NOTE: Check your syllabus to see what day these questions are due for your class. Remember that you can do them earlier if you want, but they do have a deadline. In general, the questions are due by your next in-class day. So if you have class on Monday, they're due in-class on Monday (or via e-mail by Monday's class--but not any time on Monday!).
READ THE FOLLOWING POEMS FIRST in the book If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho (on the left page is the original ancient Greek, which obviously you don't have to read):
* pp.3-5
* p.7
* p.9
* p.11
* p.13
* p.25
* p.27
* p.29
* p.45
* p.51
* p.53
* p.61
* p.63
THEN answer 2 of the following 4 questions in a short response (at least a few sentences). Don't just give me a "yes or no" answer, and please don't restate the question. Try to think out loud and even reason through the questions, because each one has multiple answers and ways you could approach it. You can then bring the answers with you to class OR e-mail them to me, but either way, we'll discuss these questions and readings in class.
Q1: Most of these poems are fragments, like the headless and armless statues in the video. Because of this, we really don't know what the missing pieces would have said and how they would change the poems. Which poem did you find the most difficult to understand based on the missing pieces and why? Discuss what you think the poem might be about based on what we do have--and be specific.
Q2: The most complete poem is the first one, on pages 3-5. As far as we know, th is is exactly what Sappho intended to write. Read this poem carefully and explain what you think the poet is asking Aphrodite (the goddess of love) for. What does she want most of all? Also, why might this poem be a little humorous? Any clues?
Q3: The poem on page 63 is also fairly complete, even though it breaks off at the end. What makes this poem such a modern poem about love? What is the poet worried about? What do they want the reader to understand about the nature of love, and what it feels like to be in love?
Q4: If some of these poems were modern-day songs, what style of music would they be? Choose a specific poem and explain why it 'sounds' like this kind of music.
Q1: The poem on page 9 was the most difficult for me to understand. It starts out talking about "the beautiful and good" then moves right into pain and evil doing. It then ends with blessed ones. I believe this was most difficult for me to understand because of the way that it went back and forth between good and evil. But going off of what we do have here, I believe this is a comparison between two people. I believe the author was hurt by someone , maybe a lover or a friend, and is comparing themself, to the person that hurt them. "Of pain", followed by "me", also followed by "blame" and "take your fill" leads me to believe that the author is going back and forth, comparing themself and the one that caused the pain their life.
ReplyDeleteQ2. It seems that Sappho is asking Aphrodite for help in love. She says that Aphrodite has helped her before and she is asking for help again. She wants most, a person to be persuaded back into her love because she says at the end, "Whom should I persuade (now again) to lead you back into her love? Who, O Sappho, is wronging you?". Also this poem is a little bit humorous because Sappho calls out one of Aphrodites flaws, which is ironic because Aphrodite is a god. She says, " child of Zeus, who twists lures", which is Sappho calling Aphrodite cunning and sneaky.
Thanks for this, but no need to post them here (since I don't want people to steal your excellent work). Just bring them to class next week or e-mail them to me in the future. Otherwise, looks good!
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