The Golden Line
<p>I started learning Latin in seventh grade because I decided it was the most difficult course I could take, and I had something to prove. I was an economically disadvantaged student in a wealthy private school, and all of my classmates knew it. I would never live in their mansions, or wear their expensive clothes, or go on their exotic vacations, so I set about making myself at least academically equal. Like most grade school students who read Latin, the poetry of Catullus was some of the first “real” literature I encountered. After the dry, contrived passages in my textbooks, the sensuous love poems and harsh invectives were a welcome change of pace. Catullus’ writing is the rare combination of accessible and beautiful — a perfect entry to Latin poetry.</p>
<p>I did not love Latin before Catullus. I was proud of my success with learning the language, and I dutifully memorized decks of vocabulary cards and recited declensions, but I worked through it without any real joy. Then, in tenth grade, Catullus’ mini-epic poem 64 seduced me and I never recovered. Catullus uses gorgeous, rich language, stunning imagery, and brilliant humor in all of his poetry, but these were not what initially hooked me. No, I fell in love with, of all things, his grammar, and at the same time Latin as a language. In poem 64, Catullus frequently employs what is called “the golden line,” a five word line usually arranged as adjective adjective verb noun noun. Writers in English cannot do this as our word order is too rigid. The precision of Latin grammar is what allowed him to use this rhetorical device and add another layer of nuance to his poetry. Latin writers were freed by the rules and structure of their language.</p>
<p>My life at the time was chaotic. I was still at the private school, shunned by my classmates. My home life was in turmoil. I had moved twelve times by then. With those golden lines, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the structure of Latin. The order both comforted and dazzled me. Latin stopped being a course in which I could prove myself and started being a passion. After Catullus, I devoured Horace, Ovid, and Virgil in high school, and went on to get my B.A. in Classics. Five words changed the course of my entire life.</p>
<p>First century Latin poetry may seem like an esoteric subject, especially one far removed from the concerns of a teenage girl in late 20th century America, but my exposure to Catullus and a learned appreciation for the elegance and beauty of Latin poetic grammar helped forge my life’s path — through college and into my career as a research librarian.</p>
<p>Experiencing the power and nuance of expression created through word transpositions in Latin grammar also opened my mind to the possibilities inherent in other languages and cultures, ideas and realms of feeling that were not only new and exciting — but that were nearly impossible to approximate in any other way.</p>
The poetry of Catullus
Brooke Andrade, Director of the Library, National Humanities Center
brooke-andrade-catullus-latin-poetry
How Korean fan dancing helped me connect with my adopted son
This was a humanities moment because learning the dance of another culture transformed my perspective and my life.
As a middle-aged American Caucasian woman with an adopted son from South Korea, I had a longing to understand my son’s heritage and feel more connected to him. I decided to immerse myself in the local Korean community by enrolling in a class to learn traditional Korean fan dance. Through this class, I not only learned different types of Korean dance but also the Korean culture, history, music, wardrobe and language. Within a few months of taking the class and many hours of practice, I was invited to perform with the “Imperial Jewel” Korean fan dance group at my city’s annual International Festival in front of 30,000 people. This experience touched me in a profound way and has brought me closer to my Korean son. This is my Humanities Moment.
The "Imperial Jewel" Korean fan dance
2011-2013
Anonymous
korean-fan-dancing
Haute Couture: Fashion Fair and the Empowerment of the Black Community
<p>I recall flipping through <em>Ebony</em> magazine as a child in the 80s and often seeing pictures of Fashion Fair models. It didn’t dawn on me then how the power of fashion was being used to inspire an entire community. After seeing “Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair” at the North Carolina Museum of Art, it became clear to me. I developed a deeper sense of the importance of John and Eunice Johnson’s creation.</p>
<p>The Johnsons started Fashion Fair in 1958. This quote by Mr. Johnson, which was a part of the exhibit, placed Fashion Fair into greater context for me:</p>
<p>“<em>Ebony</em> was founded to testify to the possibilities of a new and different world. In a world of despair, we wanted to give hope. In a world of negative Black images, we wanted to provide positive Black images. In a world that said Blacks could do few things, we wanted to say they could do everything.” –John H. Johnson, from his autobiography, <em>Succeeding Against the Odds</em>, 1989</p>
<img width="600" height="464" src="http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/john-johnson-ebony-quote.jpg" />
<p>Fashion Fair was more than models strutting the runway in expensive designer clothing. It was an empowering and uplifting cultural force and antithetical to the negative portrayal of Blacks at the time. Fashion Fair debunked commonly held beliefs about Blacks. It showed them as beautiful, successful, glamorous, classy, and dignified. Ebony Fashion Fair ended in 2009. Yet, it cemented its place in history.</p>
John and Eunice Johnson
<em>Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair</em>, an exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art
2017
Olympia Friday, Digital Engagement & Marketing Coordinator, National Humanities Center
fashion-fair-black-community