Latin, of all things
“Latin, of all things? That’s useless!” my Freshmen acquaintances would exclaim.
Having decided that I would enter high school with my language as Latin surprised a great many individuals with whom I had suffered through Spanish in middle school. It was not the greatest feeling having left them to their study, as if I had abandoned them, betrayed them.
But I knew they would endure and that I myself needed to follow the internal Geiger counter of intrigue. I found myself entering Latin I, fascinated by the strange, enthusiastic, bald man, Mr. Carpenter, from whom I was expected to learn this ancient language.
My naivety is what lead me to believe that class was going to be very interesting with this man. Well, actually, it was very interesting, but not in the manner which I originally assumed; Carpenter is a brilliant man who understands not only the language of the ancient Romans, but also that it is a difficult language into which one first walks.
With the help of the occasional substitution of Ms. Mullowney, who is now teaching Latin in Carpenter’s old Latin room, I, and many other students who lacked justice in our previous levels of English schooling, was finally, as a freshman in high school, taught English grammar. English grammar? Quid?
"But you’re in Latin," you might say. But it is not at all that simple; one cannot simply comprehend a language to the highest degree if said individual is wanting in the comprehension of his or her own.
One must understand basic human construction of language to truly grasp speech foreign to his or her own ears and tongue. So, after learning the basics to the language which I have been speaking all my life, I not only found a respect for English as a way of the tongue but also grew a more intense interest in this language I allegedly was to learn called Latin.
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