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Call Back Your Courage // Haley Riddle

       "Some day, perhaps, even remembering this will be a pleasure" (Virgil). Aeneas' speech in Book I of The Aeneid stood out to me. He reminds his men of the challenges they had already conquered and encourages them to "call back your courage." 

    Before the Coronavirus I was striving to finish my high school career, struggling through a break-up, and trying to find a genuine friend. At that time I thought things were hard enough. When things finally started looking up, my school announced that it would be virtual for the rest of the year. Aeneas' speech is still applicable and inspiring now, in my opinion. Of course, none of us have faced a cyclops or the rage of a Greek god, but still. In this time of uncertainty, words like that are encouraging. Someday when we find ourselves in difficult situations we can look back and say we made it through a global pandemic, so that's something, right?

    On another note, can you imagine how Aeneas' men must have felt? The storm they witnessed must have been terrifying if even they were on the brink of giving up. 



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