The Aeneid essays

The Aeneid essays The Aeneid was a literary epic written by Vergil. The Roman people as their national epic quickly accepted the Aeneid. Vergil's greatest influence was Homer. The Aeneid is about the Trojan hero Aeneas traveling to eventually start the Roman Empire. After the fall of Troy, Aeneas sail for Italy where him and his followers will settle and eventually establish a colony that will one day become Rome. While on route a storm drives his ships to the coast of Africa and Carthage. Dido, the queen of Cartage, welcomes Aeneas and his men. Venus, Aeneas' mother seeks to protect him from Juno, the goddess who is determined to thwart Aeneas's mission to get to Italy. Venus tries to stop Juno from using Dido in any scheme to delay Aeneas's quest. So Venus decides that Dido should fall in love with Aeneas. Venus inflames Dido's heart and her love for Aeneas begins to grow. Dido entertains her new guests at a banquet where with food and wine, she becomes more infatuated with Aeneas. Aenea s in a flashback remembers his adventures from the fall of Troy to arriving in Carthage. Dido kills herself because Aeneas left Carthage and rejected her love and pleadings to remain with him in northern Africa. Aeneas journeys through the underworld with the aid of a Sibyl. Along the way, they encounter many of Aeneas's friends and a few enemies. On many occasions, Aeneas and a friend talk about past adventures. As Aeneas wanders through the Underworld, he notices Dido wandering about. He tries to talk to her, but his words serve no purpose; she flees from him. He then sees the souls of those who died in battle. He sees numerous horrible sights like: Grief, Disease, Old Age, Fear, Hunger, and several others. Sibyl explains why the dead souls behave the way the do. After witnessing all he did in the Underworld, Aeneas finally meets his father Anchises. Anchises tells Aeneas what is to come in the near future. Anchises lists the descendants of A...

Prodigal vs. Prodigy

Prodigal vs. Prodigy Prodigal vs. Prodigy Prodigal vs. Prodigy By Mark Nichol Prodigal means â€Å"to spend wastefully.† So, what does that have to do with the biblical parable of the prodigal son, and what does being prodigal have to do with being a prodigy? As it happens, there’s no connection between the two words, though an assumption that they are synonymous may lead some people to believe, erroneously, that the phrase â€Å"prodigal son† refers to an impressive young man. For those of you who have forgotten, or never learned, the story of redemption from the Bible, the younger of two sons prematurely demands his inheritance from his father. The older man complies with his wishes, and the youth leaves home, where he foolishly fritters away his fortune. Reduced to penury, he returns home, prepared to beg for forgiveness, but his father welcomes him and causes for a celebration. When the older son bristles at this injustice, for he has worked hard in his father’s service and has received no preferential treatment, the father explains that they should rejoice that the younger son has returned to the family fold. Prodigal, which is derived from the Latin term prodigere, which means â€Å"to drive away or squander,† also means â€Å"lavish,† and in addition it has a sense of luxuriance that may, depending on context, be negative, neutral, or positive. However, the word is usually employed to allude to the parable in references to a redeemed returner as a prodigal son. Prodigy, by contrast, is from a distinct Latin word, prodigium, meaning â€Å"omen or monster† (both of which stem from a precursor word that means â€Å"to warn†). The most common sense of prodigy is in reference to an unusually talented young person, although, more rarely, yet with more fidelity to its Latin roots, it may also mean â€Å"something extraordinary or inexplicable,† or â€Å"a great accomplishment.† Another rare usage is as a synonym for omen. The adjectival form, prodigious, has lost its connection with omen (portentous is often, in its place, applied to omens) and means â€Å"strange or exciting† or, in keeping with the connection to monster, â€Å"enormous.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Punctuating â€Å"So† at the Beginning of a Sentence3 Cases of Complicated HyphenationWhat Is the Meaning of "Hack?"