Tuesday, August 31

Today was a pretty good day, I only had one class in the morning, so I had time to write a few emails and read some of the Iliad after Mass before Philosophy. I’m getting used to Mr. Richards style of philosophy by now, but I’m still trying to figure out the best way to contribute to the class. He seems to guide the class through the reading using the Socratic method, but like Socrates, his questions seem so simple that it almost seems wrong to answer them because you sound like you know better than the rest of the class. Usually it ends up being me and 5 other people answer most of his question. Occasionally he’ll pause for a bit and let us debate amongst ourselves before we continue on to the next point made in the book. That’s when more openings come for discussion and independent ideas not essentially parroted from the book. (They’re not many different ways to answer “What did Socrates say in refutation of Protagoras’ argument that virtue can taught based on human practice?” Essentially all he seems to want us to do it restate it in our own words.)

[Funny note: on the board before class began there was some stuff left over from last class, including the words, “Magnum Patrem.” Tommy Duffy wrote after that “= Father’s Smith and Wesson.” All the guys laughed, but none of the girls got it until we explained.]

My afternoon class was lab with Dr. Neumayr. I still haven’t found much of a difference between his lecture style and his classroom style, but I did learn something important at lunch. Mary Rose and I were talking to some upper classmen, and they said that he actually likes to be interrupted. It seems that he really dislikes it when there is any silence in his class, so he solves that problem by talking all the time. However, they said he likes students to speak up as long as he’s not in the middle of an important point, so perhaps that class will become more interesting as the year goes on. For now though, Mose sits next to me so she can kick me if I fall asleep.
Which she has no compunction in doing.
My shin hurt.

After class Mary Rose and I headed down to the ponds so finish reading the Iliad. Actually, I don’t think either of us got more than 10 pages done, because we talked for about an hour and a half while I rocked her in the hammock. What with the subjects we covered, I think that was probably a better use of my time than studying, because I was still able to skim the last couple books before dinner and seminar.

Seminar concentrated mostly on book 9 of the Iliad, where a delegation was sent from Agamemnon to Achilles trying to convince him to regain the fight against the Trojans and offering him great gifts and honor if he did so. We analyzed Achilles reasons for refusing and how he responded to each of the people who came to plead the Achaians. As Mr. Quackenbush, our tutor (yes, it is a rather odd name, isn’t it?), said, “We have Odysseus, the wisest Greek warrior, who says, “We beat Hector with our wits.” We have Aias, the strongest Greek warrior, who says, “We can’t beat Hector with our strength.” Finally, we have Phonoix, the Greek warrior dearest to Achilles, who says, “We *really* can’t beat them, now please help your dear friends.””
But of course, Achilles didn’t listen to any of them because of his hurt pride and also because at this point he was really getting kinda sick of war.

After seminar a dozen freshman went down to the third pond, built a fire in the chimney (actually I did that alone, and it was a very good fire, thank you very much *bows*), song songs with Nat playing the guitar, and roasted marshmallows. Quite fun, and we all smelt of wood smoke when we got back, not that that’s a bad smell.


Note to any unknowing readers who may be confused by some parts of the above post: Mary Rose and are very good friends but it is purely a platonic relationship (no pun intended).
[sorry to disappoint your gossip-mill, Moe, but she has a boyfriend already. :P]

~Nick