Illustration: “Ulysses Attacked by the Dogs of Eumaeus.” Chalcedony. Artist: Gnaios (Beazley Archives)
There are three parts of this examination. Please budget enough time to complete them all.
To be completed during class on Wednesday, February 24, 2021.
1. Slides (12 points). Write a brief description of two slides (out of five), including at least four facts. These may include: name, location, period, date, material, use, technique, significance (what it shows about the people, civilization), etc. [Fair game: Biers figures 2.21, 2.42, 3.3, 3.6, 3.39, 4.9, 5.20, 5.25, 6.2, 6.19]
2. Classics in Our World (12 points). Write about three of the following [You will have some choice] and briefly give: 1) the original story/meaning/significance, 2) the modern use/meaning, and 3) an example, with a sentence that explains the modern meaning. Please be specific. [There is possible extra credit for correct Greek spelling of original words.]
3. Hermes’ Letters to Maia (76 points). Imagine that you are the god Hermes, son of Zeus and Maia.
You appear in the Odyssey several times: Zeus tells the other gods that he had sent you as a messenger to Aegisthus (1.43-48 Lombardo); Zeus sent you to Calypso with a message that she disliked (5. 1-147 Lombardo); you helped Odysseus on Circe’s island (10.290-357); the swineherd Eumaeus honored you with offerings (14.468-471 Lombardo); the disguised Odysseus attributes his skills as a waiter and cook to you (15.348-358 Lombardo); Eurycleia the nurse remembers that you had made Odysseus’ grandfather “the best man on earth in thieving and lying” (19.427-435 Lombardo); you led the souls of the slaughtered suitors into the underworld (24.1-212 Lombardo). You are a versatile god.
In-Class Writing Assignment for Wednesday, February 24, 2021
- PREPARE: In Stanley Lombardo’s translation, re-read the three main scenes in which Hermes appears: Odyssey 5, 10 and 24.
- WRITE three (3) letters to your mother the nymph Maia (she lives in a cave on Mt. Kyllene in Arcadia), telling her about your three main actions in the epic, in the order they occurred chronologically, as follows:
1) CIRCE LETTER: Your help to Odysseus on Circe’s island (10. 290-357 Lombardo);
2) CALYPSO LETTER: Your mission to Calypso (5. 30-357 Lombardo);
3) UNDERWORLD LETTER: Your trip to Hades (24.1-212 Lombardo).
In each of your letters, briefly explain to Maia four things about your action. These include giving the context of each scene, and your reaction to what happened:
1) what you did (briefly); 2) why you did it (the context of your action); 3) the result of your action (i.e. what happened after you performed each task); 4) your feelings about your work (how did you feel about each mission?).
In your letters, as appropriate, include the following items, as they appear in Stanley Lombardo’s translation — in a way that shows that you understand the meaning, relevance and importance of each to the appropriate scenes. Please underline these items in your letters.
Athena Zeus your sandals Ogygia Aeaea
Agamemnon moly your wand asphodel Eurylochus
Please only use our text of Lombardo’s translation of the Odyssey. Students may not use the internet, or consult with other class members about this assignment. When you write, be sure to stay in character. Be sure to appropriately express your feelings, both positive and negative, about what you experienced. Be creative, but do not stray too much from verisimilitude (i.e. stick to the facts of the narrative). You may write your letters in English, even though Hermes did not know it. Have fun!
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