A Key Idea from This Semester

The main reason why I felt that this video represents one of the key ideas of the course so far is the content of the poem itself. The poem, The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski, urges readers to charge of their lives and live life to the fullest. It can be translated to this course as a message to actively participate in and take control of our learning, allowing it to make us well-rounded, intelligent people. Many of the things we do in this class deal with that idea, but I felt that this was the most blunt example.

Epigram

An epigram is a terse or witty statement, often found in verse.

Latin poet Martial is known for his twelve books of Epigrams. The video below shows a recitation of a few of them.

(Warning: crazyrabbit, as he calls himself, isn’t the most entertaining fellow to watch… but these examples are excellent as far as epigrams go… so bear with me, and watch it. :) )




Epigrams can also be humorous, like these:



• "No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend."
(Groucho Marx)

• "I am not young enough to know everything."
(Oscar Wilde)


epigram-icons Images


Or more insightful/satirical, like these:


epigram Pictures

• "The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws."
(Tacitus)

Either way, an epigram is short, pointed, and (most importantly) full of meaning.