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Quiz, Monday Sept 4, 7pm
Assignments Wednesday Sept 6, 7pm
Long Read:
Antigone, by Sophocles, lines 1-655
Short Reads:
Aristotle's Poetics, parts 1-6 and parts 8-10
"Greece and the Theater" essay in the Sophocles book, pages 13-30
Poetry:
"Bring Me Homer's Lyre" by Anacreon
Bring me Homer’s lyre, yes, bring it,
But leave that string of blood out
Bring a cup of versing rules
Oh and mix some metres in it
I will sing, then I’ll be dancing
Not a drop of sense left in me
I will dance to horn and zither
Crying out the cries that wine makes
Bring me Homer’s lyre, yes, bring it
Oh but take that string of blood out
"Already More than Half the Pages" by Philodemus
"He is Gone. That wild boy, Love" by MeleagerAlready more than half the pages have been torn out of the little book of my life;Look, girl, already white hairs are sprinkled on my head,announcing that the age of wisdom is drawing near.But still all I care about is laughing and drinking and the pleasures of the night;Still, in my unsatisfied heart, a fire is burning.Oh, Muses, my guides, write an end to it: Say, This girl, this one here,She is the end of your madness.
He is gone. That wild boy, Love, has escaped!
Just now, as day was breaking, he flew from his bed and was gone.
Description? Sweetly tearful, talks forever, swift, irreverent,
Slyly laughing, wings on his back, and carries a quiver.
His last name? I don’t know, for his father and mother,
Whoever they are, in earth or heaven, won’t admit it.
Everyone hates him, you see. Take care, take care,
Or even now he’ll be weaving new snares for your heart.
But hush—look there, turn slowly. You don’t deceive me, boy,
Drawing your bow so softly where you hide in Zenophile’s eyes.
Creative Assignment:
Choose one of the following creative assignments and post your efforts to the Google+ Community. For visual art, you'll need to scan your work, or take a photo and post it. Please use great lighting and post something we can all see! Part of your participation grade is commenting on your classmates' work.
Option 1: Create a colorful but informative drawing of a Greek theater in which you label the SKENE, THEATRON, ORCHESTRA, and PARADOS.
OR
Option 2:
In class, we are going to be loosely following these instructions to create theatrical masks for use in our production of Oedipus #Rekt.
Read a bit about the role of masks in Greek theater. Create two sketches for masks we might make -- one for Antigone, one for Creon. Your sketches should each be the size of an 8.5x11 sheet of paper, and we should be able to tell which character is represented just by looking.
Writing Assignment:
Choose one of the following writing assignments and post your efforts to the Google+ Community under the appropriate category, and identify which reading period it belongs to. Part of your participation grade is commenting on your classmates' work.
Option 1: After reading the introductory essay, "Greece and the Theater," write a 300 word essay in which you answer this question: If a modern city declared a three day festival and theatrical competition, would there be an audience? Give your opinion based on what you know about people and their interest in live theater, and the popularity of film festivals like Cannes and Sundance. What would make this work? What would make this fail? In your essay, you must use and define the following terms: Catharsis, Perepeteia, Hamartia, Anagnorisis.
OR
Option 2:
Read the "Ode to Man" section of Antigone, the chorus' speech in lines 375-416. Then read Anne Carson's poem "The Ode to Man from Sophocles' Antigone" in The New Yorker. Write a 300 word essay paraphrasing these lines. You can use your own imagery, and your own ideas if you like, but you must communicate the same idea. Therefore your first task will be to figure out what that idea is.
If you intend to take the AP Language and Composition test at the end of the year, you will have some extra reading and writing to do. If you write the essay, post your essay under the "World of Ideas" category on the Google+ Community. If you choose to answer the questions, email them to me with the subject header World of Ideas Reading Period 1.
In World of Ideas, read "Thoughts from the Tao-te Ching" by Lao Tzu. Choose any of the essay prompts (1-5) in the Writing Assignments section and write a 300 word essay OR answer all of the Questions for Critical Reading.
Quiz:
Your quiz is over the assigned excerpts from Aristotle's Poetics, and the "Greece and the Theater" essay. You may use the texts to help you answer. Send your quiz in an email with the subject header Zombie Hotsauce Quiz Reading Period 1. Copy the questions into the email and add your answers.
2. What were dithyrambs?
3. Which deity was considered patron of the arts and honored at the Athenian theatre festivals?
4. Who are the three great Greek tragedians?
5. At the time of Euripides’ death, how many actors, apart from the chorus, were in a Greek tragedy?
6. Interspersed with each trilogy of tragedies at the festivals were shorter, comical plays, called ________ plays.
7. Why did the actors wear masks?
8. Describe one function of the chorus.
9. Identify Aristotle’s Three Unities.
10. What meter was Greek tragedy primarily written in?
11. Why did Plato dislike poetry and drama especially?
12. What distinction(s) does Aristotle make between tragedy and comedy?
BONUS. Match the following parts of a tragic choral song to their descriptions.
___ Antistrophe a. Second movement of a choral song
___ Episode b. Chanted as the chorus enters; anapestic meter
___ Prologue c. oft-omitted, static wrap-up of a choral song
___ Parode d. First movement of a choral song
___ Epode e. Exposition given before the chorus enters
___ Strophe f. Chanted dialogue between an actor and the chorus
___ Exode g. A reaction to the preceding episode, no actors onstage
___ Stasimon h. The chorus’ last song
