Core Studies 1 S:  First Paper

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Length:  3 to 4 printed double-spaced pages
Date Due: Tuesday, October 29

Write an essay in which you compare Priam’s supplication of Achilles in Book 24 of the Iliad with one or two other scenes of supplication or entreaty in the poem.

You may choose scenes listed in our web discussion topic (Item 8: Priam’s Supplication of Achilles) or you may substitute other scenes which interest you.

In making your comparison, consider such things as:

•  the relationship between the two characters
•  the gestures or actions which they perform
•  the arguments, if any, which they make
•  the ransom, if any, which they offer
•  the success or failure of the appeal, and the reason why it fails or succeeds

When you discuss the examples which you have chosen, do not merely re-tell the story of each one.  Instead, always try to make comparisons.  In other words, don’t just say, “Chryses comes offering gifts to get his daughter back; Agamemnon refuses; Chryses goes away. . . .”  Instead, say something like, “Achilles gives Priam hospitality, but Agamemnon angrily turns Chryses away. . . .”

Note:  Your postings to the web are informal, and I have not been correcting spelling or punctuation.  So you must be especially careful to re-read what you have written and to check very carefully for errors!
 
Further Note:  This paper is based on our on-line discussion of Priam’s supplication of Achilles in Book 24 of the Iliad.  This Item (#8) remains open for further contributions.

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