F Michael Lee

Oops forgot to reply. In one of them Apollo gets mad because Artemis had sworn off guys, and held a contest with her over who could hit that 'rock' [Orion at a distance] and she shot him. In the other, the king still asks him to get rid of the wild animals and Orion goes mad and starts to kill every single animal. Then Gaea sent a giant scorpion to kill him to protect the remaining animals on the planet. Then Artemis puts him into the sky. [Those are very summarized versions of her summary. ]

I asked my youngest [12yr old] last night if she could tell me the story of Orion. She related two different stories, neither of which matched the one we read in class. I thought it was pretty cool. BUT, the coolest thing about it was after she told me the first one, she said, "I don't know which one was true." That is giving me a lot of pause for thought. She doesn't actually believe in the myths [although when she was 5, I came home after a homeschool conference where I found myself defending classical education as not causing children to believe in Jupiter over Jesus, and found her playing in the front yard. When I asked her what she was doing she replied, "I'm making libations to the sun god." So there is that. :D] But seriously, "I don't know which one was true." I have to think about that and ponder implications, and why it even gave me pause. Just wanted to share.

I must admit to being a touch behind in reading. Sadly, I am also behind in basic understanding. This class is certainly broadening my horizons. That said, I finally read The Harmas and am currently reading Chapter 3. On page 70, Taylor asserts: "Poetry, and poetic knowledge, discovers the invisible principles in real things without destroying the thing itself, which is, by the way, exactly how intentional knowledge operates and thus its poetic character." Thus Fabre is Brother James's example of this statement? Further, can one have poetic knowledge of a thing, but also a rational knowledge too? They are different and yet there is place for both, no? There is so much going in this book and with all that I am reading on my own and in preparation for my kids' next school year that seem to be commingling in my brain. I am assuming that is only natural. Yes? Finally, "words, words, words, I'm so sick of words". Actually I am not really, but I cannot even read a word like 'discover' without looking at it in a whole new light and thinking about what it really means. I feel as if I have been misusing words all my life and am now under a heavier conviction about it. Does any of this make sense?

I too am confused, though I am reading Chapter 3 as well as the handouts.

Do I mean something different? That would imply I understand what I am talking about. I have to be honest, I consider myself a fairly intelligent person; I am treading water here. All of this is floating just above my head like a cloud, visible, but elusive. I catch wisps of it and hold it for a moment in my mind but then it is gone. So no I don't think I mean something different.

Am I understanding your graphic and explanation correctly? The exterior sense: mainly physical blends into the interior which is how we perceive that which is no longer physical. I am not sure how to put that last part. On page 43, you state the inner senses as common sense, imagination, memory, and estimative. Then farther down the page, you quote Aquinas as stating common sense is, "the common root and principle of the exterior senses." To be honest, I often get too caught up in words, but I am wanting to understand this as well as I can. Thanks for any insight. Pam

Good afternoon everyone. I am very much enjoying the class and conversation. Last week, however, I was unable to attend due to a previous engagement. I have read the requisite material for the Tue Jun 19th class and now have watched the entire session. [Really enjoyed the poems!] Unfortunately I am unable to ascertain what exactly I should have read prior to tomorrow's class. Is it the rest of chapter two along with the two documents emailed to me? Thanks for any guidance. Pam [who has so many questions floating just above her head and is hoping to be able to grasp a few for tomorrow and articulate them well. ]