THE TRICOLON. The beginning of the article linked in yesterday’s post had a familiar ring. The sentence, “Travel is exhausting, it’s expensive, and, as one football player chanted upon approaching Stonehenge, it’s ‘o-ver-ra-ted!’” reminded me of another sentence—which, upon reflection, turned out to be the advice supposedly given by Lord Chesterfield to his son about sex: “The pleasure is momentary, the position ridiculous, the expense damnable.†Further reflection brought back memories of my high school Latin teacher Lois Larson pointing out that Roman orators liked using groups of three so much that they had a name for the figure of speech: “tricolon.†Wikipedia says, “A tricolon (pl. tricola) is a sentence with three clearly defined parts (cola) of equal length, usually independent clauses and of increasing power.†The example that wikipedia gives is “I came; I saw; I conquered.†The article says that Lincoln was fond of the tricolon, as in “”We cannot dedicate — we cannot consecrate — we cannot hallow…” The tricolon is still effective.
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There has got to be a way to take vacations, rather than journeys. Journeys are rich in memories, and photos, and high points. But they are not relaxing. Sometimes, the journey has to be within instead.
The group of teachers I’m taking to Lesotho and South Africa in late June is very computer oriented and constantly finding things we will see on you-tube and the internet. I’ve been wondering whether anything will seem new and unique when we are actually there. Perhaps fewer people will feel the need to make the actual journey and will experience places vicariously and intellectually instead, as Mary Jane suggests. It would also be ecologically far better than all the jet contrails in the sky.
What a hypocrite I am sitting here by the ocean on the Swedish West Coast. How could you-tube ever encompass the fresh air, the wind, the view or the feeling of the place?
By the way I might just as well have put this comment on Phil’s post today. (I think he’s just what Marx would call a vulgar utopian, not a scientific socialist at all! Can a true revolutionary live in Norwalk? Maybe, just as Marx lived on Engel’s father’s money)
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