Reed College
Reed College

Humanities 110

Introduction to the Humanities

Paper Topics | Spring 2017 | Paper 2

Paper Due: Saturday, March 4, at 5:00 PM in your conference leader's Eliot Hall mailbox
Length: 6-8 pages (1500-2000 words)

Choose one of the following questions:

  1. Idyll 15, "The Women at the Festival" (pp. 44-50), is, among other things, social satire, but who or what is satirized? If we cannot easily tell what is being satirized, why not? Whether or not the social commentary is clear, what might the idyll tell us about the mix of cultures in Alexandria? (You could, but need not, consider issues of gender and class, as well as references to different cultures.)

  2. Focus on one of Aristotle's central arguments: the function argument of NE I.7, the relationship between the life of contemplation and the ethical life in NE X, or the argument for natural slavery in Politics I.

    1. Reconstruct his argument by both quoting the text and paraphrasing the steps of the argument in your own words.

    2. Develop one powerful objection to Aristotle's argument. Indicate which particular premise or inference the objection calls into question. (You might even show that Aristotle himself may agree with the assumptions that stand behind the objection by citing passages that suggest this.)

    3. Offer Aristotle's reply, once again grounding the reply in a close reading of the text.

    4. Offer a brief assessment of where things stand for Aristotle after the objection and response.

  3. Consider the following two images, one of a Ptolemaic king and one of a private individual:

    Ring seal of Ptolemy VI
    Statue of Hor

    Both are in styles that do not conform to what we might call typical "Greek" or "Egyptian" art. How does the context affect our understanding of each work? What are the implications of the purposeful combination of both "Greek" and "Egyptian" style in these works, given that one is involved in the projection of royal authority, and the other a private dedication?

    [For comparison of more typically "Greek" and "Egyptian" styles, see the following bust of Ptolemy IV and this depiction of Ptolemy V.]

  4. Consider the birth/origin narratives of both Alexander the Great (Alexander Romance 1.1-1.13) and Cyrus the Great (Herodotus 1.107-1.113). What is the relationship between myth and history in both these texts? How do both narratives create expectations about their respective subjects (Alexander and Cyrus)?

  5. Write your own essay topic. If you choose this option, it is necessary to have your conference leader approve your topic before you start working on it.