Humanities 110

Paper Topics | Fall 2009 | Paper 2

Due Saturday, October 10, 5 p.m., in your conference leader's Eliot Hall mailbox.
Maximum Length 1500 words

1. The Histories seems to have numerous beginnings: Herodotus' announcement of his project (1.0), the abduction accounts (1.1-5), the introduction of Croesus (1.6), the Candaules and Gyges story (1.7-12). What purposes do these various openings serve? How do these multiple introductions shape Herodotus' narrative as a whole?

2. Carefully and in your own words, state and explain Parmenides' argument in 8.15-20 that nothing ever comes into or goes out of existence. Do you think the argument is successful? Why or why not?

3. Analyze the representations of Pandora in Hesiod, Works and Days, 58-125, and Penthesilea on the amphora by Exekias found at http://cdm-workspace.reed.edu/slideshow/657, slides 10-11. What do these two representations reveal about the conception(s) of gender in archaic Greece?

4. Given what you have learned from your lectures and readings about the political economy of archaic Greece, why does the Works and Days proclaim that "Justice beats out Violence" (WD 253)? How does that proclamation fit with the broader political views of Hesiod, Works and Days?

5. Examine the relationship between desire, vision and voice in Sappho, 6 (Miller, = fr. 31). How does this relationship illuminate Archaic Greek conceptions of love and desire?

In addition to consulting with your conference leader, you can get help with all stages of the writing process from peer tutors at the Writing Center. You can find links to the Writing Center hours on the Drop-in Tutoring Schedule website. Extra tutoring help will be available in the week leading up to paper due dates.