"My favorite thing..." A Letter to My Grandmother
Exmination #2: CLST 1003, Introduction to Classical Studies GREECE
To be written in class on December 3, 2007.
Illustration: Eirene (Peace) and her child Ploutos (Wealth), by Kephisodotos (Roman Copy), original ca. 375-370 BCE. Height: 2.1 m. Munich. (arms restored).
"LETTER TO MY GRANDMOTHER"
Introduction: Wally Cordes, the Eponymous Hero of the University of Arkansas Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center, says that a good way to see if you really understand something is to pretend that you are explaining it to your grandmother. The final assignment in CLST 1003 will be such a test.
Assignment: Pretend to be yourself (this should not be difficult -- for most students). Write a letter to your grandmother, explaining to her something you liked learning in Greek Literature, History, or Art this semester -- from Herodotus, Thucydides, Aeschylus, Aristophanes, and/or Biers' Archaeology of Greece (Chapters 6, 7, and 8). You should tell her about your favorite... something.
Contents: Your letter will include greetings and chitchat about your family (keep this short, please), and a description of your favorite thing in a few paragraphs.
You should be sure to show that you understand what you are talking about, and give your Grandmother sufficient background information to put your topic in a context that she can understand. For instance, if you are telling about your "Favorite Naval Battle of the Persian Wars," you will need to tell her who was fighting, and how they came to fight. [Maybe you want to tell her that Salamis is not the plural of salami, but the name of an island near Athens.]
If you are telling her about your "Favorite Tragedy based on a cursed Argive Family," you will need to fill her in about the details of the House of Atreus, the Trojan War, and other things that will make the subject intelligible to her.
If you are talking about your "Favorite Siege in the Peloponnesian War", you need to explain why the Thebans and Lacedaemonians attacked Plataia, and the context of the Peloponnesian war. If you decide to talk about your "Favorite Greek Comedy Satirizing Socrates", you need to let her know something about Greek Comedy, and explain some of the jokes in the play. Delicately tell her that sex and scatology are common in this genre. She can take it.
You will include at least four significant quotations from your source material.
Try to tell your grandmother WHY you like this, or WHY you are interested in it. You may tell her the relevance it has to your life, or the ideas it stimulates in your mind. Here you might also include modern parallels that occur to you, or any analogies that you think will help your grandmother understand what you are talking about. Make sure you can put your topic in language she can understand, and to cite sufficient quotations (she will need at least four quotations, so please include at least that many; they don't have to be long ones). When you quote from the text, be sure to use quotation marks, to be sure that she knows that you are quoting.
Topic: Possible topics are limited only by your interests and the material you have read. Be imaginative, and have fun.
You may use your interests to look at something in depth. What did you really like reading? What do you want to go back and review? What do you want to explore further? Here are a few ideas -- you choose whatever you like. You do not have to do any of the following topics; they're just to get you thinking about the assignment.
Format: You may choose any format you like, but here is a possible outline, in case you want guidance:
paragraph 1: Greetings and chitchat about family;
paragraph 2: General discussion about your recent readings in Greek Literature;
paragraphs 3, 4, 5, 6, etc.: Your favorite thing about the Greek Literature and/or Art you have read, and what you like about it, including any necessary background information (see Contents, above). THE MORE RELEVANT, ACCURATE INFORMATION YOU INCLUDE, THE BETTER.
PREPARATION: You may prepare for this assignment by finding the passages you want to write about, and thinking about what you want to say. Be sure you understand the context, and that you do not misrepresent the material you are sharing. You may use your textbooks in class, but they may not contain any notes.
Be sure to plan your writing time wisely. I would estimate that you should be able to write your essay in forty minutes. All letters must be handed in by the end of class. Professor Levine will not accept late papers, and your grandmother won't, either. Correct grammar and spelling will improve your papers, and make Grandmother happy, too. Contact Professor Levine if you have questions about the assignment: dlevine@uark.edu.
The examination will also contain five 'Classics in Our World' words,
from those presented since October 1. B e able to give the modern and ancient
meanings of these words. You will have eight words, from which you will
choose five. Do not write more than two minutes on each one. You may write
in sentences, or use "bullet point" presentations of these words.
The point is to show that you understand them now, and that you understand
their origins.
Have fun!