Animus Classics Journal: Vol. 1, Issue 1

Thy Troy is fallen,—thy dear land
Is marred beneath the spoiler’s heel—
I cannot trust my trembling hand
To write the things I feel.
and also:
Ah, realm of tears!—but let her bear
This blazon to the end of time:
No nation rose so white and fair,
None fell so pure of crime. 2 -
Perhaps Worsley forgot that Troy was destroyed in retribution for the
abduction of Helen of Sparta, or that the Confederacy fought in—and was
razed in—stubborn and treasonous defense of the institution of slavery.
Perhaps this similarity—a ruinous war fought to defend an indefensible
crime—slipped the mind of Worsley, and he would otherwise have included
it in his poem to enhance the aptness of his comparison of Troy and the
Confederacy.
Perhaps—but it is not so.
-
I wonder what thoughts ran through the minds of descendants of Athenian
slaves as they looked up at the Parthenon, and whether they are at all
similar to the thoughts that run through the minds of descendants of American
slaves as they look up at the White House.
-
Executive Order 13967 says:
Ancient Greek and Roman public buildings were designed to be sturdy
and useful, and also to beautify public spaces and inspire civic pride,
and orders:
In the District of Columbia, classical architecture shall be the preferred
and default architecture for Federal public buildings absent exceptional
factors necessitating another kind of architecture. 3
-
Some say that it is not fair to judge Classical figures or their works by
modern standards, as they came from a culture wholly different from our
own, and they are not able to speak for themselves.
Maybe this is true.
Some say that it is not fair to judge other historical (but much more
recent) figures or their actions, as they came from cultures significantly
different from our own, and they are no longer able to speak for themselves.
Maybe this, too, is true.