The Epic Tradition Classical Studies 160/Comparative Literature 244 Fall, 1995
Your first course paper of five to seven typewritten pages (reasonable line width, reasonable type size--don't make me ask for a word count!) will be due in draft form on September 22nd. Please remember that the more pol ished your first draft, the even more polished your final, graded draft will be after I work it over. Don't forfeit your chance to do better than your best. As these are literary papers, you can cite within your text, bu t be specific, e.g., "The beggar Iros displays a parody of a true hero's behavior in Odyssey 17.12-17 when he challenges Odysseus himself...
Advance your own answer, supported by reasoned analysis and presentation of specific examples from the Iliad and the Odyssey, (if you want to bring in an outside analysis, that's all right, but it's your ability to reason and argue that I'm looking for to this question):
What actions of which characters in the Homeric epics demonstrate a system of values or beliefs seemingly or actually alien to those of yourself and our society? Which actions of which characters in the Homeric epics disp lay values similar or identical to those you hold? What role do you think Homer plays in determining how you react to his works in this area?