3 adjectives to describe Plint the Elder

If there were to be three adjectives that I could use to describe Pliny the Elder, I would say that he is calm, confident and courageous(almost fearless).

I think he is calm because in the midst of all this confusion with Mt. Vesuvius erupting, he doesn't seem to be to nervous about it. For example, when his mother indicates that there is an unusual looking cloud, he does not seem too bothered by it. Pliny writes, "Usus ille sole, mox frigida, gustaverat iacens studebatque;" (line 14-15) so this shows that he is still going along his merry old way and doesn't seem too concerned over the cloud. Another example that shows Pliny the Elder is very calm is when his friend is trembling and PTY writes, "consolatur hortatur," (47-48) and these words describe Pliny as being a comforting person to his friend and he is calm enough to try to make his friend stop trembling. Also, PTY writes, "deferri in balineum iubet;" (50). Taking a bath and eating food are both actions that are done in a calm manner and among all this destruction, he is calm enough to just want a bath and to eat. Now, that is a calm person!


He seems to be confident because he is willing to go into the destruction of the mountain and he is certain that he will be successful. It can be seen that Pliny the Elder is confident when it says, "Erat Miseni classemque imperio praesens regebat." (12) This shows that he was ruling the fleet and you must be confident in order to be in command of a fleet to people. He also is seen as confident in the word choice that PTY uses. For example, he says, "rectumque cursum recta gubernacula in periculum tenet" (34). This shows nothing but confidence because it makes the reader believe that he is comfortable with his decision and carries that out by holding a straight course. It sounds better if Pliny was holding a straight course rather than being wishy-washy about his decision. Therefore, it makes someone believe that Pliny MUST be confident about the saving of the people. Confidence is exemplified in his words, "Fortes fortuna iuvat!" because the ones who were skeptical would hear this and think, "If he's confident that I must be too!" One more example of why confidence is an excellent adjective is when PTY writes, "certus fugae" (47). This shows confidence because they letter says he is certain of fleeing and that can give people hope.



Another word that describes him is courageous (almost fearless) because not everyone would drop everything that he has and decide to help people out. He is fearless because it is he that decides to go the eruption of a volcano and try to help people out. He doesn't have to but he wants to so I feel that makes him courageous. For example, PTY writes, "ascendit ipse non Rectinae modo sed multis" (32). By saying this you get a feeling that he must be fearless because he is going somewhere where everyone is leaving from and he wants to help. He is also fearless because while everyone is scared he was dictating and noting down everything. This can be seen in this sentence, "adeo solutus metu, ut omnes illius mali motus omnes figuras ut deprenderat oculis dictaret enotaretque" (35-37). He is also courageous based in the description of the place is heading into with his boat. It says, "am navibus cinis incidebat, quo propius accederent, calidior et densior; iam pumices etiam nigrique et ambusti et fracti igne lapides;" (38-39) Only a person with hardly any fear could keep going into a place with rocks broken with fire coming at them!!

So, Pliny the Elder to me is displayed as calm, confident and fearless.

Pliny's letter X.xcvi

Pliny is saying that he is writing the letter to Trajan "cunctationem meam regere ignorantiam instruere." Basically he is saying "who is better able of guiding my hesitations or informing my ignorance" than Trajan. Yet, he is writing to more than just Trajan because he knows this will be published.

In order to guide his hesitations toward Christianity he admits to never being present at any of the Christian trials. He also asks alot of questions to Trajan for him to answer. For example, he asks "ideo nescio quid et quatenus aut puniri soleat aut quaeri" This shows the concept of not only Pliny's struggles when it comes to Christians but poses a question that all Romans have on the subject of what the limits are for reprimanding Christian people. He asks if pardon should be given to those who repent and tell him they were once Christians but not anymore. Another example is when he says, "si flagitiis careat, an flagitia cohaerentia nomini puniantur." Therefore he wonders if even the name of Christianity ought to be punished. He hasn't seemed to have gotten a concrete answer from Trajan and he is trying to 'inform his ignorance' by asking these questions. These questions are most likely what most Romans are asking and he wants to make sure that the citizens are aware of Christianity.

He also attempts to 'guide his hesitations' by telling Trajan and the Roman citizens what he has done to the Christians and show them how they are treated. For example he says, "Interrogavi ipsos an essent Christiani." Obviously, this is a first attempt to see who would admit they belonged to this cult. What was happening though was that the Christians were admitting because they only have one god and they could not disobey god by saying that they have other gods besides the one god in Christianity. Pliny made sure to sound like a model citizen by saying that he asked the accused a second and third time whether or not they were Christians. He even mentioned, "supplicium minatus" so this means he wanted the Romans to know that he was serious about this accusation enough to threaten torture!!

He also mentions that this cult of Christianity is on the rise and that "multi enim omnis aetatis, omnis ordinis, utriusque sexus etiam vocantur in periculum et vocabuntur." This means that there are many different people involved and there is no certain type of person that is involved with Christianity. He wanted to make sure the Romans knew what this religion involves more people than they might think and that will result in ALOT of persecutions.

If I were a Roman that didn't have much contact with the Christians, the impression I would get from them is that they were not bad people. Pliny includes that "seque sacramento non in scelus aliquod obstringere, sed ne furta ne latrocinia ne adulteria committerent, ne fidem fallerent, ne depositum appellati abnegarent." This shows that the people were not bad that were Christians. Pliny suggests that they can try to get rid of Christianity, but there is a large number of people all ready involved. I would be a little afraid because these people seem to be multiplying in their masses and believing in one god. Before this, polytheism was the religion and it seems like a strange suggestion to have only one god so I would be a bit uncertain about this religion.

***IMPORTANT

I just wanted to change the section of my blog in the end that stated that when Psyche (the soul) and Cupid (desire) are together in a united marriage of love, she is transformed into Pleasure. Yet, I was wrong, so what I meant to say was that when Cupid and Psyche get married, they have a baby and that is pleasure. This can be seen as part of the allegory because in life, we all have desires and people tell us that it's not okay to have them. Yet, if you put desire and the soul together you get pleasure. This can be good but it's all about the portion of pleasure and you can have some, but life is all about the balancing of things. So, please disregard the part about Psyche becoming pleasure because it is really her offspring that is pleasure. THANK YOUU

cupid and psyche as an Allegory

In this story, Cupid has been associated with desire and Psyche is connected with the soul. So, in this story there are many points where what Apuleius is saying has relevance to humans.

One example is when Apuleius explains how Psyche is so beautiful that no one has the courage to talk to her. In chapter 2 lines 6-7, Psyche mentions how she hates her own beauty because she is put in such isolation because she is so outrageously gorgeous. This relates to our life because as humans, we tend to put certain people and objects up on pedestals because we value the appearance of them or think they deserve that much reverence. We tend to desire to see Psyche but not actually talk to her. Yet, Psyche ends up feeling all alone in the world because everyone thinks she is a god and they are not good enough to talk to her. They are all intimidated by her looks to even attempt to communicate with her.

Also, when Psyche is put on the mountaintop to "reveal her fate" as it said in Apollo's oracle, she is very scared about what will happen to her. In chapter 2 lines 33-35, she describes her feelings and they involve words such as "paventem" and "trepidam". This goes along with this story being an allegory because her timid ways represent the fact that everyone is afraid sometimes and in life, there are going to be times when you are scared. But, Zephyrus helps her out in an unexpected way by carrying her to a place she least expected; he let her go into a house filled with gold and plenty of food.

In chapter 3 lines 9-10, Psyche is looking at this beautiful place she was taken to and there were treasures and no locks and no guards and no chains. This figuratively represents the place that she can go where there is no fear. She wont have to worry about anything here because all these treasures are around and no one is guarding them. It is here where she feels safe.

In the reading when we read the chapters in English, chapter 4 on page 114 included a section about how the sisters had "rancorous jealousy." This can be another example of how this story is an allegory because they could represent the people that will try to push you down in life while you are trying to accomplish your goals. Psyche is faced with the sisters and they try and succeed to persuade her to try and find out who her husband is because they are jealous. Therefore, the sister's allude to the representation of struggles and hardships that could come your way when you are getting what everyone wants: true love. This is shown in the opposite of love, jealousy. And this leads to her doubting herself with Cupid and in chapter 8 lines 6-7, Psyche decides to see who her husband is against his wishes because she begins to be curious. The shining of the light on Cupid goes along with the fact that we are naturally curious beings.

Then in chapter 8 lines 32-34, Psyche tries to kill herself in the stream, but this "mitis fluvius" is put in this story to show that although we may want to give up when things arent going our way, nature guides you to doing the right thing. This river was too gentle and she ended up not drowning. This is part of the allegory because the river represents the "mother nature" that helps us along our journey of life and keep her soul alive and Psyche did not finish what she was set out to do so the river helped her keep going.

A few more examples of how this story has the elements of an allegory are when Jupiter is giving a speech in chapter 12 and in lines 29-32, he mentions how Cupid has hurt his image by making him turn into a snake, a bird and cattle. This shows that Apuleius includes allegories because even the GOD OF GODS has no power over love. This shows that love is THAT strong to not even be refused by the god of gods because it is an emotion that resides in all of us, even the most high of people. And in the end, Apuleius concludes that Psyche turns into a god and that takes her soul and Cupid's desire and a new daughter of the gods was born and her name was pleasure. This is the ultimate truth that the author was trying to show us that pleasure can be found because our souls connected with desire give us pleasure.

List and discuss specific instances of fear. What is the opposite of fear?

Throughout Apuleius' novel, there have been many instances of fear. For example, in Chapter two, of lines 33-35, Psyche is awaiting her fate with an monster and she is "paventem and trepidam." This shows fear because she is trembling and scared by what could possibly happen to her on the cliff. She is worried about what the Oracle said because her fate did not look too promising. Also, in chapter 3 lines 23-24, Psyche is fearing her own virginity. She is afraid that she could be hurt by the "serpent" that will come into her bed at night. It is ironic how she fears for her life and Zephyrus leads her to a beautiful palace and then she fears for her virginity, only to be married to the god of love himself.

In chapter 5, Zephyrus, on page 117 in the packet handed out, is fearful about bringing the sisters to see Psyche. He reluctantly received the sisters and this shows fear being this wind knows what the sisters are up to and how jealous they are of their younger sister. In chapter 7, lines 12-13, the sisters are describing the fact that she could be buried in the guts of the savage beast! That should create a fearful tone in the story because no one would want that to happen to them! In Chap 7, line 16, this is an excellent example of Psyche showing fear because the word, "formidine," is used since she is so scared with fear of so many sad words that her sisters tell her. Near the end of the chapter,in line 33, the sisters fearing that something bad would happen, they flee from the scene after they told Psyche to kill her husband. The word used is "metuentes" and they are fearing that they might get in trouble so they leave as soon as they can.

In chapter 8, there are signs of indirect fear. For example, Psyche in line 9-10 she said that the sword fell from her rash hand. That shows that she was trembling in fear by what she was about to do, which was kill her own husband. Also in line 8 she was, "perterrita" or frightened by his appearance so much. Therefore, there are many examples of fear in Cupid and Psyche.


Based on how Apulieus uses fear...I feel that the opposite of fear is love. This could be true because she fears her life in the beginning and the loving wind carried her to a safe place. She fears her husband and he is the god of love. The wind fears the sisters will affect Psyche and she is taken back by his beauty and love that she doesn't follow through. And she fears the words of her sisters and ends up not killing herself or her husband. So, I think Apulieus is trying to have desire/love as the opposite of fear in the story and how love conquers fear.

What elements of Apuleius' story so far are classical fairy tale characteristics?

When the story first opens, lines 1-2 show that its a vague beginning into a magical fairy tale. Just like all the fairy tales that begin with, "Once upon a time..." the opening saying the king and the queen who lived in a certain country relates to the vagueness of not knowing specifically where the characters are. Another element is the fact that there is a "rex et regina" and this relates to a fairy tale because they seem to include royalty in many fairy tales. For example, in The Little Mermaid, Aerial has a dad who is king of the sea and she wants to marry a prince, who is human. The element of Venus asking Cupid to go to the city Psyche lives in and let her be married to the most miserable of human beings, (found in lines 26-28) shows the element of jealousy. The theme of jealousy is a classic in fairy tales such as Cinderella. Her two step sisters are jealous that Cinderella was able to find a dress for the ball, so they shred the dress because they want to be chosen as the next princess for the prince who wants to get married. Just like this, Venus is jealous that all the people are worshiping Psyche because of her outrageous beauty, so she uses her son to make sure Psyche marries the ugliest and most miserable of men.


Another classical story tale element that is present in Apuleius' story is the fact there is a strong emotional tie to the main character. In fairy tales, the person watching usually has pity on the main character. For example, we pity Cinderella because she has done nothing wrong to deserve the orders of her step mother to be a servant. This relates to Psyche when she looks like a "simulacrum bene politum" and yet in lines 1-4, the reader has pity on her because everyone thinks she is gorgeous, yet no one has the courage to talk to her. This leads to her isolation and causes us to feel bad that she is so pretty that no one will talk to her. So, the element of routing for the main character is evident in this story.

The description of the house that Psyche encounters in chapter 3 is also an example of the fairy tale ways. In lines 7-10 Psyche sees all these treasures and there is nothing guarding them. Just like in fairy tales, the place seems like its not even real because there is a plethora of treasures and it's almost like a dream because she is allowed to admire it. Fairy tales usually involve magical things that don't seem real and this is the case when Psyche sees these items. It's the idea of "it's too good to be true." This can be shown in lines 13-14 when the voice comes to her and explains that there is a meal for her and she should get some rest and have a bath. Because Psyche was expecting a terrible night with a miserable man, this comes to a surprise to her. Instead of being at a sad funeral marriage and being scared and trembling, she is treated like royalty. This sense of having the main character getting what they want is also typical of fairy tales because as we know, we don't always get what we want. But, since this story is so similar to a fairy tale, Psyche gets what she desires.

psyche and cupid #4

The word order in the last sentence contributes to the effect that after all this sadness from the funeral marriage and having everyone look at her as a spectacle and not a real person, there is peace. For example, it says, "per
devexa rupis," and it is written with the word "per" up above the "devexa rupis," because it is as if the words, like Psyche herself, are being carried down
the slopes of the cliff by Zephyrus.

Also, in the beginning of this sentence Psyche is trembling with fear and agitated at the fact that she is left on the mountain top alone forever. The beginning of the sentence shows fear and anger and with the help of Zephrus, who is in the middle of the sentence (serving as the 'angel'), Psyche's life becomes less stressful and anger-filled when she is lifted up and carried to a valley with flowers. It is as if once he comes into the story, her life seems to get a bit better.

As for the choice of words that Apuleius includes, "mitis, aura, molliter, sensim, tranquillo, paulatim, and leniter" all describe something that is gentle and soft and calming. These words serve as a contrast to the previous paragraph about the sad funeral marriage and the weeping people with there unhappy feelings. These words have an effect on the mood because they tie back to the fact that after this funeral marriage, Psyche is finally at peace. The word "levat" is also important because Zephyrus, or the East wind, lifts her up gently. When someone is lifted, it means that they don't have to work hard because someone else has their weight on their shoulders. This word achieves the goal of showing peace of mind because by being lifted, she doesn't have to worry any longer.

The sound and rhythm of this sentence is split up into two parts. Before the comma, Psyche is crying and sad at the fact that everyone left her with this fate. She is filled with fear of what will happen next and with the soft wind of Zephyrus, she is gently carried away and the story changes. This sentence has the effect of reassuring the reader that Psyche will be okay and she is at peace.

Blog on Apuleius, chapter 1. As a topic, address question 5 on page 13.

Venus is represented as a great goddess and has human-like characteristics. This can be seen in many ways. First of all, the impression that the reader gets is that she is very attractive. For example, Apuleius compares the girl named Psyche to Venus. He said, "admirabantur et eam ut ipsam deam Venerem venerabantur," (6-7). Since Venus is known to be outrageously beautiful, the girl being compared to Venus is a huge deal. Another human-like quality that Venus is given is anger. She shows this through, "verae autem Veneris vehementer incensus est animus," (18). This impression on anger is shown through these words when Apuleius says that the mind of Venus was set on fire. Venus became mad because all the mortals were now praying for Psyche, who was only a mortal herself and abandoning Venus from their prayers. Venus also has the human quality of revenge. This can be seen in the line when she says, "nec sic meos honores impune usurpabit," (21). This line is a clear example of how Venus is jealous of the mortal girl and tells the reader that the beauty of the girl will not go unpunished! Another example of her rage is when she says, "virgo ista amore flagrantissimo teneatur hominis infimi et miserimi," (27-28). A negative impression can be made of Venus after she says this because she wants her son, Cupid, to go to the mortal world and make her love the most miserable of human beings. Venus seems like a nasty character who is angry at the fact that someone else is as pretty as her. Another human like charactersitic is when she kisses her son, Cupid, before she leaves and that shows a maternal bond. All these are examples of how Venus acts like a human.