Highlights from Classical Texts
Since I was a little girl I have loved to read. One of my favorite things to do after school would be to get a snack and sit down with a good book. I loved the Harry Potter series, Shannon Hale’s books and many other contemporary pieces and I never ventured into older writings. I am grateful for the opportunity we had to read more classical literature in this class because it opened my eyes to the beauty and relevance of these more ancient texts. I remember preparing for the first day of class and opening the Iliad for the first time. I was surprised by its careful craftsmanship, impressed with its strong emotional resonance, and enraptured by the story it told. I had heard of Homer’s writings but knew they came from an early time period, so I expected the writing to be somewhat primitive. Reading the first paragraph quickly informed me that I was wrong. Homer writes, “RAGE: Sing, Goddess, Achilles’...