Herodotus--Discussion I

Please read as much of you can of Books I and II of Herodotus' Persian War. Concentrate especially on Sections 1-14 of Book I and Sections 10-27, 123-131, 160, and 174 of Book II.

Suppose that, instead of looking for a poet, Zeus and Dionysius were trying to find a great historian to bring back with them to Olympus. Cite a line or two from Herodotus showing why he might be a good candidate for the spot, and explain how this line/these lines show Herodotus' strengths as a historian. If you're not impressed with Herodotus, cite a line or two that shows why he ought to be left in Hades.

Iliad IV (extra credit)

Christians and Jews turn to the Bible as a source of comfort in difficult circumstances: "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." Does Homer offer any similar consolation? Are there key lines here showing how one can/should face loss, fear, death, and destruction?

Iliad-Discussion 3

Please finish reading the Iliad (Books XVIII-XXIV). The final pages are crucial to understanding the work as a whole, and there's not much here that can be skipped.

Cite below a "key line," a line from the above chapters that you think particularly important to understanding the Iliad. Explain your choice.

Iliad, Books VII-XVII

Please read as much as you can of Books VII-XVII. If you like, you may skim over the descriptions of the actual fighting. These scenes are exciting (and important), but it's not essential for you to try to follow the ebb and flow of the battles: I'll summarize that for you in class.

Please read especially closely Books 9,14,15, and 16. Choose from these books a "key line," one line that seems to you to summarize particularly well one of Homer's insights into the human condition.

As you search for your key line, consider especially the attempts to mend the relationship between Agamemnon and Achilles, the very odd scene between Zeus and Hera, and Zeus' lament about fate.

Iliad, Books I-VI

Homer's works were in some ways the closest thing the Greeks had to a Bible. If one wanted authoritative teaching about the gods and about their dealings with mankind, one turned to Homer. Passages culled from the Iliad and the Odyssey served as "proof texts" for any point one might try to make. Likewise, Homer's writings were also the starting point for later "inspired" writers--the poets and playwrights of ancient Greece. But Homer's works are a very strange sort of Bible, and it's not always easy to say exactly what his religious views were.

Please read the Iliad study questions on the syllabus, and then as much of you can of Books I-VI. Cite here a line or incident that shows how the Iliad is like a Bible or how it makes a very strange "Bible."

Brek-ek-ek-ek-coax-coax.