My Work Is Done

Yesterday, my department invited Emma D to deliver a paper on Romulus' asylum, the rape of the Sabines, and how both of these relate to Roman multiculturalism; and how all of these topic are relevant in light of modern-day American multiculturalism. Emma was not confident about her Greek, howevermuch she was a Latin expert, because she used translations for the passages she cited from Greek authors.

One of these passages was Strabo. This translation said something like, Romulus welcomed all the flotsam and jetsom and offered them citizenship. Maud G read this as a negative attitude toward the pedigree of Roman citizens.

At this point I proudly raised my hand and pointed out that flotsam and jetsom is a Walt Whitman phrase. And that Whitman was the American cheerleader par excellence, and therefore this particular translation of Strabo, while rendering what may be negative attitude, was promoting a more positive interpretation of multiculturalism that may or may not have been conveyed in the Greek.

Having said that, I brushed off my hands, got up, and walked away. (Just kidding! I didn't really. But I was glowing with self-satisfaction nevertheless.)