Helen—the attractive, sought-after daughter of Zeus. Here, Virgil’s account of Helen of Troy in The Aeineid is the focus.

The Aeneid portrays Helen as an extremely desirable woman, the most beautiful that there is in the land. She is married to Melenaus, but when Paris abducts her, havoc breaks out and events escalate into the Trojan War; hence, she is “the face that launched a thousand ships.” As time goes on, we learn more about Helen. However, questions remain: Did a Helen of Troy exist, and if so, was she really the case of Troy’s destruction? How much of Virgil’s story involving her was accurate?

One thing to note—

In book II of the Aeneid, Helen is hiding in the midst of the war that she has, indirectly or partially directly, caused. Aeneas finds her and resolves to kill her, bitter over the thought that Helen should sail happily after causing so the wreckage. However, Venus, Aeneas’ mother, appears and tells him not to blame “Helen’s face” for the war. Aeneas and Venus’ reactions are just examples of the general attitude towards Helen that seemed to be present. Helen was certainly a beautiful woman for people to say that her beauty caused the war; however, in the story, her bloodline also made her significant. Being the daughter of Zeus, she would be a woman of some importance regardless of her looks. It is quite unlikely for only a woman’s beauty to cause an entire war. If Helen existed, it would be more believable to note that that ships were sent after Helen because she also had some rank on her side; perhaps she was the daughter of an equally influential man in Troy.

The question is: are Virgil's writings based off of an actual Helen of Troy, a lady of significant rank and beauty that has been embellished in her retelling?

Well, archaeologists have found that evidence shows that Troy did exist, and scholars tend to agree on that fact. In Troy: The Myth and Reality Behind the Epic Legend, Nick McCarty explains that Troy was indeed an actual city, and much of Virgil's description of it as a rich, populated capital is true. However, archaeologists have found that evidence also shows that the time periods of Virgil’s writings are not consistent with the actual dates found from aged relics. Because of inconsistencies like these, we can see that Virgil’s writing is not to be taken as a pure account of events. Helen of Troy may have been slightly or entirely romanticized.

Stefan Lovgren writes in the Los Angeles for National Geographic News that there is some evidence to support the fact that the city’s destruction in 1250 B.C. “does not appear to have been caused by war but an earthquake.” There may not have been one major, destructive war, and thus the question of whether it was over a "Helen of Troy" would be irrelevant. Any Trojan War could have been caused by tension between the Greeks and the Hittite empire, caused by a rivalry for power.

My conclusion is that Helen of Troy was an iconic and important character in Virgil’s take on Troy’s downfall. Whether she was real or not is disputed; however, scholars agree that Helen of Troy is not a plausible cause of the war. Virgil probably found his inspiration for Helen from real women, or maybe even based her off of one significant woman, but there is no archaeological evidence that Helen of Troy caused a war, and no evidence that Helen of Troy existed.

Works cited:

Virgil. Virgil's Aeineid.

Lovgren, Stefan. Is Troy True? The Evidence Behind Movie Myth. 2004. Web.

McCarty, Nick. Troy: The Myth and Reality Behind the Epic Legend. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2008. Print.

leaders & failures

prompt: leaders & failures (general)

Leaders are never perfect. They don't go through success to more success to perfection. Some hit the ground running, while some fall and keep falling. Through this, some leaders keep their eyes focused on their goals and eventually get back up. And for some of these leaders who get back up, these failures keep them grounded and experienced.

In fact, I think more of leaders who show weakness or encounter failure. Not specifically because they fail; failure doesn't automatically garner respect in my mind. No, I'm talking about when the leader doesn't allow himself or herself to be put out of commission by their failures, someone who doesn't allow themselves to be demoralized. When they continue to lead and get back up, that's one thing that causes me to gain respect for them. Working through weakness and acknowledging one's own shortcomings is one important aspect of being a leader. A strong, unshakable will and a grounded spirit is something that makes a leader great.

Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln had a lot of their own struggles. Roosevelt had a weak body, Lincoln failed in business and in running for a vice president, and both had opposition and criticizers. But reality is, nobody is without weaknesses. Struggles can make you stronger if you choose to learn from it rather than be beaten by it. These two are people that I would say chose to overcome their struggles and failures.

I think you have a...COMMUNICATION ERROR!

How do you have a puzzle without pieces, a home without bricks, a friendship without any friends?

Similarly, if we had no alphabet, we would have no words.

We would have no symbols that stand for different expressions.

Besides gestures and small pictures, we would have no way of relaying our thoughts, much less having deep, thoughtful talks.
There is no language without an alphabet. Expressing ourselves would be a matter of voicing the first sound that comes to our heads. Laughter would come easily, but what about nervousness? We could smile, and frown, and communicate disappoval, pleasure, or urgency, but how would we describe the ice-cold taste of the passion fruit tea during the heat of the summer and the clear sharpness of it as it refreshed your palate?

It would be very difficult to say that your brother (out of your six brothers, he's one with the medium-shaggy haircut, the slim build, and the green eyes) is gravely hurt (bleeding, not coughing, so bring some bandages but no medicine is necessary, please) down by the collapsed tree trunk (because we would have enough on our plates without also having to try to build a "bridge," too) across the lake.

Would we get everything we needed in time to save the poor unfortunate brother?

Maybe not.

Maybe we would. Maybe we would rely on expressions, gestures, and emotions to communicate, and maybe we would become masters at it.

But doubtless, life is much easier with an alphabet that dictates our language and gives us an almost limitless array of words to express ourselves with.

reflection 9/27

When you meet someone new or interesting, you start a process of getting to know them and finding out their bad & good sides, talents, history, and quirks. It's a lengthy, but unhurried, journey that can bring a lot of lighthearted fun and serious talks. Resumes, though, are down to business and are not for "personal relationships." Unlike a friend, employers are not partial towards hearing about the background story behind your blossoming leadership skills, although they'd like to know whether you're a good leader or not.

On a standard resume, I listed work experience, skills, achievements, and education to-date. The items that were most relevant to engineering opportunities were stressed, while redundant or extraneous information was omitted. I included independent working skills and past engineering programs attended. Engineering was the point my resume was geared towards because I am interested in pursuing a mechanical engineering degree, and needed to make my resume appealing for possible future work or internships in that area.

Resumes reminded me again of how important it is to "bulk up" personal skills to show potential employers your maximum worth. Concise and to-the-point writing is beneficial for both sides, as it shows that the writer is capable and confident about their course of action. Wading through irrelevant information does not put potential employers in a favorable mindset. Starting from my freewriting to the resume's completion, my perception of resumes did not change very much.

school post

9/19-Introduction

If I had to describe myself, I might say that I enjoy being on my own. But it's actually easiest to be happy when I'm with people.

I like seeing architecture, works in progress, and people I haven't seen in a long time. I like smiling, but more than that, I like it when a smile is returned!

Of personalities, I'm a mix of phlegmatic and sanguine. I'm a follower but can be a leader, depending on the situation. I come from a big family and I wouldn't have it any other way. Music is my largest and most versatile personal interest.