Midterm Preview. WLIT 2323. Spring, 2009.
Professor Daniel Levine.
The midterm (Monday: March 2, 2009) will cover the lectures, myth words,
art, and readings from the first seven weeks of the semester, to include
the following:
Short Answers:
Students will respond briefly to several questions about the myths we
have considered. These are the kinds of questions you might see:
- What is Zeus’ complaint about mortals in Odyssey 1?
- Why does Anchises grow afraid when he discovers that he has just made
love to Aphrodite, in the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite? - Briefly describe the five ages of mankind, according to Hesiod’s
Works and Days. - Why did the gods create Pandora and send her to mortals?
- What did Demeter do when she got to Eleusis while mourning for Persephone,
according to the Homeric Hymn to Demeter? - How was Hermes involved with a musical instrument in the Homeric
Hymn to Hermes? - Why did Aeolus, the keeper of the winds, refuse to give Odysseus and
his men hospitality a second time (Odyssey 10)? - What happened to the sailors who kidnapped Dionysos (Homeric Hymn
to Dionysos)? - What is the substance of the song about Ares, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus
that Demodocus sings to Odysseus and the Phaeacians in Odyssey 8,
and how does it relate to Odysseus’s wanderings and homecoming? - Where does Telemachus go in search of his lost father Odysseus?
- Describe the relationship between Odysseus and his swineherd Eumaeus
in the Odyssey. - Describe the relationship between Odysseus and Athena in the Odyssey.
- Describe the relationship between Helen and Menelaus in the Odyssey.
- Describe the relationship between Odysseus and his mother (Odyssey
11). - Describe the relationship between Odysseus and his father (Odyssey
24). - What is Anagnorisis? Give an example.
- What is a kerukeion? Where would we see one?
- What does Psychopompos mean, and with what mythical character
is it associated? - What is the story of how Hesiod became an authoritative singer?
- Describe the circumstances of Odysseus’ meeting with Teiresias the
prophet, who tells him his future.
Identification of passages:
Students will read several passages from our readings, and comment on
the story, context, speaker, and situation. Passages will be similar to
the ones on the quizlet that we had in class.
Myth Words:
Students will briefly explain the modern meaning and ancient
myth behind the ‘myth words’ that students have presented to date, as
listed on the course web page:
http://www.uark.edu/campus-resources/dlevine/WLIT2323MythWords.html.
Art:
Students will look at slides and explain the myths portrayed,
and/or the iconographic clues to the identity of the figures (winged
shoes of Hermes, e.g.). These can include slides of what we have already
seen, and slides of unseen material.
For example, if you see a depiction of the birth of Athena, you should
identify the characters in the scene by their attributes, say that it is
the birth of Athena, and explain the myth of her birth.
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