Paper #1 Assignment: The Greek Conversation

 

Like your reading questions, I’m giving you four possibilities to choose from here, but I only want you to write about ONE of them. However, I want you to give me more thought and effort than you would give in your questions. Write a 3-4 page (double spaced) response quoting from both books as support. Think about our class discussions and videos (and your previous questions) and show me the connections you see between both books. If you don't use both books in your response, or turn in a paper less than 3-4 pages, you risk getting a zero on the assignment (so be careful!). 

We'll discuss proper citation of books in class next week, as well as constructing a Works Cited page (though you should remember this, or know it, from high school and Comp 1 as well). 

CHOOSE ONE:

Q1. Which character or characters in The Iliad could have been written or created by Sappho? In other words, which ones express sentiments, ideas, or even a basic philosophy similar to Sappho’s poems? Discuss a specific passage that shows this character speaking, or acting, in a way that echoes one or more of Sappho’s fragments. Be as specific as possible so we can appreciate the connection. You might also consider whether a character takes her ideas and twists them in a new direction—maybe a more ‘masculine’ translation of Sappho.

Q2. In general, Greek culture is obsessed with immortality—not for the soul, but for the individual’s qualities/character.  As Sappho writes, “later on...in an age unlike our own/Someone will remember who we are” (87).  In The Iliad, how does the poet discuss the difference between doing glorious deeds (for one’s own immortality) and doing just/good deeds (for society’s immortality)?  Can being a hero actually be at the expense of society?  Who should a hero live and die for? 

Q3. According to Sappho and The Iliad, what is the role of the gods in human society? Sure, they’re “gods” and control the fate of the world, but how important are they really? What do they do for humanity, and what do they need from humanity? Do both works agree on this? Do they seem more reverent toward the gods, or more critical of them? You might also consider whether either work even seems to believe in the Gods. Are they the “menu” and not the “food”? (to quote from our last lecture video).

Q4. Sappho writes almost exclusively about the various forms of love (and lust) in the ancient world. Yet The Iliad is also a poem about love, since the love for a woman starts the Trojan War and every great hero (Achilles, Hector) is defined by his love for a woman. So how did the Greeks view love: as a destructive force? An ennobling force? The most beautiful thing in the world—or the most terrifying? Is their view of love basically the same as ours, or did the ancient Greeks have different views on love between men and women—and women and women?

DUE DATES:

• MONDAY CLASS: Wednesday, September 30^th by 5pm
• WEDNEDAY CLASS: Friday, October 2^nd by 5pm
• FRIDAY CLASS: Monday, October 5^th by 5pm