Achilles' Anger

Why is Achilles angry? What actions has he taken so far in the story? Do you think he's justified in being angry? What is the result of his anger so far? What quotations support your ideas?

Nostos and Kleos

Where have you seen evidence of nostos (homecoming) and kleos (glory) as themes in The Iliad? What are characters' ideas about these things? How does this play out in their actions? What quotations support your ideas?

The Role of Women

What women have we met so far in The Iliad? How are they treated? How do they affect the action? Is the role of the goddesses different from that of the mortals? What quotations support your ideas?

Hector and Agamemnon

How does Hector symbolize home and family? If this contrasts with the approach of Agamemnon, what does he symbolize? What have we seen so far of these two men's characters? What quotations could you use as evidence for your ideas?

Hector and Achilles

What do we know so far about Hector and Achilles? What is Hector's reason for being in this war? Why is Achilles in this war? What are their codes of honor? What quotations could you use when discussing this topic?

Chryses as a Father

We haven't seen much of Priam yet, but we have met Chryses. What is his story in The Iliad? What is he like as a father? How does his story fit into The Iliad? How does it fit with some of the themes? What are some quotations you could use when discussing this topic?

4th/5th Hour: World Events

This week we looked at how people in other parts of the world are reacting to a historic event in the U.S. Now it's our turn to react to a world event. Do a little research on an event that is taking place outside of the U.S. Look at more than one source of information. Then, comment on that event and include links to the pages where you got the information. In your comment, please pose some key questions about the event. See the course website for grading criteria. For example:

According to globalissues.org, there is conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The reasons for the conflict are many and complex. Like many conflicts, they involve politics and competition over resources. The BBC reports that a four-year war began in 1998. A peace agreement was signed in 2002. In August of 2008, rebel forces began attacking Congolese government troops again. A cease-fire was signed in late October, but it has not stopped the violence completely. Meanwhile, United Nations peacekeeping forces are currently stationed in the area to protect civilians. Lately, they too have come under attack and now some people are calling for increased peacekeeping forces in the area (Star Tribune). Will this do the job of protecting citizens or will more peacekeeping forces be unable to do their job until the military conflict is resolved? Is it fair to make civilians wait for safety when the end of the conflict is not in sight? Is it fair to subject the peacekeeping forces to high-risk violence?

2nd Hour: World Events

This week we looked at how people in other parts of the world are reacting to a historic event in the U.S. Now it's our turn to react to a world event. Do a little research on an event that is taking place outside of the U.S. Look at more than one source of information. Then, comment on that event and include links to the pages where you got the information. In your comment, please pose some key questions about the event. See the course website for grading criteria. For example:

There is a conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to globalissues.org. The reasons for the conflict are many and complex. Like many conflicts, however, they involve politics and competition over resources. The BBC reports that a four-year war began in 1998. A peace agreement was signed in 2002. Then, in August of 2008, rebel forces began attacking Congolese government troops. A cease-fire was signed in late October, but it has not stopped the violence completely. Some United Nations peacekeeping forces are currently stationed in the area to protect civilians. Lately, they too have come under attack and now some nations are calling for increased peacekeeping forces in the area (Star Tribune). Will peacekeeping forces be unable to protect citizens until the military conflict is resolved? Is it fair to make civilians wait for safety when the end of the conflict is not in sight? Is it fair to subject the peacekeeping forces to high-risk violence?

4th/5th Hour Haiku Poetry Contest

Compose a haiku and post it in a comment. Remember that a haiku is 3 lines long. The first line has 5 syllables, the second line has 7 syllables, and the third line has 5 syllables. For example:

The black felt tip pen
darkens, blackens the circles.
Red badge: I voted.

Please use imagery and kigo in your haiku. We'll vote on the winner tomorrow.

2nd Hour Haiku Poetry Contest

Compose a haiku and post it in a comment. Remember that a haiku is 3 lines long. The first line has 5 syllables, the second line has 7 syllables, and the third line has 5 syllables. For example:

The black felt tip pen
darkens, blackens the circles.
Red badge: I voted.

Please use imagery and kigo in your haiku. We'll vote on the winner tomorrow.

4th/5th Hour: Mysteries, Opinions, & Government

What is your opinion about the philosophies that we talked about in class this week? How do karma, dharma, and/or reincarnation relate to your beliefs? How do you reconcile/deal with these mysteries in our lives that cannot be backed up by scientific evidence? What role might the government play in the definition and enforcement of our duty?

2nd Hour: Culture and Philosophy

How do culture and philosophy relate to each other? What are some examples of customs or traditions in your culture? What is your personal philosophy? How is your philosophy shaped by your culture?

Cultural Transmission

This week, we read folk tales, didactic literature, and proverbs in ancient literature. All three of these share in common an instructive purpose; the reader gets a lesson, moral, or piece of cultural wisdom from the story. Are these forms of literature still common in our society today (outside of a textbook for English class...)? If so, do they look the same or have they changed? What do they look like -- or sound like-- today? What are the "pearls" of our American culture that should be passed down to future generations? How should this be accomplished? How do your ideas for methods of cultural transmission compare to the methods employed by the readings that we did this week?

Our Culture

We started to talk about culture last week, and we will continue to talk about it as we read world literature throughout the semester. Our class will have a culture too. What do you think we should create as the culture of our class? I know this is a vague question (Emma...), but think specifics about purpose, beliefs, and rules. For example, "reading and writing about world literature" is vague as a purpose. What do you want to get out of doing that? Do you want to gain another perspective or a larger worldview? What is the benefit of that? What do we want to hold as the beliefs of our class? What is important to us? For example, do we want everyone to have a voice? What does that look like, especially when some people are more comfortable than others speaking verbally in class? Are there other ways that people can have a voice in class besides speaking verbally? And what about the rules? Does it work well to have people raise their hands before they speak? Does it work well to have people sit where they want or to have assigned seats? What kind of rules have worked well for achieving the purpose in other classes that you have taken?

These questions are meant to give you a starting point for the discussion. Feel free to take it in other directions, but I encourage you to stay focused on the topic of creating the culture of our class. I also encourage you to make this a discussion by responding to what other people have written.

Welcome.

This is a space for discussion about the texts that we will read in world literature. Stay tuned for more later...