No Subject

[willy the pigeon]

I think it is fine to use Roman names for the heroes. It is fashionable nowadays to become very nationalistic about literature; Poe is firmly seen as American, Verne as French, Shakespeare as English et cetera. We must look beyond national boundaries and embrace the person, and their structural purpose, not their name. Odysseus is "antitheou" whether one calls him Ullyses, Odysseus, or Norman the Nipple. It is a flimsy argument that Homer wrote the Odyssey and the Illiad in the Homeric Greek we are presented as "His". We must not become obsessed and revere these works as the voice of the gods, they have been evidently changed over the course of time. If the only thing the Romans altered is a name, we must be grateful indeed.<br><br>Frankly, i think Ulysses sounds more heroic to ears that demand the English tongue anyway, and as Homer was so interested in euphony, it would be surely callous to not carry that through, if it does not change the plot...<br><br><br>"Romeo and Juliet", Act 2 Scene 2. Roundabout line 80.<br>

[testadura]

I became interested in researching Homer because he was apparently used in Congressional testimony provided by the infamous 'Dr.' Anslinger while describing the 'history' of drug use. The reference was, of course, negative.

I quickly realized that Homer's references were to 'Lotus Eaters' of his era; 'opium addicts', and had nothing to do with what we know today, such as marijuana.

But he was used as an early 'authority' by Anslinger, in his campaign to demonize and outlaw this harmless herb. The political motivation for his increased power is now obvious.

So today we have a wealth of government misinformation based on what began as a misquote, and continued throughout the 1930's as propaganda supported by the Hearst newspaper syndicate.

All of this without any scientific research; actually against the then-recommendation of the American Medical Association!

Marijuana wasn't a problem until Anslinger sold it as an 'addictive' problem!