Bringing Literature To Life--Through Violence! [Tuesday, Second Period]

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

Today was a discussion class with Cindy, so the students had been sent emails reminding them to come to the classroom, rather than the Danger Shop. The usual coffee and pastries were on the sideboard; Cindy figured that sooner or later, people would figure out they were for sharing. If not, more for her.

She didn't bother with greetings and niceties this time around. There was learning to do. "The Trojan War," she said, after the students had settled. "Most of you from this planet and this approximate time in history will have heard of it. The vast majority of what we know about that battle between the ancient Greeks and the Trojans comes from a bard named Homer. I'm not saying what we know is accurate--" that seemed an important caveat, based on some of their students "--scholars still aren't entirely sure whether the battle is historical or mere myth or even if Homer was one man or a group, so if your version is different, that's fair. But we're here to study literature, and that's what can be found right here, in The Iliad."

There were handouts on each desk so they could follow along. "The Iliad starts off with a party. Eris, the goddess of discord, threw a golden apple with the words 'For the Fairest' on them. Three of the goddesses claimed it, Zeus decided to let a mortal judge the impromptu beauty contest, and Paris eventually chose Aphrodite, after she promised him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world. That woman was Helen, who, unfortunately for everyone, was already married at the time. That didn't stop Aphrodite or Paris, and eventually the two ran away together to Troy, where Paris was a prince. Meneleus, Helen's ex-husband, roused the majority of Greek kings and sped off after them, besieging Troy for nine years."

Since The Iliad was a story primarily about the sulking wrath of Achilles, Cindy went into detail about that, from his pouting over having to give up his slave-girl up through his vengeance upon Hector, for killing his boyfriend cousin Patrocles.

"The part of the story most familiar to people is not actually found in The Iliad, but take place after its ending. After Priam retrieved Hector's body, the Greeks decided it was time to end the war. They were not able to breach the walls, and so Odysseus came up with a plan. He had the men build a great wooden horse, which they left outside of Troy's walls as they sailed away. The Trojans, believing it was a tribute to Athena, pulled down part of their walls to wheel the horse inside. After the Trojans went to bed, the forty soldiers inside the horse snuck out, altered the Greek ships that hadn't sailed all that far away, and began the Sack of Troy."

Comments

Sign in (Week 2)

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

Wrathfully!

Re: Sign in (Week 2)

[child-of-rer.livejournal.com]

Sov Thade Tage em Ereb

Re: Sign in (Week 2)

[awakestheghosts]

Chloe Saunders

Listen to the Lecture

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

Take notes, pass notes, ask questions, read your handouts, grab coffee and pastries.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[hurtingzeebo]

Honestly, the free food was the only thing keeping Sam in her seat. She rather felt this class needed more violence and less literature.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[godofxbox]

Alex sliiiiiid down in his seat, doing his best to not draw attention. He'd actually met Achilles a couple of times, the first being right after he was kidnapped by the other Greek gods. He was pretty sure he'd bitten him, but it hadn't done anything because, Achilles.

That had been the only time when Achilles had both halves of his face, but at least, unlike most of Ares' divine heroes, he'd survived the War in Heaven.

Class Discussion: Kleos & Nostos

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

Two of the themes of The Iliad are kleos (glory) and nostos (homecoming). Kleos can be found in heroic battle, but is usually paired with nostos; more glory is earned in a victorious homecoming.

Achilles, however, is granted one of those two by the Fates: "...If I stay here and fight beside the city of the Trojans, my return home is gone, but my glory shall be everlasting; but if I return home to the beloved land of my fathers, the excellence of my glory is gone, but there will be a long life left for me, and my end in death will not come to me quickly."

Achilles chooses kleos and dies on the battlefield. Which would you choose, and why? How do people find kleos in your culture. Is nostros still an important concept?

Re: Class Discussion: Kleos & Nostos

[child-of-rer.livejournal.com]

"I'd chose homecoming," Sov said, resisting adding 'of course'. "But dying for what you believe in is... honourable. If it comes to that. I don't think I'm that kind of person though."

Politics seemed a little scary.

Re: Class Discussion: Kleos & Nostos

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

"What kind of person is that?" Cindy asked, curious for Sov's opinion.

Re: Class Discussion: Kleos & Nostos

[regretiz4suckas.livejournal.com]

Kenzi was considering as she nibbled away. "Homecoming, but.. I get how cool glory is. I'd go for both. Somehow. But I think I'd come down to homecoming in the end. Glory's kinda awesome, but dude, what good is it to you if you're dead?"

Re: Class Discussion: Kleos & Nostos

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

"Well, the Greeks believed in a special afterlife for heroes," Cindy said. "So dying in a blaze of glory is pretty much a guaranteed way to get to the good spot. And even without that, Achilles' name is still with us today, long after many of the others have been forgotten. Long life or forever fame?"

Re: Class Discussion: Kleos & Nostos

[hurtingzeebo]

"I'd beat up the fates and then do both." Yeah, Sam might not be getting the point of the discussion. "But I guess if I had to choose, I'd go home. Then I'd get to sit around all day and eat grapes." She also had a rather . . . interesting idea of what Grecian culture was like.

Re: Class Discussion: Kleos & Nostos

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

"Good luck with beating up the Fates," Cindy said, cracking a smile. "That's called huris, or overweening pride. Even the gods had to bend to the dictates of the fates, and hubris often accompanied a very, very long fall down."

Re: Class Discussion: Kleos & Nostos

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

Oh goodie, painful memories, what with her dead husband Perdicas having fought for Troy before he got killed.

That lent just a tiny bit of extra exasperation to Gabrielle's voice when she spoke up, and she was perfectly aware of what the discussion was supposed to be, thank you.

"The sad thing to me in all of this is that everyone thinks about Odysseus and Achilles and Patroclus and Hector and all of those men," she spoke up. "And nobody ever stops to think about how Helen felt about all of this."

Re: Class Discussion: Kleos & Nostos

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

"Or her daughter, Hermione, who was left home without either parent for ten long years," Cindy agreed, with a nod. "Though the myths say she ended up in Elysian as well. What do you think, Gabrielle? How do you think she might have felt?"

Re: Class Discussion: Kleos & Nostos

[godofxbox]

"In that situation, kleos," Alex said. "Achilles could have left, sure, but he would have lost his honor as well as his glory. I don't find that acceptable."

Re: Class Discussion: Kleos & Nostos

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

"Ten years is a long time to be at war for," Cindy said, having no problems playing devil's advocate. "Is there a situation where you would choose nostos?"

Re: Class Discussion: Kleos & Nostos

[wheeler-360.livejournal.com]

Marshall turned the question over in his head. "I... think I'd pick nostos," he said. "I mean, part of me wants to say that glory is totally better, and in the heat of the moment I can see how that part might take over? But thinking about it now., I have to ask how much glory is there in dying?

"Maybe I'd feel different if I were Ancient Greek, though. Or more into fighting."

Re: Class Discussion: Kleos & Nostos

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

"It's not just fighting," Cindy pointed out. "At least, not anymore. Think of all of the famous musicians and actors who died at the height of their fame and went on to become legends because of it?"

Not that she was saying that they'd intended to die, but they did have glory now because of it.

Talk to Your Teachers

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

They're here!

Re: Talk to Your Teachers

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

Cindy was sipping her coffee and wandering around to answer questions if anyone had them.

Re: Talk to Your Teachers

[furiousmaximus.livejournal.com]

Max leaned against the wall trying to be unobtrusive. He was actually pretty good at it for someone his size. His attention swept from student to student, making mental notes for next week.

Bwahahaha.

OOC

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

Ugh. Reupping Cindy's icons ASAP.

Re: OOC

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

I AM SORRY ABOUT GABS BUT SURELY YOU HAD TO KNOW THIS WAS COMING.

Re: OOC

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

DON'T WORRY. BOTH CINDY AND I ARE USED TO HER.

(WHERE 'USED TO' MEANS 'FOND OF')