Achilles’ Heel (Discourse Chronicle)
Comments(4) [According to Greek mythology, Achilles is made invulnerable at birth because his mother, Thetis, dipped him into the River Styx except for his heel. As a result, Achilles became a great warrior who fought for the Greeks during the Trojan War depicted in Homer’s Iliad. Achilles dies during the war when Paris shoots his heel with an arrow (guided by Apollo) and this myth is referenced whenever we talk about our own weaknesses.
Foreign language is my Achilles’ Heel and I dealt with it at various points in my life, including now as a graduate student, struggling with translating Beowulf this spring. Unfortunately, none of my colleagues suffer from this weakness nor understand why languages are traumatic for me. I believe my trauma is due to a lack of training in linguistics and such background is crucial for success with languages. Instead of studying linguistics and German, I studied literature and took French in high school as well as college, which are no help whatsoever for my current situation. I walk away from Beowulf each week discouraged and depressed.
I am hoping to continue graduate studies in English with an emphasis on Rhetoric and Composition next fall as a PhD student somewhere, BUT I know during that process, I must go through another foreign language. Honestly, I do not know if I am able to handle another arrow from Paris’ bow. I know it sounds incredibly ridiculous, but I am giving serious thought to quitting graduate studies to avoid being hit in my Achilles’ Heel again. BK]
category: Life
You’re not alone — I also have no aptitude for foreign language. It will affect me if (when, hopefully) I go for my Ph.D. in religious studies. That will require a heavy dose of Latin and, depending on my emphasis, Greek, or Hebrew, or German. Aaack.
I thought *everyone* was traumatized by languages. I did quite well as an undergraduate taking French, but I live in fear of graduate language requirements as well.
No, most former students of the Beowulf course said that the class was “awesome” and “fun” with no sarcasm implied. If I ever have kids, I plan on forcing them to learn linguistics and German from an early age. Nobody else should have to suffer as much as I do and everything else English may be mastered along the way.
Bob, As i told you earlier, as long as you pick up the drift and not get overly discouraged, you’ll do just fine.