Chreia's, Maxim's and the Persuasive Essay

Refutation of the Rose

Any author who writes a tale such as this is a fool. For this author writes of gods long dead, and their immoral relations. This author encourages jealous rage, discourages a healthy "haste makes waste" attitude. No one should ever read this story, "The Rose."

The story goes that Aphrodite loved Adonis, and Ares loved Aphrodite. Ares was jealous of the love he believed was his being spent on a mortal, so War struck Adonis. Aphrodite rushed to his aid, but ran into the rose bush, and a thorn pierced her foot, staining the rose red forever; making the once white rose now red. There is not a more ridiculous story to be found on this earth. There is not a more ridiculous story to be found on this earth.

Why would Aphrodite be in pursuit of a mortal? Aphrodite is married to Hephaestus, not Adonis, so why would the graceful and slender beauty cheat on her poor husband? You might say, "That is the way of the gods, always cheating on each other." If the gods are supposed to be a representation of all that is good in the world, and are to be held by a higher standard, then why would they be accustomed to immorality? And why would an immortal woo a mortal? For mortals die and gods do not. This is only asking for heartbreak. Either Aphrodite, a "perfect" goddess who represents the righteousness of love, is immoral, or she wants her heart broken.

Granting that Aphrodite was not a perfect goddess, as one would assume of an immortal deity, why would Ares try to woo her? Aphrodite may have been an adulteress, but Ares could not even think of trying to win her from her immortal husband. Was not Aphrodite married to Hephaestus, god of fire? You may say, "Ares was so overtaken by Cupid's arrow that he could not help himself." Is not Cupid the loving son of Aphrodite? Is it plausible that he would do such a thing to his mother? Either Ares is no more than a stupid mule, or Cupid has smitten him to spite the mother he loves. You may say, "But Aphrodite is the most beautiful entity ever, being the goddess of love and beauty." So either Aphrodite is not the goddess of love and beauty, because Adonis doesn't love her, or Cupid refused the mother he loves the love of her heart. Therefore Ares would be a fool to woo Aphrodite, and how could Adonis not love her? And Adonis would love her if her son loved or obeyed her. This story defies rational thought.

Let us cede that the love triangle may have been feasible. The author states that the longing was the same, but the kind just differed. Can this be reasonable? This is as impossible and oxymoronical as a stony-faced Mickey Mouse! If the longing is the exact same, then how could it differ? It is impossible to have the same love, but different love. Could their love really be the same? Either their love differed (and thus was not the same), or it did not differ (thus invalidating the story). Is love ever really the same? This author has stated that the love is the same, but the kind differed, but has flatly contradicted himself. Can we really believe that love can ever be the same?

Why would Ares be fool enough to believe that Aphrodite would love the killer of her love? If Are killed Adonis, then could Aphrodite really love him in her grief? True love is putting your love's interests before your own. Is killing their Baal doing so? Either Ares did not love Aphrodite, or he does not want her to love him.

Why would the goddess be running like the swift wind that brings the destruction of a hurricane or monsoon? If she is a graceful deity, then can she really be so ungraceful that she could be running into a rosebush, or even running at all? Then she is not a deity if she did run into rosebush.

Why would the rose's color be changed to red? Ichor, the blood of the gods, is golden. How then would an author say that the goddess's blood would stain the rose red, when in reality it would pigment the rose gold? The idiocy is real! Either the author doesn't know nothing about none of his subject matter, or he is intentionally giving false information to us.

This author is a fool for writing such a tale! Rise to the calling, and refuse to support this useless story!