Translating Shakespeare Assignment (Part I of Final Exam)

Translating Shakespeare (Part I of your Final Exam)

For this assignment, I want you to take 2-3 pages of Much Ado About Nothing and translate them into colloquial, modern American English.  The trick here is that (a) the meaning cannot change, (b) the characters and situations cannot change, and (c) your version should try, as close as possible, to use the same metaphors and allusions as the original, though you might need to find modern equivalents for some (ex: when Borachio talks about actors dressing as Pharaoh’s soldiers and Hercules in III.3, you could substitute a modern equivalent). 

When translating the pages, keep the following tips in mind:

·     You don’t have to translate it word-for-word; that is, you can translate 5 sentences into 1 modern sentence if it makes more sense to do so.  Try to be as literal as possible, but you don’t have to be too literal.

·     Keep it in play form, with characters speaking lines, etc.  We still want to read it like a performance.

·     However, you DO NOT have to use iambic pentameter.  Since we don’t use that anymore, you should translate everything into prose…but try to make passages of verse sound a little more “poetic” or “polished” than the rest.  Make us be able to hear or somehow sense that a different language is being spoken.  This could be the difference between slang and proper English, for example. 

·      As stated above, try to use make us ‘see’ the actual language through translation—update the metaphors, but try not to radically change them. 

For example, in Act II, scene 3, Benedick says: “Now divine air!  Now is his soul ravished!  Is it not strange that sheep’s guys should hale souls of out men’s bodies?  Well, a horn for my money, when all’s done.”  I might re-write this like so: “Ah, what beautiful music!  He’s desperately in love now!  It’s strange that just a few pieces of string and wood have the power to knock men’s souls right out of their bodies.  Well, if I were a betting man, I would put it all on music.” 

This assignment is an early part of your final exam (worth 25% of the final grade), so I want you to work on it early and have fun with it.  On Wednesday, December 3^rd (and on Friday, if necessary) I want to invite people to read their translations (or translations-in-progress) to the class.  You don’t have to, but those that do can win 5 points of extra credit toward their final grade.  So consider this a fun challenge and a way to end the semester in a lighthearted manner.  

For Monday: Much Ado About Nothing, Acts. IV-V

For Monday: Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, Acts. IV-V (last questions for class!)

Answer TWO of the following...

1. Shakespearean humor is almost always based on language, unlike the more physical comedy of today’s theater.  Discuss a passage that is funny/hilarious based on how characters use some aspect of language, from puns, sexual references, malapropisms (using the wrong word), metaphors, etc.  You might specifically examine the language of the lower classes, whose humor is more direct than their masters, but often easier caught by us hundreds of years later.

2. Beatrice has a powerful scene in Act IV, scene 2, where she exclaims, “O that I were a man for his sake! or that I had any friend that would be a man for my sake!” How do you think she’s defining a “man” in this passage?  Does she literally mean a male, or is there some subtle definition of man that makes her unable to find one in Messina, even despite Benedick’s presence? 

3. Discuss a scene (either an entire scene, or a few lines) where Shakespeare switches from prose to verse (or vice versa) to make a dramatic point.  Much Abo About Nothing, as we have discussed earlier, is rare that it has more prose than poetry, but in the later Acts we find entire scenes of poetry.  Explain why and how it is used in this scene, and what effect it has on the audience.  How does it act as a “setting” and a “costume” for the characters?

4. At the first wedding, Pedro insists that he and Claudio “Did see her, did hear her, at that hour last night/Talk with a ruffian...Who hath indeed, most like a liberal villain,/Confessed the vile encounters they have had/A thousand times in secret” (IV.1.).  So even though they saw “Hero” at the window, what really convinced them is what Borachio “told” them about the affair.  Why does all the action in Much Ado About Nothing take place in words rather than in actions?  Everything is told to the characters—and to us—second hand, from Hero’s infidelity to Don John’s capture.  Film versions always show us these events...so why does the play refuse to? 

For Wednesday: Much Ado About Nothing, Act II

For Wednesday: Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, Act II

Answer TWO of the following...

1. Compare the two long speeches Benedick has in Act II, Scene Three, on pages 32 and 39 of the Pelican Shakespeare edition (the speeches that begin “I know that, but I would have thee hence again,” and “This can be no trick.”  In both he reflects upon love and his opinion of marriage.  What changes in these two speeches, and is there any sense in the first that he might eventually come to the opinion of the second?  In other words, have they ‘brainwashed’ him into marriage, or was he merely looking to be convinced?

2. Shakespeare inserts a very cynical song in Act Three, Scene Three, right when everyone is wooing and making preparations for marriage.  Though no one seems to pay it close attention, why might this be Shakespeare’s sly way of making a point in the comedy?  What might be the message of this song and this particular moment of the play?

3. Where do we see verse (imabic pentameter) in Act 2?  Why do you think it is used and what it the effect it should have on the audience?  In class we discussed how language is the one way to change a character’s clothing and make the audience take notice.  How might the use of verse in this act in one particular scene do this? 

4. As befits a play set in Italy (home of Machiavelli), almost everyone in Act Two is, at some point, wearing a disguise and playing a role.  Of course, one of the difficulties of wearing a disguise is being mistaken for someone else.  Discuss how these disguises allow people to say things they normally couldn’t, and actually create “much ado about nothing.”  In other words, how does the play create a plot out of disguises and illusions that doesn’t really exist?  

For Monday: Much Ado About Nothing, Act One

Beatrice and Benedick in the 1993 film by Kenneth Branagh

For Monday: Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, Act I

Answer TWO of the following:

1. Since no one in the audience can catch every word of a performance, reading a play is useful since you can pause, re-read, and contemplate the meaning of a speech (or even a word).  Having read Act One, discuss a passage or a line that you never noticed in the movie but seems more interesting or confusing in the play.  What happens in the actual lines that may have been skimmed over in the film, or you simply didn’t catch the first time around?  Why is this passage significant, do you think?

2. The play suggests that Beatrice and Benedict have a history, though not much is said about it.  What is Beatrice’s chief complaint about Benedict?  What kind of man does she think he is?  What are his chief flaws?  Is there any way to guess what happened between them, and why she’s bitter (if you read her that way)? 

3. Most of Act One is in prose, which is normal, spoken English.  However, on page 12, once Benedict leaves, Don Pedro and Claudio start speaking in verse (and specifically, imabic pentameter—we’ll discuss this).  Why do you think there language changes here, when they were formally speaking in prose?  How might this mirror what they’re speaking of, and how Shakespeare wants us to ‘hear’ this conversation?

4. How might some elements of Act One carry Machiavellian undertones?  Who is acting or putting on a performance that is contradictory to their true self?  Who might be playing the role of a “prince” in some way, large or small?  Or, is anyone instructed to follow Machiavellian principles to “win” their desire? 

For Friday: Shakespeare's Sonnets

For Friday: Shakespeare, Sonnets 30, 35, 36, 42, 46, 71

NOTE: I gave the class a handout with these sonnets on Wednesday, but if you missed class or lost the handout, you can find the Sonnets here: http://www.shakespeares-sonnets.com/

Choose TWO sonnets in this sequence and discuss how it creates a metaphor that helps us see a familiar situation/emotion in a new light.  For example, in Sonnet 30, Shakespeare explains how he mourns “friends hid in death’s dateless night.”  This metaphor suggests that death merely “hides” people who are otherwise still in plain sight, yet the darkness is “dateless,” meaning it has no beginning or end.  It suggests that the memory of a loss remains fresh because no one really “goes away,” but they remain with you, merely hidden from sight—though you can still feel them.  So pick another poem (or other metaphors in this one) and explain how it does the same thing—challenges how we read the world through a unique poetic metaphor. 

BONUS: Even though the Sonnets are individual poems, they seem to be developing a hidden story about the poet and his lover.  Based on these 6 sonnets, what seems to be the general story behind them?  What kind of relationship is this?  What are the clues/metaphors that suggest what kind of love this is?  (we’ll discuss this more in class) 

Exam and Paper day on Monday

Remember that Exam #2 is scheduled for tomorrow (Monday's) class at 12:00.  If you wrote Paper #1, you should take Exam #2, unless you really want to write another paper (though I assure you, the exam is easier and only takes an hour!).  If, however, you took Exam #1 you must write Paper #2.  Paper #2 is due by 5pm on Monday.  Late papers are accepted with a -10 penalty a day for a maximum of 2 days (so by Wednesday at 5pm).  After that you get a zero.  Exams cannot be made up unless arrangements are made beforehand.  

For the rest of the week, we will discuss Shakespeare's language in preparation to read Much Ado About Nothing.  See you then! 

Paper #2: The Machiavellian Nights (only required if you took Exam #1)

Paper #2: The Machiavellian Nights

Though superficially quite different works, both the Tales from the 1,001 Nights and Machiavelli’s The Prince each embody the concept of Humanism as it emerged in the late Medieval Period and flowered during the Italian Renaissance.  Shifting away from the epic, which showcases the struggles of gods, kings, and princes, these works focus on common men and women, and the ‘real’ struggles of ruling a kingdom.  Not surprisingly, we find some consistent themes in both works, chief among them a mistrust of those in power, a cynical view of mankind, and the phrase from Ma’aruf the Cobbler, “where candour fails, cunning thrives.” 

For your paper, I want you to explore how the Tales from the 1,001 Nights seems to illustrate many of Machiavelli’s principles in large or small ways.  Discuss a few tales/characters and analyze how they seem to reflect Machiavelli’s philosophy, whether in their use of manipulating or cunning, or simply how they come from the same world (a world where you can’t trust your fellow man—especially your friends and family!). 

The trick to this paper is showing us how we can read one book in terms of another, so be sure to quote ideas from The Prince to help illustrate situations in the Nights.  Also quote passages from The Nights so we can ‘see’ the connections you’re making.  In short, the more you can make specific connections, the stronger your paper will be.  Try not to be too literal in your analysis; you don’t have to focus only on leaders or people who rule; The Prince is also a way to view the world, to understand human psychology, and to protect yourself from people out to do you in (which we see in many of the stories in the Nights). 

ALSO: assume you’re writing to people who have read both works, so you don’t need to engage in plot summary or lengthy summaries of characters/situations.  Instead, get right to the discussion of the “Machiavellian” elements in the Nights.  You can also show us ways that the Nights seem to offer a slightly more optimistic view of humanity/power (if you think they do), but again, you’ll have to show us this very clearly rather than just suggesting it. 

REQUIREMENTS

• At least 3-4 pages, but you can do more if you like
• Quote from both books, in enough detail to make specific connections
• Introduce quotations (“As Machiavelli discusses in Chapter 8,”) and discuss them so your readers can understand (a) why you quoted it, and (b) how you interpret the quotation.
• Be sure to include a Works Cited page for both works. 
• DUE Monday, November 3^rd by 5pm 

For Monday: The Prince, pp.56-85

For Monday: Machiavelli’s The Prince, pp. 56-85

1. Considering that the prince’s only business is war, how does Machiavelli regard neutrality?  Can a prince remain neutral when two neighboring states go to war?  If not, which side should he support?  Why might this be one of the most significant decisions a prince can make?

2. What does it mean when Machiavelli writes, “Men in general judge by their eyes rather than by their hands” (58)?  How might this underline Machiavelli’s essential advice to the prince—and to any Renaissance gentleman who desires power? 

3. In a world of turncoats, flatterers, and assassins, whom should a prince turn to for advice?  What considerations does Machiavelli urge when compiling a prince’s personal staff?  Why might this decision make or break a prince’s rule?

4. Toward the end of the book, Machiavelli writes that “because fortune is a woman...if she is to be submissive it is necessary to beat and coerce her” (81).  Why does Machiavelli personify fortune as a woman, and what does it mean to “beat” fortune as a woman?  (as a side note, what do you think this says about Renaissance culture?) 

For Friday: Machiavelli, The Prince, pp.32-58 (through Ch.18)

For Friday: Machiavelli, The Prince, pp. 32-58 (through Chapter 18)

Just ONE question this time, but an important one: 

In Chapter 14, Machiavelli writes that “A prince, therefore, must have no other object or thought, nor acquire skill in anything, except war, its organization, and its discipline.  The art of war is all that is expected of a ruler” (47).  Why is war more important than anything else, especially considering the ideals of the “Renaissance gentleman” that all men are supposed to embody?  How does this advice tie into what we’ve read so far, and explain Machiavelli’s fundamental view of the world—and controlling the world?  

For Wednesday: Machiavelli's The Prince, pp.3-32

For Wednesday: Machiavelli's The Prince, pp.3-32

Answer TWO of the following: 

1. The term “Machiavellian” is an adjective used often in politics in our own time, and it comes from Machiavelli’s The Prince.  Based on your reading of the first few chapters, what do you think this adjective means, and what ideas/passages might it be based on?  Be specific.

2. What advice in general does Machiavelli offer the “prince” about men and mankind in general?  Consider the passage from chapter 6 that begins, “Men nearly always follow the tracks made by others and proceed in their affairs by imitation.”  Why is this information about human nature important for a ruler to know? 

3. What advice does Machiavelli give a ruler who conquers a foreign land?  What is the best way to keep this land under your control?  Likewise, what is the easiest way to lose it?  Do you think modern military strategists would agree with this advice?

4.  Shockingly, Machiavelli believes that a ruler should be cruel or downright immoral when necessary.  As he says in Chapter 8, the question is whether cruelty is “used well or badly.”  What does he mean by this, and related to question #2, why might human nature insist that rules be occasionally cruel to their subjects?  

For Wednesday: The Tale of Ma'aruf the Cobbler & Epilogue (pp.372-407)

Be sure to read the final story in our collection of Tales of the 1,001 Nights, as well as the Epilogue to find out if Shahrazad lives or dies!  No questions this time, though I will open class with an in-class writing prompt that covers some aspect of the story (so be sure to read!).  

Remember, this is our last class until Fall Break, so if you come tomorrow you can skip Friday without penalty!  :)

For Friday: No Class! (What?)

Sorry,  I actually have to cancel class on Friday due to repairs on my house.  However, you probably wanted a break anyway, right?  Please come back on Monday and I'll simply push what I was going to do on Friday to then.  Remember the Fall Break is approaching, so you only have 2 days next week--so come to both (don't make Wednesday your Friday)!  

Also, Mid-Term grades should soon be available.  If you're not happy with your grade, remember that we have a lot of work left, and some of you only had a "revise" grade for Paper #1.  So revise this and your grade will change substantially.  Please let me know if you have questions or concerns, however.  See you next week!

For Wednesday: The Tale of Judar and His Brothers, pp.330-371

For Wednesday: The Tale of Judar and His Brothers (pp.330-371)

Answer TWO of the following…

1. In some ways, this seems like the oldest of all the stories we’ve read in this collection, and the one that sounds the most Biblical.  What ideas/characters in this story sound familiar from the Old Testament, and why might this story be more about faith than the previous ones?

2. Since this story seems older/more faith-driven than the previous stories, how does it regard magic and the spirit world?  It doesn’t deny that these things exist, and indeed, allows believers to make free use of them.  And yet, are these things ‘good’ or useful to a true believer?  Who should use them—when—and how?  (also, how might this also relate to other writers of fantasy in our own time, such as C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkein)? 

3. The story ends in a potentially tragic way, which is unusual for the stories in this collection.  Why do you think it ends with Judar dying and his evil brother (briefly) being crowned king?  Why is a ‘bad’ ending important to the story (and maybe to Shahrazad’s story, too)? 

4. Considering that this story is written from the lower class point of view, what does it say about the ‘common man’s’ perspective of life?  If this a fairy tale for the poor, instead of the rich, what ideas and values does it encompass?  Why might this, too, be a lesson for the great King listening to Shahrazad’s tales?  

For Monday: Sinbad the Sailor and Sinbad the Porter (pp.113-162)

The 1947 Hollywood version of Sinbad 

For Monday: Sinbad the Sailor and Sinbad the Porter (pp.113-162)

Answer TWO of the following...

Like “The Barber’s Tales,” the stories of Sinbad basically tell the same story over and over again with slight variations.  Why is this?  What general theme or idea runs through all Seven Voyages of Sinbad?  Are these stories meant to be rousing adventure tales, or are they allegorical, meaning that the stories have symbolic meaning (which is why they’re repeated so often)? 

2. Throughout the tales, both Sinbad and the other sailors claim “that which Allah has ordained must surely come to pass” (131).  Do these stories believe in the idea of a Divine Fate like the Greeks that cannot be bargained with or avoided?  Or does Sinbad represent a contradiction to the idea of a single, unwavering destiny for each man and woman?  Discuss a specific example to support your answer. 

3. If Sinbad is the hero of these tales, what makes him heroic?  Is he a moral, Allah-fearing man who always does the right thing?  Is he intelligent and resourceful?  Or just damn lucky?  What qualities do you think the stories want us to see and appreciate?  Discuss at least one example where we see this. 

4. Why might Shahrazad tell these stories to the King (besides trying to save her life)?  How might they connect to the overall frame narrative, and what ideas/themes might she be trying to ‘teach’ to the King to reform him?  Is the King like Sinbad—or is she?  

For Friday: Tales of the 1,001 Nights (pp.15-76)

For Friday: Tales from the Thousand and One Nights: Prologue and The Hunchback’s Tale (pp.15-76)

Answer TWO of the following...

1. What might be the benefit of telling a story using a frame narrative (that is, a basic story that has several stories within it)?  How might this allow the author(s) to show us more about this society than any one story could?  Also, how does it change how we interpret each story when we remember that the King’s doomed wife, Shahrazad, is really telling all the stories? 

2. What do you feel is the purpose of the Barber telling the stories of his Six Brothers?  While some stories are quite comic, others are tragic and even disturbing in their bad luck and cruelty.  How might these stories reflect the Barber’s view of the world, and do you feel he’s telling them all to make a point—or is it merely an example of his inability to shut up? 

3. In the Prologue, we are introduced to the favorite theme of the Ancient/Medieval world: faithless women.  How is this theme developed in “The Hunchback’s Tale”?  If these stories reflect the medieval Islamic view, how do they view/depict women in their culture?  Is it much different from what we encountered in Sappho and The Iliad?  Do they have more freedom?  Less?  Are the ideas more modern?  Less? 

4. Even though The Tales of the Thousand and One Nights is from the Islamic world, how much do you feel it reflects a Muslim outlook?  In other words, is it a text that seems concerned with advocating a strict Muslim view of the world?  Or is the presence of Islam just another frame to contain numerous views, ideas, and stories?  Discuss a specific story or detail to support your answers.  

For Wednesday: Introducing The Tales from the 1,001 Nights

On Wednesday, we'll be introducing the book and the culture of Tales from the 1,001 Nights, which may help you read/appreciate the individual stories.  There is nothing due in class, though I will assign the first readings in class.  

Remember that Paper #1 was due yesterday by 5pm.  You have until Wednesday to turn it in for a grade, though you lose -10 points a day.  If you missed the exam, however, you cannot make that up without a doctor's note.  I hope to have both exams and papers back to you on Friday.  

See you then!  

For Wednesday, The Iliad, Books 23 & 24

For Wednesday: The Iliad, Books 23 & 24

1. In a passage omitted from our version of Book 24, the gods debate about whether Achilles should give up Hector’s body.  Apollo, who thinks he should, speaks:

How callous can you get?  Has Hector

Never burned for you thighs of bulls and goats?

…but now you cannot

Bring yourselves to save even his bare corpse

For his wife to look upon, and his mother,

And child, and Priam, and his people…

No, it’s the dread Achilles that you prefer,

His twisted mind is set on what he wants,

As savage as a lion bristling with pride,

Attacking men’s flocks to make himself a feast.

Achilles has lost all pity and has no shame left.

Shame sometimes hurts men, but it helps them too.

A man may lose someone dearer than Achilles has,

A brother from the same womb, or a son,

But when he has wept and mourned, he lets go.

The Fates have given men an enduring heart.

But this man?  After he kills Hector,

He ties him behind his charior

And drags him around his dear friend’s tomb.

Does this make him a better or nobler man? (lines 37-57)

What do you think Apollo means by an “enduring heart,” and why might this speech suggest that hubris is a quality of gods—not men? 

2. How does Book 24 present Achilles’ decision to give Hector’s body back to Priam?  Is it still an act of compassion and mercy?  Does this book redeem Achilles in our eyes, or is he merely a pawn of the gods, forced to do Zeus’ bidding? 

3. How do the various women respond to Hector’s body—Andromache, Hecuba, and Helen?  How does this give us different perspectives on who Hector was, and whether or not he died honorably—or for the right reason? 

4. Why do you think the book ends with the funeral of Hector, rather than with the fall of Troy, or even the death of Achilles?  If the story is about Achilles’ rage, then why not end with the natural outcome of his rage—his death?  Why is ending the book here, rather than later on in the actual story of Troy, somehow satisfying? 

            

For Monday: The Iliad, Books 18, 19 & 22

For Monday: The Iliad, Books 18, 19 & 22

Answer TWO of the following…

1. In Book 9, Phoenix warns Achilles that “if you go into battle without any gifts/Your honor will be less, save us or not” (68).  When Achilles finally decide to fight in Book 18, is this seen as an honorable decision?  Has he ‘saved’ his honor?  What explanation does he offer for abandoning his grudge against Agamemnon?  Is it enough? 

2. What is the biggest difference between the Hector/Achilles duel in the film and in Book 22?  Though both men do fight one another, and Hector is slain, what moments leading up to this are markedly different?  How do you feel about the film’s translation?  Does it keep the spirit of the fight despite changing the language?  Or does the change of language change the fight itself? 

3. In Book 19 Briseis finally gets to speak: what does she say and how does it define her as a character?  What do we learn about her (and her relationship with Achilles), and how does she compare to the other speaking women—Helen and Andromache? 

4. Before Hector goes into battle, he is approached by his father (Priam, the king) and his mother (Hecuba, the queen).  What do they say to him that differs dramatically from the film?  How does this scene show us a different side of the Trojans and of Hector?  Again, you might consider why this was translated out of Troy (the film).  

Paper #1 Assignment: The Song Remains the Same: Translating the Ancient Greeks

Many students are understandably upset when they have to read old literature, since it is not only old but from a world that seems impossibly distant.  These students might argue, “why should we read a book about a war with people we’ve never heard of?  If Sappho’s poetry didn’t survive, then why should we try to resurrect it?  Can’t we read new works by living authors/artists?” 

For this paper, I want you to help students understand the power or relevance of either Sappho’s poetry OR The Iliad by comparing it to a modern “translation” of either work.  By “translation,” I mean some work of art that seems to rework the same ideas, themes, characters, or philosophies.  And by “work of art” I mean anything created for our entertainment or education: a book, a film, a song/album, a painting, a photograph, a video game, etc.  Your goal is to prove that by reading Homer/Sappho, we can better understand modern-day works, as well as better appreciate the stories and songs we continue to tell one another.  Be creative, and help the students realize that great art never dies—it’s merely translated for a new audience/generation. 

Here are some tips for writing this paper:

• Write to a typical 21^st century high school student: what biases/stereotypes do they have about these works?  How can you surprise them or help them see ideas they might miss?  You might even open the paper by addressing these very concerns. 
• Don’t summarize the plot of the poem/book.  Instead, analyze specific passages (through quotations) that you can then explain to the students. 
• Point to specific connections, but remember that they don’t have to be literal.  It could be a character like Achilles who comes to a similar realization, or it could be a song that expresses similar ideas to one of Sappho’s fragments.  It doesn’t have to be word-for-word. 
• Be sure to explain and describe your secondary work of art and quote whenever possible.  Help  us “see” the connections between both works, so that even the most indifferent student could see how Sappho is still alive in another singer’s ballad, for example.    

REMEMBER: Paper #1 is optional; you can either write this paper OR take Exam #1.  However, if you take Exam #1, you have to write Paper #2.  You can write both papers if you wish, but you cannot take both exams.  Try to have fun with this assignment and be creative.  Paper #1 is due Monday, September 29^th by 5pm

For Wednesday: The Iliad, Book 16

For Tuesday: The Iliad, Book 16

Answer TWO of the following...

1. How does Patroclus compare as a hero to Achilles?  While Patroclus is clearly not Achilles’ equal, how does the book contrast him with his more famous friend?  What sentiments/ideas does Patroclus represent that runs counter to Achilles? 

2. When Achilles prays to Zeus for Patroclus’ success in battle, the poet writes, “Zeus in his wisdom heard Achilles’ prayer/And granted half of it” (86).  How are we supposed to account for the cruelty or indifference of the gods?  Why does Zeus only fulfill part—leaving a kind of loop hole which will doom Patroclus?  What attitude about the gods/fate does this reveal about the poet? 

3. How heroic or honorable does Hector appear in his battle with Patroclus?  Is Hector the “good” hero as opposed to the “bad” Achilles?  Are we rooting for him?  Does he act in accordance to the values of heroism in our culture?  Does the poet celebrate his victory—or does he, too, betray the code of honor in some way? 

4. A big question: do the gods control fate or are they controlled by fate themselves?  What seems to be the ultimate authority on life and death in the Greek world?  Discuss a passage that seems to answer or acknowledge this question. How might this complicate the struggle of life and death for ordinary mortals?

For Monday: The Iliad, Books 9 & 12

For Monday: The Iliad, Books 9 & 12

Answer TWO of the following…

1. How do Ajax and Odysseus weigh in on Achilles’ actions in Book 9?  Do they see this as honorable behavior?  Justifiable?  Cowardly?  Hubristic?  Cite a specific passage to illustrate your response. 

2. For the first time, Achilles reflects on his personal philosophy in Book 9, starting on page 60.  How does he explain his own views of life/death, the purpose of war, personal glory, etc.?  Is this a heroic speech, or does it sound very strange coming from the mouth of the Greeks’ greatest hero?  Would a modern action hero or solider say these lines?  Why or why not? 

3. Based on these passages, is Achilles lovesick or simply stubborn?  Is there any more support for the idea that he loved Briseus and is pining away for her, enraged that she has to sleep with Agamemnon?  Or is she merely the last straw in a list of complaints and outrageous Achilles has had to endure? 

4. How do the gods blatantly use their powers to influence the outcome of the war in these books?  Is their own actions “honorable,” or even fair to the Greeks and Trojans?  Why do the gods seem to play favorites and manipulate human outcomes?  Does this help to explain their actions and make it more (or less) understandable?  

For Friday: Reading Break/Paper Assignment #1

There are no reading questions for Friday, since I'm going to give everyone a reading break to catch up or to simply read ahead.  I'll assign Books 9 & 12 for Monday, so feel free to keep reading or otherwise use this break to your advantage.

However, we DO have class tomorrow: I'm going to assign the first paper assignment as well as discuss some ideas related to the first two books.  This is an important class so you don't want to miss--otherwise you might be confused later.

See you on Friday...

For Wednesday: The Iliad, Books 3 and 6

From "The Age of Bronze," a graphic novel of the Iliad (in our library)

For Wednesday: The Iliad, Books 3 and 6

Answer TWO of the following…

1. How do Books 3 and 6 help us discuss the question of free will in The Iliad?  Do men and women act on their own desires and impulses, or are all these actions decreed by the gods?  Where do we see an event that seems to answer this question? 

2. Discuss how Helen responds to Aphrodite in Book 3: how does this contradict our view of Helen in the movie, Troy?  How does Homer see Helen, and what makes this a more believable, and perhaps modern, characterization of her? 

3. In Book 6 we meet Hector’s wife, Andromache, another strong female voice in the poem.  How does she complicate our idea of heroes fighting a glorious battle?  What is the “woman’s perspective” on the Trojan war, at least according to her?

4. How do Books 3 and 6 contrast the characters of Troy’s two heroes, Paris and Hector?  Are they as distinct as they appear in the movie, or are there more subtle, less obvious differences?  Which one is more ‘heroic’ in modern terms?  Do you feel one wasn’t seen as a hero in the ancient world?  Are there any clues that suggest this?  

For Monday: The Iliad, Books 1 and 2 (pp.1-27/Lombardo Translation)

For Monday: The Illiad, Books 1 and 2

Answer TWO of the following: 

1. From the first two books, what kind of relationship do humans have with the gods? What role do the gods serve for them, and likewise, what roles do humans serve for the gods?  What makes this relationship so different from the man/God relationship in most monotheistic religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam)? 

2. Examine Achilles’ confrontation with Agamemnon in Book I: how do we respond to him as a hero in this passage?  Does he seem modern and sympathetic here, or is he petulant and childish?  Do you think Homer’s audience would have responded the same way, or is this a modern, 21^st century response based on our own cultural biases/expectations? Discuss a line or two that influences your response. 

3. Though Achilles is often thought to be the embodiment of hubris (excessive pride, overconfidence, etc.), in what ways does Agamemnon also deserve this title?  How do we see the leader of the Greek armies display this quality, and how does it endanger the Greeks’ relationship with the gods?

4. The Iliad is an imaginative re-telling of the legendary battle of Troy, and more importantly, it is a poem, so it uses metaphors to make the warriors of old come to life. Discuss a passage in Book 1 or 2 where metaphors are used creatively to help us see and experience the realities of battle.  Be sure to explain why you find this metaphor unique and what it helped you understand about this moment in the poem.

For Friday: Scenes from Troy (2004)

For Friday, we'll be watching a few scenes from the 2004 film Troy, to preface our reading of Books 1 and 2 of The Iliad on Monday.  Be sure you have the book and feel free to start reading if you know you're a slow reader or fear you might not be enthralled by an epic about heroes, gods, warfare, and love in the ancient world (but seriously, how could you not?).  I will post questions for Books 1 and 2 on Friday, so check back after class for more details.

For Friday: "The Wisdom of Sappho" and response below

An actual fragment of Sappho' s poetry

Be sure to read the few fragments in the last chapter, "The Wisdom of Sappho" before responding to the question below.  However, you can use poems from anywhere in the book to answer this response, either in the last chapter or other ones.  

Respond to the following question in a developed paragraph (at least 4-5 sentences, with sufficient detail to answer the question).  Even though Sappho’s poetry consists largely of fragments, many of these fragments seem to go together, as if they express the same basic thoughts or themes.  Looking through the poems in our book, choose 3-4 fragments that seem (to you) able to work together to make a complete poem.  Why do these works go together, and what do we see if we read the fragments as one complete work?  How might this help our appreciation of Sappho and our understanding of women in the ancient world?  Be sure to quote from one or two of the poems to illustrate your ideas. 

For Wednesday: Sappho, Stung With Love, pp.57-79

Sappho, Stung With Love (pp.57-79), "Troy" and "Maidens and Marriages"

Answer TWO of the following…

In one of her famous poems, “Some call ships, infantry or horsemen” (p.59), Sappho confronts male ideas of beauty with a female perspective.  How does she do this—and why does she use the figure of Helen of Troy (the infamous beauty who ran off with Paris and abandoned her husband/children)?  According to this poem at least, what makes women different from men when it comes to love? 

2. Which fragments seem almost too broken to make sense of?  How might you reconstruct the story/ideas behind them to give them more context?  What makes you think this might be the real story behind this fragment?  Be specific…

3. Some of the poems in the last part of our reading are wedding songs, which celebrate the wedding night of the bride and groom.  How do these poems show us a different side of Sappho’s art?  Why might these poems have been as scandalous to later ages as her poems about female love? 

4. How might some of the “Maidens and Marriages” poems be advice from a mother to her daughter?  What advice might Sappho want to give to her daughters—or the next generation of women?  Consider the poems on page 67, for example...how might these be metaphorical advice to a young woman?  

For Monday: Sappho, Stung With Love (pp.21-53)

For Monday: Sappho, Stung with Love: “Desire and Death Longing” and “Her Girls and Family” (pp.21-53)

Answer TWO of the following in a short paragraph, at least 3-4 sentences, but be as specific as possible.  No one sentence answers will get credit, since I want to see what you think, not just what you can say. 

1. How does Sappho use metaphors to capture the experience of love, desire, heartbreak, nostalgia, or some other emotion?  Choose a specific poem and discuss why the metaphors are very relatable to a modern audience.  Remember that metaphors put one experience in terms of another so we can see/understand them in a different light.  For example, on page 5 we had "the leaves drip slumber," which isn't possible, but it seems possible since the leaves are calm, soothing, and can lull us to sleep.  

2. If many of these poems are by women to other women, what kind of love do they express?  Remember that there is only one word for love in the English language, but other languages have many words for the differnet kinds of love.  So a "love" poem in ancient Greek might not necessarily be sexual in nature.  Do you see that here--are these 'friendship' love poems, or something much more passionate?  Why do you think so?

3. How might many of these poems support the idea that Sappho was a mother, and regarded many of the women around her as her daughters?  Why might a mother relate to many of the sentiments/emotions in these poems?

4. Why might we consider these poems 'snapshots' of the lives of women in ancient Greece?  What does it reveal about their lives, hardships, relationships, and desires?  What might Sappho have wanted her readers to see/hear about the true nature of women, who were supposed to be 'seen but not heard' in the ancient world?

Welcome to the Course

Welcome to Humanities 2113, also known as "General Humanities I."  What is “General Humanities I”? Let’s start with what it isn’t: don’t expect a course where you are expected to memorize endless dates, figures, and factoids to regurgitate on a weekly exam. Instead, the goal of this class is to explore our shared cultural heritage, a collection of works that continue to shape how we see, appreciate, and evaluate the world. As the Preface of the Norton Anthology of World Literature explains, “World literature is ground in the history of the world, but it is also the history of imagining this world; it is a history not just of what happened, but also of how humans imagined their place in the midst of history.” In other words, this is a class that explains how we “made” history in our own image. 

The true ‘work’ of this course will be learning to read the literature that survived history to become culture, even though many of them will be unfamiliar to you.  From Greece to the Middle East, we’ll explore the most fundamental ideas of humanity so we can see ourselves in history.  If you are what you eat, you are also what you read—and what your ancestors wrote down to preserve for future generations.  Silly as it might sound, this is your story, preserved in black and white as your cultural DNA.  So start reading!

I've listed the books for class below in the order we're reading them.  Be sure to get them as soon as possible, since the ECU bookstore only holds onto the books for a few weeks before sending them back.  You are required to own all the books for class and read them along with the class.  

• Sappho, Stung With Love: Poems and Fragments (Penguin Classics)
• Homer, The Essential Iliad (trnsl. Lombardo, Hackett)
• Tales from the 1,001 Nights (Penguin Classics)
• Machiavelli, The Prince (Penguin Classics or other)
• Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing (Pelican Shakespeare or other)

I look forward to exploring these works with you over the Fall 2014 semester!  Please contact me with any questions or concerns at jgrasso@ecok.edu.  

NOTE: The posts below this one are from Fall 2013: they are not assignments for this week or next.  Feel free to browse through them if you like, but none of these questions or readings will appear in our course.