The eNotes Blog 5 Greek Love Myths and How to Apply Them toReality

5 Greek Love Myths and How to Apply Them toReality Though the Ancient Greeks didn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, their myths are full of romance. Take a leaf out of their book this February 14th (or maybe don’t). 1. Apollo and Daphne: Don’t chase - it’ll work out better for everyone. Virtuous maiden Daphne was wandering around in the wilderness when the sun god Apollo showed up. He toppled head-over-heels in love, and she toppled head-over-heels trying to get away. He took off after her, and unfortunately for Daphne, she wasn’t winning. Instead of conceding defeat, at the last minute she asked her dad, a local river god, to turn her into a tree. Problem solved. Sort of. 2. Zeus and Io: Cheaters are cows - literally. One day Zeus took a fancy to the lovely mortal Io. Hera, the ever-suspicious wife of Zues, came down to investigate. In a burst of quick thinking, Zeus turned Io into a heifer (so as to be caught with a cow rather than a woman). Hera saw through this and asked for the cow as a present. Io was handed over and made to wander the deserts of the world mooing. So, ladies, no matter what he says, he’s never actually going to leave his wife- and you’ll probably end up a cow and have to trek all the way to Egypt before you finally get turned back into a human. 3. Echo and Narcissus: Some people just like to listen to themselves talk. Echo was a nymph with a problem. She couldn’t hold a conversation to save her life, probably because she couldn’t speak except to repeat the very last words that someone else had said. It’s not surprising she chose the self-absorbed Narcissus as the perfect partner, since he liked nothing better than to listen to himself talk. But it wasn’t to be. It turned out that Narcissus had rejected one too many suitors of his own, and the god of revenge made sure Narcissus learned a lesson: after falling hopelessly in love with his own unattainable reflection, Narcissus wasted away to nothing. Echo disappeared with him, leaving only her voice behind. 4. Orpheus and Eurydice: Have something good? Take it and run. Don’t look back. Picture a rockstar, but in Ancient Greece. Swap his guitar for a harp, leather pants for robes of white, and hair gel forwell, nothing. But you get the picture. That’s Orpheus. Things actually seemed to be going well for him and the lovely Eurydice, until she got bitten by a snake and that was it for her. Off to the Underworld. Orpheus, however, wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He finagled an audience with Hades and sang his way to a get-out-of-jail-free card for Eurydice. There was only one condition: he couldn’t look at her until he got her out of the realm of the dead. You can guess what happened. Back to the Underworld. He tried to sing her out again, but they’d already heard that tune. No luck for Orpheus. 5. Odysseus and Penelope: Don’t lose faith - he or she is still out there! Odysseus and Penelope fell in love and married. Ah, you think you see something bad coming, but you’re wrong. Well. Not entirely wrong. Odysseus did get drafted into the ten year Trojan War. And while he was gone Penelope did have to fend off an army of greedy suitors who wanted her hand in marriage. And it did take Odysseus ten extra years to get home. But they were reunited after twenty years and, after Odysseus slaughtered all Penelope’s suitors, they lived happily ever after.

How To Get Along With Your Roommate In College

How To Get Along With Your Roommate In College You’ve started college or university, everything is new and shiny, everything is exciting, you’re going to meet so many new people! Of course, one of those new people is likely to be your new roommate, someone you are going to be sharing a lot of time and space with over the coming year or so. You need to get along with this person, so how can you do it? Well, hopefully you find someone who is like you in terms of personality, someone who shares common interests and can support you in difficult situations. But dont be desperate if not. Here are a few tips on how to get along with your college roommates, as well as a few pointers on how to set house rules in your dorm room. Don’t Expect Miracles Straightaway Rome wasn’t built in a day they say, and it’s true in many cases in life. Everyone is going to be a bit nervous or even a little defensive when they start college or university. Some people take a little longer to settle in than others. If you find your new friends in college are a little shy, then they may come across as defensive or cold, but that’s not to say they are that way in reality, they’re just finding their feet. Give it a little time, and don’t expect everything to be roses straightaway; in a week or two, you’ll be getting along like a house on fire, although not literally, of course! Be a Little Sociable Suggest a night out or a few social activities in the first week of moving in, so you can enjoy relaxing time away from the house and away from college. When dealing with college roommates, you need to find common ground, and being sociable and relaxed is the ideal way to do this. You will probably find that your new friends are wanting to get out and experience the place just as much as you are, but they’re probably waiting for someone else to make the first move. Set a few House Rules Whilst you want it all to be fun and relaxed, it’s important to set a few house rules for college roommates, so you know you’re all on the same page, and you’re not treading on any one’s feet, so to speak. If someone wants to share food cupboards, but someone else wants to have private ones, you need to find common ground and set a rule. You also need to have rules regarding cleaning, so nobody is going to get resentful of doing more than the others. Appreciate That Everyone Needs Space Not everyone wants to talk all the time, and some people may need a little space away from everyone, in order to get their work done, to speak to friends and family at home, and to basically chill out and have a little ‘me’ time. This is perfectly normal, so don’t get offended if your new roomie decides to lock themselves away for an hour or two; appreciate everyone’s need for space and you should get along fine. Sort Out Arguments and Bickers Quickly One of the best pieces of advice when dealing with college roommates is to sort out any problems quickly, and not to let them fester. You’ve been thrown together, when perhaps you wouldn’t have chosen to live together otherwise, so of course, there are going to be differences in opinion or problems that occur from time to time. Sit down and talk about them, and don’t turn the smallest thing into a slanging match – this means you will be able to smooth out any choppy waters, without it turning into World War Three. Getting along with your new roommate is about give and take – you need to recognise differences. Of course, it’s not going to be plain sailing all the time, but the key is to be adult about the situation and see it as the great opportunity to gain a lifelong friend.