book vi, j. bello, d. sanchez, k. castro, d. di

7/28/2019 Book VI, J. Bello, D. Sanchez, K. Castro, D. Di

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BOOK VI

Joel Bello

Daien Sanchez

Kassandra Castro

Dante Di Giacomo


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Proem

! Lucretius begins Book VI bypraising Epicurus.! A man of heart so wise, who whilom

poured all wisdom forth from histruth-speaking mouth

! Even though men have theability to obtain all theydesire, they will still bemiserable.! This is because something is spoiling

them from within

! In order to be able to enjoylife, man must follow theteachings of Epicurus.


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Proem

! All other movements through the earth and sky which moralsgaze upon (O anxious oft in quaking thoughts!), and which abasetheir minds with dread of deities and press them crushed down tothe earth, because their ignorance of cosmic causes forces them to

yield all things unto the empery of gods and to concede the kinglyrule to them.

! The reason why man is spoiled from within is because man is quick to thinkthat natural phenomena is the work of the gods.

! Man settles for a simple explanation

! Lucretius believes that this is extremely harmful to the humanmind.


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Proem

! What Lucretius wants isfor man to use reason to

understand the world

around them.


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Great Meteorological Phenomena: Thunder

! Caused when two cloudsclash with one another

! They can either crash intoone another or graze each

other

! The reason why theressound when clouds clash

is because theyre filledwith air.

! The air enters the cloud

! Clouds are neithercondensed a frame as

stones and timbers, nor

again so fine as mists andflying smoke. Instead,

the clouds are light

enough to float in the air

and heavy enough to

make a sound when they

collide.


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Great Meteorological Phenomena: Lightning

! When two clouds collide with oneanother, they create lightning.

! Similar to when you strike fire witha match.

! The air that is trapped in the cloudbecomes hot because its continuouslywhirling.

! This causes the wind to ignite seeds of fire.! Only the largest and darkest clouds

produce lightning.

! The energy that causes lightning isreleased from a cloud once the cloud

bursts from a collision.

! Clouds can also burst when an externalwind hits it.


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Lightning (contd)

! The sun removes the moisture from the seeds of fire, which is whythe wind is able to ignite it.

! Lucretius describes their color to be a flamy hue.

! The reason why the seeds of fire fall downwards is because naturewills the seeds to travel downwards.

! In other words, an early idea as to how gravity works.! We perceived lightning faster than we perceived thunder because

images travel faster than sound.


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Lightning (contd)

! Lightning is a very intense andpowerful form of fire.

! It scorches the things it hits.! Lucretius believes that theres

not physical object that canblock lightning.

! The reason why lightning doesnot remain as long as fire isbecause of its sheer power.

! Once a lightning bolt has torna cloud open, the winds andrain of a storm are expelledfrom the cloud.


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Thunderbolt

! Clouds and full of wind and fire and forms and eddy! currents stray off and create circular currents of water

called an eddy

(sort of a whirpool)

! Eddy comes out as thunderboltand splits the clouds


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Thunderbolt

! Lightning lights up the sky and everything around it! Thunderbolt brings thunder, lightning, storm, and rain.

! Thunderbolts occur mostly in spring and autumn,because then the various elements needful for theircomposition most coincide.

! Too cold in the winter for fire! Too hot in the summer for strong wind


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Thunderbolt Velocity

! The thunderbolt velocity is caused by:! the impulse with which it is shot from the cloud! because it is made of small smooth particles! because gravitation is augmented by a blow! perhaps because it is helped by particles gathered from

the air. It can penetrate and dissolve things, because it

strikes them just where their atoms are joined.


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Thunderbolt and Heaven

! The thunderbolt is not a sign of divine wrath. It is nota weapon of the gods.


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! If the gods controlled it, and used it as they wished:! why do the gods hit the innocent and leave the guilty?! Why waste their strokes on deserts?


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! Why not hurl them from the clear sky?! Why at the sea?! Does Jupiter wish us to beware or not?! How can he hurl many bolts at once?! Why destroy his own temples and images? or scar

mountain peaks?


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Waterspouts

! Waterspouts are caused when wind is unable to breakthrough the cloud so it stretches the cloud down to

meet the sea in a column

! The wind then rushes through into the sea


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Clouds

! Clouds are formed:! as particles gather in the air, masses gradually growing

larger

! On round mountain tops, they are driven by wind! as particles of moisture rise from the sea or from rivers,or even lands

! as particles fly in from outside the world


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Rain

! Rain is caused:! because the clouds contain much moisture! because it rises into them from the sea and the rivers

and is then squeezed out by the force of the wind andthe mass of the clouds or when the clouds are thin, by

the suns heat.

! Rain is heavy when the pressure is violent, and longwhen there is moisture.

! The rainbow is caused by the sun shining on the rain.


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Earthquakes

! Earthquakes rattle world, bring destruction and death! Earthquakes are caused:

!When caverns underneath the earth collapse! by violent winds blowing in one direction! Only the wind switching directions will restore the

equilibrium


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Extraordinary andparadoxical telluric

phenomenaTelluric=from/pertaining to the earth


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ocean

! Why doesnt the ocean get bigger?! Suns heat! Winds! Clouds! Pores of earth


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volcanoes

! World is HUGE! Typhoons and volcanoes seem huge! Volcanoes are hollow! Have air inside and when violently agitated get wind

and it gets hot, makes the rock hot, and lifts out

through the bowl/mouth

! The air is what is strong because it heaves rocks up


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Floods of the Nile

! Northwinds blow upstream and cause water tooverflow

! Waves might push sand and block rivers mouth! May rain more because the winds push the clouds in

together and they get squeezed between mountains

! Maybe sun melts snow down into river


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Birdless spots

! Sulfur in air! NOT because of the gods! Reminder of the many atoms of different types of things! Color! Odor! Effluvia from the earth! May be due to a void


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Water in wells

! Colder in summer! Earth lends its heat to the air! When earth gets colder it compresses and gets hard,

gives its heat to the water


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Fountain cold in day, warm at

night?! Think because sun goes under earth at night! BUT if sun doesnt heat it when its directly over, why would

it heat it when its beneath?

! Earth is porous! In the day the fire is hard next to the water but at night the

earth chills, and the fire contracts sending the seeds of fireinto the water

! Waters texture changes in sun and ets rid of frost or seedsof fire


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A cold fountain on which fire can

burn?! Seeds of heat on the water but not enough to make thewater warm

! When fire comes near the seeds of fire are drawn outExamples of wick/torch near flame and fresh water spot in

the sea


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Verse 1


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The miracles of Iron

Magnets Cranes


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Sensationseverywhere!!

From certain things flow odours evermore,

As cold from rivers, heat from sun, and spray

From waves of ocean, eater-out of walls

Along the coasts. Nor ever cease to seep

The varied echoings athrough the air.

Then, too, there comes into the mouth at times

The wet of a salt taste, when by the sea

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E15hF1Em6RE


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Sweat moisture and distil the oozy drops;

Likewise, from all our body seeps the sweat;

There grows the beard, and along our members all

And along our frame the hairs. Through all our veins


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The particles which be from things thrown off

Are furnished with same qualities for sense,

Nor be for all things equally adapt.

A first ensample: the sun doth bake and parch

The earth; but ice he thaws, and with his beams But hides and flesh (made hard byheat) it softensMelting snow Tanning skin


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Magnets Cont.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=OvmvxAcT_Yc

Lucretius thinks they work by

attracting Iron particles in the air.

This is why some objects are

magnetic, because they carry the

particles in their pores, but non

magnetic objects pores are to large

and the iron passes through


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THE PLAGUE ATHENS

How diseases are moved through

the air and water


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Life during theplague

Whereat by troops unto

disease and death

Were they o'er-given. At

first, they'd bear about

A skull on fire with heat,

and eyeballs twain

Red with suffusion of

blank glare. Their throats,

Black on the inside,

sweated oozy blood;

And the walled pathway

of the voice of man

Was clogged with ulcers;

and the very tongue,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=Sh8mNjeuyV4


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Plague cont.The mind's interpreter, would trickle gore, Weakened by torments, tardy, rough to touch.

Next when that Influence of bane had chocked, Down through the throat, the breast, and streamed had

E'en into sullen heart of those sick folk, Then, verily, all the fences of man's life Began to topple. From the mouththe breath

Would roll a noisome stink, as stink to heaven Rotting cadavers flung unburied out. And, lo, thereafter, all thebody's strength And every power of mind would languish, now

In very doorway of destruction. And anxious anguish and ululation (mixed

With many a groan) companioned always The intolerable torments. Night and day,

Recurrent spasms of vomiting would rack

Alway their thews and members, breaking down With sheer exhaustion men already spent.

And yet on no one's body couldst thou mark The skin with o'er-much heat to burn aglow,

But rather the body unto touch of hands Would offer a warmish feeling, and thereby

Show red all over, with ulcers, so to say, Inbranded, like the "sacred fires" o'erspread

Along the members. The inward parts of men,

In truth, would blaze unto the very bones; A flame, like flame in furnaces, would blaze

book vi, j. bello, d. sanchez, k. castro, d. di

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