First Essay (20%)
LAPS/HUMA 1100 9.0A: Worlds of Ancient Greece and Rome Released Saturday, September 22, 2018
Due Thursday, November 8, 2018
Context for the main essay assignment
From the opening lines of The Iliad, we learn that the main subject matter of the poem is Achilleus' anger (mēnis). He is angry, we come to see, because Agamemnon seized his war prize (geras), Briseis, as compensation for the loss of Chryseis. Achilleus vows to exact revenge against Agamemnon and he withdraws from battle in the hope that, with assistance from Zeus, Hektor and the Trojans will slaughter Greek soldiers. He wants this to happen so that Agamemnon will suffer with the realization that he did not honour the "best of the Achaians" (aristos Akhaion).
Main essay assignment question
This essay assignment requires you to develop an analysis of the conflict between Achilleus and Agamemnon as found in the assigned edition of The Iliad. You are required to develop your analysis in light of lecture and tutorial discussions so that you have a critical, disciplined, and text-based approach to your essay. In your analysis, you should consider carefully (1) the reason(s) that Agamemnon seizes Briseis from Achilleus (i.e., the point of view of Agamemnon in Book 1), (2) what the seizure of Briseis means for Achilleus (i.e., the point of view of Achilleus in Book 1), (3) how and why Agamemnon's offer to Achilleus in Book 9 does not resolve but, rather, sustains the conflict between Agamemnon and Achilleus, (4) the strategic significance of the ancient Greek terminology used at select points by Nestor, Agamemnon, Odysseus, Phoinix, and Aias in Book 9, (5) the meaning and significance of Achilleus' response to the embassy in Book 9 and how his response maintains his conflict with Agamemnon, (6) the critical significance of the exchange between Agamemnon and Achilleus at the assembly in Book 19, (7) the real reasons that Achilleus returns to the battlefield in light of the events in Books 16 and 18, and (8) in light of all the above (1-7), whether the conflict between Achilleus and Agamemnon is ever truly resolved. The most important primary text material on which you need to focus your study are Books 1, 6, 9, 16, 18, 19, and 22 (the most critical of these most important Books are emphasized in bold). The remaining Books in The Iliad are important for you to read in order to grasp the proper context of each the focal Books for your essay
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and, also, for understanding more fully the core values of the Greeks and the Trojans and how these shared values generate and sustain conflict.
Questions you need to answer before you begin to write your essay
In order to develop a strong response to the main essay assignment question, you will need to respond to each of the bulleted questions below. Your responses to these questions will help you to generate the content that you need in order to write a strong essay. While your responses to these bulleted questions will not be graded, you must provide evidence that you have responded to them or (1) you will not have the required material that you need to write a strong essay and (2) your essay assignment will not be complete, and marks will be deducted for incomplete essays. You are required to type your responses to these questions and include them after your “Works Cited” page and word count. Your instructor may read your responses to these questions if he wants to understand more fully the argument you are making in your essay, if he has any concerns about whether or not you have written your essay independently, or if he has any concerns about whether any part of your essay has been plagiarized or purchased, in which case your essay will be withheld for further investigation and may lead to a formal inquiry at the departmental level.
Questions
Why does Agamemnon think that he has the right to take Achilleus’ war prize (geras)? Why is it so important to him to take Achilleus' prize? What is his reasoning?
Why does Achilleus think that Agamemnon does not have the right to take his prize? Why is it so important to Achilleus to possess his prize? What is his reasoning?
What, exactly, is honour (timē)? What is the connection between honour and value? What is the connection between value and war prizes? How is the value of a hero related to his hierarchical status and being?
Are the values of Achilleus fundamentally different from the values of Agamemnon? Or are their values fundamentally the same? In what sense are their positions the same? In what sense are their positions different?
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Does Agamemnon admit that he is wrong in Book 9? Why does he send an embassy to Achilleus’ ships? Does he apologize to Achilleus? Does he ask anyone to apologize to Achilleus? Or, is Agamemnon’s position in Book 9 consistent with his position in Book 1? (It is essential, not optional, that you consider carefully what Agamemnon actually offers to Achilleus, i.e., the ancient Greek words he uses, when considering the meaning and significance of the offer that Agamemnon presents to Achilleus.)
What does Nestor advise Agamemnon to offer to Achilleus? What does Agamemnon actually offer? (See prior bulleted question.) What does Odysseus tell Achilleus that Agamemnon is offering Achilleus, and why? What does Phoinix tell Achilleus Agamemnon is offering Achilleus, and why? What does Aias tell Achilleus Agamemnon is offering Achilleus, and why? To answer these questions, you will need to know the ancient Greek terminology used at key moments in Book 9, and their meaning and significance in the context in which they are used.
Why does Achilleus refuse the offers presented by Odysseus, Phoinix, and Aias in Book 9? What does Achilleus' response tell you about Achilleus and his relationship to those whom he calls the "dearest of all the Achaians"?
Why does Achilleus decide in Book 18 to return to battle? Is Achilleus admitting that he is wrong when he withdrew from battle? In what sense has Achilleus' position changed in relation to his position in Book 1?
What, specifically, does Agamemnon say that he offers to Achilleus in Book 19 at the assembly? What Greek words does he use? What is Achilleus' response to Agamemnon's offer? What is the meaning and significance of Achilleus' response to Agamemnon, and in what sense does it show that the conflict between Agamemnon and Achilleus has not been resolved?
Note 1: The above questions are intended to help you to generate the content that you need in order to write ONE coherent, focused, and unified response that addresses the MAIN ESSAY ASSIGNMENT QUESTION. (An essay is not a collection of responses to different questions but a sustained discussion/argument that defends one position/insight/thesis. It is not, therefore, sufficient to answer each bulleted question one-by-one and then to submit these answers as an essay.) Your responses to the bulleted questions are very important and, if you respond to them effectively, you will gather everything that you need to write an excellent essay. But you will need to offer a strong response to each bulleted question by engaging with the material you have
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learned in class in light of the primary text and then, second, you will need to shape your responses to these questions in such a way that you offer, again, one clear, focused, textually- supported argument to support your thesis. That is, your final essay must be one unified paper that responds seriously to the main assignment question.
Note 2: As this essay assignment requires you to engage seriously with The Iliad in light of the content discussed in lectures and tutorials, consulting Internet sources for the purpose of developing a critical response to the assignment is strongly discouraged. To the contrary, reading and rereading the key Books of The Iliad in light of class discussions is strongly encouraged. If, contrary to this recommendation, you do make the choice to use secondary sources (including Internet sources), no marks will be deducted for using the Internet if you reference all of your sources properly. Please note, however, that you will still need to offer support from the assigned edition of the primary text for the position that you take in light of the material discussed in lectures and tutorials. How do you defend the ideas you present from the Internet on the basis of the primary text in light of class discussions?
Required documents to be submitted with your essay
Please attach the following to your essay:
o A “Works Cited” page with a list of all the sources you have used in alphabetical order (see “Style, supporting documents, and additional guidance” below [p. 7]).
o A one-page confirmation report that you have completed the Academic Integrity Tutorial Quiz and have received 100%. To complete the quiz, go to: https://www.yorku.ca/health/yquiz/acadinte_nologin/quiz/acadinte_no login.quiz
o A completed Academic Integrity Checklist found at https://www.library.yorku.ca/spark/academic_integrity/Academic%20I ntegrity%20Checklist.pdf You will need to checkmark the items that apply to you and then you will need to sign and date the checklist at the bottom of the page. Be sure that you have completed the checklist truthfully .
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Warning! If you do not attach your “Works Cited” page, quiz report, and completed checklist at the back of the PRINT COPY of your essay, your essay will not be complete and up to 10% will be deducted from your final essay grade!
Important notes and assignment details
Value: The essay is worth 20% of your final grade for this course. Essay format: Your essay is due in two formats:
Essays must be uploaded onto Moodle in Microsoft Word format (NOT PDF).
A print copy of your essay must be submitted to your tutorial instructor. The electronic uploaded copy of your essay must be exactly the same as the print copy that you give to your tutorial instructor.
Warning! If the electronic copy of your essay is different from your paper copy, up to 10% will be deducted from your final essay grade!
External sources: The only text that you will need to write your essay is the assigned translation of The Iliad. (Please do not cite from other translations without receiving prior approval from your tutorial instructor, or else marks will be deducted!) If you do make the choice to use secondary scholarship or Internet sources, e.g., from Sparks Notes, Max Notes, Schmoop, Cliffs Notes, Wikipedia, etc., you should know that your essay will be graded, as all essays must be graded, on how seriously you engage with the primary text and class content. Be sure to provide accurate references of all the sources you use. Not providing accurate references is a serious offense and violates the principle of academic honesty. Thus, if you make the choice to use the Internet in writing this assignment, you are responsible for any material that you draw from it and, therefore, for showing how you extract the content that you use from the primary text. Please make sure that the claims that you draw from the Internet are true and consistent with the assigned translation of The Iliad before you make use of them in your essay, and make sure
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that Internet sources help you, and do not divert you, from engaging with the primary text and class content.
Style, supporting documents, and additional guidance: Useful help on citing sources in your essay will be uploaded onto Moodle. Your tutorial instructor will offer further help in your tutorials.
Layout: Your printed essays that you hand in to your tutorial instructor should be typed, double-spaced, and either single or double-sided. (Use your own discretion in choosing the font and the font size.) The pages of your essay should be numbered and the following information should appear in the top left-hand corner of the first page of essay: (1) your name, (2) the name of your tutorial instructor, (3) the course code (HUMA 1100 9.0) and your tutorial number, and (4) the date of submission, all in double-spaced text. Please staple all loose pages together. Warning! Marks may be deducted for improper layout or for failing to staple together the pages of your essay.
Length: 1400 - 1800 words, from the first word of your title to the last word of your conclusion. Please do not exceed 1800 words without prior written permission from your tutorial instructor. While there is no minimum word count for your essay, shorter essays will be graded according to the same standards as essays whose word counts fall within the expected range. Please include an accurate word count at the end of your essay. Warning! Any student who submits an essay that exceeds 1800 words calculated from the title of his or her essay until the last word of the final paragraph without prior written permission from his or her tutorial instructor, that does not have a word count, or whose word count is not accurate, will have up to 5% deducted from his or her essay. You should be aware that your instructor will have access to the essay that you submit onto Moodle, and will be able to determine the exact word count.
Due Date: Thursday, November 8, 2018. Late essays will be subject to a 1% per day deduction, unless students have received prior written permission for an extension from their tutorial instructor. If you require extra time to write your essay, contact your tutorial instructor at least one week in advance of the due date to discuss your situation and extenuating circumstances.