Classics: the study of ancient Greek and Roman literature and the languages they were originally written in, or more broadly, the study of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. In other words: old, dead, boring, and useless. If you choose to study classics, you’re either throwing your life away on material that will never be relevant outside of the field, or you’re fresh from reading The Secret History or Percy Jackson or some such literary work.

Except I chose to start studying Latin in sixth grade, well before The Secret History and well past Percy Jackson, and I’ve continued my study for going on five years now. I’m in my sophomore year of high school and beginning to consider college options—and only deeper immersing myself in the field of classics. Why is that?

The first appeal of classics for me is the art. The beautiful marble sculptures and detailed Greek pottery are fascinating to examine, both in the flesh at museums (where I beeline immediately to the classical section) or browsing online images. Additionally, classical culture was a large factor in shaping the Renaissance and such greats as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

I also love the classical languages. (Granted, I haven’t had a formal introduction to Ancient Greek yet, but I hope to take the class next year.) Latin’s elegant, methodical grammar structure appeals to me; I am different in so many ways—a female Asian attending a private school across the world from where my parents attended their high schools, who’s Chinese but can’t speak the language; I can barely read ten characters, which means I can’t read much beyond exit signs – but in Latin, everything has its place. It’s also fascinating to draw the connections between Latin words and their English derivatives: I have an interest in linguistics as well as classics, and tracing etymologies is an activity I enjoy.

As for Ancient Greek, although I haven’t studied it yet, I did learn the alphabet in eighth grade. (I find the current moment ideal to mention my friends; whether they have or have not studied the classics, they have chipped in to help me throughout my classics journey so far, whether it be helping me learn the Greek alphabet or doodling little motivations on my Latin flashcards. They are part of why I keep pursuing classics.) The difference between the Latin alphabet used in English (my first and only language) and the Greek alphabet is just startling enough to catch my interest, but not deep enough for me to be completely out of my depth.  However, I’m moderately able to piece together a transliteration of Greek into English letters, and very rarely then to guess at a translation. This summer, I took a three-day trip to Greece, and one of the most fascinating objects I discovered was a yogurt cup which had both  modern Greek and English written on it.

Classical literature and the ideas of classical authors also fascinate me, because I naturally study them in just about every subject: the Pythagorean theorem in math, Herodotus in history, Sophocles in English, etc. It’s really cool to see a subject like classics so deeply embedded within the fabric of human history that it bleeds into almost every topic.

And how could I forget classical mythology? I’ve been reading Greek myths since I was in primary school, and the stories interested me even then. These stories have survived so long, and they’re still so well-known. People find solace and morality and entertainment in these myths, and as someone who loves literature. I think that’s really special.

The last reason why I love the classics is how resonant they remain even centuries from their original time period. The world of the Romans and Greeks from long ago is as different from our modern world as ant and elephant, yet their thoughts and ideas and feelings still ring true with us today. There’s a special intrigue found in the similarities and differences between today’s society and the world of many generations ago.

So, while many think that studying the classics is for upper-class snobs or simply not worth it at all, I believe that it is a uniquely human experience reflecting both our present and future.

By Annabelle, Milton Academy student