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A Passion for Classics
by Cara Ruccolo
“One more story! One more! Please!” Sometimes I uttered these
words as an impatient four-year-old trying desperately to seek another bedtime story and thus avoid going to bed. More often
than not though, my father had entranced me with the previous story and I wanted another one.
My father always told
me stories about Greek mythology, about the different gods and goddesses and the way they interacted with humans. My favourite
stories were about Pegasus, the winged horse, and I especially liked the story of the Trojan Horse.
One time, while flipping through TV channels, my father came across the
movie “The Clash of the Titans,” a movie involving Perseus, Pegasus, the Medusa and other gods. He quickly taped
it and, to this day, it has always been my favourite movie, a movie I can watch over and over.
As the years went on,
I no longer received continual bedtime stories, but I made frequent trips to the library so I could read the mythological
tales on my own. I began to analyse each god and goddess and got to know each one’s personality and habits. I also,
after reading countless battle stories, began to appreciate the Greco-Roman ideals of honour, courage and virtue.
Even
as a young girl, I recognised these traits in those around me and tried to emulate them as well. I loved what I learned from
these ancient accounts, but I had no idea that certain languages told them all and more in the stories’ original context.
Ironically, I had to take Latin as a required course in the seventh grade.
I had heard Latin was a “tough” and “boring” subject, so I wasn’t sure what to expect the first
few days. When I observed the first story in my textbook, “Perseus is Sent on his Travels,” I became excited with
what seemed like more cultural tales. Luckily, the grammatical aspect of the language came easily for me and I was able to
focus more on the translation and story line.
I began to read about the Labours of Hercules, the Cyclops and other
notables. I soon began translating stories on my own just because translating a Latin passage was like decrypting a secret
code and I loved the thrill of reading a story in English that had once been in Latin. Latin became a form of intellectual
entertainment for me. I was exercising my brain and stimulating my mind at the same time.
When I started high school, I had to choose a language. I had taken Spanish
for three years prior to Andover as well as two years of Latin. Even though it seemed like an obvious decision for me, I felt
compelled to listen to my peers and advisers who urged me to take Spanish as it was “more practical” than Latin.
Nevertheless, I signed up for Latin and entered into Third Year Latin in my freshman year.
Latin, at that point in
my life, had become part of my identity and it consumed most of my time not spent on homework and athletics. All the time
spent proved to be beneficial; I knew what the “dative” and “accusative” cases, not to mention “gerunds”
and “participles" were long before my Latin-less peers. My writing likewise improved. These added bonuses helped me
feel more confident that Latin was indeed a “practical” language.
In addition to taking Latin at Andover,
I also took an Etymology course and First and Second Level Greek in a yearlong intensive course. The Greek course was a great
counterpart to my Latin course; instead of reading ancient Roman stories, I now read those of ancient Greece.
I digested the deep writings of Plato and Socrates as well as the humorous
plays of Aristophanes. The Greek class was like a philosophy class with a language component. We focused on the issues of
the times, issues that we discovered through our translating.
In my Etymology course, I came to understand how English,
Latin and Greek were fully intertwined. My knowledge of Latin and Greek almost always helped me identify a root word and thus
helped me deduce the meaning of the word. After this experience, the Classics for me became not only a doorway to ancient
myths and culture, but also to a better understanding of English grammar and writing.
It has been years since my childhood
visits to the library. My readings have progressed from the Labours of Hercules to Ovid’s Metamorphoses and Horace’s
eloquent poetry, but my reasons for pursuing Latin and Greek remain the same. I have a passionate interest in ancient cultures,
for what life was like before and for mythology.
I love translating, decoding a secret story, and trying to find the right
balance of the literal Latin meaning and the more prosaic English. It also helps to have the bonuses of an increased vocabulary
and stronger grammar. The Classics have always been meaningful to me –before and after I knew Latin and Greek.Cara Ruccolo is 16 years old and in the 12th grade at Phillips Academy
in Andover, Massachusetts. She is an advanced placement Classics student having completed 5th year Latin and second year Greek
as well as having studied Etymology. She is the founder of the Phillips Academy Chapter of the National Junior Classical League
and a member of the Society for the Oral Reading of Greek and Latin Literature (SORGLL) and the American Society of Greek
and Latin Epigraphy (ASGLE). Cara's recent publication (A Case for Classics at the
Middle and High School Levels) appeared
in the fall issue of the New Horizons for Learning Journal. She is also a captain of the Varsity Soccer team and a Varsity
Squash player. Cara looks forward to the college application process and the pursuit of Classics at the university level.
She can be reached at cruccolo@andover.edu.
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