Brief History of the Trojan War

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Brief History of the Trojan War (Course Pack). This is very important reading and will provide the necessary foundation for the Iliad and the Oresteia. The Trojan War was part of the Ancient World’s cultural heritage, what Jung would call their collective unconscious. Everyone knew the story and the legends surrounding it.
BLOG: Who started the Trojan war? (Helen is not really the culprit).  In what ways do the gods/goddesses behave like humans in this story? Think about how Ancient people may have dealt with the idea that their deities were immortal but sometimes behaved unethically and treacherously – both to each other and to humans. How would feel about such gods? Include images of Helen of Troy. In the movie Troy Brad Pitt plays Achilles. What actor (or other character) could you visualize playing a better Achilles? Why? Include his/her picture.

The Story of Joseph

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Moses: The Story of Joseph from the King James Bible (Course Pack).
          BLOG: Think carefully about the reading questions at the end of the story of Joseph.
Consider our class discussion about epic heroes. How is Joseph an epic hero? What epic things does he accomplish? How many lives are affected by his behavior/choices? Include image of Joseph from The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

[Ancient Eastern Text]: The Story of Joseph from the Koran (Course Pack).
          BLOG: The Koran version of the story of Joseph differs from the KJV in several ways. Discuss at least two of them. Find a modern piece of literature, a song, or a movie that illustrates a concept from the Story of Joseph. Explain it here and imbed the piece. 

Greek Philosophy: Aristotle

.:.Prompt.:.[Greek Philosophy]: Aristotle [384 – 322 BCE] “Friendship,” Book VIII, from the Nicomachean
Ethics [350 BCE] (Course Pack)
 [Greek Philosophy]: Aristotle: “The Grounds of Friendship,”  Book IX from the Nicomachean Ethics [350 BCE] (Course Pack)
          BLOG: What three “kinds” of friendship does Aristotle identify? Choose a song (classical, rock, pop, etc.) that illustrates at least one kind of Aristotle’s friendship. Explain why it works. Include the lyrics. Use quotes from both the song lyrics and from Aristotle’s text to support your comparison. Imbed the song from Youtube, Grooveshark, or Naxos. Include a picture that seems to illustrate your point.

Socrates: Apology

.:.Prompt.:.[Greek Philosophy]: Socrates [469-399 BCE], “Apology” (Course Pack)
    Here Socrates famously says, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” The “Apology” purports to be a historical record of Socrates’ trial in Athens.
          BLOG: Who actually wrote the Apology? What are the charges against Socrates? He tells the jurors that he has been a “gadfly” to the city of Athens. What does this mean? Exactly what is a gadfly? What does a gadfly do? Socrates is convinced that this is his job in life. Why does he think so? What is Socrates’ view toward his coming death? Include a picture of Socrates and of a gadfly.

The Canterbury Tales: The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale

.:.Prompt.:.[Medieval narrative poetry – exemplum]: The Canterbury Tales, “The Words of the Host to the Physician and the Pardoner; The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale” (Portable Chaucer pp 316-335)
          BLOG: Define Pardoner, indulgence, relic. “The Pardoner’s Tale” is an exemplum. Define exemplum? The Pardoner says he preaches only one text: radix malorum es cupiditas. What does that mean? Although the Pardoner has “spilled his guts” in his Prologue, he does something bizarre at the close of his Tale; what is it? What does this reveal about him? Include images of relics similar to those the Pardoner carries.
The Canterbury Tales, “Chaucer’s Retraction” (Portable Chaucer pp 341-342).           
          BLOG: What does retraction mean in this context? Is he seriously taking everything back? If not, why is the Retraction included?

The Canterbury Tales: The Merchant’s Prologue and Tale

 .:.Prompt.:.[Medieval narrative poetry – fabliau]: The Canterbury Tales, “The Merchant’s Prologue and Tale; Epilogue to the Merchant’s Tale” (Portable Chaucer pp 264-291)
          BLOG: Fabliaux were written in French 100 years before Chaucer, but he is the first to write fabliaux in English. What is a fabliau? Find a correct literary definition. The Eagles’ song, “Lyin’ Eyes” (by Don Henley and Glenn Frey) warns that “every form of refuge has its price.” Listen to the song on Grooveshark. Is Chaucer saying the same thing in this tale? Is this story didactic? Include image of Chaucer from the Ellesmere manuscript (Google it).

The Canterbury Tales: The General Prologue

.:.Prompt.:.Medieval Estates and Orders (Course Pack); Aelfric (Course Pack)
“Imperatrix Mundi” from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff (Course Pack)
Introduction to Geoffrey Chaucer (1340?-1400) and his work (Portable Chaucer pp 1-49)
[Medieval narrative poetry]: The Canterbury Tales, “The General Prologue” (Portable Chaucer pp 51-75).
BLOG: According to Aelfric, what are the three medieval Estates? What does Chaucer say about the “estate” of the characters in the General Prologue? In the GP, Chaucer presents the “frame tale” that holds his collection of stories together. Summarize the frame tale. This is often called “Estates Satire.” Why so?   Include images of Canterbury Cathedral.