Latin Poetry Contest Entries

Students of all levels of Latin just wrote and submitted poems and essays about a woman who inspires them.

The poems follow a format invented by Martha Marchina (1600-1648), a working-class Latin student from Naples (her family made soap for a living). This contest is sponsored by ​Lupercal​, a self-described "reading group run for and by women to learn from herstory together.”

Gathered in this collection are only a few examples of our students’ outstanding submissions to this contest.

Mr. Stanzione

FLORENCE E. WALL Lauren Iskander ‘21

Florence E. Wall. Prima femina cosmetica chemica. Alumna Sanctae Elizabethae.

Ea est acuta astutaque. Ea est inveniens. Ea est praebens.

Exemplum mihi. Ambitionem. Instinctum.

Propter profectu et prosperitatibus. Cum scientia. A mea communitate.

Several stylistic elements are interwoven throughout the poem through detailed word choice. For example, the first stanza contains a cognate. “Chemica” is a word constructed from common Latin rules and the root of the word Latin “chemista.” The use of the feminine word “chemica” instead of the masculine word “chemista” works to emphasize the tone of female empowerment present in the poem. The creation of a female term for a chemist highlights Wall’s accomplishments as one of the first scientists of her time. Her strides were so revolutionary that there exists no feminine word that describes her occupation.

In the second stanza, the words “acutula” and “astuta” are chosen in order to describe her intellect and create alliteration. Additionally, the word “acutula” alludes to the experience of the New Jersey Radium Girls. In this poem, “acutula” has two meanings: ​sharp​ in intellect and sharp​ in point. One of Wall’s first positions took place at the Luminous Materials Corporation, where many of the Radium Girls became exposed to radioactive material. Not only is Wall sharp in intellect, but she is also connected to the dial painters who sharpened and pointed their brushes with their lips. The use of two present active participles (instead of present active verbs) in the

second stanza illustrate the ever-lasting influence of Florence E. Wall. Though Wall has passed away, her impact lives on. In the fourth stanza, the choice to use the word “scientia” rather than “cognitionem” continues to relate Wall’s actions and characteristics with science as “scientia” and “science” contain the same base.

The structure of this poem aims to connect the stanzas together. The second stanza is connected to the third stanza because each accusative in the third stanza can act as the object of the transitive participle, “praebens.” Furthermore, the third stanza is connected to the fourth stanza because the first three ablative nouns, “profectu,” “prosperitatibus,” and “scientia,” describe the way in which Florence E. Wall has provided me with a role model, ambition, and inspiration.

SASHA SLOAN Erin Kilgore ‘22

Sasha Sloan, cantor, exemplum, Cantat, docet, inspirat, Salutem, amorem, virtutem, Omni, igne, cura.

Sasha Sloan is an alternative/indie singer and songwriter. She is a role model because of the awareness she brings to mental health issues in her songs. Throughout her music, Sloan has a constant theme of accepting and embracing her own mental illnesses, rather than trying to hide or be ashamed of them. She even built her career off of a joke, which she was the butt of, that went viral on Reddit. While she was away at school, her parents painted the word “DORK” on the outside of their house with an arrow pointed at her room. She used this viral photo as an opportunity to share her music, and her career took off. In her music, Sasha Sloan expresses the ongoing battles that occur within her life, her family, and her own head. She touches on sensitive subjects such as her struggles to fit in, her parents’ divorce, and the fine line between loving and hating yourself. Through her music, Sasha sparks conversation about mental illness

and its validity. She lets her listeners know that it’s okay to not be okay. She promotes conversation on her website with a “community” tab, where anyone can write her a message about how they are feeling. Sasha Sloan is a role model to listeners everywhere because of her down-to-earth, accepting, and honest personality that is evident throughout her work. Each of the words in my poem are fairly simple alone, yet gain meaning when put together. I used three nominatives that merely describe who Sasha Sloan is: her name, “singer,” and “role model.” My verbs were things that she does: “sings,” “teaches,” and “inspires.” My accusatives are the main topics of her songs: “health,” “love,” and “strength.” Finally, my last three words describe how she does this: “to everyone,” “with passion,” and “with care.” I structured my poem by putting all of my nominatives first, then verbs, then accusatives, then datives/ablatives so that the words could be moved around by the reader to form different sentences. The idea is that you can take any nominative, any verb, any accusative, and any dative/ablative and you’ll have a sentence. I wanted my poem to represent Sasha and her songs; while it may be simple at first glance, once you take the time to look a little closer, you’ll see so much more.

ABIGAIL ADAMS Emily Crabbe ‘23

Nomen, potens anima, illa vox scriptum, vicit, pugnavit In libros historicos, obstacula, silentium Sine iusta agnitione, cum sua intelligentia, ducibus

I chose to write my poem about Abigail Adams who is mostly known for being the wife of Founding Father and President, John Adams and mother to future President, John Quincy Adams. However, Abigail Adams was so much more than the wife and mother of the President.

There are many things to admire about Abigail Adams, one of the best was her determination.

When John Adams was president, Abigail single-handedly cared for their children, household, and land, all the while advising her husband on political issues. Abigail was very outspoken about equality for women, the importance of female education, and the abolition of slavery.

Abigail refused to sit on the sidelines of her husband's presidency and used her public position of authority and prominence to speak up about these issues. Abigail’s example of a strong and influential First Lady created a tradition that First Ladies continue to this day. Abigail’s strong resolve for fairness and equality is one of the many reasons she is an inspiration for me. Being a

woman did not stop her from speaking out about the issues that were important to her. When the Founding Fathers were drafting the Declaration of Independence, Abigail sent John a letter saying to “remember the women.” Abigail knew that this was her time to try and influence those creating the Declaration of Independence to include women. She had the foresight to see that the document would shape the future of the country and she wanted women to have the same rights as the men.

The passive tense of a verb shows that the subject is not the one doing the action. In the first line of the poem, I chose to use the passive tense of the verb to show that the historians wrote her history not Abigail. The historians in the early days of American history did not give Abigail nearly as much credit as they should have for her fight for women’s rights. Also in the poem, I made the decision not to directly name Abigail, instead I described her different attributes. I highlighted her attributes through all of the aspects of her legacy, such as her name in history, her determination that fought against everyone who tried to tell her who she should be, and her voice that stood up for what she believed in. The order of the lines of the poem also goes from the least to most important. The first line of the poem refers to the early historians who did not give Abigail enough credit for all of her accomplishments. The second line in the poem is about her determination and intelligence. Abigail read everything that she could because she was not formally educated and knew that an education was important. The last and most prominent line in the poem is about how Abigail continued to speak out for women’s rights. This is most important because despite being ignored at the time she brought attention to these issues and refused to give up.

MALALA YOUSAFZAI Annelisse Bruder ‘23

Scriptor, Bellator, Scholasticus, Scribit, Superat, Docet Libros, Violentiam, Populum, Intelligentia, Constantia, Gratia

Malala Yousafzai is an inspirational activist who fights for women and children’s rights in the Middle East. At just twenty-three years old, Malala has already written her own book, won a Nobel Peace Prize, spoken before the United Nations, and opened a school for Syrian refugees.

She was born in Swat Valley, Pakistan, a place where girls were banned to receive an education due to the Taliban’s reign of terrorism. Malala felt this was unjust, and she, being the outspoken woman she is, raised awareness to stop this injustice. In 2012, at age fifteen, she was shot in the head on her way to school. As a fifteen year old girl myself, I am incredibly inspired by the fact that she made such a difference to the point where a terrorist group felt threatened by her. I cannot imagine feeling that unsafe going to school, and I admire the strength it took for her to attend each day.

Malala miraculously survived, and she went on to tell her story to the world. Malala published a book, ​I Am Malala​, describing the trials and tribulations she went through while living in Swat Valley. On her sixteenth birthday, she gave a speech about global education at the United Nations. The United Nations held a “Malala Day” in her honor. She was the youngest person to win a Nobel Peace Prize at age seventeen, and on her eighteenth birthday, she opened a high school for girls in the Middle East. The reason I chose the word “scriptor/author” to describe her is because her book truly made an impact on my life. I chose “bellator/warrior” because it takes incredible strength to stand up to a bunch of grown men with guns as a young teenage girl. Lastly, I chose “scholasticus” to describe her because the definition says both student and teacher. Malala has taught the world so much, however she also takes great pride in being a student.

The first sentence in the poem translates to “The author writes books with intelligence.”

Malala was first introduced to me as an author, which is why the sentence was placed first. She wrote a book in not only her native language but in English as well, proving her intelligence, despite the challenges she faced to get educated. The second sentence translates to “The warrior overcomes violence with courage.” Malala grew up in an unsafe place and was not given the right to education simply because she is a female. She knew that the Taliban would not approve of her going to school or raising awareness, however she was courageous enough to do it anyway for the greater good. The last sentence is “The scholar teaches people with kindness.” This is placed last because she had to go through violence to really be able to teach the importance of kindness. Malala’s story has taught me to stand strong in the face of adversity and never take my education for granted.